File M For Murder

“Everyone, take ten.” Laura made shooing motions with her hands, and the actors moved off the stage in a hurry. A couple cast puzzled glances back at Lawton.

Laura approached the playwright, who was still absorbed in his frenzy of negative self-criticism. She slapped the top of his head.

“Ow. That hurt.” Lawton let go of his ears to rub his head and glared at her.

“I meant it to.” Laura looked and sounded exasperated. “This is not the time for you to get into one of your self-flagellation sessions. You’re freaking out the kids, and frankly I’m pretty sick of it myself.”

Well done, Laura, I thought. I’d never seen such an emotional grasshopper.

“Who the bloody hell cares whether they’re used to it?” Lawton threw up his hands. “If they can’t take it, they’re never going to last in the theater. You’re not doing them any favors by babying them.” He shook his head. “Maybe you’re not up to the teaching gig after all.”

“Nice try, but this isn’t about me, Connor. You wrote the stinking dialogue. And I do mean stinking.” I knew Laura in this mood. She wasn’t about to back down. Would that make Lawton even angrier? Provoke him to violence?

Diesel was not happy with the loud voices and the tangible tension. He crawled under my legs and tried to hide beneath my seat, but of course he was too big. His tail stuck out between my knees. I scratched his back to reassure him, but right then I was growing more concerned for my daughter. Should I go onstage and interfere before this got any uglier?

“Yeah, thanks to you, babydoll. You’re my muse, you know that. How can I write anything decent when you’re tearing my heart out?” The fight seemed to have gone out of the playwright.

“Don’t give me that pathetic little act. That’s all it is, and we both know it. Bourbon is your muse. Go drink a bottle or two and rewrite the scene. Leave me out of it.”

Lawton’s expression turned ugly, and he was clenching and unclenching his hands. I was out of my chair and halfway to the stage by the time Laura finished speaking.

Lawton yelled an obscenity at my daughter, and I was so furious I was ready to teach him some manners—with a baseball bat, if necessary.

He didn’t stick around to judge the reactions to his vulgarity. Instead, he rushed across the stage and disappeared into the wings.

ELEVEN

Laura was still trembling with anger, her eyes focused in the direction of Lawton’s exit, when I reached her moments later. Diesel followed me onto the stage and meowed loudly as he butted his head against my right leg. I extended a hand to rub him while I examined my daughter with concern.

“I’m okay, Dad.” Laura flashed a brief smile, but I could see the strain on her face.

I squeezed her shoulder lightly, then dropped my hand. “That was pretty intense. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Laura nodded. Her eyes met mine for a moment then shifted away. “Par for the course with Connor whenever he’s working on a new play. I went through part of this process once before with him.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I should have been more prepared, I suppose.”

“I don’t see how anyone can work with him if he’s like this on every project.” I kept my hand on Diesel because the cat still seemed restless. As I glanced down he butted his head against Laura’s thigh and meowed.

Laura squatted and threw her arms around Diesel. She pulled his head next to hers and stroked his back. “You are such a sweetie, you know that?” Diesel warbled as if he were agreeing, and Laura laughed. She stroked him a moment longer, then released him to stand. “It’s amazing how much better he can make you feel.”

“I know.” I smiled fondly at my cat. I checked her face and was relieved to see that her expression had lightened. “Will you go on with the rehearsal now?”

The student actors were clustered stage left, and I indicated them with a tilt of my head. Laura glanced their way and motioned for them to join her onstage. “Might as well.”

The students surged forward but halted a few feet away.

“Laura, my dear, I must speak with you.” Ralph Johnston approached from stage right, and Laura and I turned to him. He nodded in my direction but addressed my daughter. “After that outburst we just witnessed, I have even graver doubts about this production. Lawton seems completely unstable to me, and I’m afraid he will turn violent. He seems particularly fixated on you.”

I agreed with the department head and waited to hear Laura’s response. I wasn’t keen on her having to deal with Lawton any further, but I knew how stubborn my daughter could be.

Laura sounded weary when she spoke. “I understand how you feel, and I’ve decided that the best thing is for me to remove myself from direct participation in this production. Connor is volatile, but if I’m not present during rehearsals, perhaps he’ll be less keyed up.”

There were mutters of protest from the students, and Laura flashed them a grateful smile. “I will continue to teach my students, of course, but away from the theater.”