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&039;Actually, we seek you out more in your capacity as a witness,&039; Genevieve said

&039;I&039; a joke of it did not prevent her heart cooling

Welles&039;s brows knit A thin line appeared between his eyes as the top of his nose came loose

&039;Oh,&039; he said, disappointed &039;In that case, I&039;m afraid I&039;ve little to add to what I told the police&039;

Genevieve had played hily Kate realised her friend&039;s directness and honesty were pre-Renaissance Welles was a genius, a prince, a ician He needed to be courted, flattered and cajoled For hi with

&039;As a master of Holmesian method, Mr Welles, what impression did you form of the author of the atrocity at the Palazzo Otranto?&039;

The pettish genius raised an eyebrow at Kate and decided he liked her She caught this at once and threw in a little simper that would have made Penelope proud

Welles puffed up as he drew in a breath, cogitating visibly A spectator in the rear circle would have seen the lines thought drew on his face His nose was alarrooves in his cheeks

&039;My first deduction was that the murderer must be a fellow of mine&039;

An American?&039; Genevieve queried

&039;No, e paw &039;A showe Dracula&039;s head just so, with the cloak propped up around hi effects It was a moment of revelation In which you played a fine part, by the way It seened less as a crime than as a coup de theatre&039;

&039;It is the sort of spectacle you are famous for,&039; Kate said

&039;Indeed, indeed I had expected the police to make more of that, to think me a suspect It is my belief that the murderer or uy I have already directed Dracula in ed his death similarly I intended to film Stoker&039;s book once, in 1940 Before Kane The studio became nervous I wanted the camera to be Jonathan Harker I did it on the radio, with the Mercury Theatre, playing Harker and the Count&039;

&039;Others at the palazzo that night ht be called theatrical,&039; Genevieve said &039;John Huston, Cagliostro, Elvis Presley, Samuel Beckett&039;

Welles waved away all the names &039;In that crowd, it&039;d be hard to find soesture Dracula himself was first of all a master showman Consider his predilection for public mass executions His sudden, cloaked entrances froh the vaes, all for publicity or political gain No wonder he and Hitler couldn&039;t stand to share a continent They were too much alike&039;

&039;You said this was your first deduction,&039; Kate said &039;That suggests you have had a second, or a third?&039;

Welles laughed, enor indeed Have you ever acted? You&039;d do for Mistress Quickly&039;

Thank you veryYou should be Prince Hal I&039;m serious My Falstaff has never found a partner You have it in you to play the boy, and become the man A reversal of the traditions of Shakespeare&039;s day Woed Ha next year or the year after, when the reat co-stars are Irish&039;

&039;Your second thought?&039; Genevieve proed back to the reatest showman present, ed it all himself&039;

&039;It was suicide?&039; Kate asked, wondering

&039;I doubt that No, it was fortuitous Our murderer intervened in a spectacle already set in ed the script Only the star&039;s head was allowed to make an entrance It was a calculated act of despoilment In its oay, a moment of comedy The intent was to ruin Dracula&039;s entrance, to kill his reputation as much as his person, to break the spell he has held over the world for a century I think our killer is not a show, and expected applause

A critic was a kind of journalist Kate had written theatre and book reviews And she&039;d certainly worked hard to ring down the curtain on Prince Dracula

&039;Any na to mind?&039; Genevieve asked

&039;Details bore me,&039; Welles declared &039;It should be a simple matter to fill them in, to ink over the sketch I&039;m afraid I&039;ve passed on to other concerns You hts&039;

An assistant director hovered

&039;Dear ladies,&039; said Welles, taking note of the ht of Colchis&039;

He kissed both their hands and left them Most fat men waddled, but he strode The assistant director had to trot to keep up with hi nose

Genevieve looked at Kate She plainly thought this a waste of time Kate wasn&039;t so sure Welles hadHenry V In that buzz, ideas lodged Some from him, and so a thread,&039; she said, &039;we&039;re being hauled in, like fish People keep telling us things, as if they&039;ve been given s, like the bird-thing in the library, to keep away froht It&039;s as if we&039;re being directed&039;

&039;Service in this cafe is terrible,&039; Genevieve said

The table was streith half-elasses No one had co

Kate picked up a glass of blood She sniffed it

&039;You aren&039;t going to drink that?&039; Genevieve said, aghast

&039;It&039;s cold tea, dyed red&039;

They looked around None of the people at the nearby tables were actually eating or drinking, just raising glasses and sloshing liquid against their lips They were laughing and talking, but the chatter was literally less The minotaur was real, but his head was plastered with swatches of painted newspaper to e of the cafe, which seemed to be contained within the studio, was actually just a front, propped up by poles A few , the Via Veneto was recreated to the last detail Kate wondered why anyone would go to the bother

A cah the tables and extras A camera operator and an intent Italian director rode theup on a couple at one of the tables The couple were brighter than everyone else, perhaps because there was a subtle spotlight on theed as he s hairstyle, leaned over and coer Kate&039;sherself and Marcello The ht be an unfair caricature of her

The calided past their table, ever closer

&039;Don&039;t look now,&039; Genevieve said &039;I think we&039;re in the movies&039;