“I still think Melody had something to do with that note,” Benny said the next day. Benny and Soo Lee were backstage, with many others, sanding boards for the scenery.
Soo Lee took some more sandpaper. “I don’t know, Benny,” she said.
Violet came out of the costume room holding the furry yellow-brown material she was using to make Jessie’s lion costume. “Did Melody come back after that scene last night?”
Benny nodded. “She’s on stage right now rehearsing with Jessie and Harold.”
“She’s limping, too,” Soo Lee said.
“How do you know?” Benny asked his cousin.
“I saw her in the wings,” Soo Lee said.
“I bet she’s just pretending to limp.” Benny did not sound at all sorry. “She wants everyone to feel sorry for her.”
Violet threaded her needle and sat on a chair next to Benny and Soo Lee. “It’s too bad Jessie has to spend so much time with her on stage,” she said.
“Oh, there you are,” Benny suddenly called out to Henry as he saw Henry coming toward them. Benny proudly pointed to his smoothly sanded board.
“That’s good, Benny.” Henry smiled, but he soon looked serious again. “Jim told me he spoke to Melody last night.”
“What did he say?” Benny held his piece of sandpaper in midair.
“He told her if she kept interrupting rehearsals, he didn’t want her in the play.”
Benny’s eyes grew wider. “Did he ask her about the note in pink crayon?”
Henry nodded. “He said she seemed just as surprised about it as we were.”
“She’s a good actress,” Benny reminded his brother.
“I agree,” Henry said. “But we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. Let’s just watch her — closely.” The others nodded.
Jim suddenly came backstage. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. “Has anyone seen Sarah?” he asked.
Henry, Soo Lee, and Benny shook their heads.
“What! You mean she hasn’t shown up yet?” Nancy looked at her watch. She was busy sketching the design for Oz’s palace on a big piece of canvas. When the canvas painting was finished, it would be mounted on the wooden frame Henry, Benny, and Soo Lee were building.
“No, no one’s seen her.” Jim looked worried. “I can’t have this. I can’t have the major performers being this late. She was supposed to be here almost an hour ago.”
“Maybe she’s been delayed on the bus,” Violet suggested.
Jim stared at Violet. “If Sarah comes in, tell her I want to see her right away,” he announced.
“We will.” Violet said.
“Okay,” Jim announced. “I’d like to rehearse the scene with the Munchkins. Could I have all the Munchkins on stage, please.” Several children and short adults followed the director.
Stuart rushed by carrying a large white extension cord. “Oh, there you are, Henry,” he said. “I want to show you how to work the lights during the tornado scene.”
“I’m coming.” Henry stood up and brushed the sawdust off his pants.
Benny looked at the activity around him. The actress who played the Wicked Witch of the West was mixing paint for the scenery. The Good Witch, who was being played by Mrs. Adams, the town librarian, sewed the hem of her beautiful gown. The Wizard, Richard, hammered boards together to make Dorothy’s house.
“You have a lot of actors working backstage,” Benny said.
“Oh, yes,” Nancy answered him cheerfully from across the large room. “Everyone does something to help out in community theater.”
“Ouch!” Richard suddenly yelled and dropped his hammer. “You can tell Jim I am not, and I repeat not working on scenery any longer! I’m an actor, not a carpenter.”
“Oh, Richard,” Nancy said, shaking her head.
Richard stood up and glared. “I think I’ll go see what they’re doing with the lights for my scenes,” he announced.
Nancy sighed and stood up to stretch. She walked over to where the Aldens were working. Violet was carefully cutting into the furry yellow-brown material. Every once in a while, she paused to look at the sketch she’d made for the lion costume. Nancy looked over her shoulder.
“I wonder what could have happened to Sarah,” Violet said.
Nancy didn’t answer right away. She was too busy looking at Violet’s sketch. “Violet,” she finally said, “that’s really good. We should have you design the costumes for the Scarecrow and Wizard, too.”
