“No,” Randy said. “But something must’ve caused those flats to fall.”
“Yes, something,” Derek murmured, staring hard at him. “Or someone. Could it have been caused by your stalker?”
Chapter Six
“Stalker?” Randy said, taken aback by Derek’s suggestion. “But it was an accident.”
It was useless trying to relax now that Derek had brought up the subject, so I sat up and joined the conversation. “I was thinking it could’ve been the guy who attacked me earlier today.”
Derek considered that possibility. “You described him as a rather large man. Did you see anyone like that in the vicinity?”
“No,” I grumbled. “It was too dark to see anyone, but I can’t imagine a guy that big sneaking up on us. He’s not exactly stealthy.”
But there might have been someone else. I thought back to that moment in the hallway and tried to be realistic. All those flats leaning together were at least two feet thick, possibly thicker. The hall was dimly lit at that end. Randy and I had been staring at the painted flat farthest from the doorway leading into the hall. All of those factors made me realize that someone might have been able to sneak up quietly if they’d stayed close to the wall.
But it couldn’t have been the scary, oafish loudmouth who attacked me earlier. As Derek had said, the man was large. I couldn’t imagine him sneaking up on anybody.
“It wasn’t the guy who grabbed me in the parking lot,” I concluded. “He was too big and cloddish to get away with it.”
“Which means it’s the stalker,” Randy said, sounding miserable.
“Tell me why you think someone is stalking you,” Derek said.
Randy went through the whole litany of incidents he’d recited to me earlier.
When he was finished, Derek nodded slowly and was silent for a long moment. I could tell he was thinking carefully because he had a habit of twisting his lips as he pondered possibilities. Finally, he said, “For the sake of argument, let’s assume that your stalker caused the mishap with the falling stage flats.”
Randy gritted his teeth. “Okay. So now what?”
“So up until today,” Derek said, “this person has only been trying to scare you or embarrass you.”
I felt my eyes widen. “But today he tried to hurt you. Well, and me.” Especially me.
“Exactly,” Derek said.
“So, what the hell does that mean?” Randy asked.
Derek’s gaze was on Randy. “It means he might be growing more desperate.”
Randy’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying he’s escalating? Isn’t that what they call it on TV?”
Derek nodded. “Yes.”
“But Derek,” I said, “causing the stage flats to fall on top of us had to have been a spontaneous act. He couldn’t have planned it. How did he know we were going to take that route through the other studio?”
“True,” he said. “The opportunity presented itself and he took action.”
“But the dead animals and even the script pages,” I continued. “Those had to be planned out to some extent.”
Derek smiled and nodded. “Absolutely right. Those would take careful timing. Premeditation.”
“Oh, hell.” I turned and stared at Randy. “He could’ve been following us the whole time, just waiting for his chance to do something vicious.”
“Do you often take the long way around to the dressing rooms?” Derek asked Randy.
He shrugged. “I’m always wandering around the place. I never know where I’ll end up. People have gotten used to me telling stories of some prop or backdrop I discovered in some far corner. I just found this back entrance to the dressing rooms yesterday, so I don’t see how someone could’ve known I’d come this way.”
“Did you mention the new route to anyone?”
His shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I was telling a couple of the prop guys that I’d been looking over those planter boxes in the studio next door. They mentioned that they were going to be using them for a new show they’re taping next weekend.”
I shivered at the thought that someone might have been following us along the dark halls and through the empty studio. Given the way my life had been going lately, I had trained myself to be more aware of my surroundings. So much for awareness. And especially after the assault I’d suffered earlier, it was disturbing to realize how easily distracted I’d been by all the fascinating nooks and crannies and oddities of the studio.
Derek observed me for a long moment and I knew he was trying to read my mind. I’d bet it wasn’t too hard to figure out what I was thinking. His mouth twitched in a slight smile and then he glanced back at Randy. “Since it sounds like he—or she—has been following you around the country, is it safe to assume that this person has some connection to the show?”