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Chu pointed at Dressing Room One, and Pro pushed through the door to see Shaut in front of one of the makeup mirrors, loading his pockets from his case.
“Where’s Brent?” Pro demanded.
“Brent? He was pretty freaked out by that sign leaking blood, and I‘m still trying to figure it out—”
“I need to know what dressing room he’s in!”
Shaut was surprised by her adamance. “He’s not on this floor. He likes to change upstairs.”
“Up there with no lights on? Whose idea was that?” Pro said, as she vaulted out the door and bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time, her hand going to her weapon. Chu was right behind her.
She
reached the top of the stairs and went down the dark hallway and kicked open the first door. The room was dark and she could see nothing. Her weapon came out in a two-handed grip as she hit the switch near the door.
Lights blazed on in the empty dressing room. There was no outfit hanging on the rack, no props or makeup on the shelf.
She moved into the hall and yelled, “Brent Williams! Come out with your hands up!”
She reached the next dressing room, and Chu kicked the door open in one move. He hit the lights on as she swept the room with her weapon, going high as he went low.
This one looked as if it had been recently occupied. There was a makeup kit, and a small bottle of amber liquid sat on the shelf. There was also a garment bag hanging on the rack.
But no person was in it.
They dived back into the hall and to the final dressing room, which she reached first and put her shoulder to the door to open it. She reached for the light switch, hit it, and raised her weapon to sweep the room. The lights flashed on.
There was a garment bag on the rack, a small zippered bag on the shelf, and an open suitcase in the corner.
Hanging from an overhead pipe with a rope around his neck was Brent Williams. It appeared that he had fashioned a hangman’s noose, and a kicked-over chair lay on the floor.
On the mirror, scrawled with the marker he’d used in his act were the words:
I DID IT
20. Quick Change
Pro ran back to the stage, pushed her way through the curtain, held her shield aloft, and yelled, “Police! Everyone return to your seats!” She repeated this several times as close-up magicians stopped in shock and shoved their props back into their pockets to head back to the stage.
Backstage, Chu phoned for backup, and Pro quickly texted Luther to announce to audience members to return to their seats. She could hear his powerful voice like a foghorn cut in the lobby over the chatter of the crowd.
Pro slipped behind the curtain just as Shaut came over to her. “You can’t do this! We have a show to do!”
“The show is canceled, Mister Shaut,” Pro commanded. “I need you and the other performers to go out into the audience.”
“We will not—”
Pro lowered her voice and moved close to Shaut. “Mister Shaut, your assistant hanged himself in his dressing room.”
“What?”
Chu came over to be part of the conversation. “We need you to bring everyone out from backstage and help control the situation until backup arrives.”
Sirens could already be heard in the distance.
“I guess…I…but, Brent…”
“We will need to bring in a forensic team and a medical team through that back door, so one of us has to stay here to let them in.”
