Mystery on Stage (2 page)

“I don't know,” Violet answered. “But that's a wonderful costume for the Tinman. Maybe he feels it will bring him luck.”

Jessie passed the sign-up sheets to Henry who wrote his name under scenery and lighting. Violet signed up to help with costumes.

Soo Lee added her name under scenery and passed the sheet to Benny. Benny was so busy looking at the Tinman's costume, he didn't pay any attention to the sign-up sheet — or to where he was going.

“Ouch, that's my foot you just stepped on!” a girl cried out angrily. The girl had wavy auburn hair pulled off her face with a shiny gold barrette. She wore long dangly earrings, a pink silk shirt, and very strong lemon-scented perfume. She looked about Jessie's age. Before Benny could apologize, she hurried away.

“Mother, that little boy just stepped on my foot,” the girl spoke loudly to an older woman with short blonde hair. “Thanks to him, one of my new shoes is all dirty.” She held out her leg to show a smudged pink suede shoe. Several people turned around to look. Benny felt his face turn bright red.

“Oh, Melody, I can buy you new shoes in the same color,” the girl's mother answered. She glared in Benny's direction, then took Melody by the arm and went up the stairs.

“I tried to say I was sorry,” Benny whispered to Jessie, “but she walked away too fast.”

“Don't worry, Benny.” Jessie patted her brother on the arm. “I'm sure you didn't mean to step on her foot.”

The Aldens and Soo Lee followed the others up the winding staircase. They walked down the hall to a big room with floor-to-ceiling windows.

A thin man with blond hair sat in the center of a circle. People holding scripts were seated around him reading their lines.

“Look, they've already started,” Benny whispered loudly to Jessie.

“No they haven't, they're just practicing,” said a tall, brown-haired woman who introduced herself as Nancy Wu, the stage manager. She held all the sign-up sheets in one hand. “Would those trying out for Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion please come around this table,” she announced.

“Why are they auditioning so many parts at once?” Violet asked her sister.

Before Jessie could answer, the blond man stood up and introduced himself as James Maynard, the director. Violet noticed he had big dark circles under his eyes.

“I'm asking all those interested in lead roles to audition together,” the director was saying, “because I want to see how well you read with one another. You all know, of course, you may not get the part you try out for. You can't all be Dorothy,” he said looking at the ten girls clustered around him. “But if you read well, I may assign you another part.”

“I don't think I'll accept any other part but Dorothy,” Melody whispered loudly to her mother. She adjusted her gold barrette as she walked with her mother to the director's table.

“You know, Mr. Maynard, my daughter has been receiving private voice lessons for the past five years,” Melody's mother explained. “She's also been taking ballet for her posture.”

James Maynard ran his hand through his hair and nodded politely. “Please call me Jim,” was all he said.

Jessie seated herself at the long table near Melody. She noticed Sarah coming toward them and waved, but Sarah seemed lost in thought. She didn't even notice Jessie until she sat down.

“Oh, hello! You're the one I met outside the bookstore,” Sarah said. She even smiled a little. The man in the tin costume joined them along with several other male and female actors who were all from the town.

“I didn't know there were so many actors in Greenfield,” Henry said to Violet as he sat down to watch the auditions. The Aldens and Soo Lee made sure they sat very close to the big table so they could hear everything Jessie said.

“I recognize some of them,” Violet answered. “Isn't that woman over there Mrs. Adams, the librarian?” Violet pointed to a tall woman with masses of curly blonde hair who was auditioning for the part of the Good Witch, Glinda.

Henry nodded. “Yes, you're right.” He sounded a little surprised.

Since so many girls were trying out for Dorothy, the director decided to audition only the “Dorothys” first. He had the other actors stand by and watch, along with friends and relatives.

“To play the role of Dorothy, you'll have to do some dancing and singing,” Jim was saying. “I hope you came prepared with a song to sing for us.” The girls all nodded. The director then picked a scene from the play and asked each girl in turn to read that scene with him.

Two girls Jessie didn't know read first and second. Jessie didn't think they did well at all. The director must not have thought so either because he didn't even ask them to sing.

When it was Melody's turn, she stood up. She didn't even use the script. She knew all her lines from memory. She moved her arms, her feet, her whole body. She sang with a beautiful, well-trained voice and when she finished, some people clapped — Melody's mother loudest of all. Jim smiled a little absentmindedly and motioned to the next girl to continue the scene.

Jessie took a deep breath when the director pointed to her. She read the part where Dorothy first meets the Scarecrow on the Yellow Brick Road. She pretended she was in the strange world of Oz holding her dog, Toto, in her arms.

James Maynard sat in front of Jessie, reading the Scarecrow's lines. When he moved his hands to brush the hair from his face, Jessie imagined him adjusting his ragged, pointy black hat, just like in the movie.

When she finished, her family applauded and cheered. Some others joined in. Jim chuckled. “Thank you, Jessie, that was well done.” Jessie smiled and leaned back in her chair to listen to the others.

When Sarah began to read, the room became very still. After a few lines, Jessie sat spellbound. Sarah made Jessie see Dorothy as she really was — a little girl stranded in a strange land with only her dog for company.

For the first time that morning, no one could be heard whispering or rustling scripts. When Sarah sang her song, Jessie noticed Melody pouting. But Jim Maynard's eyes shone, and for once he sat perfectly still.

For a few seconds after Sarah stopped, there was silence. Then everyone began to applaud. Some even stood up and cheered. Sarah looked very pleased until she glanced at her watch. “Oh, no, I didn't realize how late it was getting,” she muttered softly.

“Oh, do you have to go?” Melody asked, looking pleased.

