âAnd everybody was out to lunch. An hour ago it was a quarter to three, and everybody was here and Bolton was dead. I was here myself, Doctor. And you could have been.â
Francis said he wouldnât want to guess any closer. But about two hours ago, more or less, ought to place it. Say between a little after one and a little after two; sayâ
âDuring the run-through,â Kirk said suddenly. âWe started it at 1:15 and ran untilââ He broke off. He yelled, âJimmy!â Jimmy, from the stage, said, âYeh, Humpty.â
âGive me the times on the second-act run-through,â Kirk directed.
âToday?â Jimmy called. Then, when Kirk answered with a yell, Jimmy said, âSure.â He crossed to a table near the footlights and stared down at it and turned papers.
âOne-twelve to 1:58,â Jimmy called. âWith four script pages to go. And itâs running long, Humpty.â
âIt wonât,â Humpty said. âWait till we get it set. Forty minutes flat.â He turned to Weigand and resumed his natural voice.
âI remember, now,â he said. âWe didnât quite finishâhad about four minutes to go, at a page a minute. I stopped them and came back to talk to Bolton; and found him dead.â
Weigand said, âSo.â
âWhat about?â he said.
Kirk said there was a laugh where Bolton said there wasnât a laughâjust there, before the act wound up. Kirk had tried a new timing on it and wanted to see what Bolton thought now.
âNow,â Kirk said, thoughtfully, âI guess Iâll just keep it in.â
They turned from murder easily, these people, Weigand thought. He had a feeling that Boltonâs death was secondary to Kirk; that the long director, with the collapsing forelock, honestly felt murder irrelevant when compared to the timing of a laughâthat all the others, up there on the stage, thought âTwo in the Bushâ more important, at the moment, and their parts in it more important, than any number of men dead in aisle seats. He regarded Kirk a moment interestedly, and then recalled them both.
âDo you happen to know when Dr. Bolton came back from lunch?â Weigand said. Kirk pushed back the lock of red hair. It fell down again.
âYes,â he said. âI saw him.â He paused. âAt least,â he said, âI saw him start in through the stage door. I was up the street a little ways, and I saw his back. That wasâoh, about one oâclock. Iâd had a sandwich and come backââ He broke off and a surprised look came over his face. He stared at Weigand, and there seemed to be reproach in his stare.
âThatâs one for the book,â Kirk said. âI had an appointment and damned if I didnât forget it altogether. I was thinking about the last act and got an idea and came back to find Smitty and talk it over with him. I just put down my sandwich in the middle and came back, all full of it. And then I saw Bolton going in.â
âAnd did you see him inside?â Weigand wanted to know. Kirk thought and shook his head. He said that that didnât, however, prove anything. Bolton could have been almost any place in the theatre, and Kirk, who was looking for Smitty, wouldnât have seen him.
âAnd did you see Mr. Smith?â Weigand wanted to know. Kirk hadnât; Mr. Smith wasnât there. He came in after the run-through had started and Kirk by then was deep in the second act and didnât stop. And Bolton? Kirk shook his head. He supposed Bolton was in the theatre, but as for being sureâ
âLook, Lieutenant,â Dr. Francis broke in. âDonât let me interrupt you. But Iâm going. This oneâs dead and you can have it taken away. Weâll do an autopsy tonight, just for the hell of it, but I can tell you now he was stabbed.â Weigand said he could have told Dr. Francis that.
Learning to Kill: Stories