Dad…
THE EMPEROR
Whining now? Whining suits you. You've whined your whole damned life, haven't you? Whined at home, whined in your little schools, whined in the Marines, didn't you? I wonder if you'll whine as you fall through the air. Robin didn't, you know. She shouted her anger. But you only shout your anger when you think you're safe, don't you? Will you shout your anger now?
EVAN
Please… please don't…
THE EMPEROR
(He jerks EVAN back up onto the catwalk, but hangs on to his collar.) Then you don't. You don't ever talk that way to me again. Not to the Emperor. (He emphasizes each word.) Do you understand?
EVAN
Y… yes.
THE EMPEROR
Yes what?
EVAN
Yes… sir.
THE EMPEROR
Yes, your majesty!
EVAN
Yes… your majesty.
THE EMPEROR
Good. (He releases Evan.) Now get down from here… before you have an accident.
(EVAN moves quickly away to the narrow stairway and climbs down .)
~* ~
My God, Evan thought, my God, he's really crazy, he's really gone off the deep end…
He slipped more than once in his rush down the stairway, but he managed to regain his footing. At the bottom, he crossed the last six steps in one leap, and came down hard on one knee, grunting with the pain.
'What's the matter with you?'
Evan looked up into the narrowed eyes of Abe Kipp. 'You okay?' the man said. 'Hard fall there.'
'I'm okay,' Evan said, standing straight despite the pain.
Abe looked up into the flies. 'Who you talkin' to up there?'
Evan looked up too, but could see no trace of movement in the shadows above. 'My father,' he said at last.
'Mr. Hamilton?' Abe looked up again, took a few steps to one side, then back again. 'I don't see nobody. Mr. Hamilton?' he called, but there was no answer. 'Don't hear nothin' neither. Catwalk squeals like a bitch. Somebody walkin' up there you'd know it. Hey, Mr. Hamilton!' he called again, but there was no reply, no sound of anyone moving above.
'He must have left another way,' Evan said. He was still trembling, and hated himself for it, hated himself for not dying if he had to, not taking the old man over the rail with him. Your majesty! Jesus sweet Christ, what was wrong with him?
'Other way? Only other way's across the ceiling into the projection booth,' Abe said. 'Lights're off and it's dark as hell up there. Man'd have to be a fool to go walkin' on the ceilin' catwalk in the dark. One wrong step and…'
Abe didn't have to say any more. The picture of Robin's crushed body was vivid in both their minds. 'I don't know, Abe. Maybe… maybe he had a flashlight,' Evan said, looking at his own flashlight he had somehow hung on to through his ordeal.
'Maybe so,' Abe said. 'Don't know, though. Still seems crazy.'
Crazy was the word, Evan thought as he went to find Curt. He wouldn't go up in the flies again. He didn't think he could bear to climb those stairs, not now, not after what had happened.
Halfway up the aisle of the theatre he changed his mind. It was Sid he would look for, not Curt. He had always been able to talk to Sid while he was growing up, and he wanted to talk to him now, to tell him about how crazy Dennis had acted. Sid's suite was just across the hall from Dennis's, but he would be careful. He didn't think he could bear to see his father again, not so soon after that horrible confrontation.
Terri Deems was in the lobby as he passed through it on his way to the elevator. He thought she looked different, then realized that it was the first time he had ever seen her smile. 'Hi,' she said, and stopped as if she wanted to talk. He slowed, unsure of her intentions. 'What are you up to?'
'Uh… looking for Sid.'
'He's in the office. I just came from there.'
'Thanks.'
He started off, when she called after him. 'Hey, why the hurry? I wanted to ask you something.'
'Uh, okay. What?'
'I was just thinking maybe we could go out.'
'Go out?'
'You know – boy, girl, go out, date… what you mentioned to me a few weeks ago.'
Was this the same girl? 'That was a few months ago, and you… didn't seem too thrilled with the idea.'
'That was then, this is now. I was rude. I'm sorry. I've had second thoughts.”
“Well… sure. That'd be great.'
'How about tonight?'
'Tonight?'
'You have other plans?' she asked in a tone that told him he would be a fool to.
'No, no, not at all. Dinner?'
'Fine.'
'Shall I pick you up?'
'With what? You don't have a car.'
'Oh. Yeah.'
'I'll be at your place. You're in a third floor suite, right?'
'Right.' He thought for a second. 'How about the Kirkland Inn?'
She smiled a smile that would have melted butter. 'That would be perfect,' she said, and headed out the door.
God, he thought, yin and yang. It seemed that whenever something awful happened, something good happened too. Curt may be right, he thought. Terri Deems might be a pain in the ass. But what a nice ass it was.
He tried to clear his head of her, and went to find Sid.
As Terri had said, Sid was in the office talking to Donna Franklin. When Evan told him that he'd like to see him in private, Donna told them to stay there in her office while she stepped into Steinberg's. 'Sid,' said Evan when they were alone, 'I'm worried about my dad.'
'Nothing's changed then. You've always worried about him.'
'This is different. He was up in the flies today. He threatened to throw me off.”
“Are you sure? You didn't misunderstand him?'
'I'm sure. He wanted me to call him 'your majesty.''
Sid shook his head. 'Did you do anything to piss him off?'
'I… well, yeah, I guess so.' And briefly Evan filled in Sid on the confrontation in Dennis's suite.
'That wasn't very smart, kid. You dad's private life is his own affair, you know that'
'Yeah, I know. But goddammit, I just saw red. So soon after Robin's death and all.'
'It's been six weeks. And your dad's always been one to pick up pieces quickly. The Emperor in him, I guess.'
'That was the weirdest thing, Sid. That was what really… scared the hell out of me. He called himself the Emperor. Up in the suite he was one way, but on the catwalk – it was like he was somebody else.'
