The Floating Lady Murder by Daniel Stashower Read Free Book Online Page A

dangle at the end of a burning rope, high above a crowded city street. More than once he allowed himself to be tied to a set of railroad tracks in the path of a speeding locomotive. And on one occasion I saw him sealed up in a galvanized coffin and submerged in water for ninety minutes. But all of those stunts were carefully controlled and well rehearsed. There had been no rehearsals that day at the Belasco Theater. In the blink of an eye, my brother was suddenly standing nose to nose with an angry lion. The danger had never been so real.
    Strange to say, this made my brother extremely happy.
    Only seconds earlier, the entire theater had been alive with sound. Now, a silent chorus of stagehands, musicians and assistants stood at the edges of the scene, transfixed by the sight of the powerful lion ranging free at the center of the stage. It was clear that one of the falling scenery flats had crashed down on top of the lion’s cage, shearing off the heavy locking handle. The beast, suddenly liberated, moved slowly forward, swinging its huge head from side to side as it surveyed the terrain. In its path were Harry and Bess. Bess, who had been standing inside the substitution trunk as she waited to be introduced, would not be able to take flight easily. Harry, standing next to the trunk, calmly stood his ground. He appeared relaxed and confident,perhaps forgetting that he was wearing a pair of shoes that had been smeared with beef fat.
    I was still waiting in the wings, about ten yards away. An urgent conference was taking place behind me. Jim Collins, taking command of the situation, dispatched the animal wrangler to fetch a ball of ether-soaked rags at the end of a pole. Boris, it emerged, was rousing himself from the effects of a powerful sedative, which not only accounted for his slow and measured movements, but also for his extremely bellicose disposition. “For God’s sake,” Collins was saying in a frantic whisper, “it’ll be five minutes before we’re ready with that ether! Do you have any idea how much damage Boris can do in five minutes? He may be groggy, but he’s just as vicious!”
    I stepped forward into my brother’s line of sight and touched my forehead to signal that I was working on the problem. Harry nodded and returned the gesture. Then he placed his hand behind his wife’s head and firmly pushed her down into the trunk, as though guiding her through a low doorway. This done, he closed the trunk lid over her head. Whatever happened, Bess would be safe.
    Turning away from the trunk, Harry moved cautiously forward, closing the distance between himself and the lion with short, measured strides, his hands open at his sides. Every eye in the theater—including those of Boris—was fixed upon this prim little man in the red bow tie who appeared to be inviting death. Taking another step forward, Harry cleared his throat and pulled at the points of his tie, the familiar pre-performance gesture. Then he opened his mouth and broke the ghastly pall that had settled over the theater.
    “Here, kitty-kitty,” he said.
    I could not be certain whether to laugh or cry out. It seemed apparent that my brother had failed to grasp the seriousness of his situation.
    “Here, kitty-kitty,” he repeated. “I must commend you on your dramatic escape from that cage. I am a man who appreciatessuch things, and I must say that you did it very neatly. My compliments.”
    Harry inched closer, and even managed to smile pleasantly at the enormous creature. “I am reminded of a story,” Harry said. “Long ago, in ancient Mesopotamia, there was a plucky young wizard by the name of Ari Ardeeni. It was said that young Ari had the power to transport himself from one place to the next in the twinkling of an eye!”
    As Harry spoke, he continued to inch forward, almost imperceptibly. “At one moment,” he continued, “young Ari might be frolicking in a stream, and at the next instant he could be seen dancing atop the highest