CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

THIRTY EIGHT
Our little supper broke up a short while later
with the detectives promising to be in touch soon.
It was now obvious to me that these guys were not
going to catch Danny’s murderer. Maybe no one ever
would.
As the culprit in more unsolved murders than
I could ever count, the urgency that first gripped me
when Danny died was fading. At the risk of sounding
unfeeling, Danny was selling more tickets dead than
his name would have alive.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

THIRTY SEVEN
I arrived at Café Un Deux Trois a moment
before the detectives and their wives. As I took my
seat I spotted them coming in the door and they saw
me at the same time. Both wives waved. For a second
I had been worried that they would not show up; why
I would worry about that is beyond me. In any case, it
was apparent that any fear of departmental scrutiny
was trumped by marital peace and solicitude.
They crossed to me, pausing to speak briefly to
the hostess when she blocked their way. She turned
her head and looked at me. I gave her a nod and stood
to receive my guests.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

THIRTY SIX
Last night was the dress rehearsal. While it was
not quite a disaster, the cumulative total of missed
cues, scene change glitches, sour notes from the
musicians, lights that stayed dark when they should
have been lit and lit when they should have faded and
so forth, were enough to make me feel comfortable
about the show’s prospects.
Yes. I am one of those old timers who

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

THIRTY FIVE
You often will hear New York theater types –
meaning producers, managers, actors, and especially
playwrights -- bemoan the British presence on
Broadway. The complaint is seldom regarding the
quality of the presentations. More often, it is a general
lamentation that goes something like this: How are our
playwrights or directors or whoever supposed to develop if
we allow the Brits to dominate our stage? It’s a disgrace.
This never would have happened back in the golden era of
Broadway.
Well, I am here to tell you that as long as the
commercial theater has existed in this country, it was
dominated by British imports, and I am not talking
only about Shakespeare.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

THIRTY FOUR
I did not want to confront Elaine about my
suspicions based on what Joe Eason told me. I was
confused and wished there was a back way out. I
thought of doing the vampire flit and exiting the joint
at a speed faster than the human eye could perceive.
Instead, I paid my check and walked toward
the front. I found myself taking in details – the shelf
of books and photos and other memorabilia that
extends around the dining room above the tables,
documenting the place’s history as glitterati central. I
actually wondered if I would ever come there again. I
gave Elaine a stiff little smile as I passed her.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

THIRTY THREE
“First, let me express my condolences on your
loss. I know it was a professional relationship but it
must have knocked you for a loop, what with your
show still being in rehearsals and all.”
“Thank you, Joe. I appreciate that. We’re all
starting to find our way past the tragedy.”
“Is your show still going to open?”
“Of course it’s going to open. Danny Limm
wouldn’t have had it any other way. We would
dishonor his memory if we didn’t open it.”

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

THIRTY TWO
I dressed in black and went up to the roof
and sat staring at the haze of light over the city,
contemplating the news that so took me by surprise
earlier tonight at Elaine’s. I decided to forego feeding
in order to scribble these thoughts.
Patti met me at Elaine’s, and she looked
haggard and drawn. I made her order some soup and
demanded she sip some champagne to stimulate the
appetite before her bowl arrived. The bubbly seemed
to revive her but not for very long.