‘What do you mean,why not? That’s not who we are. That’s not who I amor who you are! Walter!’ She clapped a hand over her mouth.
‘Fawn, what other option do we have?! He may kill you!’ he hissed.
‘He may not,’ she said without conviction.
‘Only if you do what he says, Fawn.’
‘I know… oh God, I know.’ Fawn pulled away and started to pace despite the pain in her feet.
‘Then we have no other choice.’ They looked at each other then,a silence and a coldness washing over them.
‘I can’t. I just can’t.’ Fawn covered her eyes, wishing it would all go away.
‘You won’t have to. We could stage it.’
‘What do you mean?’ She looked at Walter through her fingers.
‘We work in a show that stages a murder. Lars, in the show, murders —’
‘Hamish…’
‘Well, his character at least. All it would takeis something to fall into the barrel of that gun for things to go… slightly wrong.’
‘Slightly? Walter, we’re talking about…’ she lowered her voice, ‘about murdering someone here.’
‘It would look like an accident, Fawn. Stage tricks go wrong all the time. This would just be another one added to the list and no one would be to blame. It would just be an unfortunate accident.’ The ideasettled in the air between them for a moment. Walter’s eyes were wide and wild and Fawn took another step backwards.
‘Walter this is madness. We can’t… kill… Hamish.’
‘There’s no other way, Fawn.’ Walter stepped towards her, but she kept retreating.
‘Walter, you’re scaring me.’
‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ He rushed to her. ‘I just… don’t want to lose you. Not at all butmost of all, not to him.’
‘Fawn?’ A distant voice called out.
Who is it?Walter mouthed. The doors to the wing opened and the voice called out again, ‘Fawn, sweetie?’
‘It’shim. I have to go.’
‘No, please don’t…’
‘Walter, Ihaveto. I’m supposed to be going to a party with him this evening.’ Fawn looked over the railing and saw Hamish walk onto the stage behindthe fire curtain. He checked his pocket watch. ‘Just stay here.’
Fawn descended the ladder as quickly as she could and picked up her shoes from behind the wicker basket where she’d hidden them, and holding them in her hand, walked onto stage to meet Hamish. Walter could only watch from his perch above them.
‘Mr Boatwright…’ Fawn stopped at what she thought was an acceptable distancefrom him.
‘There you are!’ Hamish smiled broadly, as if their earlier altercation had never happened. ‘You’re still in costume.’ His smile shrank.
‘Yes, I wasn’t feeling too well so I’ve just… been in the lavatory. Collecting myself.’ She took a deep breath, but she knew she already looked shaken up enough from her conversation with Walter for her lie to be plausible.
‘Not…too unwell for tonight, I hope.’ A muscle in his top lip twitched.
‘I was hoping to get a proper night’s sleep tonight. There have been quite a few parties over the last week or so and —’
‘They’re all to further your career, darling. The people you’re meeting are vital to your future success.’ He laughed, but it was short and shrill.
