You said it was a few hours before, if she was ill, she doesn't have to call out until 1/2 hour. Or she may have had an emergency.
The box office is often the last to know.
So, no, I doubt the box office deliberately lied to you.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.