Shannon shook her head. ‘That’s impossible,’ she said positively. ‘Someone’s made a mistake.’
The director shifted his weight from one foot to the other. ‘Listen, I think you’d better take those pills. You don’t look so hot. And we have to tape this scene.’
Automatically, she fished in her pocketbook until she found the antihistamine tablets and popped two into her mouth.
‘Thanks,’ Crawford said with a quick smile. ‘I guess you’re not much in the mood for it, but... ’
‘There’s a reasonable explanation for all this. There has to be. Cade wouldn’t.. .1 mean, I know him. I...’
Crawford patted her shoulder clumsily. ‘Dammit, 1 thought for sure you knew. I wish I’d spoken to your agent first. I tried. I called her office this morning and left a message, but... I’m really sorry. I mean, along with everything else, I hate to dump this on you, too, but...All Our Tomorrows has to keep going. I’ve got no choice about the storyline. You see that, don’t you?’
‘You’re changing it,’ she said flatly, and Jerry nodded.
‘I have to. Without Morgan, I’ve got to kill you off. You understand.’
Shannon raised her eyes and looked at the director’s reflection in the dressing-table mirror. You’re an actress, she told herself, reading the wary concern in the man’s eyes. You play the part through to the final curtain.
‘Yes, of course,’ she said evenly. ‘Aland’s nothing without Johnny.’
‘I’m glad you’re taking it so well, Padgett,’ Crawford said. ‘And listen, I really am sorry about this morning.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said, forcing a smile to her lips. My God, she thought, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, was that pasty face hers?
‘Are you OK? You look awfully pale.’
‘I’m fine,’ she lied. ‘It’s just the pills doing their job.’
‘Are you sure? You don’t look so good.’
‘Really, I’m good. Do you want to get to the taping now?’
There was a light tap at the door. It swung open and Claire stepped into the tiny room. Her glance swept past Jerry and fell on Shannon.
‘Well,’ she said brightly, ‘I see I’m just in time for the first meeting of the Tomorrows’ chapter of the Cade Morgan Fan Club.’ She smiled and put her hand on Shannon’s shoulder. ‘How are you doing, sweetie?’
Shannon opened her mouth, then shut it. Claire gave Jerry Crawford a look.
‘Right,’ he said briskly. Five minutes. Then maybe we can get this scene squared away fast and we can all get the hell out of here.’
Shannon nodded, the smile still plastered to her face. As soon as the door swung shut, she closed her eyes and bowed her head.
‘You know?’ she asked, and Claire nodded.
‘Crawford left a message with my secretary. I’m sorry, sweetie..’
‘Damn it, I don’t want to hear any more sympathy messages!’ Shannon said slamming her hand down on the dressing-table. ‘There’s got to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this. I’ll bet anything it’s a mistake. Cade went out there at the last minute, Claire. He didn’t even really want to go—it was just to meet somebody and talk about some movie they’re making next spring.’
Claire’s hand tightened on Shannon’s shoulder. ‘ I’d love to tell you what you want to hear, but I can’t. Crawford’s office gave me all the gory details and I confirmed them.’
‘But...but...it hasn’t been four months yet,’ Shannon said, grasping at straws. ‘Remember? You said these parts would run four months.’
‘Morgan wouldn’t sign more than a month- to-month contract, and he insisted on a rider that would permit him to cancel with one week’s notice. I thought it was because he wanted to negotiate for more bucks, but this morning I heard that he’d already talked to Scorpio Studios a few months ago about this movie. They didn’t want him—Hollywood’s run by a bunch of bankers. What do they know from musicians? “Show us you can act,” the grey flannel suits said, “and we’ll talk it over.” So Mr. Morgan got himself a part on Tomorrows and did just that.’
Shannon took a deep breath. ‘Are you saying that Cade planned this?’ .
‘I’m saying he put his money on a horse that was a sure thing. The worst that could have happened was exposure on Tomorrows. The best was that he’d have this Hollywood contract in his pocket.’
‘But I spoke to him yesterday morning! He phoned me from LA—he said the smog was awful and the traffic was worse than New York’s.’
‘They signed him yesterday afternoon, kid.’ Claire glanced down at her client’s face and cleared her throat. ‘Look, let me speak to Crawford. The hell with this “the show must go on” garbage. You’ve put in a long day and...’
Shannon shook her head. The floor seemed to tilt under her feet but she took a deep breath and forced a smile to her lips.
‘It isn’t necessary,’ she said firmly. ‘Besides, I know all this is some sort of terrible error.’
‘Shannon, sweetie...’
‘You’ll see,’ she repeated as stubbornly as a child determined to go on believing in Santa Claus. ‘Cade wouldn’t lie to me.’’
She strode briskly back onto the set, ignoring Rima’s sly glances and pretending not to notice Jerry’s sympathetic ones. It took an hour to tape her brief scene with Rima, but finally it was over.
