Heart to Heart

by Meline Nadeau

  “Then sit back down. Tell me,” Asher repeated.

  Nicky stepped forward. “Ross didn’t come up with this plan. If you want to be mad at anyone, it should be Marilyn and me. Actually, she thought of it first. It didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time, but I wasn’t bargaining for … ” He stopped and clapped a tanned hand over his mouth and his eyes widened. “Marilyn!” he exclaimed. Without a word, he stumbled into the hotel and pulled himself up the stairs. Carly and Asher followed. Ross stopped in the lobby for a brief second and then made for the basement door. “I’m checking on Sophie and the Daniels.”

  On the third floor, Nicky flung open Marilyn’s door and then gasped.

  Lying in her green satin negligee on her frilly pink pillows, Marilyn’s eyes flashed fire. She struggled furiously against the cords binding her hands and feet to the four-poster bed. Through the duct tape over her mouth, she mumbled.

  Asher walked around the bed and sliced the cords, and then dropped into the rocking chair near the window. Marilyn sat up and flexed her hands, staring daggers at Nicky.

  “Marilyn!” Nicky rushed forward and pulled the tape from her lips.

  “You idiot,” she gasped in a croak, “For the last ten minutes I’ve been listening to you shoot your mouth off down there through the open window and it takes you that long to figure out that maybe poor old Marilyn might possibly need some help. What did you think I was doing up here, my nails?”

  Glancing down at her hands, she shrieked. “My nails. Oh, my beautiful nails. They look like pink corn chips.” She groaned and flopped backward onto her pillows again.

  Sinking down beside her, Nicky took one of her hands with its ragged and broken nails, and brought it to his lips. “What did that bastard do to you, Marilyn?”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “If I’d been just a little more alert. If I’d quit playing with the damned cell phone, trying to contact you. If I’d just quit struggling to get loose, my nails would be fine.”

  Carly sat on her other side. “What happened?” she asked.

  “Well, last night after I turned on the porch light and you and Asher showed up, I hid here in the lobby and waited. It was pretty quiet for a little while, but then I started to hear shouting. I knew Wheeler had found Nicky, just like we figured would happen. But then, well … I guess I started to panic a little bit. What if Nicky needed help? What if Ross couldn’t find him?” Marilyn shifted to a more comfortable position and looked up as Ross came through the doorway. He stopped and leaned against the doorjamb, raking his hands through disheveled hair.

  “They’re fast asleep,” he muttered.

  Carly breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I’ll bet they didn’t hear a thing last night.”

  Ross reached up and touched the back of his head, scowling. “Yeah, small miracles.”

  Marilyn patted the bed beside her. “Come here, darling. Don’t just stand there in the doorway.”

  Obliging her, he walked over to join the rest of Marilyn’s audience. She smiled as he sat cautiously on the edge of the bed, and then continued. “Well, I tried to call Nicky, but something was messed up in my contact list and it kept dialing his home number in L.A. I guess I was flustered and that’s when I realized that I needed to scroll down to the … ”

  “Marilyn,” Nicky cut her off, “just get to what happened.”

  “That is what happened,” she snapped, “and every part of the story is important.”

  Nicky sighed and slid down to lay beside her, crowding the bed even more. “Go on,” he said.

  “Okay. So, I was trying to dial your number, but I had the wrong one and couldn’t get through. Then I heard a car start up. Well, that really put me into a tizzy. I mean, what if Wheeler had hurt you or something and then left you lying in the dirt?” She glanced at Ross. “You too, honey.”

  Ross smiled weakly. “Sure, of course.”

  Marilyn raised a hand to examine her nails again and frowned. “So, I decided to go outside and take a look. I could still hear the car, ever so faintly, and then it went away. I stood out there in the street, freezing, and listened. A few minutes later I heard the car again, and this time, it was coming right down the ridge and right into town.”

  Asher raised an eyebrow. “He came back to town?”

