A Knight at the Opera Read Free

shining armor? I'd say
more like Shrek . In a tailored suit."
    Ignoring Stone, she reached up and gently touched the scratches on Maurice's
face. "I'm so sorry about that. I misunderstood your intentions."
    "It's okay," he mumbled. But I knew it wasn't okay. Something was bugging him,
and I had a hunch I knew what it was.
    Stone said, "So what happened, White?"
    "Before the opera began, Adam pointed out whatever that thing is up on the
ceiling. While we were waiting for the people in front of us to leave their rows, I took
another look at it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something moving fast. I had no idea
what it was. "
    "And you did what?" Stone prompted.
    "I'm not exactly sure what I did. I guess I just reacted."
    The brunette said, "He grabbed me and pulled me out of harm's way. If that man
had landed on me, I could have been seriously injured."
    Stone stared skeptically at Maurice. "So you just happened to be looking up and
just happened to see a man falling? And just reacted?"
    Maurice stirred irritably. "Let me tell you something, Stone. From the day you
start youth football, they train you to react to things, and to react quickly. That carries on
into high school, then college and then the pros. You end up with hypertension--if the
concussions don't kill you first--but when you see things happen, you instinctively act. It
becomes second nature."
    Stone turned to me. "Why is that every time I bump into you, there's always a
dead body nearby?"
    Maurice said, "Because he attracts trouble like a black hole attracts light. If he
was a Native American, his warrior name would be 'Runs With Scissors'."
    Stone cocked his head in surprise. He had never seen Maurice so agitated. I
knew Maurice was resenting something. And I knew that he knew it wasn't my fault. He
was just pissed off, and he needed to vent.
    Stone said, "What else can you tell me, Larsen?"
    "Nothing, unfortunately. I didn't see anything until just before the man hit the
ground."
    "I think he was sitting up there," Maurice said, gesturing toward the top balcony.
"But I'm not sure. I just know he fell a long way."
    I eyeballed the distance. "That's probably seventy feet."
    Stone said, "Higher. The tech guys will figure out the exact distance."
    The uniformed officers were beginning to cordon off the area around us. There
were probably only a dozen of them, but they seemed to be everywhere in the theater--and
were definitely taking charge of the situation.
    After a while, a tall man, with hair just beginning to turn gray, quietly joined our
group. I recognized him as assistant DA Tom Swain. He was a soft-spoken man who had the
understated mannerisms of a country doctor.
    He stuck out his hand. "Well, Mr. Larsen," he said in his full, baritone voice. "We
meet again."
    "Yeah," I said, not quite as politely, "But this time I'm not in handcuffs. And
you're not questioning me as a murder suspect."
    He nodded. I'd forgotten he was a nodder. "But still not underestimating you,"
he said with an understated smile. He turned to Stone. "What is the situation?"
    Stone shrugged. "They say the guy fell out of the balcony. That's all I know for
now."
    Swain eyed the dead man. "That's an expensive suit. Any idea who he is?"
    "Not yet," Stone said. "I'm guessing he has a wallet. But nobody touches anything
until Yamamoto and his crew get here."
    He was referring to Fred Yamamoto, the head of the mobile crime lab. I turned
to Swain and gestured toward the dead man. "Doesn't it seem odd that no companion of his
has come rushing down here to--"
    Swain frowned. "Good point. Nobody's come forward, Joe?"
    "No," Stone said. "He must have been alone."
    "Seems a bit odd. I wouldn't think most people would go to the opera by
themselves."
    "There's something else," I said. "The way he--"
    Brandt Johnson from Semper Security had come marching toward us and halted
in front of Stone. "I understand you're the officer in charge. I don't know how much longer I
can keep everyone here. They're