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eighty. This young woman is obviously a relative, probably a granddaughter.”
    To sustained applause, Brainert led the elegant woman up the short flight of stairs and onto the stage. The young blonde followed, eliciting some whistles of her own from the male contingent.
    Brainert and the blonde moved to the side of the stage as Hedda stepped up to the standing microphone. A smiling Dr. Lilly greeted the living legend, and the pair shook hands. Camera phones were held aloft to capture the moment.
    Dr. Lilly stepped back and Hedda began to speak.
    “Thank you all for such a warm welcome! I am ever so grateful for this opportunity to come forward again and greet my fans. You know, my screen career ended long ago. But this festival is truly a gift to me, showing my films, making me a star again.” She smiled. “Or at least feel like a star again...”
    The crowd laughed and applauded.
    “Indeed, to night truly is like yesteryear. You’ve made it all come back to me—”
    An intense flash suddenly illuminated the stage. The silent burst of light was followed by a shower of sparks that rained down around the standing mike, where Hedda was speaking.
    Another flash came from above, and the startled elderly woman looked up.
    “Oh, my god!” someone cried from the first row.
    “The speaker!”
    “Look out!”
    Screams came from all over the theater as the massive black audio speaker dropped from above, trailing sparking wires.
    Brainert lunged for Hedda and pulled her away. The object struck the heavy microphone stand, smashing the metal flat. More screams filled the theater as the speaker bounced across the stage, then came apart. People in the front row leaped up as the debris scattered.
    “Oh, my God, Jack,” I silently cried. “That speaker could have hurt Hedda!”
    You mean killed, don’t you? Look at that steel microphone stand, baby. It’s smashed beyond recognition.
    Now I was on my feet along with everyone else, and another figure dashed onto the stage—Bud Napp. As sparks continued to flutter down like sizzling snow, Bud raised his arms and signaled for calm. “All right, people, settle down now,” he declared in the same tone he used when presiding over our Quindicott Business Own ers Association meetings. “No one was hurt, and there’s no cause for alarm!”
    “What happened?” someone cried.
    “Looks like our public address speaker fell, that’s all,” Bud continued. “There’s no danger to anyone, so don’t panic. But as you can tell from my shouting , we lost our audio system . . .”
    Behind Bud, the young, blonde Hedda lookalike darted across the stage to put an arm around the elder Hedda. Appearing shaken, the actress quickly recovered, and the young woman led her off stage.
    Brainert stepped forward, careful to avoid the sparking wires, as he loudly addressed the crowd. “I’m sure Dr. Lilly will be happy to finish her lecture tomorrow morning, at the Buy the Book store on Cranberry Street.”
    Dr. Lilly nodded. “I’m sure to have my new book delivered by then!” she shouted. “I hope to see you all there!”
    “And we’ll hear from the great Hedda Geist- Middleton later this weekend, too!” Brainert added, forcing a stiff grin across his still chalk- white face. “Meanwhile, I have an idea. Let’s forget about this little mishap and proceed to the lawn party at the Finch Inn!”
    Spotty applause followed, and then the crowd began to buzz with excitement as it moved up the aisles. The electric reaction didn’t surprise me. Witnessing a shocking accident was a gossip gold mine in this little town. Not only had these folks scored a story to tell for weeks to come, they could start rehashing it right now at a party with food and drink.
    I remained in my seat, waiting for the mob to disperse. Then I approached the stage, one eye on the shattered speaker and the hot, sparking wires still flashing overhead.
    That Hedda Geist . . . Jack remarked.
    “What about