Sarah turned a little pale. “No, not right away,” she answered.

“Good,” Jim said. He looked at Sarah closely. “I'd like you to stay to read with the other actors. I also want you to do some simple dance steps on stage this afternoon.”

Sarah nodded.

Melody turned her back on Sarah and began whispering to the girl in a white frilly shirt sitting next to her.

“All right, let's continue,” Jim said briskly.

Jessie barely listened to the other girls' tryouts. No one could compete with Sarah for the lead, that was sure.

“I don't see why we have to sit here while you audition all these girls!” An angry man interrupted Jessie's daydreaming. “It's a waste of our time!”

“The auditions for Dorothy are almost finished.” Jim sighed and glanced at his clipboard. He turned in his chair to face the angry man. “We'll begin the auditions for the other major roles as soon as some of these girls take a short break, Mr. White.”

To Jessie's surprise, Jim asked her to come back after the break to read with the adults. He invited Sarah, Melody, and two other girls to come, too.

Jessie's family crowded around her. “Jessie you were great,” Henry said proudly.

“We're staying for the rest of the auditions,” Benny said. “We want to be here when you get the part.”

“They won't announce the results until late tomorrow afternoon,” Jessie said, laughing. Mr. Maynard has a lot of people to cast. But I'm glad you're staying. I should be finished soon.” She hurried back to the table.

The man in the tin costume sat next to Jessie. He introduced himself as Harold Carlton. Of all the adult actors, he was the best by far. The director must have thought so, too, because anytime Harold read, Jim leaned back in his chair and smiled.

The impatient man, Richard White, was reading the lines for the Wizard. He stopped for a moment to mop his forehead with a handkerchief. “It's too warm in here,” he complained. “Can't you tell them to turn down the heat?”

“The janitors aren't here today. We can leave a note for them,” Jim answered wearily.

“You must be awfully hot with that tin helmet on all the time,” Richard continued, turning to Harold. “Why don't you take it off?”

“That's not in the script,” Harold joked.

Jim shrugged. “A good actor performs even when he's uncomfortable.”

“I see,” Richard said irritably. But he continued reading in his loud, booming voice.

“I must admit he's got the right voice for the Wizard,” Sarah whispered softly to Jessie. “It's too bad about his personality.”

Jessie giggled. Sarah smiled back at her, but Jessie noticed she kept looking at her watch. As time passed, Sarah grew more and more fidgety.

When they were in the middle of the scene with the Wicked Witch of the West, the stage manager interrupted.

“Excuse me, Jim, but there's a phone call for you.”

Jim frowned. “Who is it?” he asked.

“A man,” the stage manager answered. “He wouldn't give his name, but he said it was important.”

Jim pressed his hands together and sighed. “I'll be right back,” he told the actors. But he was gone more than fifteen minutes. When he returned, he looked pale.

“That was a crank call,” he said slowly. “Whoever it was told me not to direct this show. If I did, there would be trouble.” Jim nervously twirled the pencil in his hands.

The actors all looked up from their scripts. Some seemed puzzled, others scared.

“Oh, it's probably just a dumb joke,” Jim said, but the others could tell he was worried. “Anyway, let's continue, shall we?” He sat down in his big chair and took up the script.

Sarah, after another look at her watch and at the clock in the back of the room, stood up. “I really have to go now. May I be excused?”

“Well yes, if you must,” Jim told her. “But I don't like performers to leave in the middle of a scene. The auditions for the lead roles should be over in another hour, and I did want to see if you can dance.”

Sarah gasped and turned pale. “Oh, I
can't
stay any longer today. Really I
can't
.”

“Why not?” Melody asked loudly.

Sarah didn't answer. Instead, she bit her lip and looked at the floor. She looked as if she were about to burst into tears.

“All right,” Jim said gently, giving Sarah a puzzled look. “You can go. We may call you back tomorrow.” Sarah nodded, grabbed her purple coat, and rushed out the door.

Everyone else around the table looked at one another.

“I think it's rude she didn't even wait for the others to finish,” Melody whispered loudly. The girl in the frilly white shirt nodded.

Jim sighed. “All right, let's continue, shall we? Melody, why don't you read Dorothy's lines.”

Melody tossed her head and began reading. Jessie tried to concentrate on her lines as she read the part of the Cowardly Lion, but she couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. Though Jessie did not want to admit it, she wondered whether Sarah had anything to do with the mysterious phone call.

CHAPTER 3

A Cast of Characters

“W
hy don't we go to the park for a late lunch?” Henry suggested the next day. “This way we can be nearby when the results are posted.”

Soo Lee yawned and stretched her arms. She had spent the night with her cousins on a cot in Violet's room. “What is there to eat in the park?” she asked.

Henry smiled at the little girl. “Grandfather gave me some money. We can buy lunch things at the grocery store on the way over.”

“That sounds good. I want peanut butter,” Benny said.

“Me, too,” Soo Lee agreed.

Benny put on his navy-blue jacket. “Why don't we take Watch with us? Once Jim sees all he can do, he'll give him Toto's part right away.”

The others laughed. “It wouldn't hurt to take him for a walk in the park,” Jessie said.

“Come here, boy. I hope you remember all the tricks I taught you,” Benny said. Watch held his paw up to shake Benny's hand. Benny shook it and clipped on Watch's red leash.

“Jessie, did I tell you the stage manager said I could be an errand boy? And Soo Lee can help me,” Benny said.

Jessie laughed as she walked out the front door. “Yes, Benny, you did tell me.”

“Now we really can all work together,” Benny continued. “We may even have a mystery to solve again.”