Coming Soon

by Jo Leigh

  “Oh,” he repeated. “What makes you think he didn’t have another camera in his suite? Maybe one in that closet? One that was triggered to go off if anyone tampered with his mirror?”

  The blood rushed from Mia’s head and made her momentarily dizzy. It had never occurred to her that she could have been taped. “Damn,” she whispered.

  “Damn, indeed. I think you should take some time off from work.”

  “I can’t. I just can’t.”

  “Mia, this is getting dangerous.”

  She shook her head, hardly believing that she’d been such a fool. “But still, now that you know he has those memory cards, can’t you get a search warrant?”

  “In order to do that, I’d have to take you down to the precinct. And you’d have to admit that you were in the suite illegally. There would be no option but to arrest you, Mia, and once that happened…”

  “I’d lose my job.”

  “It would be a matter of public record. I don’t see how you could work as a concierge again.”

  She got very, very still. This was so much worse than she’d ever imagined. She’d put Bax in a hideous position and herself in the deepest hot water she could imagine. “But you have to,” she said.

  “I don’t have to do anything.”

  “And if what I saw can solve the murder?”

  He sat back in his chair, his unflappable face not so unreadable now. He was worried, terribly so. And angry. Of course, she couldn’t blame him. She’d screwed up about as badly as a person could.

  “I have to think about this. But first, is there anything else you need to tell me?”

  She nodded, and he let out a little groan. She signaled the waiter, needing another drink badly. Then she told him about her trip into Danny Austen’s trailer.

  By the time the pasta arrived, she had completely lost her appetite. She’d messed up. With the case. With the hotel. With Bax.

  Shit.

  BAX STOOD IN THE HALLWAY in front of Mia’s door. He hated the way he’d left things with her, but what choice was there? If something happened to her…

  Goddamn these movie people.

  This whole case felt like a can of worms. Every new piece of information made things muddier instead of clearer. He had the feeling it was all there, just out of reach. None of these people were innocent, but which one had wielded the knife that had killed Geiger?

  He had to find out about Mexico. Make sure Danny Austen didn’t go off the deep end now that Mia had caught him with his pants down. And, he had to figure out some way to get his hands on those memory cards. All before one of them, or all of them, decided that Mia had seen too much.

  Shit.

  HENRY TOTH ORDERED a full breakfast, complete with juice and coffee. Bax didn’t say a word. He needed Toth to clear some things up for him, and if he had to pay for the meal, so be it.

  “I don’t know that I can be of any more help, Detective. I pretty much told you everything I know the last time we spoke.”

  “Tell me about Oscar Weinberg.”

  “That’s a pretty broad question.”

  Bax sat back in the booth in the small diner. They were several blocks from the hotel, away from the other paparazzi. “I’m in no rush.”

  Toth shook his head. He still looked as if he hadn’t showered, but Bax was starting to understand his unkempt look was all part of a persona he worked hard to maintain. In his conversations with the reporters from Page Six and the other tabloids, it seemed that Toth was one of the powerhouses of street photography. While Geiger had had pretty specific targets, those connected with Oscar Weinberg, Toth didn’t seem to care who he shot. Any celebrity in New York was fair game. But he, like most other paps, was never able to get the inside scoop on Gerry’s favorite subjects.

  “What arrangement did Weinberg have with Geiger? Why was he the one to get the calls?”

  “That started a long time ago,” Toth said. “From what I hear, Geiger used to work for a film distributor, I forget which one. He was a set photographer. Movie stills, production photos, that kind of thing.”

  “What happened?”

  Toth shrugged. “He went private about six years ago.”

  “Why?”

  “I assume he thought he could make more money on his own.”

  “What do you know about a film he worked on in Mexico? About six years ago?”

  “Nothing. I wasn’t doing this shit back then.”

  “You and Geiger were pretty competitive.”

  “Yeah. And to tell you the truth, I’m not all that upset that he’s dead. But I don’t know who killed him.”

  “What about Oscar?”

