Page 5

Three hours later, when Cameron opened the door of Gray House for Sanjay and Tempest’s late arrival for the dress rehearsal, Sanjay was pouting. He hadn’t solved the mystery of the invisible intruder either.

It was nearly half past eight, and a cappella jazz played on the speakers, setting the mood for the murder mystery play they’d set in the 1930s.

They wouldn’t have been quite so late, except Sanjay had insisted they run an errand after visiting the Locked Room Library. Hopefully, loud, upbeat music meant the others were enjoying themselves as they waited.

As they stepped inside, Tempest realized that it wasn’t music playing on the speakers at all. Kira Kendrick, one of the three actors hired for the play, stood in front of the fireplace, holding a prop cigar like a microphone. She belted out the jazz standard “Summertime,” both looking and sounding like Billie Holiday as she did so.

Kira finished the last line of the song and took a bow. As her audience of six applauded and whistled, she donned a tweed jacket resting on the arm of the nearby love seat.

“Sorry we’re late,” Tempest said. “That was amazing, Kira. I’m sure Lucas will be disappointed he missed it.”

She introduced Sanjay to both Kira and Milton Silver, the other actor they’d hired. Sanjay hadn’t been involved in the library’s escape game or murder mystery game until Lucas had canceled, so Lucas was the only one of the cast he’d met.

Sanjay already knew that night’s audience members.

Enid Maddox had come over after locking up the Locked Room Library. Even with the increased demands on her time this summer, Enid had dressed up for the show. She was impeccably attired in her signature early twentieth-century style, which she’d adopted when she opened the library that specialized in books from that era. At first, she’d put on the vintage clothes like a uniform while working at the library, but as time went on, glamorous outfits from the 1920s to the 1940s became her daily attire. She’d changed from a Gatsby skirt to an A-line gown with a shoulder cape.

Cameron Gray was there, of course, and Ivy had come along as well tonight, since she’d written the play with Tempest. They’d invited Gideon, but he was packing up all his possessions from the house he rented, so he was short on time.

“We were wondering if you two would bail like Lucas,” said Milton as he swirled a glass of red wine in his hand. “Everyone else has been here for half an hour. Even Enid, and she said you two were right behind her. At least your absence gave us time to try a glass of the bookshop’s new cabernet.”

Milton smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was truly annoyed that they were late. Matching his surname, thick streaks of silver ran through the fiftysomething actor’s hair and well-groomed beard. In the tweed suit that made up his costume, he looked like a stereotypical version of his real-world profession of a rare books expert.

“My fault we’re so late.” Sanjay was dressed in a black sweater and slacks they’d found at a thrift store where he insisted they stop to shop, and it had taken three thrift stores to find something he deemed suitable. “Lucas gave me details of his costume, and I figured if I’m in, I’m all in. Even though I feel so strange performing without my tuxedo.”

Sanjay tugged at the soft fabric of the collar. He was the only person for whom a cashmere sweater was less comfortable around his neck than a tuxedo’s starched collar and tight bow tie. The only part of his standard stage outfit he hadn’t given up was his bowler hat. The hat had been custom made for his stage shows, but it had become such a part of him that he wore it almost all the time. It was lined with hidden compartments, so Tempest admitted it came in handy.

“Want a drink before you get started?” Enid asked.

She didn’t look happy tonight either. Not because Sanjay hadn’t figured out what had happened at her library, but simply because she was busy. One of Harold’s last wishes was for Enid to oversee setting up his library, since she had the experience of starting her own library. She took the responsibility seriously, rather than leaving it to inexperienced Cameron, and he was grateful for the help.

“Wine?” asked Milton.

“A glass of water would be much appreciated.” Sanjay stopped fiddling with his costume and gave them all a charming smile that Tempest noted made Kira blush.

Kira was the youngest of the bunch. In her midtwenties, she was an assistant librarian at the Hidden Creek Public Library. Stylish oversize glasses rested on the thin bridge of her nose, gold bangles adorned both wrists, and a tweed jacket hung loosely on her small frame.

Milton, Kira, and Lucas Cruz were all members of the Creekside Players, an amateur theatrical troupe. Hidden Creek’s solitary theater was filled with a murderous past, a supposed ghost, and uncomfortable seats, so the Creekside Players sought out other venues, like this one.

“I’ll grab the water,” Cameron said. “Tempest?”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“There’ll be a big block of ice here on the bureau on the nights of the performances,” said Kira.

“For verisimilitude, since it’s the 1930s,” Milton added unnecessarily. “So there will be an ice pick here, too.”

“I thought you were only serving this wine from the Hidden Winery.” Sanjay pointed at the half-empty bottle.

