Chapter Five
"Hello, Mrs. Stein!" cried Frank waving to the elderly woman. He and Joe walked toward the stately Winslow Theater to where she was standing. The building was made of stone with steps leading up to a line of doors, each one ornately decorated in gold trim. Stone gargoyles stared down at the brothers from the roof of the theater giving it a gothic feel.
"Frank, as I've told Nancy numerous times," the woman laughed, "please call me Joanna."
He smiled, holding out his had to shake but the elderly woman pulled him into a fierce hug making Joe laugh. Joanna eyed the younger Hardy with a raised eyebrow then pulled him in the moment she let go of Frank.
"Oh, I'm so glad you could help!" she cried, beaming. Joanna looked around the two brothers as if searching for something. "I thought Nancy would be joining you as well."
"She's sitting out for this one," Frank answered. "It's why I asked Joe to come instead. Is that all right?"
"Oh, yes, dear," she said with a wave of her hand. "I was just hoping to speak with her about another matter but it can wait."
"So, what's going on?"
"Let's go inside and I'll explain," Joanna said taking an arm from each brother.
As Frank stepped into the building, he took in a breath at the splendor that surrounded him. Marble columns dotted the foyer, rising high in the cathedral sized ceiling. Two staircases, one on each end of the room hugged the walls and ended on the second floor mezzanine. Old movie and performance posters from a time long ago lined the walls, each one perfectly preserved in a large glass case. The floors seemed to sparkle in the morning sunlight streaming into the foyer from the windows high above them though Frank could see that the once fine flooring was marred by chips and cracks.
In front of them stood a line of heavy curtains, partitioning off the main auditorium from the foyer. Frank remembered that some theaters had inner doors behind the curtains so that if someone had to leave they wouldn't bother the other patrons by letting in light from the foyer. It also helped during performances when actors had to go through the audience to enter or exit during a scene or song.
Joanna remained quiet as the two brothers took in their surroundings. As he gazed around the room, Frank felt a sense of history and nostalgia settling in. Whatever the problem was, he felt he and Joe had a duty to save the theater. Frank's eyes stopping, catching a plaque on the wall. He walked over to it, seeing two pictures on either side of the plaque. His eyes went wide as he noticed the woman in one of the pictures. Although the photo was obviously taken in the earlier part of the twentieth century, Frank could see a resemblance to Nancy in the woman.
"Woah," Joe replied coming up behind his brother. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that was Nancy in the picture."
"That's Olivia Hughes-Winslow," replied Joanna. "She is Nancy's great-great grandmother and the man is Charles Winslow. They founded the theater in 1914. He brought in architects and designers from around the world to help build this place. Olivia was one of the first performers to grace the stage here. People would come from all over just to hear her. There was none who rivaled her talent or beauty at the time. My grandmother knew them both as she was a seamstress here. She made the costumes while my grandfather helped with sets. Sadly, Olivia died in childbirth in 1920 though her son and Nancy's great-grandfather survived. Charles was never the same according to my grandmother and he never remarried.
"The theater thrived without her though," she continued. 'When movies became more popular, it drowned out the need for stage performances so the theater was converted for a time to a movie house. That wasn't until 1939 and the very first movie they showed here was 'Gone With the Wind.'"
Joanna pointed to the movie poster displayed prominently not far from the plaque. Clark Gable held Vivian Leigh as if he were ready to kiss her passionately. Even Joe could tell that it was an original poster from the 30s.
"In the 60s, the movie house showed films by Roger Corman, Terence Fisher, and even the king of bad movies, Ed Wood. Sometimes a Hitchcock movie would come in but people still didn't like coming here. The drive-in theater was extremely popular with the kids and a bigger theater moved in across town as well," she explained. "My family and what remained of the Winslow family tried to keep up the repairs but eventually the Winslows made a deal with the town that suited them more so than River Heights in the hopes that someone would restore the theater. Unfortunately, the mayor and council at the time didn't feel the theater was worth fixing so it was closed."
She guided them a few ways down to another plaque, this one newer and with a picture of a group of people. It was dated over thirty years before, with the picture representing the original board of regents. A woman with similar features to Nancy stood in the middle while a younger version of Joanna Stein stood next to her.
"It wasn't until the 80s that River Heights formed the board of regents to oversee the theater," Joanna continued. "The woman in the middle was Nancy's grandmother and was very vocal in the restoration of the Winslow during the time. Sadly, everything that was redone then is now outdated and we just don't have the funds to fix the problems. Against the wishes of several on the board, I've already applied for a grant and to make this place a historical building. Since I'm the current chairwoman, I have the power to do that without their permission. I just haven't heard anything yet."
The older woman sighed and looked around, reminiscing of a time long forgotten. Frank felt bad for her knowing how dedicated she was to the place.
"So, what kinds of things have been happening?" Joe asked interrupting Frank's thoughts.
"Oh, a few things here, a few things there," Joanna sighed. "Music has disappeared, costumes ripped and torn apart, sets destroyed. It's mostly geared towards the second part of the show rather than the first."