  “Oscar is a very nervous fellow. And he’s good with audio-visual equipment.”

  “What does he want?”

  “Control.”

  The meal arrived and Toth spent several minutes preparing his feast to his liking. Bax sipped his coffee.

  “You know,” Henry said, finally. “If it were me, I’d be kind of curious as to why Nan Collins turned down a role as a regular in one of those Law and Order series. Seems to me, a gal as ambitious as Nan would have been all over that part. It sure beats the hell out of fetching and toting for Weinberg.”

  Bax thought about that as Toth ate. In the end, he didn’t mind paying for breakfast.

  IT WAS TEN IN THE MORNING, and Mia had to get to the dry cleaners. She didn’t want to go. She’d had a horrible night. She’d cried until she had no more tears. Burned with shame. Ached as if her heart had been yanked right out of her chest. How could she mourn the loss of something she’d never had? How could it hurt so much when they hadn’t even kissed?

  He’d been so upset. So angry.

  If there had ever been a chance that the two of them might get together, she’d squashed it with her stupidity. With her carelessness.

  Inevitably, horribly, there was only one thing that could start to make up for what she’d done. She would quit.

  It made her so sad she could barely breathe, but really what choice did she have?

  It was going to be awful, explaining to Piper why she had to leave. Confessing. Mia would have to make sure they could cover for her absence because the last thing she wanted to do was leave everyone in the lurch.

  But the worst of it was going to be walking away from Hush. Walking away from her dreams. She wouldn’t even ask for a letter of recommendation or a reference. She didn’t deserve either.

  The film company was shooting on the corner, and she had to wait until they let traffic go to cross into the garage. She passed the trailers, keeping her head low, not out of fear but embarrassment.

  When she stepped into the hotel, the urge was strong to turn around and run, but she kept going. She had no choice. But now she had to let Bax know she was here. God forbid he should see her, and think she was up to something.

  She stopped in the hallway and got out her cell. In a fit of optimism, she’d put his number into speed dial. It rang four times, then his voice mail came on. Just hearing him brought tears to her eyes.

  “Hi. It’s Mia. I’m at the hotel, but don’t worry, I won’t be here long. I’ve come to turn in my resignation. I’m going to see if Piper’s available. If she’s not, then I’ll leave her a note. I’ll explain what I did, and we’ll have it on record so you won’t get in trouble.”

  She had to pause as her throat closed, but when she could talk again there was only one thing left to say. “I’m sorry.”

  She hung up and headed for the concierge desk.

  Tina was working this morning. She was nice and she was good. She or Ellen would probably be moved to Mia’s hours. God, even thinking that hurt.

  “Is Piper here?”

  “Yeah, she is, but she had a meeting with Sheila Geiger that started about an hour ago. I think it’s still going on.”

  Mia nodded, wondering if she should wait, or write out her resignation. It wouldn’t hurt to do both. “I just need to get some paper,” she said, taking out a few
sheets of Hush stationery.

  “No sweat. It was really busy this morning, but thankfully things have settled way down.”

  “That’s great,” she said. “Listen, I’m going to be in the cafeteria. Could you give me a call if you see Piper’s finished with her meeting?”

  “Sure.”

  Mia walked as if to the gallows. Everything in her body ached, especially her heart. Writing this letter was going to kill her, she felt sure of that.

  She found herself an empty table and she began. She wrote slowly and carefully, not leaving out a thing. Bax was not going to get screwed over this. She and she alone was responsible.

  By the time she’d put it all on paper, it was almost noon. She’d gone through a half-dozen tissues and several sheets of paper. But it was done.

  God, how was she going to tell her parents?

  She went to the trash and tossed her tissues and then her phone rang. It wasn’t Bax. In fact, it was a number she didn’t recognize. Probably a solicitation. “Hello?”

  “Miss Traverse?” It was a woman’s voice, high, with a distinct Brooklyn accent.

  “Yes.”

