The Opera House is located on the left side of the road north of the city to Dawes, only a 5-minute drive there.Decker followed the long line of traffic, up the winding ramp.As the afterglow of the setting sun faded away, the headlights of the cars came on.
"What a beautiful view." Beth scanned the dark mountains covered by dwarf pines.They came to a steep rise, parked the car in the twilight, and walked toward the amphitheater built on the other side of the rise.Beth's attention was attracted by the way the people around her were dressed, and she seemed very curious. "I don't really know if I'm overdressed or underdressed." She was wearing a black dress with a lace shawl and a string of pearls that hung prominently around her neck. “Some people here are wearing tuxedos and tuxedos, and others are wearing loafers, jeans and cashmere shirts like they’re out camping. The woman over there is carrying a duffle bag and a parka .I can't believe it's real. Are we all going to the same place?"
Decker, in a sweatshirt and slacks, laughed. “The amphitheater is unsheltered on all sides and open-air on top. The desert cools down after the sun goes down, sometimes dropping below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. If the wind blows, the lady in the tuxedo will wish She has the parka mountaineering jacket you mentioned. During intermission, a lot of people go to the theater kiosk to buy blankets. That's why I have this travel blanket tucked under me. We Might be useful."
They handed in the tickets, followed the ticket inspector through the lively open space, mixed among a group of people, walked up to the second floor, and came to a row of wide wooden doors.These doors lead to seating in the various balconies.
"This door is ours," Decker said.He held out his hand to signal Beth to go in first.When Beth entered the door, he took the opportunity to turn around naturally to see if anyone in the field below was watching him.He realized with exasperation that he was falling back into his old habits.Why should he care?It's pointless to watch him.Did his former superiors think that he might have come to the opera to engage in some dangerous activity?He found nothing; the people in the arena below were busy entering the theater, and no one looked up at him.
Decker didn't let Beth see what was on his mind.He accompanied her to the right seat on the second floor.He noticed that their seats weren't the best in the theater, but there was nothing to complain about.For example, the part they are in is not open-air, so they can see the stars through the open-air part above the middle seat, and their rear seat protects them from the cold night air.
"What about the open air in the middle if it rains?" Beth said. "Is the show off?"
"No. The singers are out of the rain."
"But what about the audience in the middle seats?"
"They're going to get wet."
"It's getting weirder and weirder."
“There are even weirder ones. Next early July, you can go to the opening of the opera season. In the parking lot of that place, the audience turns down the tailgate of their cars and serves as a dining table for a party.”
"Tailgate party? You mean like in football season?"
"Only one difference, here they drink champagne and wear tuxedos."
Beth laughed.Her laugh is contagious.Decker was delighted to find that he had forgotten about being watched and laughed with her.
The lights dimmed and Tosca began.The show was pretty good.The first act shows a political prisoner hiding in a church, and the atmosphere is correspondingly sombre and melancholy.Although none could match the extraordinary performance of Maria Callas in the title role of "Tosca", the evening's soprano singing was an excellent endeavor.At the end of the first act, Decker clapped enthusiastically.
But when he looked down to the ground floor and caught a glimpse of the dim sum shop to the left of the middle seats, he froze suddenly.
"What happened?" Beth asked.
Decker didn't answer.He was still staring in the direction of the dim sum shop.
"Steve?"
Decker felt pressure behind his ear.He finally replied, "How do you think something happened?"
"The look on your face, as if you saw a ghost."
"It's not a ghost, it's a bad business partner." Decker saw again the man who had stared at him earlier in the day.The man was wearing a gray sports coat, standing next to the pastry shop, paying no attention to everything around him, staring at Decker intently.Decker thought he was trying to figure out if I was going to sit here or go out through those doors.If I leave, he will most likely tell his headset-wearing companion, via a tiny walkie-talkie, that I'm headed in that person's direction. "Forget about him, don't let him spoil our fun tonight," Decker said. "Come on, don't you want some hot chocolate?"
They went through the door they had come in, down the corridor, down the stairs, and onto the crowded field.Crowded in the crowd, Decker couldn't tell if anyone else was watching him.He led Beth around the left side of the theater, toward the bakery.It was there that he saw the man.
But that person is no longer there.
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