"Second part?" Frank asked confused. He remembered Nancy telling him that the annual charity event was more like a talent show than anything.
"In previous years, we've held charity events to help local charities as well as larger ones. We don't make much money in the shows because they're not as popular as they were before. Well, this year, the board decided on something different to maybe bring in a bigger crowd," she explained. "Since this year's charity is the theater itself, I thought it would be fun to put on several performances highlighting music from a musical while we still maintained the talent portion in the first half. I along with a few others members of the board thought having highlighted musical numbers would be different and less tedious than putting on the entire musical. The board was split down the middle so I made the final call. The performers themselves are a part of an acting troupe that performs here throughout the year and they agreed not to take a paycheck for it since most of them would lose their livelihood if the theater were to close. The troupe all took a vote and decided on a particular movie musical instead of a Broadway show, one that is extremely popular considering that it's literally only a few years old. The auditions were two weeks ago and once rehearsals started, the 'accidents' and problems arose. Some of the troupe have said that they would leave if someone were to get hurt which I understand since they're not getting paid to do the show. As of right now, no one has been hurt and I intend to keep it that way. That's why I called Nancy for help."
"Did you say anything to anyone about us coming?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," Joanna nodded. "Most of the people here know Nancy and they know you're married to her, Frank, so keeping it a secret as to why you've come would have been pointless. Anyone could have figured it out at some point. Most of the people here want the help in finding out who's doing this to us so when they heard you were coming, they were ecstatic. Come, I'll introduce you to the crew. The troupe is down at Savannah's rehearsing so you'll meet them later."
The older woman guided the brothers towards the first curtained door leading into the auditorium. As they entered, they noticed several seats were broken or ripped as the trio walked by. The stage itself was large and pristine, the only thing that was still well-kept in the crumbling monolith. Several men and women were working on the stage as Joanna and the Hardys approached. Light fixtures hung low while the group worked on them. One of the men looked up, his set in a grim expression.
"Mrs. Stein?" he said gruffly. "I didn't know you were bringing in a tour. Holliday was here just an hour ago with a potential buyer and as I told him, the place isn't ready for buyers. We haven't gone under just yet."
"Mr. Grady," Joanna said primly, her hands in front of her. "I've told you before that I have no interest in showing off the theater to possible buyers. The theater is not for sale and never will be. Not as long as I'm alive and kicking. Besides, this is Frank and Joe Hardy. They are here to help with the show. Boys, this is Mr. Grady. He's the stage manager in charge of getting the sets and lighting together."
"It's good to have you boys on board," Grady replied. He extended his hand to each of them all while eyeing the brothers closely. The man turned back to Joanna. "That's good, Mrs. Stein, because I don't want to see this place sold any more than you do. And we need all the help we can get anyway. I'm glad to see that someone cares."
"Do you have any ideas as to who's behind it?" Joe asked the man. Frank was watching the other workers who seemed to have no interest in the conversation going on nearby.
"Not really," the man shrugged. "It's been hard though to keep track of everything that's going on. The director moved the rehearsals to Savannah's to make sure no one got hurt. There was another act of sabotage last night too. Nelly came in this morning and Jared's red coat and top hat were gone. I swear that poor woman is going to have a heart attack before this show is put on stage. She worked hard on that costume for him even though the guy is the male version of a prima donna. He complains all the time about not getting paid for doing the show."
"Then why is he doing it?"
"The world revolves around Jared, Mr. Hardy," Grady continued. "He won't back out unless he absolutely has to. He also thinks this particular show might be a stepping stone for him to go to Broadway finally. All I say is good riddance when he does. Jared's worse than the whole troupe combined."
"They why is he the lead?" Frank asked.
"Because he's the only one with enough range to take on the part," Joanna answered with a shake of her head. "If we had a replacement or understudy for Barnum, we would not be having this discussion."
"Why didn't you try out, Frank?" Joe snickered, nudging his brother. "Sounds like Mom's favorite movie. And you could probably run circles around this Jared. Eh? Eh?"
"Shut up, Joe," Frank growled shrugging him off. Joanna smiled knowingly while Mr. Grady looked at them confused. "Sorry, Mr. Grady. My brother seems to have a knack for saying things that he shouldn't. What are you doing with the lights?"
"We're checking them to make sure they work," the man explained. "They're old but we're sure they'll be fine for the show. I just hope nothing happens to them. As much as we would like to replace them we can't afford new fixtures at the moment much less pay people."
"This is part of the reason why I wanted Nancy here," Joanna replied sadly. "This is her family's legacy. She needs to know what's really going on. No offense to you two, of course."
"None taken," Joe shrugged. "We understand and we're going to do everything we can to find out who's doing this."
"I'm sure you won't find anything more than someone's incompetence," replied a smug voice. The group all turned to see a tall man with salt and pepper hair in a power suit standing in the aisle below them. Deirdre Shannon stood behind him, her arms folded in front of her. The same smug smile stretched across her face as she looked at Frank and Joe.