  “Detective Milligan asked me to call. He’s having trouble with his phone. He’d like you to meet him in the garage, by the north exit.”

  “Oh, okay. Thank you.” Mia hung up. For a second she allowed herself to believe things would be okay, at least with Bax. But the truth was too heavy to dismiss.

  She would show him her letter to Piper, see if he wanted anything changed. Then she would say goodbye.

  The walk to the north exit took a while, not because it was all that far, but because her feet didn’t want to move. She willed herself to stop crying. She had all the time in the world to do that after she was home.

  Bax wasn’t there, at least as far as she could see. “Bax? Hello?”

  No answer. Odd. She would have called him if his phone had been working.

  Instead, she rounded one of the big movie trucks that had been parked there all week. She had a pretty good field of vision then, but still no sight of Bax. “Hello?”

  Her phone rang, making her jump, and as she reached for it, the top of her shoulder exploded in pain and she tripped, fell, smashed into the pavement.

  “Ride of the Valkyries” played as everything went dark.

  9

  “MIA, WHERE ARE YOU? Call me back.” Bax was in the garage after his meeting with Henry Toth. The concierge on duty had told him she thought Mia had gone out to the trailers, which made him angry all over again. Hadn’t she heard him last night? Hadn’t she told him she wouldn’t come back to the hotel?

  He walked to the middle half block of the long parking area. It felt empty, at least of people if not vehicles. Goddamn it, why wasn’t she picking up? He was going to read her the riot act the second he found her.

  He hit her speed dial number again. Could she have gone to the trailers? Looking for him, perhaps? She wouldn’t be crazy enough to approach Nan again or Danny. Or would she? Her phone rang once, twice, three times, and that was it, he’d had it with—wait. He pulled the phone from his ear. There. “Ride of the Valkyries.” Small, distant, faint.

  It stopped, and he dialed again, hurrying toward the sound. As the tune got louder, he pulled his weapon from the holster. This was not good. The garage was dark on this side, with mostly empty trucks stacked one after another. To the best of his knowledge there wasn’t a full-time security guard over here, as there was nothing much to see. The guards concentrated their efforts on primary targets, the hotel entrances, the motor homes and the production trailers.

  He called again, more grateful than ever for speed dial. Wagner’s music was louder now, echoing. Right behind that truck.

  He put his phone away, put both hands on his weapon as he crouched low and hurried around the truck. His heart fell as he saw her on the ground. There was way too much blood.

  Barely aware of how he’d gotten there, he crouched by her side, feeling her neck for a pulse. She was, thank God, still alive.

  Bax pulled out his phone and called for a bus, and then he called the concierge desk of Hush. He told the blond girl to call the set nurse and send him to the north exit in the garage.

  Then he was all about making sure Mia didn’t die.

  He found the wound. It didn’t look too bad. Just the top of her shoulder. But, oh, shit, she was bleeding from a gash on her temple.

  He wasn’t sure if he should try to stem the bleeding or leave her for the EMTs in case she’d hurt her neck.

  She moaned and then her eyes opened and Bax was so relieved he could barely breathe.

  “Bax?”

  “Shh, honey. Just rest. You’re gonna be fine.”

  “What happened?”

  Thankfully, the set nurse came running and a few seconds later he’d pushed Bax out of the way to take over.

  All Bax could do was watch and wait for the ambulance. He could still hardly believe that some sonofabitch had shot her. Tried to kill her. The thought of it, the idea that she— He wanted to hit someone. Pummel the prick. Everything in him screamed for vengeance.

  One thing for goddamn sure. Whoever did this would pay if it was the last thing Bax did.

  The nurse, a guy in his early thirties with a meticulous beard, looked to Bax as if he knew what he was doing. He also ignored the shoulder wound, concentrating on Mia’s head. After cleaning and bandaging her temple, he probed her scalp, her neck. Then asked her, “Can you tell me your name, sweetie?”

  “Mia Traverse.”

  “Do you know where you are?”

  “Hush?”

