Time seems to have slowed down since I came up with my (hopefully) ingenious plan yesterday. I'm sitting in Sweeney's chair right now while Mrs. Lovett is tending the shop. I know I'll have to take over her roll for the "Wait" song, but that's not a big deal. "Epiphany", however, will be a completely different story.
"Why doesn't the Beadle come? Before the week is out…that's what he said," Sweeney mutters.
"Dude, it's only Tuesday," I say in a laid back tone. Sweeney glares at me and flings the razor sharpener across the room. Rolling my eyes, I stand up and watch him pace around the room like a caged animal.
"My god, are two years old? Lighten up and be patient, okay?"
"I've been being patient for fifteen bloody years, girl," Sweeney growls in a sad attempt to make me piss my pants. All I do is raise my eyebrows.
"Well, be more patient," I say flatly. Sweeney's look lingers on me until the door of his shop bursts open, causing us both to jump.
"Mr. Todd, I need your help," exclaims "The Thing" dramatically.
"Come on in, lad. Sit down." Sweeney bravely touches it and leads it to the barber's chair. I play with a strand of my hair as "The Thing" explains his problem and asks for Sweeney's help. Sweeney, of course, looks like a lost puppy when it mentions Johanna, so I cut into the conversation.
"Yeah, she can stay here," I say, making my voice deeper and giving myself an accent. "The Thing" turns and looks at me with slight confusion.
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
"Ah, I'm jus' a good friend of Mrs. Lovett from below. The name's Daniel Hammond, but you can call me Danny," I say in a cockney accent. "The Thing" seems completely convinced and offers his hand to me.
"A pleasure, Danny. I am Anthony Hope." I take his hand and return the smile, hoping that he doesn't notice my long fingernails. "The Thing" looks back to Sweeney with pleading eyes.
"Can I bring her here, sir?" Sweeney nods after a moment, causing Anthony to grin and go bolting out of the shop. I turn my attention to the barber, who is as still as a statue.
"Don't worry. He'll take good care of her," I say with a wink. Sweeney looks at me wearing the "lost puppy" look. I smile at him and turn to leave.
"Where are you going?" He asks. I turn slightly to glance at him.
"I'm going to see if Mrs. Lovett needs a hand." Sweeney nods and I leave the shop. Mrs. Lovett is already coming out to talk to Pirelli. I quickly run down the stairs to meet up with them.
"Is Meester Tood eevailable?" 'Mr. TODD', you moron!
"Yes, sir. Right up th' stairs," I say to him. I see Toby in the corner of my eye watching me suspiciously. Mrs. Lovett smiles lovingly at the boy before glaring at Pirelli.
"Do yeh mind if I give yer helper a nice, warm meat pie while 'e waits for yeh?" Mrs. Lovett asks. Pirelli nods in a distracted manner before pushing by us to see Mr. Todd. The second he's out of sight, I pull Mrs. Lovett and Toby inside the Pie Shop hastily.
"Okay, Toby," I say, looking at him, "Mr. Todd is going to kill your master in a matter of minutes." Yeah, that sounded way too casual. Both Mrs. Lovett and Toby stare at me as if I have two heads.
"Wh-why?" Toby mutters after a while.
"Because your master is going to attempt to blackmail Mr. Todd," I say simply. The boy still looks confused. I sigh slightly, "Look, I know this is all very confusing right now, but I need both of you to trust me. I'll explain more later." It is then that we all hear banging from upstairs.
"There's my cue! Mrs. Lovett, keep an eye on Toby, will ya?" With that said, I go up to the barber's shop. When I enter, I see a dead Pirelli on the floor and a stunned-looking Sweeney Todd. I try to keep my composure, but I'm having a hard time with that.
"He's still alive," I manage to spit out, "You know what to do." Sweeney stares at me for a moment before taking out his razor. I look away when he lifts Pirelli's neck up. I cringe at the sound that Pirelli makes. After a minute, there's nothing but silence.
"Put him in that crate over there. The Judge should be here shortly," I say when I finally face Sweeney. His eyes widen when I mention the Judge. Hastily, Sweeney picks up the corpse and dumps it inside of the crate by the door. He then quickly cleans the floor and throws on a jacket to hide his blood stained shirt.
"Get out," He whispers.
"No telling me twice!" I exclaim as a make like a tree and leave. I pass the Judge as I head for the pie shop. He barely acknowledges me as he heads up the stairs. I feel my heart pounding with anticipation. I enter the pie shop to see Mrs. Lovett and Toby eating some pies.
"In a few minutes," I say as I take a seat, "The sailor thing is going to interrupt the Judge's shave. When Sweeney yells, I'm going to head upstairs." Mrs. Lovett casts me a concerned look while Toby casts me a confused look.
"I'll be fine, okay?"
"Yeh better be right, dear. I'm growin' fond of you, yeh know..." Mrs. Lovett says softly. I smile at her, touched by her words. In silence, we sit in wait. I keep my eyes on the window, waiting for Anthony to make his appearance. After a minute, I see him dashing up the stairs for Sweeney's shop. We all sit very still, hearing the Judge's muffle, angry voice. It doesn't take long to see the Judge come barreling down the stairs. Another couple of seconds pass, and then it came.
"OUT!!!"
I take a breath, this is it.
