Hey guys!

I just wanted to let you know that there are two more chapters before Act Two comes to an end.

And there are (approximately) nine more chapters before the END OF THIS BOOK. *freaks out*

Because I'm on my break, I've been working my butt off trying to write the final chapters for this book. I would say that I am 65% done.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and have an awesome Friday! My next update will be very soon! :)

•

               “DO YOU SEE anything worth noticing, Perez?”

               “No,” She replied as she scanned through the crowd with her mini binoculars that she had borrowed from a friend. “You?”

               The male investigator raised an eyebrow. “If I had seen anything, do you think I would have asked you that question or would I let you know that I saw something?”

                The brunette put her binoculars down to glare at Johnson. “It was simple yes or no question,”

                 “A stupid one at that,”

                 She rolled her eyes. “I'm not going to respond to that because you are the one who miraculously got us these tickets,”

             “You're welcome, by the way,” He turned his attention back into the audience that had arrived to watch the play.

            Perez and Johnson were sitting in the Melrose Theatre. Their outfits were colour-coordinated with Perez wearing a red dress paired with slingback heels. Her hair was styled into a professional bun accenting her facial features that were emphasised on by the use of cosmetics.

             Johnson wore a black blazer and black pants matched a white shirt underneath the blazer and a red tie. His hair was almost as shiny as his black polished shoes due to the fact that for the occasion, he had decided to apply gel to his hair.

             Their seats were above the crowd, at the balcony, for which Johnson had to spend a little more money for. It was advantageous to them, though, because they could monitor who was going in and going out.

             The theatre was almost pitch black. The only sources of light were the stage lights placed on the sides of the large stage that shone very dimly.

              Johnson moved his eyes from the large maroon curtain that was on the stage to the crowd. It was fairly crowded, with everyone seated on the plush red seats outlined with gold.

             Everyone has dressed lavishly for the event, similar to Perez and Johnson, and the two investigators observed as the people were muttering to each other about their own business.

            Just as Johnson's wrist watch struck eight, there was a voice that came through the speakers. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the individuals involved, we would like to sincerely thank you for coming to see our play. The play will now start. Do have your seat and enjoy the show,”

             The theatre grew eerily quiet as the curtains opened to reveal three different men on stage. Two were seated on a table, eating and drinking while the other was pacing around.

              Each of the three men wore shirts made from linen with a ruff. Over that, they wore a doublet that had sleeves that were separate and tied to the shoulder. Another layer over that was a leather jerkin that was sleeveless and resembled a vest. Their shoes were flat and had a rounded toe and a one-piece sole. For riding, men wore leather boots.

              From what Johnson could see, the man standing was wearing breeches. The upper part of the breeches reached the knee and the bottom looked like stockings or tights. Since knee breeches were either very full, they were held up by garters.

             The other two men seated wore another sort of hose identified as puffy shorts that came to mid-thigh and resembled a bell. The bottom of these hose looked like stockings.

              The man stopped pacing at the right hand side of the stage. His eyes met only the darkness in the theatre. “In sooth, I know not why I am so sad. It wearies me; you say it wearies you. But how I caught it, found it, or came by it, what stuff ’tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn. And such a want-wit sadness makes of me, that I have much ado to know myself,”

              One of the men sitting takes a sip of his wine. “Your mind is tossing on the ocean. There, where your argosies with portly sail, like signors and rich burghers on the flood, or, as it were, the pageants of the sea, do overpeer the petty traffickers, that curtsy to them, do them reverence, as they fly by them with their woven wings,”

                The man seated beside him nodded his head as he took a bite out of the lavish meal set out before them. “Believe me, sir, had I such venture forth, the better part of my affections would be with my hopes abroad. I should be still plucking the grass to know where sits the wind. Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads. And every object that might make me fear misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt would make me sad,”

             From the corner of his eye, Johnson could see Perez turned to stare at him, blinking once, then twice. It was her way of asking Johnson to explain what was going on — or, in simpler terms, translate what the actors were saying from archaic English into modern English.

             Johnson's face broke out into a wide grin as he attempted to mask his laugh. In a hushed tone, he explained. “See that man standing there? His name is Antonio. He is depressed but he doesn't know why,”

            “Gotcha. What about the other two?”

            “The man eating is called Salanio. The man drinking is called Salarino. Those are, well, his friends, so to speak. Because Antonio is a wealthy businessman, they think he is depressed because of the safety of the transportation of his money,”

             “What does that have to do with anything?”

             “You see, the setting is in Venice, Italy. Antonio invests within and out of the country, so when he does invest out of the country, his money has to be delivered to him somehow,”

              “How is money delivered to him?”

              “Through ships, since it's the 16th century, and the reason why Salanio and Salarino believe he is depressed because of pirates,”

                “Pirates?”

