A Puzzle in a Pear Tree Read Online Free PDF Page B

a little weight,” Cora told her tartly. “I’ve never worn this costume before. Someone else wore it last year. Someone who was obviously shorter. If it’s going to be a problem, why don’t you talk to Rupert and suggest he replace me with someone the costume will fit?”
    “Don’t be silly,” Mabel said. “I can let it out. I do that every year. Take it in, let it out. And this year, with the crazy casting, nothing seems to fit.”
    As if to punctuate the remark, Sherry Carter came walking up with her ladies-dancing costume hanging off her like a tent.
    “Well, look at this!” Mabel cried. She fished a half dozen straight pins out of a pocket in her smock, fed them unerringly into her mouth. With a practiced hand, Mabel quickly tucked and pinned Sherry’s dress. “That’s good. Take it off, hang it on a hanger, make sure your hanger’s marked. You’re done.”
    As Sherry moved off, Mabel said, “There’s a break. It’s a lot easier to baste than let out. Though I seem to have a lot more letting out.”
    Cora seethed in silence. Since she’d been shanghaied into this idiotic project, her acting, her singing, her dancing, and now her weight had been called into question.
    Wendy Brill, one of the high school girls who had been helping Mabel with the costumes, came running up. “Becky’s here!” she announced breathlessly.
    “So, give her a costume. You know where it is.”
    “Dan Finley’s with her.” Wendy’s eyes were wide. “He wants to come
in
!”
    “Oh,” Mabel said. She glanced around the girls’ dressing room, where the women’s costume call was being held. Sherry Carter, now in bra and panties, was hanging her ladies-dancing gown on a rack. Other actresses were in various stages of undress. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? Let me talk to Dan.”
    Mabel straightened, spat the remaining pins into her hand, ambled toward the door. Cora Felton, holding up her unbuttoned skirt, tagged along right behind.
    Becky Baldwin and Dan Finley stood outside. The young policeman looked deeply embarrassed.
    “I’m not trying to get in,” he protested. “Chief Harper said not to leave her alone.”
    “There’s only one door to the dressing room, Dan,” Mabel told him. “And there’s a lot of us here. I think Becky’ll be safe enough with us women.”
    “I think so too,” Dan agreed. “But I got my orders.”
    “You wanna come
in
?” Mabel managed to put a wealth of insinuation into a two-letter word.
    Dan Finley could not have blushed more splendidly had he been caught trying to peep in the dressing room window. “Of course not. But I don’t see why you couldn’t bring her costume out here.”
    “Wonderful,” Becky said. “You’d like me to dress in the hall?” She shrugged off her coat, thrust it at the beleaguered policeman. “I suppose you’d like to hold my clothes for me?”
    From the look on Dan Finley’s face, Becky had been torturing him all morning. “No, ma’am. But if I’m gonna deviate from my orders, I’m gonna clear it with the chief.”
    Becky threw up her hands. “Oh, for goodness’ sakes!”
    Sherry Carter, dressed in sweater and jeans and carrying her overcoat, came out the door. “What’s going on?”
    “Great,” Becky said. “Let’s get
everybody
out here, why don’t we. Get everyone out here, so Dan and I can go in there together. Would you like that, Dan?”
    Dan Finley had his cell phone out, was punching in a number.
    “Calling for backup?” Becky teased.
    “Hi, Chief. It’s Dan. I’m over at the high school, Becky has a costume fitting, no one wants me in the girls’ dressing room, there’s a lot of women not wearing a lot of clothes. Okay to wait outside?” He listened a minute, said, “Thanks, Chief,” snapped the cell phone shut. “He’ll be here in two minutes.”
    Becky’s mouth fell open. “What!?”
    “I’m kidding. You can go on in.”
    Becky shot him a look, then sailed into the dressing room, followed by Cora,