Patterson, James - Alex Cross 7 - Violets Are Blue

William used the candle on their table to light a cigar. 'It's showtime, my dear brother. Remember what you said - we can be choosy. Don't forget that.'

The magicians' grand entrance onto the stage was a glittery nugget of eye candy. Daniel and Charles literally flew down from the rafters, at least a fifty- or sixty-foot drop.

Then the magicians disappeared, and the spellbound audience erupted in applause.

William and Michael cheered as well. The sheer speed with which the hydraulic mechanisms worked was impressive.

Daniel and Charles appeared again. The magicians led two small elephants, a white stallion, and a glorious Bengal tiger onto the stage.

'That's me,' William whispered against Michael's ear. T am that beautiful cat. I am right at Daniel's side. He should be careful.'

The sound system played Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' in computerized surround-sound. The noise was as gaudy as the visual. A powerful exhaust system vented out the odor of urine and horse and elephant dung. A semi-pleasant vanilla-almond fragrance was pumped in.

On the stage, meanwhile, the two magicians were arguing about something.

William leaned toward a handsome young couple who had just been seated at the cocktail table to his left. The male and female were in their mid-twenties. He immediately recognized them from a hit TV show. He couldn't decide which of the two actors was better looking. They were both so fly, so full of themselves. He knew that their names were Andrew Cotton and Dara Grey. Hell, he read EW and the tabloids in his spare moments.

'Isn't this amazing?'he said.T love magic. It's so kinky, and funny. This is hilarious!'

The female glanced his way. Dara Grey was about to put him in his place when she looked into William's eyes. Just like that - he had her. Only then did he bother to check out the rest of her: an electric blue slip dress, vintage belt and jeweled shoes, embroidered Fendi bag. Nice, very nice. He wanted to feed on her.

This was going to be so good, so delicious.

Now he would seduce the boyfriend. Andrew, dear sweet Andrew.

Then - then they would party until dawn.

Alex Cross 7 - Violets Are Blue

Chapter Thirty-Two

The two magicians continued to taunt each other mercilessly on stage. William's eyes drifted back toward the bright lights and the loud bickering. He smiled, couldn't help it. The magicians were part of tonight too, a big part, actually. Important as hell.

Daniel and Charles were in their early forties. They were handsome in a crude sort of way, confident, especially in the eyes of the tawdry Vegas crowd.

Daniel spoke to the audience as if he were a trial lawyer cleverly engaging a jury. He waved a long, highly polished sword, using it for emphasis.

'We are performance artists, possibly the best now working in the world. We've played at Madison Square, and the Winter Garden in New York, the Magic Castle, the Palladium in London, the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris. We've headlined in Frankfurt, Sydney, Melbourne, Moscow, Tokyo of course.'

Charles seemed bored by his partner's self-serving speech. He sat down on the edge of the stage and yawned until his tonsils showed.

'They don't care about your pedigree, Daniel,' Charles finally spoke. 'Most of these bumpkins wouldn't know Houdini from Siegfried and Roy. Do a cheap trick, that's what the/re here for. Tricks are for kids, and they're all kids! Do a trick! Do a cheap, slick trick!'

Daniel suddenly pointed the tip of his sword at his partner. He waggled it threateningly. 'I'm warning you, chump.'

William looked over at the couple sitting beside him. 'This part is pretty good,' he whispered, 'believe it or not.'

He caught the man's eye, but the actor quickly pulled his gaze away. Too late. He had him too. The male wanted to get into his pants. Who could blame him? God, he wanted to feed. Right here, right now.

Onstage, Daniel had begun to yell at Charles. 'I've had enough of your high-handed, condescending bullshit, partner. I've had enough of you! More than enough!'

'That's too bad,' William mimicked the next few words spoken onstage, 'because I've only just begun to torment you, and them! The bumpkins!'

The two actors sitting next to them laughed at William's accurate play by play. He had them utterly charmed. Now the male almost couldn't take his eyes off William. Poor, poor Andrew.

Suddenly, up on the stage, Daniel rushed at Charles. He thrust the sword right into Charles's chest. Charles's scream was piercing and real. Blood erupted from his chest, spilled and splashed everywhere. The frightened audience gasped, and the room went quiet. They were in shock.

William and Michael giggled, couldn't stop. So did the couple beside them. Others shushed them.

Daniel began to drag Charles's body across the stage, careful to emphasize how heavy the man was. Very dramatic stuff. He stopped at a small prop that was actually a butcher-block table. He draped the body across the table.

He took an ax, hoisted it high, and chopped Charles's head off! The room exploded with screams. Some people covered their eyes. 'This is not funny,' someone shouted.

William roared with laughter and clapped and stamped his feet. The loud shushing continued all around him. People were horrified, but they wanted more. The two actors beside him were laughing as hard as he was. The woman playfully swatted William's arm.

Daniel now placed Charles's head inside a wicker basket. He did it very theatrically. Then he bowed. The audience finally got it. They had caught up.

William frowned and lowered his head. 'The good part is over. The rest is anticlimax.'

Daniel carried the wicker basket back across the entire length of the stage. He walked very slowly. With great care, he spilled out Charles's head onto a silver platter.

'Just happened to have a platter handy!'William whispered to the couple.

Daniel turned to the audience. 'Any of you figure this out yet? No? ... Really? ... He's dead.'

'Liar! No he's not!' William shouted from his seat.'Your act is dead, but Charles is alive! Unfortunately.'

Suddenly, the head on the silver platter moved. Charles's eyes opened. The audience went wild. The illusion was quite stunning, and certainly novel enough.

Charles said, 'My God, look what you've done, Daniel. All these witnesses saw you. You'll never get away with this, you murderer.'

Daniel shrugged. 'Oh, but I will. Nobody out there really cares about you, or anyone else for that matter. They don't like you. They don't even like themselves. You deserved this, Charles.'

The head on the platter spoke again. 'A public beheading? Help me, Daniel.'

'What's the magic word, Charles?' asked Daniel.

'Please help me,' Charles answered. 'Please, Daniel. Help me?'

Daniel carefully placed the basket over Charles's head, and then he carried it back across the stage where, with broad flourishes and theatrical gestures, he reattached Charles's head to his body. Charles then rose up and grasped his partner's hand.

The two magicians stood together and bowed.'Ladies and gentlemen, we are Daniel and Charles, the best magicians in the world!' they shouted to the rafters.

The applause inside the room was loud and sustained. People stood and clapped and cheered. The magicians took several more bows.

'Boo! Boo! They're fakes!'William and Michael hooted from their seats. They saw a couple of hotel security geeks approaching their table.

William leaned toward Andrew Cotton and Dara Grey. 'You like magic, theater, adventure?' he asked. 'I'm William Alexander and this is my brother, Michael. Let's go somewhere. Let's get the hell out of here. We'll have some real fun.'

The actors rose, and as they were leaving with William and Michael, the security people arrived.