CHAPTER EIGHT #2
Alex offered her a sheepish smile, which Victoria, already halfway to the front door, ignored.
He turned back to Jago. “Why did you try and stop me? Don’t tell me it was out of courtesy to the other patrons.
They were dead.” He’d meant to whisper, but the looks he now got from the occupied table spoke to how miserably he’d failed.
The customers began to gather their things.
Nice going, idiot. “I’ll get you that coffee. ”
From the corner of his eye, he watched Red Jacket approach the counter with a fistful of pesetas. He also saw Jago watching the man with keen interest.
Putting the money on the counter, Red Jacket offered Alex a shy smile. “Thanks again for coming to the movie.”
“Thank you,” Alex replied, trying to fix his professional demeanour back in place.
Jago finally spoke. “The next one will be better.”
“Pardon?” Red Jacket frowned.
“I thought you liked it?” offered Alex, not sure what else to say.
“I did,” Jago said. “I also know the next one will be better.”
Visibly perplexed, Red Jacket gave each of them a nod before joining his friends outside.
Alex set the coffee down in front of Jago.
“You seem rattled,” Jago said.
“Why aren’t you? You’ve seen it all before, I suppose? Well, abracadabra and yippee fuck for you.”
“I don’t mean rattled by the show. Something else has happened. I felt it from your customers as well. A death, perhaps?”
Alex swallowed. Was Jago an empath now? A psychic? Besides, ‘rattled’ wasn’t the right word. He hadn’t felt much of anything about Si-Man’s death, or what it meant for them.
“He’s dead.”
“Who?”
“The performance artist we saw last night. He drowned. Just… it seems weird, is all.”
“Oh, that’s tragic. So… what does that mean for your show?”
Alex’s eyes widened twice, first at the insensitivity, then again as the implication hit home. “I haven’t thought about that. This really isn’t the time.”
“Bull’s balls it isn’t! Look, the poor bloke’s dead. Let others mourn him. We, my friend, have a show to rehearse and less time than ever to make it shine.”
“You aren’t serious? And what do you mean we?”
“Alex,” Jago took both his hands and clasped them tight.
“I commend you not wanting to be the arsehole here, so I’ll do it for you.
Nobody comes out to see independent theatre produced by—forgive me—some nobody from the provinces in February.
You would have been playing to an empty theatre and Joanna’s extraordinary talents would be all for nought. ”
“Look, even if Maria changes her mind, she’s right about one thing. We don’t have any sales. We can’t turn that around in—”
“Let me worry about Maria and your sales. We’ll paper the damn place for opening night if we have to. You’re a solid talent, Alex, but Joanna? Joanna must be seen.”
Alex heard the chimes of the front door go, but instead of Victoria, the woman of the hour strode in, prompting his jaw to drop. “Joanna? You’re… you’re here?”
“Yes?” She removed a large red sun hat and beamed at them.
“You never come to see me here, and where’s Vicente?”
“Vicente, darling, is sleeping off a late night and a rude awakening. It’s lucky for you, I’m a deep sleeper.”
“About that? It’s not like you to be around in daylight.”
“Careful. A lady could take offence at that remark. Fortunately, I’m nobody’s lady. Jago!” She took him in a warm hug and kissed both his cheeks. “Thank you again for saving us last night. It would have been a wretched bore without you.”
Ahem, thought Alex. Now who had reason to take offence?
“Thank you for sharing what you’ve created with us. I know you said it needs work, and I’ll let you and Alex be the judge of that, but from where I sat?” Jago kissed his fingertips before splaying them like a chef in rapture. “Meanwhile, Alex has some good news.”
Alex’s eyes widened again.
“Good for us, at least. Tell her.”
“I… He’s dead.”
“What?”
“Si-Man’s dead. They found him in the pond around Templo de Debod last night.”
Joanna stared at him, eyes as wide as Alex’s had been moments before. Then, she punched him in the arm. “Don’t scare me like that. I thought you meant someone we knew or cared about.”
“Joanna!”
“And how does one drown in the pond around the Templo de Debod? It might be the most unique and extraordinary talent he ever demonstrated. So, what then? We’re…” She gripped his shoulders, the annoyance on her face giving way to excitement. “Does Maria know? Are we back on?”