  Bax paced the area around the truck as he called the precinct to get some CSI out here. He looked for the ambulance, then back at Mia. After he’d arranged for a detective to get out here, he spoke to Miguel, still on desk duty but helpful nonetheless. It didn’t take long to give him the details of what Bax needed, and then the bus arrived. Soon, Mia was on a stretcher and hooked up to a heart monitor.

  A crowd had formed, mostly movie people, and as Bax climbed into the back of the ambulance he saw Danny Austen standing right next to Nan Collins. Anger swept through him like a tornado, but he held himself back. Mia came first.

  Making sure he wasn’t in the way, he watched the EMTs work on her. She was still a little dopey, but she hadn’t exhibited signs of a severe concussion. That didn’t mean he’d rest until they did a full exam and CT scan. He was just grateful her color was good and so was her heart.

  As they neared the hospital, Bax moved down the bench a bit so Mia could see him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. He couldn’t believe how scared he’d been. How deeply he cared that she was all right.

  He hardly knew this woman, but damn it, there was nothing in his world that was more important than keeping her safe.

  “Ride of the Valkyries” made him jump, then pat his pockets. It was her phone. When had he grabbed it? He looked at the caller ID. Piper Devon. No way he was giving the phone to Mia, and personally, he wasn’t ready for this call, not yet.

  Mia came first.

  BAX. SHE OPENED her eyes, and he was right there. Right next to her. It was tempting to try to touch the hand resting on her arm, but moving hurt her head. A lot.

  “Hey, beautiful. You’re up.”

  “What’s—” Her mouth was dry as the desert and her tongue felt too big.

  Bax brought a plastic spoon to her lips. “Open,” he said. “Ice.”

  She obeyed and the cold wet felt wonderful. “What’s going on?”

  “You’re in the hospital. You fell.”

  “Oh.”

  “And you were shot.”

  She swallowed her ice. “What?”

  “It’s okay. You aren’t hurt badly. The bullet just grazed your shoulder. You had eight stitches. And four where you hit your head. Don’t worry, though. The doctor said your concussion is minor and the worst of it’s going to be a headache.”

  “I was shot?”

  He nod
ded. “Why in hell were you back at the hotel?”

  She blinked at him for a few seconds, then sighed. “I went there to resign.”

  Bax touched the side of her face with his fingertips. “You should have talked to me, kiddo.”

  “I tried. Honest.” Tears came, sudden and hot. “I’m so sorry.”

  He covered her hand with his. “Shh. It’s okay. As long as you’re all right, I don’t give a damn about another thing.”

  “I was just so stupid.”

  “Yeah, you were. It happens. We move on.”

  “Now you’re just being nice.”

  He grinned at her. “Yeah. I am.”

  She would have socked him if she could have. “Where was I shot?”

  “It was more of a graze than a shot—”

  “No, I mean where.”

  “Oh. The garage. You don’t remember?”

  “I remember writing my resignation. Waiting to talk to Piper.”

  “The doctor said you might have some amnesia around the incident. It doesn’t matter. You’re going to be fine. I promise. And I’m going to find out who did this to you. Trust me.”

  She squeezed his fingers. “I do. With my life.”

  “I think that’s the medicine talking.” He gave her another spoon of ice. “It’s late. You should go back to sleep.”

  “What about you?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right here when you get up.” He brushed her forehead gently. “Right here.”

  Knowing he would be, she slept.

  BAX WAS ON HIS SECOND cup of coffee when she woke up. It was early, not yet seven, but she’d had a good night. From what the nurse said, she was strong. It should be a quick recovery.

  It couldn’t happen fast enough for him. When he thought about her lying in that pool of blood, it made him sick to his stomach. All through the long afternoon and night, he’d beaten himself up for bringing her into such danger. He’d been such an idiot. He should have realized she was too curious to let things be. That she was so into solving the case that she’d let her good judgment slip. When it came right down to it, he’d have willingly let the killer go free if it meant keeping Mia from harm.