  “Oh yes, he did. But me, stupid idiot, thought I could hold my own and I stood in the street like a gunslinger in a nightgown waiting for him. His car was weaving all over the place. Anyway, when he got to the hotel, he stopped and got out and fell right on his face. He hit that ground hard. I couldn’t help but laugh … and that’s what did it.” She sighed.

  “That asshole absolutely doesn’t like to be laughed at,” Ross added.

  “No kidding. He picked himself up and stumbled over to me. He had his hand over his mouth. It was hard to see in the porch light, but it looked like it was bleeding. Maybe the bastard cut his lip. We can only hope,” Marilyn scoffed. “So, I yelled at him, something like: Where the hell is my boyfriend!”

  She sat up all of a sudden, tumbling Ross off the bed. “And you know what he said to me? He called me a fat bitch. Can you believe that? I hauled off and slapped him right across his bleeding mouth. Well, it felt good, but it was a mistake. Quicker than anything, he had me in a death grip and had slapped tape over my mouth. Next thing you know, he was wrapping cords around my hands. Should have realized the bulge in his pockets wasn’t anything interesting. It was just stuff to tie me up with.”

  Ross peered up over the edge of the bed. “Did he say anything else to you?”

  “Oh, yeah. He wouldn’t shut up. After he pushed me upstairs and tied me to the bed, he sat over there in the rocking chair and whispered in this creepy voice. I was half afraid he was going to try something on me, but I knew he was too drunk to really do anything awful.”

  Asher shot up out of the rocking chair as if it had stung him and began pacing, the butcher knife still clutched in a hand. Carly heaved a sigh and then patted Marilyn’s hand. “I would have been scared, too. What did he talk about, Marilyn?”

  Marilyn glanced at her, and then over at Asher. He shook his head silently and she swallowed. “Well, it wasn’t anything important. Just a bunch of crap, really.”

  Asher walked over and gave Carly’s arm a squeeze. “Carly, love, could you go downstairs and get a pitcher of water? I think all of us could use some.”

  Carly rolled her eyes. “No way. I need to hear this, too. Especially if it’s about me.”

  Marilyn’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Carly. It’s not good.”

  “I don’t care. Out with it.”

  Sighing, Marilyn wiped her cheeks as the tears fell. “He told me that he was going to grab you and take you away from here. Somewhere where none of us could ever find you. Then he proceeded to describe how he was going to make you love him. In detail.” Her breath caught in a hiccough. “And then in even greater detail, he told me how he was going to … to … murder you. Then he got up and left.”

  Carly looked down at her tightly clasped hands. “Thanks for telling me. I’m going to get the water now.” She rose from the bed and slipped through the doorway.

  Asher went to the window and leaned his forehead heavily against it. His eyes were full of pain and his mouth was a grim, taut line. “I’m calling the FBI,” he said.

  “Do it, bro. It’s for the best,” Nicky muttered.

  • • •

  Ross paced the stage, clipboard in hand, as he wound up his speech. “So you see, that’s why we didn’t make this public until now, folks.” He sank down on the edge and dangled his legs over the side. “Any questions?”

  He was met by the stony gaze of a handful of college students sitting in the house. The professional actors, Buddy and Jack, shifted in their seats. No one spoke.

  Finally, one of t
he college students, a dark-haired girl named Anne, raised her hand from the seats out in the house. “When did this happen exactly?”

  “About a week ago.” Ross answered. He glanced at her and then down at his feet.

  “What?” Anne retorted. “Why did you wait so long to tell us? Do they really have him in custody?”

  Ross was silent for a moment and the students frowned, looking at each other.

  “No,” he finally answered, “But the FBI is taking care of things.”

  “Does that mean he’s in jail?” asked Parker, the stage manager. He sat behind his desk, a neat row of pencils and scripts in front of him.

  “Good question, Parker,” Ross answered. “Unfortunately, no. Because Sheriff Barstow told his colleagues that he had been in a bar fight, they have no solid proof that he incurred his injuries when he was up here that night. So, no, he’s not in jail.”