"Mr. Shannon!" cried Joanna. She stepped to the front of the stage to get closer to the man. "What brings you here?"
Frank was surprised to see the Shannons at the Winslow and he, along with the rest of the group on stage, soon found out why they were there. Joe, on the other hand, eyed the father and daughter in confusion wondering who they were.
"I'm here on behalf of my client, Mrs. Stein," Mr. Shannon stated prominently. "You never returned my phone calls about the matter so I came here with the hopes to find you and I'm glad I did."
"I didn't return you phone calls, Mr. Shannon," Joanna stated rather annoyed, "because as I've told you before, the Winslow Theater is not for sale. We still have until the end of May to come up with the money to keep it running."
"I know this, Mrs. Stein," Shannon replied smoothly, "but my client is willing to pay top dollar for the property. We have already spoken with the mayor and city council on the matter. Some of them do agree along with a few members of the board. You may be overruled, Mrs. Stein, which is why I am personally coming to you with the offer that's on the table. You have the final say in this matter."
"Actually, Mr. Shannon," she held up her finger, "you are mistaken that I am the only one who has the final say. As long as a Winslow descendant is alive, the theater has to go through them as well in order for a sale to go through. That was in the original contract with the town back in the 60s if it should ever come up at a later time. It's why the theater was never sold before and it won't be sold now. You need to take it up with them."
"Fine, then tell me who I need to talk to, Mrs. Stein," he smiled smoothly. "Maybe I can convince them to agree to the sale."
"Fat chance," Joe muttered.
"I'm sorry but who are you?" Shannon asked turning his attention to the brothers. Frank glared at him though didn't say anything.
"I told you about them, Daddy," simpered Deirdre. She waved at the two seductively, winking at Frank. "They're the Hardy brothers, remember? I'm just glad to finally meet the other half of the team."
"Oh, that's right," he replied narrowing his eyes as if trying to size the brothers up. Shannon looked directly at Frank. "You're married to Nancy Drew, aren't you? It's too bad about Carson, you know. He was the best lawyer in town besides me, of course."
"You're representing a potential buyer?" Frank asked, ignoring the remark about Carson. "You do realize who you have to go through now in order for that to happen, right?"
"I'm not sure I get what you mean, Mr. Hardy," the lawyer stated.
"The last remaining Winslow you have to go through is Nancy."
Shannon's face went white.
"Good luck with that," Joe laughed. "I don't think I'd want to be in your shoes when you go see her but then again that's up to Frank if you even do."
"That's not funny, you know!" Deirdre cried. She tried to get up onto the stage only to fall back down. A few of the workers laughed. When Deirdre composed herself again, she put her hands on her hips. "This is serious business here! I don't think Nancy has any authority whatsoever in this matter. Her last name isn't even Winslow! Duh!"
Frank cocked his head looking at her to make sure she was serious. Nancy was right. Deirdre wasn't the smartest cookie in the jar and she had no clue of Nancy's relation to the Winslows even after Joanna had just mentioned it when they came in.
"Deirdre, dear," Joanna said cautiously as if speaking to a young child. "Nancy is the last remaining Winslow descendant. As I said before, when the original contract was formed in the 60s, it had a stipulation in case the theater went up for sale ever again. There is a second one but it's not important at the moment."
"The other?" Mr. Shannon ordered, glaring at the woman.
Joanna looked at Frank sympathetically before speaking. "There should always be a member of the Winslow family on the board of regents, whether they be born into the family or married into it," she sighed. "I just haven't had the heart to speak with Nancy about it after everything that's happened over the past few years. Carson Drew's death was a blow to us all, Mr. Shannon, but not so much as it was to his only daughter. I trust that you will respect not only her wishes but also that of her husband's who has a say in the matter as well, I do believe. I have been on the board long enough to know the rules. Now if you'll excuse us, Mr. Shannon, we need to continue on without you or your daughter's 'help.'"
Before either of the Shannons could protest, Joanna walked away from the group. Frank and Joe soon followed leaving the father and daughter to stew over the new developments. The brothers walked silently behind Joanna, both of them wondering how far would either the Shannons or the buyer would go in order to obtain the theater. What else was going to be in store for them and would they be able to figure it out before the show is shut down?
Author's Note:
Wow. I didn't think I would be able to get this chapter out before Thanksgiving! And I'm glad I did though it's not how I thought it would go. The same goes for the story. I think I might be reverting back to my old way of writing but we'll just have to wait and see how it goes from here. Most of the components will remain the same of what I originally thought but certain moments are changing as I write...again. Anyway, thanks so much for continuing to read the story and especially to those who leave reviews! Most of you have stuck around since the beginning of the Revelations Trilogy and you have no idea how much I appreciate it! Kudos to anyone who can tell us what show they're putting on. It's one of my personal favorites but more on that later. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and if you'd like to, please leave a review! Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving and if you don't celebrate turkey day, may you have a wonderful week! Until next time...
