Part 21 (1/2)
”I don't know. . . .” Maeva looked apologetic. ”You know that the pregnancy and nursing sucked most of my powers away and-”
”I say we go check it out,” Rosemary said, opening the door.
Sadie and Maeva followed behind, with Sadie pausing to set the alarm and lock up.
”There's no harm in looking,” Sadie remarked, and then she saw the officer sitting in his car. ”But there's no way I want that cop knowing we're chasing down a hunch my psychic friend got off a necklace.”
”There's a Pagliacci Pizza right up the street from the theatre,” Rosemary said. ”I think we're all hungry.”
Maeva and Rosemary climbed into the Mini Cooper and Sadie got into her Corolla. When she pulled out of the driveway, she rolled down her window and told the officer they were heading for pizza before going to Rosemary's.
”You go. I'll follow,” he said with a shrug.
Sadie guessed he was getting paid no matter where she went, so she continued on her way, following Maeva and Rosemary as they drove toward the neighborhood of Wallingford. They all found street parking on Stone Way halfway between Pagliacci's and the small theatre. By unanimous agreement they decided to order pizza first.
Sadie asked the officer if he wanted some pizza and he politely declined. She told him that after they placed their orders they would walk up and down the block a couple times for exercise until their pies were ready. He looked bored.
Rosemary filled them in on the details about the theatre as they casually walked up the block after ordering their pizzas.
”The Stone Soup Theatre is a professional neighborhood theatre. The building used to be a pet-grooming salon, so it's not what you might call fancy-shmancy. There's an upstairs stage and a downstairs stage and cozy seating for maybe fifty people,” Rosemary said.
When they reached the front door Maeva tried it.
”Locked. I'm guessing no performance tonight.”
”Okay, so now what, Sherlock?” Sadie asked.
”How should I know?” Rosemary said.
”It was your psychicness that brought us here,” Sadie told Maeva. ”Are you getting any weird vibes?”
Maeva's stomach growled loudly. ”The only vibe I get is hunger pangs for my pizza. Has it been fifteen minutes yet?”
”No. It's been, like, five minutes.”
Sadie sighed and the three casually leaned against the front of the building. Up the block, the officer who was supposed to be keeping her safe from serial killers was in his car busily texting on his phone. A young couple walked down the sidewalk across the street holding hands and Sadie's heart ached for Zack . . . and then for Owen . . . and then just for someone . . . anyone . . . to love her.
Abruptly, Rosemary whirled around and began groping the wall they were leaning against.
”I'm totally getting something off this poster!”
Sadie and Maeva turned to watch their friend as she ran her hands up and down the playbill that was tacked to the theatre door. The poster was a colorful advertis.e.m.e.nt screaming COUNTER ATTACK! in bold red font.
”What are you getting?” Sadie asked ”I don't know . . . I just get the sense this paper is trying to tell me something.”
Rosemary continued to cop a feel. Sadie watched as a woman pus.h.i.+ng a baby stroller down the sidewalk crossed to avoid them while muttering to herself about weirdos.
Sadie looked pointedly at her watch. ”Pizza's probably ready by now.”
”Might as well go,” Maeva added.
But Rosemary had her back to them and her hands on the wall. Sadie walked up and told her, ”Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing.”
”Sorry.” Rosemary sighed and stepped away. ”I lost it.”
Sadie wasn't sure if Rosemary was referring to her sanity or the psychic connection she felt with the wall. She was about to offer a snarky response when her eyes zoomed in on the lower half of the playbill, which had previously been covered by Rosemary's hands.
”That's him!” Sadie cried. She shoved Rosemary aside and stabbed a finger at the photo on the poster. ”Oh my G.o.d, that's him!”
”Who?” Maeva and Rosemary chimed simultaneously.
”Him!” Sadie shouted, pointing at one of the cast members on the poster. ”This actor . . .” She leaned in to read the name. ”Ed Muirhead. He was the one who met me and claimed to be Hugh Pacheo!”
”Oh my G.o.ddess, I was right!” Rosemary exclaimed with surprise. ”You totally owe me an apology for doubting me.”
”Hey, I never doubted you. I just . . .” But then, because it was pointless to argue with your friends when they were psychics, she gave in. ”You're right. I'm sorry.”
”Wow! So this is the guy who pretended his son was dead and hired you to clean up, then gave you the witch-hunt necklace?” Maeva exclaimed. ”He doesn't look like a murderer.”
”I know. He looks like a totally normal guy. That's what I thought when I met him. He looked like he was somebody's friendly grandfather.” Sadie dug into her pocket and took out her cell phone. ”I've gotta call Petrovich.”
She was punching numbers into her phone when the door to Stone Soup burst open and Ed Muirhead stepped outside. He took a step between them before his eyes locked on Sadie and a look of shocked recognition lit up his pale face.
Before Sadie could say anything, the man took off at a dead run. Sadie, Maeva, and Rosemary bolted after him. Halfway down the block he scurried over a chain-link fence and into a back lot. Maeva dropped out of the chase.
”Go tell the cop!” Sadie yelled to Maeva over her shoulder.
Sadie and Rosemary continued over the fence after Ed Muirhead. Sadie landed with a loud oomph on the pavement on the other side, but Rosemary's s.h.i.+rt got hung up on the points atop the fencing.
The parking lot backed onto a residential street and Ed was trying to scramble up and over a wood fence and into someone's yard. Sadie reached him when he was halfway up and grabbed him around his middle. She yanked and tugged at his waist with all her might.
”Let go!” he shrieked.
But Sadie was like a seagull with a French fry, and there was no way Ed Muirhead was getting out of her grip. There was an awkward moment when Ed's pants began to slowly slip off his hips.
”Hold him!” the officer shouted from the other side of the fence as he tried to climb over.
Sadie had serious doubts she could maintain her grip around Ed's pelvis long enough for the police officer to get there. Luckily, Rosemary had freed herself from the top of the fence and was racing to help. Then, abruptly, Ed Muirhead went completely limp and the two toppled to the pavement and rolled around a few seconds. Sadie managed to straddle his chest with her knees on his arms, effectively pinning him to the ground. Rosemary arrived in time to extract a canister of spray from her purse and spritz Ed in the face.
He began sputtering and screeching loudly.
”Was that pepper spray?” Sadie asked, not leaving her perch on the man's rib cage.
”Hairspray,” Rosemary replied.