Murder at the Opera - Margaret Truman [114]
“Which doesn’t mean you have to stay in it. If Ray is to be approached, I’m the one to do it
“It was my idea to bring him into the Charise Lee murder
“And I was the one who actually did it. Speaking of Charise Lee, I haven’t heard another word about it except what the papers say, and that isn’t much anymore
She, too, finished her drink. “Maybe we should ask Pawkins about that—not what he’s come up with, but whether he killed her, too
“Let’s not get carried away, Annie. We have no reason to suspect that of him
A vision of the Asian woman waiting for Pawkins at rehearsal came and went.
They thanked the manager for the drinks and walked back to their apartment, where Rufus greeted them with rowdy enthusiasm.
“I’ll call Ray tomorrow and try to set up a date with him,” Mac said after returning from walking the “beast,” the Great Dane.
“Maybe you should wait,” she said.
His face mirrored his surprise. “I thought you were anxious for me to do it,” he said.
“I was anxious for us to do it. But dress rehearsal is tomorrow night, opening night after that, and then the ball. I don’t want to do anything to taint those things
“All right,” Mac said. “We’ll give it a few days, let the show go on, and then deal with it. As long as he doesn’t know we know, there’s no reason to rush it
They climbed into bed and Mac turned off the bedside lamp.
“By the way,” Annabel said, “you looked splendid in your costumes tonight
“Thank you. I have to admit, I’m enjoying it
“I knew you would. Good night
“Good night, Mrs. Smith
Both slept fitfully that night.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“How come we’re pulling this duty, Carl?”
Willie Portelain and Sylvia Johnson sat in Berry’s office. They’d been assigned to a contingent of metropolitan police working security for the Opera Ball at the Brazilian Embassy.
“Supply and demand, Willie,” Berry said. “We have to provide X number of cops to the event, uniformed and plainclothes. That’s the demand. We’re shorthanded. That’s the supply. Think of it this way. Plácido Domingo himself might spot you, recognize your talent, and make you an opera star
Sylvia laughed. “You’re sure built like one, Willie,” she said playfully.
“Lost two pounds,” he said proudly.
“Yeah, I noticed right away,” said Berry, shooting a bemused glance at Sylvia, who lowered her head and smiled.
Before Portelain and Johnson had arrived, he’d been reading that morning’s paper, including a long article about the production of Tosca. According to the writer, a relatively new addition to the Post’s Entertainment section, the dress rehearsal she’d been invited to attend gave promise of a spectacular production the following night.
Aside from a few rough spots that I’m sure the director, Anthony Zambrano, will smooth out before the opening, this particular reincarnation of the Puccini classic has all the trappings of greatness. The Washington National Opera has slowly but surely worked its way into the top tier of American opera companies. This Tosca will go far to cement its well-earned, lofty position.
“You read this?” Berry asked his detectives, pointing to the article.
“I don’t read that section,” Willie said.
“I read it,” said Sylvia. “I’d like to see the opera
“I’ll call Ray Pawkins and see if he can arrange for a comp ticket
“See if he can come up with two,” she said.
“Got another date?” Willie asked.
“No, but I—”
“Take me,” he said, grinning. “Like Carl says, we might get discovered and end up singin’ those arias together
“You’ll be missed here,” Berry said. “The opera world’s gain, MPD’s loss. I’ll see what I can do. If Ray doesn’t pan out, Public Affairs gets freebies from the Kennedy Center now and then
He opened a thick file folder and passed out sheets of paper from it. “Here’s everybody who was at the Kennedy Center the night Ms. Lee was killed. The check marks indicate they’ve been interviewed
“A lot of missing check marks,” Sylvia commented as she quickly went through the pages.
“Another case of supply and demand. We narrowed down the list into priorities, and ruled out certain people.