Story Prompt part 6

The Gamble

The woman began telling this story by saying, “I received an odd package. It contained a slinky dress and a note that simply said if I’d like to gamble on being helpful wear this dress to that place at precisely this time of day.

As you know I get intrigued easily so I decided to do it. That evening I was wearing the dress and walking where I had been told to walk when a man coming the other way unobtrusively handed me a card, quietly said that was my ticket, and passed on by.

So I continued on into the building I had been approaching. As I handed over my ticket and went through the doors I was surprised to not find myself in a casino but in a concert hall. It was apparent the MC had just introduced the performers as he was backing off to the right of the stage while clapping.

Facing him was a flamboyant man standing behind a large keyboard instrument turned sideways to the audience. Behind and slightly off to the right of him was another man, dressed in a simple black suit, sitting at another keyboard but with his back to us. The flamboyant man told us his instrument was a harpsichord and his accompanist would be playing a harmonium. He explained that those two instruments were not typically played together so what we would hear tonight would be unique.

And it was.

The other unique thing that night was the flamboyant man dying as he was leaving the stage.

When the police were nearly done questioning everyone I was taken aside by an inspector who told me he sent me the ticket because he had attended the concert the night before, the first night it had been performed anywhere, and something felt hinky to him although no had had died that night. The inspector said he knew me as an observant person so he wanted me to see the concert to determine if I saw anything he missed.

After thinking a bit I told him I saw two things that were a bit off. The flamboyant man had wiped his hands on a hanky several times and, after each set, he seemed a bit hesitant about starting the next set.

The inspector then took me with him to interview the person in charge, asking what preparations were made before the concert. He was told the stagehands moved the instruments into designated spots on the stage, set up the audio system, and left. The accompanist, the man in the black suit, then brought out the music (he seemed very protective of it), made sure the instruments were in tune, polished the keys of the harpsichord, then took his place at the harmonium.

The inspector immediately ordered that they keys of the harpsichord be swabbed for residue.

The next day, after learning the keys did indeed have residue of a contact poison on them. the inspector invited me to the interview of the accompanist.

Here’s what he had to say.”

“The man was selfish and greedy. It was bad enough he set the stage so I had my back to the audience, he didn’t introduce me until the end of the concert and, even then, he only called me his accompanist. He didn’t say we were partners. He didn’t tell them my name. He didn’t say I composed the music we played.

He didn’t deserve his fame. So I decided to give him fame of a different sort. I gambled on no one realizing I had spread poison on the keys until I was long gone.

Guess I lost.”

To be continued???

TTYL,

Linda