"Enjoy the show, then," the woman said, and let her companion lead her away.
Cliff found a quiet corner and they sipped their champagne and watched the "preshow show," the parade of patrons, from the well dressed, to the badly dressed, to the barely dressed. Cliff's murmured commentary kept her in giggles, as always. For fifty years, no one had ever made her laugh like Cliff could. Her husband, David, had been a wonderful man, and she'd loved him dearly--still missed him every day--but when she needed a good chuckle, she'd always looked to Cliff, David's childhood friend and business partner.
There'd never been anything between them while their spouses had been alive. Never considered it. But as the grief had faded, they'd realized that there might be more between them than the shared love of a good laugh. Their children and grandchildren had encouraged the relationship, happy to see the "old folks" bonding in companionship and mutual support. As for romance, well, there was bound to be some hand-holding, maybe the odd kiss on the cheek, but that was it. After all, both would see eighty in a year or two.
Had the kids known the truth...Grace smiled. With Cliff, she'd discovered a passion she'd thought lost to age. Even with his bum knee and her recent hip break, they managed just fine.
"What are you thinking, Gracie?" Cliff's voice was a growling purr as he leaned over her. "That glint in your eyes tells me I might want to skip the show."
She was opening her mouth to reply, when an usher passed, telling people it was fifteen minutes to curtain.
"Time for me to find a bathroom," Cliff said. "That wine at dinner went right through me and this"--he lifted his empty champagne flute--"didn't help. How about you?"
Grace paused. She hated using public bathrooms with this wheelchair. Darned awkward. But there was no way she'd make it until she got home after the show, and the hallway congestion would be impossible at intermission. Better to get it over with now.
"So who goes first?" Cliff said as Grace wheeled into the bathroom hall. "Flip for it? Or..." He grinned down at her. "Maybe we should go together. I'm sure you could use a hand."
"If we do, will we get to our seats in ten minutes?"
"Probably not."
"Then save that thought for another time."
"Don't think I won't."
A sly smile up at him. "Good." Before he could answer, she waved at the bathrooms. "Seems we don't need to flip for first dibs after all. There are two of them. You know you're in a place that caters to us old fogies when..."
He smiled. "Too true. You take the first, then, my lady, and I'll meet you in a few minutes." He snuck a look her way and waggled his brows. "Sure you don't want some help?"
"Oh, I want it...but I don't want to be rolling into the auditorium after all the lights go out, or I'll break my neck."
He pushed open the door for her and she navigated inside.
He heard the knob turn and tensed, hose strung between his hands. The door opened, hiding him behind it. He pressed himself against the wall, waited until the door was swinging shut, then lunged.
He checked outside the door, then stepped out, letting it close--locked--behind him. As he strolled past the other handicapped washroom, the door opened and a woman in a wheelchair maneuvered her way out.
As Grace waited outside the bathroom, the usher came by, announcing five minutes to performance time. She glanced at the door. Yes, some things weren't as speedy at seventy-eight as they'd been at eighteen, and she hated to rush him, but she really didn't want to be navigating the aisles in the dark. She rapped on the door. When Cliff didn't answer, she rattled the handle.
"Cliff?" she said, as loud as she dared. "It's me."
Sill nothing. His hearing was fine, but she knocked louder, just in case. Her gut went cold. Why wasn't he answering? She tried to calm herself. Her mind offered up a dozen logical explanations, but her gut shut them down. Something had happened. A fall, a stroke, a heart attack--just like David.
"Can I help?" A middle-aged man paused in his sprint from the washroom to the front hall.
"My--someone's--I need a--an usher. Someone who can open the door. Quickly!"
He glided into the front foyer. People were still streaming in, and a few were heading out for that last-minute cigarette. He thought of joining them, but knew he couldn't. Ushers were right there, watching each exit with disapproval, warning people the opera would begin soon. He might get all the way to the car before the Feds found the body--or he might not get down the steps. Safer to do what everyone else was doing and head into the auditorium.
As he walked, his gaze passed over the crowd and snagged on a face with a split-second of "Hey, don't I know...?" But when he zeroed in, that spark of recognition faded. The man was in his late forties, an investment banker type, with that lean, slightly hungry look. On his arm was a younger woman, maybe thirty. Typical, especially here, amid a sea of trophy wives, but this didn't look like your average "secretary turned spouse." He let his gaze linger and didn't worry about being obvious--he wasn't the only one looking. She wasn't a knockout. Just...pretty. A pretty redhead with a smile that turned heads, and sparked more than a smile or two in return.
She was chatting away animatedly, and her companion--he checked the man's finger and amended that--her husband was listening to every word, turning now and then to nod at her, the hard edges of his face softening each time he glanced over. The doting husband. The investment banker and the...kindergarten teacher, or maybe a pediatric nurse--she had the cheerful vibrancy of someone who worked with children. Probably had a few of them at home, tucked away with the sitter for the night.
A pang of remorse ran through him. If only she could have been his victim. Now, that would have been a coup. The world would be appalled by the death of the old man, but someone like this, they'd be outraged. They'd demand action. Parade her crying children on television, her grief-stricken husband, her shell-shocked co-workers and neighbors, all telling the world what a kind, caring woman she'd been, and the nation would demand that the killing be stopped. As the regret over lost opportunity washed over him, he passed the couple, so close he could have reached out and--
The woman said something and her husband gave a low chuckle. Hearing the sound, he froze in midstep, then turned, slowly. That low laugh had triggered a connection in his brain, and he realized he'd been too quick to dismiss the gut-level recognition. He did know this man. Had known him well, once upon a time. He told himself he was wrong--he had to be--but his gut refused to believe it.
Still, the coincidence had to be just that--a coincidence. But as he replayed the last minute in his head, he saw the "banker's" gaze, in constant motion as he'd walked, watchful, scanning, searching.