Janet Hardy in Radio City

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  REHEARSALS AGAIN

  Jim Hill hastened away, but it was fifteen minutes before he returnedwith a large envelope with the manuscript. When he arrived his face wasflushed and he was breathing rapidly.

  "What's the matter?" asked Helen, who sensed that Jim was greatly upset.

  "Plenty. It was a good thing I got there when I did."

  "You mean someone was after the manuscript?" demanded Janet.

  "I mean someone had it," retorted Jim. "But I got it back and withoutmuch trouble."

  "Who was in your office?" It was Curt who fired that question.

  Jim looked at them steadily.

  "It was Adolphi."

  He waited for the significance of his words to sink in and smiled alittle grimly at the bewilderment which was reflected on their faces.

  "Surprised? Say, maybe you think I wasn't. And now I don't know what tothink."

  "Tell us everything that happened after you reached the studio floor,"urged Janet.

  Jim took out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead, where glisteningbeads of perspiration had gathered.

  "When I swung down the corridor I saw the boy had left my door so I ranthe rest of the way," he said. "The carpet's thick and I made little ifany noise. The door of my office was open and Adolphi was thumbingthrough the pile of script I had been working on. When I came up behindhim he jumped almost across the desk."

  "What did he say?" asked Helen.

  "Said he'd found the door of my office open and since he knew I wasworking on the script thought he would look it over while I was out atlunch."

  "What did you do?" It was Curt speaking.

  "I picked up the script, stuffed it into an envelope, and told Adolphihe could see it when McGregor, my continuity chief, put his okay on it.I asked Adolphi if he was sure my office was open and he got sore.Wanted to know what I was trying to insinuate and all that sort ofthing. But I think he felt guilty as thunder. Gosh, but I'd like to knowhow he got in there after all my precautions."

  "I can tell you," said Curt. "He simply walked down the hall, told theboy to go on an errand, and then used a skeleton key on your door."

  "It couldn't have been as easy as that," protested Helen.

  "Things like that are done easily," smiled Curt. "Mark my words, youwatch our director closely. He isn't putting his best foot forward ingetting us in shape. I wouldn't be surprised if he has sold out to someother company."

  "That's a terrible thing to say about anyone," said Janet.

  "It's worse to do it," Curt insisted.

  They finished their lunch and returned to Radio City where they werewhisked up to the twenty-seventh floor in one of the express elevators.

  "Stop in after the rehearsal this afternoon," Jim told them. "I'll havethe final script in shape by then."

  The afternoon was a fatiguing one, for Adolphi, as though possessed of ademon, found fault with everything and almost everyone. The only one whonoticeably escaped his ire was Rachel Nesbit, and Janet had to admitthat Rachel handled her work in a way that defied criticism. Curt Newsomcame in for some especially bitter comments.

  "Too bad we can't get a horse in here so you'd feel at home," snappedthe director after Curt had bungled one bit of action.

  "I don't like skunks," shot back Curt and turned away.

  The director, his face flaming, grabbed Curt's arm.

  "You've got to explain that," he cried.

  "Do you want me to?" asked Curt, looking straight into the face of theincensed director.

  Adolphi dropped his arm and turned away, and in that action he stirredJanet's suspicions anew. If he were without guilt, she felt he wouldhave forced Curt to a showdown. But he had turned away and Janet thoughtshe caught just a flicker of Rachel Nesbit's eyes.

  Then they were back at work, rehearsing until well after the usualdinner hour. When the director finally released them, most of thecompany was dizzy with fatigue,

  "He's trying to wear us out so we won't be able to put on a good showtomorrow night," muttered Curt. "I've a good notion to drop him down anelevator shaft and see if he'll bounce."

  Jim Hill was waiting for them.

  "I thought you'd never come," he said. "Adolphi been pretty tough?"

  Janet nodded. "He couldn't have been much worse."

  "He's got a reputation for driving his casts just before the final show.Sometimes he gets marvelous results; then, again, the thing will fallflat with everyone all worn out."

  "He's trying to break us in two," grumbled Curt, whose feet werehurting.

  Jim Hill took them down to his office and they ordered sandwiches sentin while they went over the manuscript. It had been given the approvalof the continuity chief and was to be incorporated into the program.

  "I think it's good stuff," said Janet as she laid down the script."You've caught the spirit of the picture at last. If this doesn't boompublic interest in 'Kings of the Air' to a high pitch, I'll be a verymistaken young lady."

  The others agreed with her that Jim had struck the right note.

  "Now the thing to do is to get Adolphi to swing it through for metomorrow night. He can if he wants to."

  "That's a real question, too," said Curt. "I suspect he's the guy behindall of the trouble and we'll find Rachel Nesbit right in with him."

  They left a few minutes later, Jim Hill taking the precious manuscriptwith him.

  Parting on Sixth Avenue, Jim signalled for a cab.

  "I'm not taking any chances tonight," he said.

  They watched him get into the cab and he waved as the taxi shot away andswung onto a side street. But before it disappeared Janet saw somethingthat caused a wave of apprehension to sweep over her.

  A long, rakish sedan, which had been parked further along the street,leaped ahead, and swung around the corner behind the taxi which wascarrying Jim Hill and the final draft of their radio script.