Final Act by Dianne Yetman (best free ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“Afraid I’ll abscond?  How interesting. Very well, I’ll go first and don’t worry; I’m not very good at running road blocks.”

He stood, nodded to Andrew, Eleanor and those assembled on the stage, and followed the two police officers out of the theatre.

“Okay guys.  You heard Henry.  Let’s get to it.”

“Have a heart, Andrew”, Brenda shouted from the stage. “Give them a break.  I doubt if any of us could concentrate right now.  Besides, I need a cigarette.”

“You haven’t smoked in years,” Andrew said.  “And you heard what the boss said; we need to be ready for opening night.  So loosen up, let’s take it from the top.”

Eleanor sat quietly and thought about Henry.  They must have the evidence to take him in for questioning.  Or is it a ploy?  Are they going to take each one of us in again, one by one?  If the plan is to psych us out, it’s working.  This soon has to end.  My stamina is weakening, Henry is a wreck, and the actors are losing their focus. Andrew’s the only one holding it together.

She turned her mind to the play.  James’ portrayal of Willy Loman as a hollow man, one who fills himself with borrowed lives, is stunning.  The problem is how Charlotte chooses to portray his wife.  She doesn’t get the woman’s resiliency, how she remains undeceived and copes with home truths.  Henry and I agreed it was too late for a replacement.  Andrew is sharp and can assume the Director’s mantle until Henry comes back, if he comes back.  If any of us survive this.

***

The three detectives stood in front of the two-way mirror and looked at Henry.

“I’m for going in now, Gordon.  We make him wait any longer, he’s going to be hollering for his lawyer”, Withers said.

“I agree”, Kate said.

“Wait a minute, not so fast”, Gordon said.  “I want to make sure all the bases are covered for the search warrant.  How sure are you, Withers, that they will be able to gain access to Ward’s home?”

“Very sure, sir.  I made a call to the house and his sister answered the phone.  She will be home all day.”

“Good.  Okay, let’s do it.”

Henry looked up as they entered the room and chose their chairs.

Kate reached for the remote control and turned on the video recorder mounted on the wall behind her.  Withers stated the date, and time.

“Sorry for the delay, Henry”, Gordon said.  “At a police station, there’s always something going on.  We’ve brought you down here this afternoon to clear up a couple of points.  We shouldn’t have to keep you too long.  How are you enjoying being in the Director’s chair?”

Henry looked surprised by the question.  “It’s okay, a bit of a stretch, but I’m doing okay.”

“You’ve been in the theatre business for quite some time now, haven’t you?”

“Yes, twenty-five years and counting.”

“Thinking of retiring soon”, Withers asked.

“No, not for another ten years at least.”

“You have health problems, Henry”, Gordon asked.

“No, typical colds and stuff, that’s all.”

“How long did you work with Jeffrey Stone”, Kate asked.

Henry had to turn his head to answer her as she was sitting slightly behind him.

“For the last five years.”

“Were they a good five years?”

“They were fine.  Typical ups and downs but nothing serious.”

“Always fancy seeing yourself as a Director, Henry”, Withers asked.

He turned back to answer him, his face red.  “No, producing is my field.”

“You didn’t say no when you were offered on the position though, did you”, Gordon asked.

“I didn’t want to leave them in the lurch, that’s all.”

“That wasn’t the understanding of the rest of the production crew”, Kate said.

“I can’t help what they think.”

“How would you describe your relationship with Jeffrey’s wife, Catherine”, Kate asked.

A puzzled look crossed his face.  He said it was good; they had been friends for years.

“Never more than friends?

An emphatic no echoed in the small room.

“Quite a passionate response, Henry, coming from a quiet, calm person like yourself”, Gordon said.

“I know where you’re headed with this and you’re wrong.  I never wanted Jeffrey’s job or his wife.”

“Ever go into the theatre after hours?  When no one was around”, Withers asked.

“I might have, can’t remember.”

“Might have?  One of those times you might have, did you happen to run into one of the cast members on the street?”

“Not that I remember?”

“How about Camira?  You knew her quite well.  You’d remember seeing her wouldn’t you?”

He looked at Withers, a small line of sweat appeared on his upper lip. “Maybe I should have my lawyer here.  I don’t like where this is going.  Good God, I’m not a killer.  I had nothing to do with anyone’s death.”

“Do you want to call one now”, Gordon asked.

The three detectives held their breath.  Henry shook his head no.

“Own a gun Henry”, Gordon asked.

“Yes, a semi-automatic handgun – a Desert Eagle.  I bought it years ago, on a whim.”

“Did you get a license for it”, Withers asked.

“Yes, of course.  It’s licensed and registered.”

“Where do you keep it?”

“In my library at home, in the top desk drawer.”  Henry shifted in his seat and began to tap the fingers of his right hand on the table.

“Is the gun still there”, Kate asked.

“Of course, where else would it be?”

“How about in the parking lot of the AST campus?  A gun matching yours, with the same license and registration number, was found abandoned in the lot last night after someone took a shot at Rev. Hanya as she was leaving her office.  Rev. Hanya is the cousin of Camira.  Small world isn’t it”, Withers asked.

The tapping of his fingers ceased.  Sweat trickled from his forehead onto his nose.

“This is ridiculous.  It can’t be