                “Yes, pirates. They could hijack the ship carrying his money and steal it, leaving him broke,”

                 “Oh, I get it now,”

                  The two continued to watch the play. Every once in a while, Perez would lean close to Johnson to ask more questions about the play or she would say a comment or two that would earn her a soft chuckle from Johnson.

               Even though it was the two of them seated at the balcony seats, the male investigator couldn't help but feel as if there was another presence with them.

               He could feel the nape of his hair stand and his breathing became more controlled. However, his composure remained calm, cool and collected. The night continued to creep by and Johnson was starting to feel on the edge.

                Slowly, he leaned over to Perez, his lips a few inches from her left ear. The corner of his lips extended to form a believable smile. “I think we are being watched,”

               The brunette looked at him, his smile matching his. After their brief eye contact, she stood up and excused herself. “I'm going to powder my nose,”

               The male investigator nodded, his smile not faltering. Was this how Abraham Lincoln felt before his assassination at the theatre? He wondered. Some say he dreamt about his assassination even before it happened.

                He kept his eyes on the actors and actresses on the stage. What did I dream of last night?

               The female investigator had not yet returned. He knew that she hadn't really gone to the washroom. ‘Powdering her nose’ meant that she was going on full-on detective mode.

                 She was probably still in the balcony area, ‘looking for the restrooms’.

                Minutes flew by and the first act of the play concluded. After the brief opening and closing of the curtains, the second act began with no sight of Perez.

                Unconsciously, Johnson began to tap his right foot up and down. He caught himself and stopped the action immediately. Then, he let out a sigh, glancing over at the empty seat beside him.

               Straightening himself on his seat, he continued to watch the play. The silence that had been gnawing his brain was finally broken when he heard Perez shout a couple of feet behind him.

                “Johnson, duck!”

                He listened. Ducking his head, he felt something grazing past the back of his head, accompanied by an ear-shattering sound.

               Panic seized the audience as a second bullet went off, but it was intervened by Perez tackling the person shooting. Several people began to clambered over each other as they clawed their way to the door which was the only entrance and exit.

               The actors and actresses, included.

               Johnson was on his feet at the moment, his body pressed against the wall so that his opponent couldn't see him. Prudently, he crept to where he remembered hearing the second bullet going off.

               Perez was wrestling with a figure dressed in black costume that flattened out any detail that Johnson could have used to identify the gender of the person.
              Holding onto the gun with all their might, the figure shoved Perez and she stumbled back and fell to the ground, due to her heels.

             As Johnson rushed to Perez's aid, the figure took that as an opportunity to make their bold and daring escape.

            Johnson helped Perez up to her feet, as she kicked off her shoes. Holding them, as well as the edges of her dress, in one hand and her other hand enclosed in Johnson's bigger hand, she followed Johnson as they pursued the perpetrator.

             Down the stairs they went and through several corridors, but the two were determined to not let them go, like they did in the mall, during Isabella's kidnapping.

             They reached the ground floor where everyone else was seated when the play had began. There was only one person still seated, still facing the stage as if there was nothing going on.

              She wore a dark red dress, with her blonde chopped hair brushing her neck. The slit of her dress slightly exposed her legs with one crossed over the other.

                Odd, Perez thought as she stopped running and let go of Johnson's hand. “Go on. I'll catch up,” She told him.

                Johnson nodded before he took off running again, in the direction of the perpetrator who was nearing the exit.

               Perez approached the lady seated down. “Excuse me, Miss. I'm sorry to bother you but I'm afraid that you have to evacuate the premises,”

                The lady turned to Perez, with a smile that gave the brunette goosebumps all over her body. “But the show has just began,”

               That's when the lady turned, her icy blue eyes met Perez's chocolate brown ones. They flickered with recognition and Perez's heartrate started to increase and her eyes widened.

                It can't be.

                However, before Perez was able to do anything or react, the blonde was taking her leave and the brunette was forced to chase after her.

               Perez had to push the millions of thoughts in her head behind as she followed the lady. The brunette marvelled at how astonishingly quick the lady was for a girl dressed in a dress and heels.

               A few metres away from her, Perez could see Johnson still running after the figure. Suddenly, Johnson came to a halt before running to his left to where his car was parked.

              Perez was able to reach him before he could start the car, out of breath. From the passenger seat, she saw the blonde run off in the same direction as the figure.

             Johnson started the car and he kept his eyes trained on the figure who had also entered a car. Perez's eyes widened as she saw the lady also slide into it and slam the door shut.

            “Johnson, whatever you do, do not take your eyes off that car,” Perez instructed as she tried to catch her breath.

             “I know that. The criminal is in that car,”

             “Not only that. Did you see the girl who slid in with the person who tried to shoot you?”

             “Yes,”

             “That was Bailey Harris and something tells me that she is more dangerous than we think she is,”