“Oh, I’d love to,” Violet said eagerly, looking up from her cutting.
“Wait until I tell Mrs. Adams. She’s the other person making costumes,” Nancy explained.
“You mean the one who’s playing the Good Witch?” Violet sounded pleased. She liked Mrs. Adams.
“Yes.” Nancy chuckled a little. “She was worried about having so many costumes to make in such a short time. I can’t wait to tell her we have another pro on the crew.”
Violet felt her cheeks flush. “Thank you,” she said, looking at the floor.
Jessie came backstage holding her script. “Benny, Jim would like you to come on stage and hold Watch. The stage lights are getting him very excited.”
Benny nodded and stood up. At that moment Sarah rushed in through the stage door.
“Where were you?” Nancy snapped. “You should have been here at three o’clock.”
“I know.” Sarah hurriedly took off her purple coat and hung it near the costume room. “I was looking for my script. I couldn’t find it anywhere.” Sarah looked as if she were near tears. “I know I had it yesterday.”
Nancy sighed. “What else can go wrong?” she whispered to herself. “You can borrow mine for now.” She handed Sarah her well-worn script. “But be careful with it. It’s all marked up with my notes.”
“I will,” Sarah said solemnly as she took the script. Violet noticed Sarah’s eyes looked a little red.
“We can probably find you another script.” Nancy’s voice softened. “I’ll look around for one while you’re rehearsing. Now go on. Jim wants to see you right away.”
Sarah nodded and rummaged through her big black shoulder bag for another tissue before she hurried on stage. Jessie and Benny followed behind her.
Nancy went to the costume room to tell Mrs. Adams about Violet. All was quiet, until Melody came backstage limping rather noticeably. She sat down on the stairs.
“There’s nothing to do — only Sarah and the Munchkins are rehearsing now,” she said crossly. “You know …” She paused, waiting for Violet to look up from her sewing. “I think I sprained my ankle when I fell last night.”
“Did you see a doctor?” Violet asked politely.
“Yes, he told me it wasn’t sprained. But he gave me some medicine to help numb the pain.”
Violet nodded. She was glad when Nancy and Mrs. Adams called Violet into the costume room.
“Oh, Violet, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Adams.”
“Oh, I know Violet from the library.” Mrs. Adams held out her hand. “Nancy’s been telling me how well you sew.”
“You should show her your sketch,” Nancy said to Violet as she rummaged through the bottom drawer in the big dresser. Suddenly she stopped and looked puzzled. Quickly, she opened the other drawers and looked through them.
“Oh, no! Oh, my goodness!” Nancy almost shrieked.
“What’s wrong?” Mrs. Adams asked in her soft voice.
“All the props I collected yesterday are missing!” Nancy wrung her hands. She looked at Violet. “Did you move them?” she asked.
Violet shook her head. “I didn’t even know they were there,” she said.
“Neither did I,” Mrs. Adams said. “What was in that drawer?”
Nancy put her hands in front of her face. “Dorothy’s red shoes, your wand, and the Tinman’s ax.”
“Those things can all be replaced,” Mrs. Adams assured Nancy. “I can make another wand, and I also have a pair of red shoes that should fit Sarah.”
“I can make a cardboard ax,” Violet said, looking around the large costume room. Everything seemed to be the way she’d left it earlier. “Maybe we should check to see if anything else is missing,” she suggested.
“Good idea.” Nancy nodded. “There’s probably a logical explanation for this. When rehearsal is over, I’ll talk to Jim. Maybe he took the props.”
Violet opened the narrow top drawer. It held makeup, cotton balls, and lotions. Scarves, sweaters, pencils, crayons, drawing paper, and boards filled the other drawers.
“Everything seems to be in order,” Nancy said, looking over Violet’s shoulder. Mrs. Adams opened the door of a wardrobe. “I put the material for Dorothy’s pinafore in here,” she explained. Suddenly she gasped.
Violet and Nancy were quickly by her side. The blue-and-white checked material had been ripped to shreds! |