Patrice Greenwood - Wisteria Tearoom 03 - An Aria of Omens by Patrice Greenwood Page B
Authors: Patrice Greenwood
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home, sorrowing over how the evening had ended.
I’d forgotten the tray that I’d brought the cakes on.
I shook my head. It didn’t matter. I’d call Mr. Ingraham later.
I went upstairs and put away my opera gear. I had caught up Tony’s program as well as my own. I put them both in the sitting area of my suite, thinking I’d return Tony’s to him, though perhaps he wouldn’t want a souvenir of this evening.
I changed out of my finery and into a set of satin pajamas, made myself a cup of hot milk with nutmeg, and curled up in my favorite armchair.
Poor Tony. What a mess. He’d probably be there all night.
I tried to imagine what he was dealing with. It sounded very much like Mr. Solano had been murdered. There must be a hundred potential suspects—the whole cast, the crew, orchestra, staff—anyone who had access to backstage. Not to mention the audience. Anyone could have slipped back to the dressing room if they knew where they were going, and the murderer apparently did.
How could someone commit murder in the middle of a performance and get away with it?
I had taken the Opera’s backstage tour a few times, and knew that there were no private dressing rooms. There was one large room each for the men’s and women’s chorus, and one shared dressing room each for the principal men and principal women. “There are no divas here,” the tour guide had said.
So the murderer had needed to find a time when Mr. Solano was alone in the principal men’s dressing room. I suspected that was nearly impossible.
I picked up a program and turned to the cast list for Tosca . The male soloists were Scarpia, Cavaradossi, Angelotti (the man Cavaradossi was protecting, who only appeared in Act I), the Sacristan (also only in Act I), Spoletta (the torturer), and Sciarrone (another of Scarpia’s men).
Scarpia died at the end of Act II, so the murder could have happened any time during Act III. Vi had said he was found during the curtain call. When were the other principal men most likely to be away from the dressing room?
Cavaradossi was onstage for most of Act III, all except the beginning. Spoletta was around for a good part of it; he was probably backstage when he wasn’t actually onstage. Sciarrone had come on at the end of the act, I recalled.
But the two men who were only in Act I would probably have been in the dressing room for all of Act III. It was their place to relax, and the most likely place they would be between their time onstage and the curtain call.
Unless they had filled in with the chorus, who were onstage as other prisoners in the jail during Act III. I didn’t think that was very likely, but it was possible. I’d have to ask Vi.
Poor Vi. The murder alone was upsetting enough, but she had also lost her mentor. What a terrible blow.
The Tosca curse. Whether or not the legend was real, this event would only add to it.
I’d finished my milk, but I wasn’t sleepy. My brain was still busy trying to puzzle out the murder. It was futile; I didn’t have enough information, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I got up and rinsed my mug, then walked out into the hall and to the window overlooking the front yard. Tony’s bike was parked where he’d left it, down on the street in front of the house. I wondered what he was dealing with now.
Other police must have arrived and taken over guarding the crime scene. Probably evidence technicians were going over it, maybe the coroner. Tony would be asking questions, trying to establish who had been in or near the room, who had last seen Victor Solano alive.
A wave of cold realization went through me. Maybe the two principal men who were only in Act I were the ones who had killed him.
They were the most likely to have had opportunity. Motive? Other than professional jealousy, I didn’t know. It could be anything.
Not enough information. I really should stop this.
I took a hot shower and went to bed. Saturday was always a busy day, and I would
I’d forgotten the tray that I’d brought the cakes on.
I shook my head. It didn’t matter. I’d call Mr. Ingraham later.
I went upstairs and put away my opera gear. I had caught up Tony’s program as well as my own. I put them both in the sitting area of my suite, thinking I’d return Tony’s to him, though perhaps he wouldn’t want a souvenir of this evening.
I changed out of my finery and into a set of satin pajamas, made myself a cup of hot milk with nutmeg, and curled up in my favorite armchair.
Poor Tony. What a mess. He’d probably be there all night.
I tried to imagine what he was dealing with. It sounded very much like Mr. Solano had been murdered. There must be a hundred potential suspects—the whole cast, the crew, orchestra, staff—anyone who had access to backstage. Not to mention the audience. Anyone could have slipped back to the dressing room if they knew where they were going, and the murderer apparently did.
How could someone commit murder in the middle of a performance and get away with it?
I had taken the Opera’s backstage tour a few times, and knew that there were no private dressing rooms. There was one large room each for the men’s and women’s chorus, and one shared dressing room each for the principal men and principal women. “There are no divas here,” the tour guide had said.
So the murderer had needed to find a time when Mr. Solano was alone in the principal men’s dressing room. I suspected that was nearly impossible.
I picked up a program and turned to the cast list for Tosca . The male soloists were Scarpia, Cavaradossi, Angelotti (the man Cavaradossi was protecting, who only appeared in Act I), the Sacristan (also only in Act I), Spoletta (the torturer), and Sciarrone (another of Scarpia’s men).
Scarpia died at the end of Act II, so the murder could have happened any time during Act III. Vi had said he was found during the curtain call. When were the other principal men most likely to be away from the dressing room?
Cavaradossi was onstage for most of Act III, all except the beginning. Spoletta was around for a good part of it; he was probably backstage when he wasn’t actually onstage. Sciarrone had come on at the end of the act, I recalled.
But the two men who were only in Act I would probably have been in the dressing room for all of Act III. It was their place to relax, and the most likely place they would be between their time onstage and the curtain call.
Unless they had filled in with the chorus, who were onstage as other prisoners in the jail during Act III. I didn’t think that was very likely, but it was possible. I’d have to ask Vi.
Poor Vi. The murder alone was upsetting enough, but she had also lost her mentor. What a terrible blow.
The Tosca curse. Whether or not the legend was real, this event would only add to it.
I’d finished my milk, but I wasn’t sleepy. My brain was still busy trying to puzzle out the murder. It was futile; I didn’t have enough information, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I got up and rinsed my mug, then walked out into the hall and to the window overlooking the front yard. Tony’s bike was parked where he’d left it, down on the street in front of the house. I wondered what he was dealing with now.
Other police must have arrived and taken over guarding the crime scene. Probably evidence technicians were going over it, maybe the coroner. Tony would be asking questions, trying to establish who had been in or near the room, who had last seen Victor Solano alive.
A wave of cold realization went through me. Maybe the two principal men who were only in Act I were the ones who had killed him.
They were the most likely to have had opportunity. Motive? Other than professional jealousy, I didn’t know. It could be anything.
Not enough information. I really should stop this.
I took a hot shower and went to bed. Saturday was always a busy day, and I would
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