As part of the murder mystery play evening at the library, attendees would first be served dinner at beloved local restaurant Veggie Magic, with Hidden Winery wines accompanying their food. After walking five minutes to the Gray House Library for the murder mystery game, they’d have the option of an after-dinner glass of wine or a nonalcoholic beverage.

The winery was a passion project for the couple who ran the Hidden Bookshop, the small bookstore on Main Street where Milton worked. He was close to the bookshop owners, so he wanted their new side-project launch to go well. The winery wasn’t mass-producing wine, but instead would be serving at the Hidden Wine Bar, their new addition next door to the bookshop. Tempest wasn’t a patron of the bookshop, because it specialized in rare and antiquarian books, but Secret Staircase Construction had built the book-themed secret entrance that ran between the two shops, and she looked forward to trying its new wine bar extension after its grand opening this weekend.

“It’s the only brand of wine being served,” said Milton. “But attendees will have other options. I don’t see the vintage ice pick right now, but you can see the aged glass bottle with the gasket that’s just like the ones they really used in the early 1900s. It’s so important to get the little details right, don’t you think?”

“Which reminds me—” Kira rummaged through a cute little backpack covered with colorful pins until she found a glasses case. She slipped off her large glasses and swapped them for a pair of small round wire-framed glasses with no lenses. She grinned at them. “That’s better. Much more style-appropriate for the 1930s.” She blinked at them and laughed. “But I’ll have to make sure I remember to put in my contact lenses before the first real show.”

Sanjay pulled out his phone and began looking up glasses styles in the 1930s.

Milton cleared his throat loudly. When it failed to solicit a response from Sanjay, he did so again.

Tempest tapped Sanjay’s shoulder. “I think he’s trying to get your attention about your cell phone.”

“The play is set in 1935.” Milton held out his hand, with the palm facing up. “No cell phones.”

Sanjay gaped at him. “You’re Method actors? Wait. You’re seriously confiscating my phone? Like we’re in high school?”

Tempest handed Milton her own phone. “Rules of the games. Following the clues of the play and finding a way out of the escape room are much more fun without phones. That way, you can’t look things up like you’re doing now—”

“This isn’t a clue!” Sanjay insisted. “I’m simply curious—”

“There’s a secured cabinet in the kitchen,” Ivy said, “with numbered bags for phones.”

“But I’m not a participant, I’m one of the actors.” Sanjay blinked at Ivy and Milton as if they’d each grown a second head.

“I think you’ll survive the next hour without your phone.” Tempest plucked the phone out of his hand. If he’d wanted to, he could have made it vanish into thin air before she got to it, but in spite of his protestations, he was a good sport.

“You all ready for a full run-through?” Cameron asked as he returned from the kitchen with their glasses of water.

“I’ve got my part memorized already,” said Sanjay. “Good thing I don’t need my phone.”

Cameron accepted the two phones from Tempest and locked them up in the kitchen with the other phones. He gave them each a thick rubber band with a number on it. It wasn’t necessary for such a small group, but it would be needed for the larger groups that would be there that weekend.

Milton clapped his hands together. “Places, everyone.”

Tempest took a seat in one of the wooden folding chairs that had been set up behind the rest of the furniture, which was organized in a U shape, so that everyone could see the actors where they’d be performing in front of the unlit fireplace. Ivy and Cameron were sitting on the rented futon. Enid looked dainty in the oversize armchair that had been Harold’s favorite reading spot. The love seat remained empty, but Tempest thought it best to try out the folding chairs to make sure they were comfortable enough for the dozen attendees who didn’t get one of the eight comfiest spots in the spacious living room. They’d belatedly realized they needed to rent the folding chairs and futon after figuring out that Harold didn’t have enough furniture to accommodate the audience they had in mind. Luckily, Kira’s cousin managed a furniture rental company, Storage Solutions, which was able to rent them the extra furniture at the last minute.

The folding chair gave only a slight jiggle as Tempest crossed her legs. It wasn’t cushioned, since the design was a good one that let the wooden chairs fold flat and thus be a good storage solution as the name of the company implied. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, but something else was bothering her.

She scanned the room, trying to identify what it was. As Kira stepped into the room to begin the performance, she knew what it was. The futon in front of her was low enough that she could see the coffee table in front of it. This wasn’t the original coffee table. It had been replaced by a steamer trunk. One she recognized, but not from here. She would have noticed it right away if they hadn’t arrived late and been rushed.

The steamer trunk that now sat in the middle of the room wasn’t Harold’s or Cameron’s—it was Sanjay’s . One he used for his magic show performances. What was it doing here now?

Sanjay had an ulterior motive for accepting this last-minute request. Just what did he have in store for them at tonight’s performance?