Amaryllis

Lucas glanced at the expectant expression on the face of the massive man who blocked the stage door entrance. The guard looked as if he had once been severely overmuscled. He was now seriously overweight. He created a formidable barrier.

Lucas assessed the situation and looked at Amaryllis's disapproving frown. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to bribe him to let us in so that you can meet Vivien of the Veils. That's what we're here for, isn't it?"

"We shouldn't have to give this person a bribe just to get in the door. It's not right."

The heavyset guard eyed Amaryllis with kindly indulgence. "You must be new in town."

She took a step toward him. "I am not new in town. And even if I were, I'd still know that bribery is wrong."

The big man looked at Lucas. "No offense, but I'd suggest you get yourself another lady friend. Don't think you two have much in common."

"You'd be surprised." Lucas shoved three bills into the guard's massive fist. "Can we go inside now? We're in a hurry."

"Be my guest. Viv's door is the third one on the left." The guard heaved his bulk off a stool and indicated the entrance with a surprisingly gracious wave of his broad hand.

Amaryllis favored the big man with one last reproving frown as she went past. "You should be ashamed of your- self, you know."

"Oh, I am, I am." The guard beamed.

Lucas took Amaryllis's arm before she could continue the lecture. "Let's go."

The corridor inside the entrance was cramped and narrow. Lucas could have easily touched the low ceiling. The throbbing music from the stage created a dull background roar. The walls vibrated.

The sign on the first door indicated that it was a storage closet. The second door was labeled "Wardrobe." A large purple star glowed on the third door.

"Something tells me this is Vivien's." Lucas halted in front of the star and knocked twice.

"Come on in, it ain't locked," a woman called out loudly enough to be heard over the music.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas saw Amaryllis's hand clench around her purse strap. She looked anxious but resolved. Real founder material, he thought as he opened the door to reveal a dingy dressing room decorated entirely in purple.

Vivien, garbed in a purple dressing gown, was seated in front of the mirror. She paused in the act of wiping off some purple makeup. Her eyes moved over Lucas with business- like speculation. Without the elaborate makeup, her features were far less exotic than they had appeared on stage. The hard lines around her eyes and mouth bespoke a wealth of streetwise experience. But the smile she gave Lucas was polite, almost indulgent.

"Sorry. I don't do unscheduled private acts. You gotta make an appointment."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lucas said.

Amaryllis stepped out from behind Lucas. "Hello. My name is Amaryllis Lark."

Vivien switched her appraising glance to Amaryllis. "New in town? Not a bad stage name. If you're looking for a job, you'll have to try somewhere else. Me and York and Yolanda have a long-term contract here."

Amaryllis blinked. "A job?" Understanding lit her eyes. She turned pink. "Oh, I see what you mean. No, I'm not looking for work. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Questions, hub?" Vivien's gaze sharpened. "You two cops?"

"No, of course not," Amaryllis said quickly. "This is a personal matter."

"Personal." Vivien turned back to the mirror and began to smear cream into her purple eye shadow. "That'll cost you."

Lucas reached for his wallet a second time. Ignoring Amaryllis's obvious disapproval, he dug out a few more bills and handed them to the stripper.

Vivien made the money disappear into the front of her purple gown. She met Amaryllis's eyes in the mirror. "Ask away, honey."

Amaryllis clasped her hands in front of her. "Well, I suppose what I want to know is, were you acquainted with Professor Jonathan Landreth?"

"Sure, I knew Jonny." Vivien expertly massaged more cream into the skin above her eyes. "Funny little guy. Always acted as if his underwear was a couple of sizes too small, but other than that, he was okay. Real reliable. Never missed an appointment."

Amaryllis cleared her throat. "You called him Jonny?"

"Sure. What else?" Vivien sighed. "I was real sorry to hear about his accident last month. Poor old Jonny was definitely wound a little too tight, but he was a perfect gentleman. And he always paid up front."

Amaryllis's brows came together in obvious bewilderment. "What did he pay for?"

"Paid to watch me dance, naturally. Private performances only. Jonny never wanted to sit out front with the audience. Kind of shy, I guess. He wanted to watch me perform for him alone." Vivien chuckled. "Said he didn't need York and Yolanda to get him hot."

Amaryllis threw Lucas an uneasy glance. "I see."

"How come you're so curious about Jonny now that he's dead?" Vivien asked.

Amaryllis hesitated. "Someone suggested that you might be able to tell me something about him."

"Like what?"

"I was told that you knew the truth about him." Amaryllis shrugged. "I wondered if that meant that you knew something about his death."

"Jonny's death?" Alarm flashed in Vivien's face. "I don't know a damn thing about it. Look here, if you've got any idea of involving me in that, you can think again. Get out of here right now or I'll call Titus."

Lucas figured Titus was the mountain who stood guard at the door. "It's okay," he said. "We're not trying to tie you to Landreth's death. We know it was an accident."

Vivien's gaze flicked back and forth between Lucas and Amaryllis. "That's what it said in the papers. He fell off a cliff or something, right?"

"Right," Lucas agreed. He gave Amaryllis a warning look.

She pursed her lips, apparently not certain how to proceed. "When did you last see Professor Landreth?"

Vivien shrugged. "Night before he died. His regular appointment."

"No offense," Amaryllis said, "but it's hard to envision Professor Landreth having a standing appointment with you."

"Well, believe it. I danced privately for Jonny one night a week for two years. He was as regular as clockwork."

"I see." Amaryllis said. "Did Jonny, I mean, did Professor Landreth seem anxious or preoccupied the last time you saw him?"

"What d'you mean?" Vivien still looked suspicious.

"I'm not sure," Amaryllis admitted. "I suppose I'm asking if he seemed different that night. Distracted, perhaps?"

A shrewd light gleamed in the stripper's eyes. "You're with an insurance company, aren't you? That's what this is all about. I'll bet you're trying to get out of paying off on Jonny's policy. Well, you won't get no help from me."

"I'm not working for an insurance company," Amaryllis said hastily. "I just want to settle a few outstanding questions, that's all. Professor Landreth was a friend of mine."

"Friend, hub?" Vivien reached for a brush.

"He was my mentor at the university."

Vivien softened somewhat. "I guess you could say that Jonny was a little more tense than usual that last night. But it was hard to tell with him on account of he was always on the rigid side, if you know what I mean. Actually, he'd been fussing for a couple of months, now that I think of it."

"What did he fuss about?" Amaryllis asked.

Vivien looked expectantly at Lucas. With one shoulder propped against a purple wall, Lucas stoically dug his wallet out of his pocket once more. Silently he removed some cash and handed it to Vivien. She gave him a radiant smile and turned back to Amaryllis with a confidential air.

"In the past few weeks Jonny talked more than usual about how there was still a lot the experts didn't know about the synergy of psychic talent. He rambled on a bit about how no one had documented all the different types of power yet. About how some talent might be dangerous."