Understudy

I was hanging out in the prop room when Mary Linkletter came to find me. She was the primary understudy for Cissy Lucas, who was playing Evita. A great starring role, so I understood why Mary came to see me. Mary was a striking-looking woman with an impressive vocal range, but she’d never had a starring role in the West End. She had expected this to be her big chance for exposure, but Cissy had proved to be as healthy as a horse. The show had been running for nearly two years, and Cissy hadn’t missed a single performance.

“Hey, Cass,” she said casually, “Cissy looks good for today’s performance. Want to come and get a coffee with me before curtain-up?” She leaned against the wall, wearing grey sweatpants and a T-shirt advertising The Mousetrap. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she looked as though she had given up all hope of ever taking the stage as Evita.

I checked my watch and nodded. “Sure. Are you getting discouraged? Thinking of finding another gig?”

Mary looked around anxiously and hissed at me “Don’t even say that out loud! Someone might hear you.” She shoved me out of the door towards the stage door and the coffee shop.

We sat in Starbucks nursing coffees – hers was a macchiato, while mine was just a small brewed coffee. I didn’t have enough spending money to buy fancy coffees at the drop of a hat. She knew that, but she hadn’t offered to buy me one. I’d never cared for her very much, and honestly we had rarely spoken before. She must have been desperate for company to invite me.

“Seriously, though,” she said once we had had a couple of sips, “it would be such a break for me if Cissy just had a minor stomach bug. She’d only miss a couple of performances, and I’d get my chance to shine.”

I looked at her, wondering what she was doing. If she planned to try and incapacitate Cissy, why would she tell someone, even a nobody like me? She must be after something. “I suppose that would be a big boost for you. You’ve really worked hard at the role. And surely she’s due a short break after so many performances.” I tried to be encouraging but noncommittal.

She sat back in her chair and regarded me seriously. “I’ve been meaning to ask, Cass, how are you doing financially? I know you don’t get paid much, and you have a kid at home, don’t you? Do you need any help?”

Aha. I saw a bribe in my near future. Don’t get me wrong, I was open to bribes. Being a single mother is tough. The insurance payout after my husband’s death wasn’t nearly enough to cover our living expenses for long. So, I offered a little further encouragement.

My eyes were misty as I looked at her. I am an actress, after all. “Not kidding, it’s hard. Meredith doesn’t get as much fun as I’d like. I don’t know how much longer I can stay in our home. I don’t have any family to help. But I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do to help. Thanks for offering, though.” I gave a little sniff and looked down at my coffee. If the bitch planned to bribe me, she could at least have bought my coffee.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to upset you,” she lied. Of course, we’re both actresses. “Here, let me get you a macchiato – it’ll buck you up a bit.”

Nice move, I thought. Show me what I’m missing. Make me like her more. “Oh, that would be wonderful,” I groveled. “Maybe a caramel macchiato? You are so kind.”

She brought me a large caramel macchiato and a piece of coffee cake for us to share. I checked my watch again. Still more than an hour before curtain-up. I sipped my new drink with delight.

“Would you be prepared to do me a favor?” she asked. “I’ll pay you, of course. I want to put a little dose of something into her drink to give her mild food poisoning. When she asks you to bring her soda, could you slip it into the drink?”

What a surprise. I hadn’t expected her to do something so bold. “Oh!” I said, eyes wide with shock. “I couldn’t poison her. That would be terrible.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Oh, nothing actually poisonous – just a strong laxative so she has to take a little trip to the toilet for an hour or so. I don’t want to hurt her.”

I took a few more sips of my caramel macchiato and a bite of coffee cake, avoiding eye contact with her.

Finally, she added “Of course, I’ll make it worth your while. How does five hundred pounds sound?”

It sounded like a lot of macchiatos. And pizza and cake for Meredith. I hesitated for a minute, then looked straight at Mary. “You promise it’s nothing harmful? I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to her.”

Mary put her hand on mine. “Neither could I. I just want my chance to do the role on stage one time. There’s going to be someone in the audience tonight who could really give me a big break. Please can you help me?”

I hiccupped. “Um…when would I get the money? I have some urgent bills to pay.”

She smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “I can give you one hundred in cash now, and the rest I’ll send to you after I get on stage through Wise or PayPal.”

I nodded slowly. “All right, I’ll do it. But it had better not be anything bad. I’d have to go to the police.”

Mary passed me an envelope. Looking inside, I saw five twenty-pound notes and a paper packet. I put it in my handbag. I didn’t bother to look around. Anyone who saw the envelope change hands would just assume it was a drug deal. “So, I use the whole packet?” I asked, “will she notice the taste?”

Mary finished her coffee. “Yes, the whole packet. And it’s completely flavorless. You’re such a good friend, doing this for me.”

Our eyes met again. A flicker of understanding passed between us. I was part of her plot now. I couldn’t go to the police, and we both knew it. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you when I get my big break” she promised.

* * *

It all went as planned. As usual, I chatted to Cissy to keep her calm as she prepared to go on stage. Also as usual, she sent me to get her a soda half an hour before the show started. I tipped the packet’s contents into a glass, poured the drink into it, and took it to her. A few minutes later, her face contorted in pain, and she rushed into the toilet. I panicked and called the stage manager immediately.

I went back to the prop room while everyone rushed around, telling Mary to get into costume and sending the makeup artist to her. They announced a slight delay to the audience while they waited to see if Cissy would recover in time to go on stage. After several more minutes, Cissy announced that she couldn’t go on tonight, and she demanded a doctor. I waited until Mary had her costume, and was rushing to get her makeup done, then I walked past her with a couple of other actresses and casually tripped her, sending her into the wall and then sprawling on the floor. She tried to get up, then lay there on the floor screaming in frustration.

The director and the stage manager both arrived and asked her if she could walk. Her face was already swelling up, and she couldn’t walk without limping and gasping in pain. They looked at each other, and the stage manager yelled “Second understudy for Evita! Where are you?”

“Um…I’m here.” I said awkwardly. “Do you need me to take over?”