Chapter 3

Third day of rehearsals:

"Has anyone seen Lily?" the director asked. "We can't go over this scene if she isn't here."

Everyone shook their heads.

"Arthur? Any word from your illustrious client?"

The agent shook his head. Lily could be a prima donna about a lot of things, but her being late to a rehearsal was almost unheard of. She took each job seriously–sometimes a little too seriously.

"I'll have Lily's assistant hunt her down. It seems Ryan knows more about my client these days than I do."

"Well, get moving. We're already behind as it is and we open tomorrow night. In the meantime, where's her understudy?"

"Right here, sir," a middle aged, brunette actress replied.

"Good, at least someone is dependable today. All right, people, from the top."

A few minutes later:

"Ryan!"

"Mr. Anders," Ryan said, turning in the direction of Lily's agent. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Lily? She isn't here at rehearsals."

Ryan was stunned. "That can't be possible. She left home two hours ago, saying she was going for breakfast and then straight here and would catch up with me right before rehearsals. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw her was in her dressing room about forty five minutes ago."

"That was forty five minutes ago. She's not answering her phone now and I checked her dressing room. She isn't there. This isn't Lily at all."

"I know, sir. I'll see if I can find her, and if I do, I will get you right away."

"I appreciate that, Ryan. Lily's driven everyone crazy enough as it is, but this isn't the time for her to pull a disappearing act. Keep me posted."

Ryan nodded, now frantically wondering where his eceentric employer could be as he began the task of hunting down Lily.

Meanwhile:

"Ciao, bella," the voice on the other end of the phone said cheerfully when Lori picked up.

"And buenos dias to you too, Doctor," she replied, recognizing Paul right off. "What can we do for you today?"

"Is your boss around? I may have finally caught up on my case load at the morgue and wondered if he was free for lunch later."

Lori peered through her copy of Brian's calendar on her desk. "Oh, dear, looks like some bad timing," she replied. "Brian's in court today on the Penny Crawford case."

"Oh Jesus, that's right!" Paul exclaimed. "Good thing you said something; I have to testify in that case at two o'clock as an expert witness. Once again, Lor, you saved my ass."

"You've been around the dead way too long, Doctor," she chuckled. "You really should be around us living more often so you won't forget things so easily."

"Yeah, honestly. Brian would have had my head on a platter for sure if I hadn't shown up there today."

"He wouldn't have been the only one. Shelly and Cindy would also be having a death warrant out for you, considering they also busted their behinds on this case."

"Right. Anyway, I'll just catch up with him after court. Say, speaking of which, Shell says you and the boss have a hot date tomorrow night."

"Oh, for crying out loud. It isn't a 'date', we're just going to the theater. He had an extra ticket."

"Since when does Brian do theater?" Paul asked, laughing.

"Since someone at the box office who is a friend of Cindy's gave her some comps. She had a few extras and gave two to Brian. And it's the new show with Lily Schaad starring."

"Who?"

"Lily Schaad. She was a very big Hollywood name back in the earlier film days, so to speak. Honestly, Doctor, get out of the morgue more often."

"Perhaps I should. The only drawback of the dead is they don't respond when you talk to them. Anyway, thanks again."

Lori hung up and shook her head, chuckling. That man would forget his head if it weren't attached to his shoulders, she thought.

How he and Brian ended up friends was beyond her comprehension; nevertheless, in some cases, it didn't hurt having the Chief Medical Examiner being so well connected to her boss.

Backstage at the theater:

"Ms. Schaad?" Ryan called out. "Lily?"

He had been searching rooms and calling her name for the last twenty minutes, with no response. Ryan's worries grew, wondering if Lily had indeed walked off the show without a word to anyone, even him. She had been difficult, more so than usual, during the entire rehearsals.

No, Ryan shook his head. Even if she hated this show, she would have said something about leaving. More so, Lily wouldn't break a contract without good reason.

"Lily?" he called out again. "Rehearsals have started and Arthur is looking for you."

He came toward a room that appeared to be a costume area. Walking in, Ryan looked around.

There lay his boss, drenched in blood, a knife beside her. Unbeknown to him, Lily was long dead.

Several hours later:

"We find the defendant, Penelope Crawford, not guilty," the jury foreman announced.

The tiny redhead turned to embrace Brian. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. "I think you and your team were the only people who had faith in me."

"There were a lot of things that didn't add up, Penny," Brian responded. "It was just a matter of filling the gaps. Now you can go home to your family and put this whole thing behind you once and for all."

"Yes," she nodded. "Finally, after thirty years, I can. No more speculations. And Daddy can finally rest in peace too. How can I repay you?"

"By getting on with your life and loving those kids," Brian winked.

Penny smiled back before joining her family, being enveloped in hugs.

Brian turned to Paul, who had approached him. "And I'm shocked you remembered to show up today."

"Um…let's just say your loyal secretary reminded me."

"I should have known Lori was behind this. Well, my friend, once again, your expert knowledge helped me wrap up another trial."

"Glad to oblige. Free for dinner?"

"Always, my friend," Brian grinned widely. "Always."