'No. The script doesn't call for one.'
Tazz looked at him with raised eyebrows. 'This is a murder mystery script. In it the butler kills the younger son. You don't need a police presence?'
'That's assumed to take place after the play is over,' Imry said, clearly uncomfortable with her question.
Tazz turned to Jane and Shelley, who had brought along the dress bag and were now sitting in the first row of audience chairs, stage left. Tazz rolled her eyes at them, then turned to Imry. 'I see,' she said in a flat, calm voice. 'I'll measure the male actors first, since there are only the maid and Joani I need to get sizes for. Ms. Bunting'scostumes are already fitted. Now tell me your real names so I can draw up the contracts.'
'We're using the actors' stage names,' Imry said.
'I don't contract with fictional characters,' Tazz said with a loud laugh. 'Now, I recognize Mr. Bunting. Tell me who the other men are.'
Imry was forced to forgo his rule. He introduced all the actors by their real names.
'And the man standing just off stage?' Tazz asked. 'Is he a backstage worker?'
'No. He's just here to observe.'
Jane whispered to Shelley, 'Maybe he's a reporter and Imry doesn't want anyone to know it.'
'He's not taking notes,' Shelley replied.
'Maybe he has a tape recorder in his pocket,' Jane responded. 'Or…'
'Or what?'
'Never mind. It was a silly idea. If I turn out to be right, I'll tell you what it was.'
Just then, Denny arrived, flustered. 'I had an exam that ran late. That's why I couldn't get here till now. I'm sure I aced it.'
The first walk-through rehearsal went well, as far as Jane and Shelley could tell, except for Bill Denk's improvising. There were no breaks, and the first two acts were done by the time the caterers arrived.
Tazz, who had clearly taken a strong dislike to
Imry, sat at the table questioning him as they ate. 'So there isn't a police officer. When I read the script, there wasn't any explanation of why the butler murdered the younger son, either.'
'That's for the audience to decide for themselves,' Imry said smugly.
'Oh, like sophisticated artsy novels that leave the ending unresolved? That's plain lazy writing and too pretentious for the likes of me. I hate books like that,' Tazz commented as she wolfed down her snack dinner. She appeared to be anxious to get on with the measuring.
'I read a book like that recently,' Ms. Bunting chimed in. Her nap seemed to have completely revived her. 'I threw it in the trash.'
'Did you throw my script in the trash, too?' Imry asked, obviously looking for an argument.
'I know which side my bread is buttered on,' Ms. Bunting said with a wicked smile. 'I simply memorized it. That's my job.'
'I don't read many books,' Joani put into the conversation, looking around for someone to express admiration of her view. Everybody ignored her.
'This is good food, ladies,' Jake, who played the younger son, said to Jane and Shelley, apparently eager to start a harmless discussion.
Both the first two caterers 'had made sure to provide for hungry vegetarians, which Shelley was pleased to note in her files. The caterer lastnight had provided raw vegetables with several dipping sauces. Tonight the vegetables were lightly sauteed and served in one large bowl with a heating element under it. The dressing was a bit bland and could have used a good dose of fresh pepper, Jane whispered to Shelley.
Tazz took her empty plate and glass back to the catering room and lurked until John Bunting had finished eating. She snatched his plate to return as well and said, 'Come on, Mr. Bunting. I need to measure you.'
He leered at her.
Jane sat down with Ms. Bunting. 'Tazz is one of the people in the needlepoint class. You'll see her again tomorrow morning.'
'She's a strong-minded girl. I'll be curious to see what kind of sampler she's doing.'
'Have you started yours yet?' Jane asked.
'Barely. I had such fun putting those pretty colors in the jewelry thing you girls bought me. I'll treasure it forever. I've done only one square. I'm sticking with simple squares for my first effort.'
Tazz gathered all the men in one large dressing room. 'We're not having any witty remarks about inseams or dressing left or right. Got it? Just tell me the size of your trousers and jackets. I will measure across your shoulders and get the correct arm length. You'll all wear casual trousers circa 1930, shirts, and either jackets or sweaters
for the first two acts. The third act will be formal wear. White starched shirts, white formal jackets, black trousers with a silk stripe down the sides.'
She finished this process quickly and efficiently, noting all the measurements in a notebook she carried.
Then she cornered Ms. Bunting to try on both of the dresses Tazz had selected for her. Holding the dress bag, Jane was present as well. The everyday one for the first two acts was a drop-waisted pink silk dress with a long string of fake pearls. It had three-quarter-length sleeves. 'Other jewelry will be decided on later,' Tazz told the actress.
Tazz then called in Imry to approve it. He even managed to eke out a compliment for Tazz on how well it suited the actress and the play.
'The formal dress will be along the same lines, but with black sequins. Don't dare let anyone who smokes near you, Ms. Bunting,' Tazz warned, 'or the sequins might catch fire — they're notoriously flammable. Even though the sequined one is supposed to have been sprayed with a fire retardant. I haven't chosen jewelry because I don't think it's needed. Just wear your own wedding ring and maybe a pair of smooth silver bracelets.'
'You look like a queen,' Jane said.
'I feel like one,' Ms. Bunting said, pirouetting in front of the three-sided mirror in her dressingroom. The skirt flared nicely. 'I'll have to find an occasion to do this, just to show off.'
'I don't think the director will object to this,' Tazz said. 'We won't bother getting his approval of this one.'
The next morning, Jane called Ms. Bunting at her hotel and offered to pick her up and take her to the needlepoint class.
'It's sweet of you to ask, but I have some shopping to do first, so I'll just take a cab. I have the owner's card with the address in my needlepoint bag. I'll see you then.'
Ms. Bunting was only a few moments late. She had a bag from a toy store. 'For my grandchildren,' she said. As she set the bag down, soft baby toys tumbled out. Jane bent over to pick them up and put them back.
Martha introduced Ms. Bunting to the others, explaining that she, Martha, had bent the rules because Ms. Bunting was a famous actress who had known Sylvia Sidney, who was not only an actress but had written a very good needlepoint book.
Tazz said, 'Ms. Bunting and I have met before. I'm providing her costumes for the play she's going to be in in another week, right here in Chicago.'
Both Jane and Martha had brought along their copies of Sylvia Sidney's book. Everyone, even
those who had never heard of Sylvia Sidney, passed it around and asked questions about her.
Then they all pulled out their needlepoint work to show how they were coming along so far. Tazz's was the most complex. She'd done half of an American flag in the center, which would be surrounded by borders of stars and stripes in different stitches. They were all marked out on the canvas, and she had the kinds of stitches she was using on grid paper.
Ms. Bunting had barely started, but she'd used the upper left corner to do a section of bargello stitches in the
