A Baked Ham by Jessica Beck Page A

“Let’s get cracking.”
     
    “Wow, it’s déjà vu all over
again,” Greg said as we reentered the crowded theater lobby for the second
night in a row.   As he looked around the
crowded room, he added, “I believe that Moose and Martha are the only ones who
didn’t come back for take two.”
    “They gave their tickets away to
their neighbors, so it’s no less crowded than it was before.   Do you still have my cape with you?”
    “It’s right here,” Greg
said.   “I still don’t know why you
brought it with you.”
    “It’s backup for right now, but I
might need it, so don’t lose it.”
    “No, Ma’am,” he said with a
smile.
    “Come on,” I said as I tugged at
his arm.
    “Where are we going?”
    “We’re heading backstage before
the play so we can do a little snooping.   I have to thank you for that.   We
never would have had the time if you hadn’t rushed me so much at home getting showered
and changed.”
    “Remind me never to do that
again,” Greg said.   “Victoria, you know
that I’m not comfortable taking part in your investigations.”
    “You don’t have to go with me if
you don’t want to, you know,” I said as I stopped pulling his arm.
    “Oh, no.   I’m under strict orders that I’m not about to
disobey.   Wherever you go tonight, I go,
too.”
    I wasn’t sure how I felt about
that.   Sure, I loved the fact that Greg
was concerned for my wellbeing, but then again, I wasn’t all that crazy about
having my husband follow me around while I tried to question some of my
suspects.
    When we got to the stage entrance
off to one side, it looked as though it wasn’t going to matter what I thought
anyway.
    There was a big, husky football
player from the high school standing guard by the door, and from the looks of
him, no one was going to get past.
     
    Fortunately, the young man was a
frequent patron of our diner, and I knew Peter Davis well.   “Pete, I’ve never seen you in a suit
before.   How handsome you look.”
    He blushed a little from my
praise.   “You look nice too,
Victoria.”   Almost as an afterthought, he
looked at Greg and added, “Nice suit.”
    “Right back at you,” my husband
said.
    “Peter, I was wondering if I
could go backstage for one second before the show starts?” I asked.
    The young man frowned.   “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you past me, Victoria.   Mr. Wilkes is paying us all good money to
keep these doors blocked, and he told me specifically that if anyone gets
through from the auditorium, none of
us will get paid.   I’m really sorry about
that.”
    “Don’t worry,” I said as I patted
his arm.   “I understand completely.”
    “Are you sure?” he asked me.   “Because I’d hate to have you mad at me.”
    “We’re perfectly fine,” I
said.   I leaned in a little closer and I
asked him, “Do you know of any other ways in?   I don’t want you to lose your pay for the night, but this is important.”
    Peter looked around, and then he
frowned.   “Well, there might be one way
that won’t get me in trouble.   If you use
another entrance, Mr. Wilkes won’t have any choice but to pay us.   There’s one door he forgot to post a guard on
tonight.   I almost said something, but
then I realized that the information might come in handy, so I kept my mouth
shut.”
    I looked at him carefully before
I asked, “Peter, you’re not asking me for a bribe, are you?”
    He seemed honestly surprised by
my suggestion.   “Of course not.   I just meant… what I meant to say was…”
    Greg stepped in and saved
him.   “Don’t take it personally; she does
the same thing to me all the time.   Victoria actually thinks it’s funny to watch men squirm a little.   The best thing you can do is just smile and
pretend that she never asked you a question in the first place.”
    Peter nodded, and then he turned
to me and offered his smile without uttering another word.
    “I give up.   Where’s the door we need?” I