“Okay, I give you both props for artistic commitment, but a man is dead”
“And there’s not a damn thing we can do about that, Alex,” Jago reminded him. “If you want to honour his memory, put on a show people like him will want to emulate for years. Hell, dedicate your opening night to him if that makes you feel better, but do it. Joanna’s ready.”
“I am, and so is Vis. Alex, this is fate. Horrible, cruel fate perhaps, but for us? We’re doing this.”
“Actually, dedicating the opening night to him will probably help fill seats,” Jago said, stroking his throat, thoughtfully. “Though I don’t suppose you had any friends in common who could help get the word out?”
“Okay, fine. Fine. Just… let me talk to Maria.”
“We can go talk to her now.” Joanna replaced her hat, beaming at Jago as he eased his weight off the counter. “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll take care of everything.”
“There’s no we, Joanna. Not with him.” The pair’s hurt expressions almost made him feel guilty. “It’s not personal, Jago, but this is our project. I’ll comp you to opening night, but—”
“Oh, you’ll comp me, will you? Lovely.” Jago rolled his eyes. “Sorry, that was flippant, but really, Alex?”
“It’s just that after last night…” he trailed off, not sure where to begin.
He could hardly recount the details of the show they’d seen to Joanna.
Hell, even with Jago, he hadn’t gotten to the bit about finding himself alone in the waters of the Morningstar fountain, and he’d no idea how to explain that little act of teleportation, even to a witch.
On that note, Joanna didn’t need to know Jago was a witch, did she?
“Last night?” she asked, her eyebrows raised. “You two screwed, didn’t you? I knew it.”
“No. I mean, yes, but that’s not…”
“No? Yes? Which is it?”
“Joanna!”
“Jago?”
Jago shook his head. “Careful, Alex. You’re drowning a lot faster than Si-Man right now.”
“Okay, that was not called for.”
“Alex!” Joanna barked, shutting them both up as she took Alex’s hand and turned to Jago. “Will you please give us a moment?”
Jago took his now surely cold coffee to a table near the far wall.
“I don’t care what you two got up to or what drama it’s now caused,” Joanna hissed once he was out of earshot. “All I know is that man brings out something in me that I need, something greater than anything I’ve ever felt on stage in my life.”
Alex gave a cold nod. “Then perhaps he should direct you?”
“Hey, none of that.” She gave his hand a firm squeeze.
“This is your vision, your show, your direction. I know Jago buttered me up last night, but you were there. You saw how much work it still needs. That means I need both of you, and I need Vis. You as my director, Vis as stage manager and Jago just… there. Alex, try to understand. Please?”
Alex recognised the mania that had crept into her eye. He’d seen it in dozens of acquaintances, whose minds and passions had begun to work overtime with the precious energy of an idea they could all but see—or in this case, a muse they couldn’t let go. “You don’t fancy him, do you?”
“Bitch, I will hit you again. Besides, when have Vicente or I ever muscled in on one of your paramours? And as Pam Grier might say, ‘damn, he fine!’”
That made Alex laugh, which triggered a warm smile from Jago.
As their eyes met, however, every anxiety and doubt returned to him.
Jago was a witch. Not some charlatan messing around with tarot cards and props or claiming to commune with the dark ones.
They’d floated above the floor while having sex.
Then had come the awful play, where he’d watched his dearest friends commit acts of terrible violence.
Then Si-Man’s death. He didn’t know where to begin explaining any of it to Joanna.
“He…” Alex paused, not wanting to seem foolish or paranoid, nor dismissive of his own doubts. “Would you believe it if I said he frightens me?”
“You?” She laughed. “Perhaps you’re more nervous than I realised. Admittedly, when we saw Alien, I was too busy comforting Vis to give your nerves a thought.”
“I’m serious, Joanna. You don’t find him weird? Eccentric?”
She lowered her head, though her eyes remained full with mischief. “Find me one person worth our time who’s not.”
The door swung open, admitting Victoria and ending their conversation.
Joanna withdrew with a smile as Jago joined her, blowing Alex a kiss as he went. “We’ll take care of Maria, darling. You just keep being brilliant.”
Alex watched them go, absentmindedly scooping up the money Red Jacket had left on the counter and putting it in the register.
Victoria dropped a packet of fresh sausage in front of him. “Keep being brilliant, won’t you, with that slicer?”
He rolled his eyes, unable to resist a smile.