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She made her way downstairs, and when she reached the lower level, she noticed that the velvet curtains were drawn and that laughter was co from the theater section of the Gilded Lily She turned and saw that there were still a few diners at the tables and a mix of locals and tourists at the bar; she assuner jeans and denim shirts or T-shirts and cutoffs the tourists tended to wear Wo Several wore casual dresses and others were in pants or jeans and T-shirts

She sat at a table that she thoughtfood to a faht As she studied the lad you caest the fish We have faretarian? We do a cheese and broccoli risotto that’s absolutely delicious But, hey, we’re in ood, either as a steak or in a burger And then, of course, there’s Tex-Mex We have excellent fajitas, tacos, burritos"

"The risotto sounds great," Jane said

"Oh, you are a vegetarian"

"No" Jane shook her head "It just sounds good for tonight"

Liz was going to give her the full list of wine choices to complement her meal but Jane didn’t think she wanted her perceptions dulled in the least that night "I’ll have an iced tea, thanks"

"Sure thing!" Liz said "Be right back Oh, take a peek at the show if you like--just slip through the curtain We’ve all been told that you have free rein of the place and to make you as happy as we can"

"That’s really nice Thank you," Jane told her

Liz grinned and hurried off, and Jane decided to check out the show As she stepped through the divide in the curtain, she saw that there was a full house and round

"Oh, no, oh, no! What shall I do, what shall I do?" Valerie Mystro was crying out as Jane entered Valerie was tied to the train tracks on the stage, struggling against the ropes that held her there while a train whistle sounded in the background

"I’!" Cy Tyburn cried in return He’d been tied to the old stagecoach across from the tracks

"Save her! Save her!" someone from the audience called out enthusiastically

Cy stopped and looked at the audience, arching his brows "Well, duh!" he said, bringing a rise of laughter fro the stagecoach toward Valerie

"The knife!" Valerie shrieked

"The knife?" Cy asked

"The one strapped to your ankle, idiot!" someone yelled from the audience

"Oh, yeahyeah!" Cy said

The play was ridiculous, Jane could see, but tremendous fun, and the audience seemed to love it Cy cut himself loose, then ran over and freed Valerie as the audience urged hiazed into her eyes adoringly The two ran offstage together just as a train pulled out fro in the front of the loco as she saw that she’d lost her victims The audience booed her until she stepped down, played with theht in terrible circumstances Then she launched into a musical number in which she told the audience why everyone should love a va, Jane ses The physical humor had broad appeal and the sets were impressive

She felt a tap on her shoulder Liz had coet her

"Take your time, but your food is on the table," she said cheerfully "And," she whispered, "all hell breaks loose when the show lets out!"

Jane whispered a thank-you and watched a few more minutes of the show As Alice’s musical number ended, Cy Tyburn, naive and innocent hero, cae He tried to warn Alice about the evil hsmith, and Alice listened ide-eyed adoration They shared the nu Badder"

It was clever, and Jane decided that the next night she’dthe whole show She quietly left the theater and returned to her table A metal cover had been placed over her plate to keep her lanced at the stairs