  A shocked gasp rippled through the seats in front of him. Ross jumped down from the stage and raised a hand. “Now, don’t get panicked. They are watching him like a hawk. He’s been relieved of duty pending investigation, and his house is being monitored. He’s not going to come back up here. We’re pretty sure about that.”

  “I don’t know, Ross,” Parker said, “I don’t think any of us would be safe here until that psycho is in jail.” Assenting voices murmured from the seats around him. He continued, “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way I feel.”

  Sophie nodded from the front row and stood, cradling her baby. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but it is true that Wheeler is being monitored. Danny and I will understand if you don’t want to be here anymore, but please remember how close we are to opening this show, folks. Every performance is sold out, but we still need your help.”

  Her plea was met by silence, and then everyone began talking at once. As the clamor got louder, Sophie’s eyes widened. Finally, she sat back down.

  In the third row, Jack, the actor playing the villain, rose. He cleared his throat and raised a self-conscious hand to his white ponytail. “Uh, despite being an actor, I’m no good at speeches, but I think I’ll give it a go.” His deep voice resonated in the near-empty theater, drowning out the voices of the excited students.

  He cleared his throat again when the house fell silent. “Well, what I mean to say is this. Daniel and Sophie have worked very hard to make this place a success. They’ve also been through a lot in the last few weeks, what with the broken leg and the new baby … and somehow, they’ve managed to get us to this point. And we’re in pretty good shape if you ask me. And I’ve done lots of shows in lots of places, by the way.” He turned around to face the students and continued, “They’ve pretty much done all the background work themselves, from doing the publicity to giving all of you an opportunity to work in a professional theater. Look around you. This theater is not only beautiful; it’s a piece of history.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “That’s pretty much all I’ve got to say on the matter.”

  Half-hearted claps broke out, and then faded away. Jack scratched his head and shrugged. Next to him, Buddy, the leading man, stood and faced the students with Jack. “I think you guys can do better than that. Who’s with us?” He smiled and winked at Anne, who blushed.

  “I’m with you, Buddy,” she said in a loud voice.

  “Who else?” he demanded.

  Parker stood up and sighed. “Me,” he muttered, staring at the floor.

  “You don’t sound very sure about that,” Buddy continued to prod.

  “I don’t want to lose my job,” said Parker, “and I don’t want Sophie and Daniel and Ross to think I’m a loser.”

  Ross smiled at him. “You’re not a loser, Parker. You may just make a professional stage manager someday.”

  Parker gulped, and then beamed. “Really?”

  Ross laughed. “Sure. Same goes for the rest of you. This is your first professional theater job. You want to finish it, don’t you?”

  “Yes!” the students chorused.

  “Then get back over to the scene shop. Carly needs your help,” he ordered.

  Quickly, the students scrambled out of their seats and ran up the aisles.

  Chuckling, Ross went to shake hands with Buddy and Jack. “Thanks, guys.”

  Buddy shuffled his feet and tightened the bandanna covering his head. “No prob, man. I really want this show to succeed, but it’s not just that. Dude, I gots to get paid.”

  “No kidding.” Jack chortled and slapped Ross on the back. Ross gave them a quick smile and then sighed. He rubbed his hand across his forehead.

  “You OK, man?” Buddy leaned in and put a hand on Ross’s shoulder. “Usually you are, like, always joking and stuff.”

  Ross slumped into a seat in the front row and laced his fingers around the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just wish they really had put him in jail. I think we’d all feel a lot better then.” Suddenly, he sat up straight. “Hey, you guys are living in Albuquerque for the summer. Whereabouts is the apartment Sophie and Daniel rented for you?”

  Jack replied, “It’s right on the northern end of the city, near the interstate. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Nothing, except for the fact that I have an idea. How would you guys like to give up all that comfort … you know, things like running water and television, and come sleep in here on the stage for the next couple of weeks?”

  “Huh?” Buddy stared at Ross. “No offense, dude, but that’s crazy.”

