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“Ticket?” the crew member asked Pro.
Pro stopped and flashed her billfold and spoke in low tones. “I’m part of the team protecting Mister Shaut. I gotta see the man who just went in—”
That said, she pushed past the befuddled usher and headed down the aisle. She noticed that on the stage, they had closed an outer curtain, which hid the logo in the light box from prying eyes as they readied the show.
But she fixated on the man. She looked him over up and down. Yes, the body type was correct. The man was Max’s height and build. She couldn’t believe her father would try such an old trick as a hat, beard, and a fake nose.
The man sat right at the aisle, and Pro went down on one knee next to him. She grabbed his beard and gave it a tug. “You gotta lotta nerve showing up here!”
“Ow!” the man said as he turned to face Pro. With a start, Pro let go of the beard that was still quite attached to its owner. The man’s brown eyes looked her over in shock. “Do I know you, miss?”
This close, Pro could see that the beard was actually quite real, as was the large nose.
“Geez, I’m sorry,” Pro said and got to her feet, embarrassed. “I mistook you for someone else.”
He rubbed his whiskers. “It’s nice a lady like you mistook me, but please be gentle next time.”
“Sorry,” Pro murmured and turned away. People were coming down the aisle to get to their seats, and she perceived what a salmon going upstream must experience as she attempted to return to the lobby.
She finally got out to see Luther step away from the box office, his ticket aloft. He approached her in two quick steps. “Was that your suspect?”
“False alarm. I pulled the beard of a guy I didn’t know.”
Luther smiled. “Why, Detective Thompson, I had no idea you were so forward.”
Pro grinned in spite of herself and relaxed a little. “Oh, you have no idea how forward I can be.”
“I can’t wait to find out,” he approved. “I also asked for your ticket and you were correct, you’re right next to me.” He handed her the small cardboard card.
“Let me text my partner, and I’ll join you right before the show starts.”
“If you need help subduing anyone, I do have experience,” Luther assured her.
She looked at his strong arms and wide chest. “Oh, I have no doubt of that. Thanks, Luther.”
“Anytime, Pro,” he said and headed up into the theater.
She stepped outside and watched for any stragglers. She pulled out her phone and instead of a text hit the button to phone her partner.
“Chu.”
“It’s Pro. Anything amiss?”
“Not here. I assume you checked backstage when you arrived?”
“Not much to see. Just the dressing rooms and the bathrooms on the second floor.”
“Aren’t there more dressing rooms up there?”
“Yes, but the lights were out. I figured no one was there.”
“Okay, good to know.”
“I’ll keep a lookout here. I have that security guard, Luther, out here as backup.”
“From the size of him, I think you’re in safe hands. Seems like you two hit it off.”
“So far. Been a long time since I dated, so I hope I still can read the signs.”