Claire insisted on going back to her apartment with her and by the time they reached it, Shannon was half convinced Cade would be waiting outside the door, ready to take her in his arms.
But the stairs and the hallway were empty.
Claire reached out and touched Shannon’s shoulder as they stepped into the apartment.
‘It’s freezing in this place.’
Shannon nodded. ‘Yes, I know. The heat’s not working’*
‘So throw some stuff together and come bunk with me,’ Claire said briskly. ‘We’ll do our nails and our hair and have girl-type fun together...’
But Shannon had already switched on her answering machine. Claire’s words faded into silence as Cade’s familiar voice spoke.
‘Shannon?’ he said, and then there was a pause. ‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured at last. ‘I wanted to tell you the news myself. It would have been better that way ...’
Then, at last, Shannon knew that everyone had been telling her the truth. Cade was gone.
A lancet of pain sliced into her heart. She snatched the machine from the table and hurled it across the room, killing Cade in a jumble of broken plastic and unwound tape.
And then the reality of it all swept over her, and. she buried her face in her hands.
‘I loved him,’ she whispered. ‘I believed in him… Oh, God, I want to die!’
Claire put her arms around her.
‘No way,,’ she said grimly, ‘It’s bad enough the son of a bitch killed Alana Dunbar. I absolutely refuse to let him take Shannon Padgett down the tubes, too.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘You'd think I’d remember whether you take cream in your coffee after three days, wouldn’t you?’ Claire asked, smiling as she padded into the dining alcove of her townhouse. ‘My head’s like a sieve.’
‘Black, thanks,’ Shannon answered. ‘Which reminds me—I stopped by at my apartment yesterday afternoon. Jose thinks the heating system will be fixed sometime today. I should be able to move back home this evening.’
‘For goodness’ sake, I didn’t mean to suggest it was time you left. Matter of fact, it’s been fun having you here.’ Claire grinned as she spread marmalade on a piece of buttered toast. ‘I haven’t had a roomie since my college days, and you’re lots more fun than she was.’
Shannon’s eyebrows arched above the rim of her cup. ‘Fun?’ she said. ‘There must be a word that describes the way I’ve been since Monday, but I’d bet my last cent that it wouldn’t be “fun”.’
Claire sighed and bit into her toast. ‘You wouldn’t say that if you’d known my room-mat
e.’ She munched in thoughtful silence. ‘You are one tough lady. Even Crawford’s impressed. He says you’ve been working your tail off, running rings around Rima and everybody else.’
‘Hard work is good for you,’ Shannon said blithely. ‘Didn’t anybody ever tell you that?’
‘They also told me you can’t put in twelve hour days if you pace the floor all night. Something’s gotta give, sooner or later.’
‘I’m not worried about it,’ Shannon said with a smile. ‘This is still “sooner”.’ The smile faded and she covered Claire’s hand with her own. ‘I’ve got to keep busy, Claire. Otherwise... I’ve just got to.’
‘Yeah, I understand. Uh, have you replaced your answering machine yet?’
Shannon drew her hand back and lifted her cup to her lips again. ‘What for?’ she asked carefully. ‘After all, you’re my agent. You handle all my business calls. I never really needed that thing in the first place.’
The agent took a deep breath. ‘Listen, sweetie,’ she said slowly, ‘you’ve got to talk to Morgan eventually.’
‘I don’t see why.’
‘OK, let’s put it another way. You’ve got to work with him again and, well, I saw that script, Shannon...’
‘Wonderful, isn’t it?’ Shannon asked sweetly. ‘Cade gets killed in a car crash.’
‘Johnny gets killed in a car crash,’ Claire said carefully. ‘And so does Alana. But there’s a love scene first. You’ll have to play it.’
‘You’re wrong, Claire. It’s not a love scene, it’s a bedroom scene. That’s all they ever were. I made the mistake of thinking they were something else.’ Shannon got to her feet. ‘Anyway, that’s next week. I’ll be fine by then.’
‘Look, I’m not trying to pressure you, but that’s only a couple of days from now. You make it sound as if you’ve got forever to work this out.’
‘There’s nothing to work out,’ Shannon answered, coming back into the alcove with her handbag. ‘I’m an actress with a commitment to Tomorrows. That’s all there is to it. Besides, didn’t you just say Jerry was pleased with my work?’
‘Yeah, but, well, when Morgan shows up...All I’m saying is it might be a good idea if you’d call him at the number he left with my secretary.’
‘I have nothing to say to the man. I thought you understood that.’ I
‘I do, and I agree with you, Shannon. He’s a bastard. But...’
‘I just wish I’d trusted my own instincts. The SOB used me! I don’t know which I was, an audition for Tomorrows or for the Hollywood movie role he wanted or—or just a diversion’ Her voice trembled and she hated herself for it. ‘Not that it matters.’’
‘Sweetie, don’t go over all this again.’