  Jack gave Buddy an impatient look. “I used to have a day job as a security guard, and Buddy here knows tai kwon do. He practices all the time, don’t you, pal?”

  “What are you trying to say? I thought you liked martial arts,” Buddy retorted, “I don’t see what any of that has to do with … oh.” He smiled and began to bob his head. “Right on, Ross dude. Sure, man. We’ll protect the assets. No prob.”

  Ross sighed in relief. “Good. And I doubt if you guys will mind if we moved Sophie and Daniel and the baby into your apartment for the time being.”

  Jack cleared his throat. “Absolutely not. We’ll be happy to have our stuff up here by this evening.”

  “Yeah, dude. This is going to kick ass,” Buddy exclaimed as he struck a fighting pose.

  “I really owe you guys one. Remind me when this show closes to keep you in mind for the next show I direct, wherever that might be,” Ross said. He rose and stretched. “I gotta go down to the costume shop and see how Marilyn’s fitting is going,” he said with a yawn.

  Jack jumped up beside him, suddenly spry for his age. “Need some company?” he asked.

  Ross shook his head. “Taken, man. The lady’s taken.”

  “Yeah, yeah. But a man can always dream,” Jack said with a chuckle.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Heads!” Carly shouted as she began to pull the ropes that lowered the oleo curtain into place. Nine students stopped pounding nails and screwing together platforms and looked upward as the curtain drifted to the stage floor.

  “Can we go out into the house and look at it, Carly?” asked Anne.

  “Sure. Just let me see it first to make sure it’s straight.” Carly smiled as she locked the ropes into place and removed her rawhide gloves. She walked to the outside right edge of the curtain, pulled it back and then slipped to the other side.

  A low whistle sounded from the back of the house. “Looking good, Good Looking,” Asher shouted.

  Carly beamed and shaded her eyes from the stage lights. She bounded down the front of stage steps, adjusting the waistband of her jeans shorts and smoothing her tank top self-consciously. “Really?”

  “Don’t look yet. Come on back here and see it.”

  Carly’s gaze flew to him as her eyes adjusted in the dark house, and she gave a whistle, too. “Wow. I don’t think I’v
e ever seen you dressed up, Asher. You’re hot.”

  It was his turn to be self-conscious. He ran a hand over his head, smoothing back his soft, wavy hair. Grabbing a lapel of his tan linen suit coat with one hand, he adjusted his tie with the other. “Why thank you, ma’am,” he drawled.

  The curtain forgotten now, Carly drank him in. “You should always dress like that,” she murmured, clasping her hands behind his neck.

  “What, you don’t like me in paint-stained overalls and ripped old T-shirts?”

  Carly pulled herself up to her tiptoes and whispered against his mouth, “I like you any way I can get you.”

  For a second, Asher’s eyes darkened with lust, and then he pulled back. “Oh, no. You’re not going to distract me now. I told Danny I’d be at the TV station in one hour, and that’s where I’m going to be. Marilyn is already in the van, all dolled up. It took half the morning just to get her going, so I would be a fool if I made her wait now.”

  Carly sighed in regret and released him with a kiss on the cheek. “I wish we had TV up here. I would love to see the publicity interview.”

  “It’s just for the twelve o’clock news … no big thing,” said Asher, walking toward the front door and opening it.

  “That doesn’t matter to me. I would want to cheer you on even if it was just on the radio.”

  Asher winked. “It will be. Simultaneous broadcast. Tune in at noon, Carly love. You know which station is the local NBC?”

  Carly nodded. “I can’t wait, sexy,” she countered, and then walked over and placed a hand on his chest.

  He sighed and looked down at her. “Just one kiss, then.” She smiled and raised her face, but before their lips could meet, a car horn blared outside, making both of them jump.

  “Asher Day, get your bony ass out here. I’m the star and I don’t like to be kept waiting.” Marilyn’s booming voice floated through the open doorway.

  “Carly? Can’t we come out and look now? Is there something wrong with the curtain?” Anne’s muffled shout carried across the rows of seats to the back of the theater.