FIVE
Tacoma Theater
11:02 P.M., Friday
Jill wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with a dark blue handkerchief. She grabbed her husbands hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Wasn't that beautiful?" she turned from the stage and faced her husband ,"Honey?" She set the dark blue cloth in her lap. She leaned over and turned his head towards her. She saw a trickle of blood trailing down his forehead and into his left eye. She screamed and jumped back, falling out of the chair. Jill stood up and ran to the door, fiddled with the doorknob for a second and pulled it open in haste.
Outside she saw a familiar security guard looking in question at her, having heard the scream.
"Chris! Jason he's, he's........hurt...." she started crying more violently than before ,"Help!" she said in a breathy, panicked voice. She turned and stumbled back onto the balcony with Chris running in after her.
Chris bent down next to Jason ,"Sir? Are you Ok?" He waited a second for a reply and then turned the chair around. His eyes widened and he came face to face with the bullet wound in his forehead. Chris backed up, startled and saw the deep crimson spot on his suit coat. Chris reached two hesitant fingers towards his neck and searched for a pulse that would not, and could not be found. He quickly drew his fingers away and grabbed the radio off his belt.
"There is a man shot here, a bullet wound in the head and chest, no pulse. I'm in the west balcony, number 345," Chris said in a quick booming voice.
"So he's dead?" the voice echoed on the radio. Chris looked back at Jill as she cried silently, leaning up against the far wall staring at her husband in terror, knowing the truth but hoping for something else.
"Yes, he's gone," Chris said softly. Jill fell down to her knees and cried harder.
"I was right next to him the whole time. How did this happen?" she mumbled rhetorically.
"Do you know who it is?" the voice asked.
"Jason Muestro." Chris said. Chris turned from the limp body, the head now tilted to the side in an unnatural angle. and walked over to Jill. Not trained with emotional trauma he hesitated, wondering what to do.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Muestro." He sat down next to her and put his timid arm around her trying to comfort her. He pulled off his dark glasses revealing soft, light brown eyes.
"Get off me!" she hissed. Jill stood up and ran out the door down the hall. Chris looked back at Jason. He stood up and walked to the edge of the balcony. The door closed. He looked off the balcony and around the stage.
"How did this happen?" He looked up into the catwalks and wires up above the stage and answered his own question. Chris seemed unarmed in his large black jacket, but he had a gun inside his coat in a hidden holster, and a knife down in his boot. He unzipped his jacket and rested his hand on the handle of his revolver, feeling suddenly unsafe in such a vulnerable position.
The door burst open and the manager came in. Chris quickly removed his hand from the inside of his coat and zipped it up quickly.
"Hello sir." Chris nodded. The manager adjusted his glasses. His gray hair shaded by the darkness of the area, his red suspenders going over his white shirt, his black pants too short, showing too much of his plaid socks. The manager gasped and stepped back outside, slamming the door behind him. Chris sighed.
An aging police officer walked in, closing the door behind him. He looked at Chris and mentally sized him up. He flashed his police badge and replaced it to his pocket. He extended his hand.
"Hello, I'm detective Jacob Tanal with the DCPD." He shook Chris' hand and took off his hat and held it to his stomach.
"I'm Chris Jones, security guard here." Chris withdrew his hand quickly, the man gave him an uneasy feeling.
Jacob's brown aging hair rested far back on his forehead. His blue eyes seemed cold, but his smile reassuring. This was Jacob's first time doing this, he knew if he messed up, his mistakes would quickly be covered, but he wanted this to be flawless. He cleared his throat.
"This is Jacob Muestro, am I right?" He pulled a small camera from his pocket and took a few pictures of the body, walking around it in a full circle.
"Yes, you are correct."
The officer leaned closer to the body and took some close-ups of the chest and head. He leaned down close to the head, not needing much height adjustment because he was already extremely short. He followed the trail of blood down Jason's thick, dark eyebrow and into the corner of his left eye. He looked at the chest, a small hole at the top of the dark patch.
Two paramedics entered the balcony. One of the paramedics carried a long stretcher under one arm. They looked at the man and then at each other. The two paramedics looked out of place in the dark maroon decor. Their white uniforms seemed blinding. They looked like angels. Angels here to take the dead. They looked at the police officer.
"Go ahead, take the body." He signaled them to come. The two men set the stretcher down and carefully lifted Jason's body onto the stretcher. They strapped down his arms and legs and each grabbed one end of the stretcher. They stood up and started to exit.
"Take him to the DC General Morgue." Jacob nodded and opened the door for them. He looked at Chris ,"I need to make a phone call. Don't touch anything, in fact it would be better if you waited outside. I'll make the call from in here. We're going to have to question you later. Was anyone else here?"
"The wife was here when it happened, but she ran out crying." Chris looked at the floor guiltily. Jacob opened the door and Chris exited. Jacob pulled out his cell phone and dialed the FBI headquarters number. He was becoming a little more comfortable with his surroundings. He heard the automated voice ask for and extension. He quickly dialed an abnormal one. He held the small phone close to his ear.
"Jason's gone," He listened to the rapid instructions ,"Mulder and Scully? Ok, got it. Bye." He turned off the phone and replaced it to his pocket. He put his hat back on his forehead, tipped it forward and exited after Chris, away from the crime scene.