‘He knew all along that he was going to--tot walk away from me if he got the chance...’ Her eyes met Claire’s and she took a deep breath. ‘Everything between us was a lie,’ she said softly. ‘Right till the end, when he handed me that story about a last-minute meeting on the Coast. No wonder he gave me that speech about Tomorrows and how it had been there before him and would go on after him.’ Shannon stalked across the room and snatched her coat from the peg. ‘That was the closest he got to the truth, but then, what if his little deal had fallen through? Suppose Scorpio had said sent him back to New York with his tail between his legs? Why give up a sure thing in New York until you’ve cemented what you’ve got in Hollywood, right? Why not hang on to a part and a woman and—and—‘
Tears burned her eyes. Stop that, she told herself. She was not going to cry. She hated Morgan. Despised him. Why waste tears on such a despicable human being?
‘Shannon,’ her agent said gently, ‘you have to get over him.’
‘I am over him. I am absolutely over him. I just—I just get angry and—and—‘ Shannon stopped the rush of words. ‘Okay,’ she said briskly, forcing a smile, ‘what time is that audition for the Neil Simon revival?’
‘Three o’clock. It’s a good part, sweetie.’
‘Yes, but you know I’ve never done comedy.’
‘Look, they want an actress, not a comic.’
‘We hope.’ Shannon glanced at her wristwatch and made a face. ‘Oh, wow! If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late. And we can’t have that happen, can we? After all, I’m not a big star like Mr. Morgan or Rima the Prima. I have to play by the rules.’
‘You would, anyway,’ Claire said softly. ‘That’s one of the nicest things about you.’
Shannon looked at the other woman. Then she went back to the table and gave her a quick hug. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For everything. The roof over my head and all your encouragement.’
Claire smiled. ‘Just go show the world what a pro you are, sweetie.’
An hour later, Jerry Crawford draped his arm around Shannon’s shoulder.
‘OK,’ he said, ‘we’re going to tape your final confrontation with Rima. Remember, you expect trouble when she calls and asks you to meet her. You don’t know she’s going to tell you Johnny’s only been after your money, but you sense something’s up. You don't like her and you don’t trust her. I want you to make the audience feel your animosity. Can you do that?’
Shannon glanced past the director to where Rima the Prima stood. ‘Oh, I can do that,’ she said softly. ‘No problem.’
‘And then we’ll talk about your scenes with Cade next week, okay?'
‘Jerry, believe me, I don’t need a pep talk. I know you’re worried about the bedroom scene, but there won’t be a problem. In fact, I’ve already memorized my lines.’
‘Good girl;’ the director said, patting her on the back. ‘I knew you’d come through. Right, places, everybody. Rima, are you ready?’
Shannon took a couple of steadying breaths. She had sounded really convincing that time—almost good enough to believe herself. Well, by Monday it would be true. When she came on the set next week, she’d be ready for Cade Morgan and that damned bed. More than ready.
That bed was where everything had begun and it was where everything would end.
It was time to separate reality from fantasy.
‘Shannon, are you ready?’
She nodded. ‘Ready.’
‘OK, roll tape.’
Her face assumed its Alana Dunbar look as Rima began her lines in that awful voice of hers. She was as bad as ever, but that didn’t matter. She was a star, just as Cade had been.
Shannon picked up her cue and fed Rima the next line. How could she had been so stupid? Falling for somebody like Cade—he hadn’t even been subtle. He’d marched on to the set and into her life, taking what he wanted...
‘...you won’t see a penny of your inheritance, Alana,’ Rima wheezed. ‘My lawyers will see to it. How do you think your dear father would have felt about this disgusting relationship between you and Johnny Wolff?’
Disgusting is the right word for it, Shannon thought, moving aside so the camera could zoom in on Rima.
‘He didn’t want you, Alana. He was only interested in what he could get from you,’ Rima purred. ‘How could you have fallen for someone like him?’
‘Johnny loves me,’ Shannon said, feeling a kinship for Alana Dunbar that she’d never felt before. ‘He said he did.’
Their lines droned on, the words and gestures almost automatic. What time was the Simon audition? Not that she had a chance in a million at the part. The closest she’d come to comedy was Twelfth Night, which was hardly the same thing. But there were no love scenes in the Simon play, none for the role she was trying for, anyway, and that was a blessing.
How was she going to get through that love scene with Cade next week? Telling everybody, even herself, she’d be able to do it was one thing but actually doing it …
At least, she didn’t have to play it in that awful bodysuit. The script called for Cade to open her blouse and strip it from her.
No, that was wrong. Johnny would open Alana’s blouse, and Johnny would...
Her mind tuned into
the cue Rima threw her and she crossed the set, turning to the camera for her one close- up.
She was going to need more than laundry lists to get her through that bedroom scene, but not because she was worried about how she’d react sexually to Cade’s touch.
What she feared was that her hate would make her flinch from his caresses.
That was all there was to worry about. Wasn’t it? It had to be. There couldn’t be any other reason…
Damn. Was Rima going to blow her lines again? Not now, Shannon prayed, please, please, we’re almost done.
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