Stagestruck by Peter Lovesey Read Free Book Online Page B

‘Coming round, I think.’
    ‘Hurry up with the tea,’ Diamond said.
    She brought it to the table and set it in front of Titus. ‘Did you see something?’
    ‘I don’t remember.’ He turned to face Diamond. ‘Where were we when this happened?’
    ‘In the number one dressing room.’
    ‘It’s all a blur.’
    ‘We’d just about finished the tour,’ Diamond said.
    ‘I thought it was supposed to be a ghost hunt,’ the barmaid said.
    ‘Yes, we toured the places where the grey lady is said to appear. Titus was in good form, telling me everything. Then out of nowhere he rolled his eyes and his knees went. Luckily I managed to catch him before he fell.’
    Titus said with a flicker of animation, ‘Did you? How gallant.’
    ‘I didn’t have much choice. You fell into my arms.’
    ‘Oh my word. And I don’t remember any of this. Is that how I recovered – in your arms?’
    ‘No, I let you sink to the floor. When anyone faints, they re cover quickly in the horizontal position. You soon came round.’
    Titus remained grateful. ‘Peter, I can’t thank you enough. I was in good hands, literally. Let me buy you a drink.’
    ‘Not just now.’ He looked at the clock. ‘Is it as late as that? I must get back to work.’
    ‘Do you have a card, or something? We must meet again.’
    ‘No, I don’t.’
    Titus fished in his pocket. ‘Have one of mine, and do give me a call. There’s a lot more I could show you – of the theatre, I mean.’
    Diamond glanced at the card. There was an icon of two theatrical masks. As well as a dramaturge, Titus was an MA (Oxon) and a freelance lecturer. Below his name were the words ‘The Paragon’ – which only a Bathonian would recognise as a street name. ‘Thanks for showing me round.’
    ‘Next time, we’ll arrange for the grey lady to materialise.’
    ‘I doubt if she’ll do it for the likes of me.’
    After Diamond had left, the barmaid said, ‘Seems a nice fellow. I wonder what he does for a living.’
    ‘That much I do remember,’ Titus said. ‘He’s some sort of policeman, unfortunately.’
    ‘What, without a uniform?’
    ‘A detective, I expect.’
    ‘What’s unfortunate about it?’
    ‘They can never leave the job behind. They’re not encouraged to make friends outside the police.’
    ‘Do you fancy him, Titus?’
    ‘He has a certain butch quality that may mean anything, or nothing. And I had a sense that he lives alone. Do you think I did the right thing, giving him my card?’
    ‘Who can say? One thing is certain.’
    ‘And what is that?’
    ‘You’re known to the police now.’

    Back in Manvers Street, Diamond decided to update two of his colleagues, DCI Keith Halliwell and DC Ingeborg Smith. ‘All of this could come to nothing,’ he summed up, ‘but as Georgina put it to me, sitting behind her desk, we must be primed, ready to spring into action.’
    Halliwell, his deputy and mainstay, said, ‘Just because Georgina doesn’t want to miss her chance to sing in Sweeney Todd .’
    ‘Be fair,’ Ingeborg said. ‘The story is all over the papers. If there is a crime involved, we’ll be in the thick of it.’
    ‘Sorry I spoke.’
    Diamond said, ‘Let’s cut to the chase. Suppose it really is a crime. Who’s in the frame?’
    ‘The dresser,’ Halliwell said at once.
    ‘Too obvious,’ Ingeborg said.
    ‘Who do you suggest, then?’
    ‘The understudy.’
    ‘Isn’t that obvious, too?’
    ‘Makes sense,’ Diamond said. ‘She gets the leading role for the rest of the week. But how would she get to damage Clarion’s face?’
    ‘By adding something to the make-up,’ Ingeborg said. ‘We’d need to know who got made up before Clarion.’
    ‘All of them did their own except Clarion,’ Diamond told them. ‘She isn’t used to stage make-up, so she got help.’
    ‘Do we know the understudy’s name?’ Halliwell asked.
    ‘Gisella Watling.’
    ‘She’ll be one of the cast, as like as not,’ Ingeborg said. ‘Understudies usually