Murder at the theatre

Going to the cinema is a fun activity, one you can enjoy alone or with friends. It might just make for the perfect date or a good day out to spend with the family. Good times all around, even if the movie is a bit rubbish, at least you can laugh about how terrible it was afterwards in good company. Even so, sharing time with pals and the decent snacks in a comfy seat can be nice enough. Sometimes it's good just to get out of the house every now and then. It's very rare that a trip to the cinemas can be truly awful, most times it is an honestly great experience. However, there are cases that end in far worse than sad faces and disappointment, sometimes these things can end in murder, quite literally. That was the case with the Cabaret Theatre in Hollywood Boulevard, LA. It was the new premier for an action blockbuster film that (almost) everybody was excited to finally watch. It was supposedly a true story, one that depicted the mafia making moves in New York City, exposing real criminals and even celebrities who were in cahoots with the criminals. Obviously news of this film sent chills down the monsters spines, arrests had already been made and making their mistakes public knowledge was infuriating for the gang. The screenplay had been written by an undercover cop by the name of Leonard Jacob. He too was attending the premier, sitting mid center of the theatre beside the directors and big name actors and actresses who starred in the motion picture. It was roughly halfway through the flick that Leonard desperately needed to use the bathroom, despite already going right before the film started, he suddenly really had to relieve himself. He stood up quickly, racing past the audience, holding himself tightly so he wouldn't lose control, but before he even reached the men's toilets, he began to puke! Not just digested food, but blood and gore too. Somebody had poisoned him, the popcorn he ate had been laced with a toxic, tasteless liquid which eventually killed the poor man in hospital that very night. The film had stopped abruptly when Leonard was raced to hospital, police surrounded the building like a swarm of bees. Detective Harry Byrnes came to the theatre to investigate, questioning everyone who was there when Leonard was poisoned. The victim wasn't sat beside any strangers in the audience, so it couldn't have been his friends or movie industry partners that had laced his food. So, Harry figured it must've been a cinema employee who had tampered with his popcorn. Apparently a new member of staff had only recently been recruited and he was a strange character to apply for the role too. Where most who applied were young men or women, typically teenage university students studying film and media in-between working at the theatre. Of course not everyone who worked there was an aspiring student. There were older gentlemen and ladies too, but this latest member of the team was a hugely muscular built Italian American man, who was middle aged and may have loved the occasional mobster film but not much more. It was immediately obvious to Harry Byrnes that this character was suspicious. So he tried to interrogate him, but the new employee hit the detective and fled, Harry was stunned, but quickly regained his feet and chased after the man who had just confirmed the Detective's greatest suspicions. Harry raced after the murderer, exiting the theatre out the back before any of the police surrounding the building could catch him.
"Stop!" Harry demanded.
"Forget about it!" The gangster replied, running out onto the street and hijacking a nearby vehicle, driving away into the city. Harry commandeered another car, explaining to the driver he needed the vehicle for police business while holding up his badge. The driver surprisingly complied, exiting his car to allow Harry to drive it.
"You better not scratch this beauty!" The car owner yelled as Harry chased down the killer. A thrilling police chase across LA began, like something out of the very film that had just been playing inside the theatre. This criminal was a skilled getaway driver, dodging traffic and swerving screaming pedestrians, but Harry was sure if he and the rest of the LAPD didn't stop this mad man soon, there would be more murder on the streets of Los Angeles that night! The police chase concluded with the killer crashing into a fancy clothes shop, smashing through the store windows. Fortunately everybody inside had dived out of the way of the collision. Harry was on the scene to arrest the killer, it was later proved that it was indeed him who was behind the death at the movies.