‘Jack told me that he went into the theatre a couple of weeks ago, searching for someone who has been playing around, scaring everyone, turning lights on and off, making them think it was the rumoured ghost. But clearly she isn’t a ghost at all. She’s just some homeless person who has been squatting there. I imagine she was afraid of being discovered and losing her refuge.’
Bridie listened, still amazed that she had a squatter. Then again, although she’d taken Kate’s advice and made an inventory, working her way through the rooms backstage and in the basement, she remembered one room that had been locked. She’d been unable to find a key. With the rehearsals in full swing, she had been far too busy to do anything about it and had decided to leave the room for the moment, even though it was a dressing room – it had a star on the door – and she would have liked to use it.
The fireman continued, ‘Once the theatre started to be revamped, and rehearsals got underway, she was going to have quite the problem on her hands – especially when youstarted dress rehearsals. She knew that the costumes were all downstairs.’
Bridie thought she recognised the fireman. ‘You’re one of my prop guys,’ Bridie said. ‘I didn’t recognise you in your uniform.’
He smiled, and continued, ‘This evening, when her curtain caught fire, nobody would have heard her cries for help if it hadn’t been for Jack. He told us that he’d been delivering some groceries to leave outside the stage door when he thought he smelled something. That was when he heard her cries and burst in to discover that her room was on fire. She’d been frantically trying to douse the flames.’
Bridie turned to Oliver. ‘This doesn’t make any sense. I thought he …’
‘Me too,’ said Oliver.
‘Me three,’ Reggie joined in.
‘Now what?’ Bridie said to no one in particular.
‘We apologise!’ Mabel announced. ‘To Jack.’
Bridie turned to Oliver. They’d both assumed it was him, all of it, turning the lights off, moving props around, scaring her cast and crew. And finally, when she had heard those fire engines, it was little wonder that she’d had a terrible thought; after hearing that he’d filed for planning permission to knock the theatre down, she believed he’d decided to bypass planning altogether and get rid of it himself.
Bridie wondered whether it was true, what Jack had said – that he’d changed his mind about the planning application and had been intending to withdraw? She didn’t believe him when he’d told her that a fortnight earlier, but she did now that he’d saved her theatre.
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ said Oliver. He got out his mobile phone and selected a phone number. ‘Here.’
‘What’s this?’
‘The number of the council planner. Speak to them.’
‘It’s Sunday evening. They won’t be open.’
‘I know. That’s the personal phone number of my friend, the planning officer.’
Bridie tentatively took his mobile. She looked at the number. ‘But will he mind me ringing about this on his day off?’
‘Not at all. Don’t you want to know?’
Bridie nodded. ‘Of course I do.’
Bridie got through, explained she was Oliver’s friend, and asked the question.
‘It’s been withdrawn?’ she eyed Oliver. ‘When?’ Bridie listened, thanked him, and then ended the call.
‘Well?’
She handed Oliver his phone. ‘He withdrew it the very next day after we accused him of sabotage.’
Oliver raised his eyebrows. ‘So, he must have hung back when you and I left that evening, intent on finding out just who had been sabotaging the theatre.’
‘Why didn’t he tell me it was the squatter?’
Reggie was standing behind them. ‘He did. Or at least I think he was going to.’
Bridie turned around. ‘What are you talking about, Reggie?’
‘I saw him outside your shop, that day we came along and painted, and cleaned, and stocked the theatre – and you began auditions until the lights went out, and you told us all to go home. I saw you and Oliver return to the shop, then Jack turned up, about to knock on your door, but he must have seen you both inside. Then a short time later, just as he was leaving the yard, the light went out in your flat.’
Bridie stared at Reggie. If Jack had seen them both go upstairs …
