by Peggy Jaeger
“So you haven’t been with her from the beginning?”
“No, just since the television show really took off. Before, I was still in school, and Stacy was the one who dealt with all this”—she swiped her hand over her desk—“in addition to everything else she had to do. It was my mom who suggested Kandy hire a reader.”
“And you got the job.” He smiled at her.
“I’ll tell ya, Mr. Keane, nepotism’s a great thing.”
Josh had to agree.
He thanked her and went back down to the editing studio. He found Kandy in the same position he’d left her in.
* * *
“Here’s Josh,” Kandy said when he came into the room. “Let’s get his opinion.”
“About what?” He took the chair next to hers.
It was Cort who answered. “We disagree about artistic concept.”
“It’s more that he knows I’m right and can’t stand it,” she tossed back.
Director and star bantered for a few more moments while Josh listened silently. When it was over, and he’d watched the two shots of contrasting images, he admitted they were both right and wasn’t there some way they could use both?
“Whatever you do for a living, you’re in the wrong line of work,” Cort said, having the editor rewind both pieces and retool them.
“What should I be in? Hostage negotiations?”
With a snort, Kandy replied, “No. Visual arts. You’re right about combining them. This looks great.”
“It sure does,” Cort said, reclining back in his chair. “That’s it, then, for today.” To the editor he said, “Just add the music playback and you’re done.”
His cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his back pocket. When he read the number, Josh noticed his good humor dropped a few notches.
“Sorry, all. That’s it for me. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Without looking at anyone, he left, the phone still clutched in his hand.
Kandy sighed as she watched his retreating back.
“Something wrong?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know.” She looked askance at the editor and asked, “Need me for anything else?”
When she told her she didn’t, they left the editing room.
“What’s up?” Josh asked when they were in the empty corridor.
“Something’s going on with Cort. He’s been edgy today, and his cell phone has hardly stopped. He took three calls when you went down to see Tricia.”
“Who from?”
“I don’t know. Nosiness aside, I’m worried about him.”
Josh nodded. “I need to discuss a few things with you about some information I found out today.”
“Can it wait until we get home? It’s been a long, not-great day and I just want to change and get something to eat.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t dropping to the floor. You haven’t eaten anything all day. Not at the condo, nor the production meeting, and nothing for lunch.”
With a shrug she said, “Par for the course most days.”
“You need to go back to your office for anything?”
“Just for a few papers. I’ll be quick.”
Once there, Kandy gathered the items from her desk and tossed them into her briefcase.
“All done?” Stacy asked, knocking and entering at the same time.
“Yup. You need me for anything else?”
“A couple things.” She consulted her tablet. “You’ve got a seven a.m. interview with the Food & Wine reviewer tomorrow. He’s coming here.”
“He knows no recording, right?”
“Yeah. I double-checked. Food?”
“I’ll make something from the new book tonight and bring it. It’ll be easier.”
“Mind a suggestion?”
When Kandy nodded, Stacy said, “Since he’ll be here so early, how about the cranberry-apple muffins and Grandma’s blend?”
Kandy’s smile bloomed full force. “That’s why I can’t live without you,” she said. “A perfect little nosh. Great idea. I’ll make a batch tonight. And maybe some bread.”
A blush spread from the top of Stacy’s ears all the way across her cheeks.
“What else?” Kandy asked.
“Just more plugs. Monday morning you’re doing a Today spot. Call is four thirty to prep. Then the radio station interview. After that, Reva’s got you at the Barnes & Noble book signing uptown at twelve. You’re doing a guest spot on the five o’clock news at ABC Studios and then the mayor’s Citizen of the Year reception at Gracie Mansion at eight. Dress is semi.”
“That’s all in one day?” Josh asked.
“Close your mouth,” Kandy said. “That’s not even a lot in a day around here. Tuesday’s all studio, right?” She turned back to her cousin.
“Wednesday, too. The second show’s recipes are all from the new book, like you requested. Just food, no other segments for the episode.” She snapped her tablet cover closed. “That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll have more in the morning.”
“Okay. Call it a night, cuz.”
When she turned to leave, Kandy suddenly stopped her by saying, “And thanks…for everything you did today, Stace. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here every day. I really don’t. I appreciate it. More than you know.”
The younger woman blushed again. With a quick smile, she left the office.
Kandy found Josh’s gaze locked on to her, his head cocked to one side.
“What?”
He took the briefcase from her hand and said, “You’re a good boss.”
“She’s a great assistant. And cousin. And friend. All that matters.”
“Yeah, I can see it does.”
Without another word, they rode the elevator down to the waiting limousine.
* * *
The first thing she did when they got back to the condo was change into comfortable jeans and a white pullover, tugging her hair back into a relaxed ponytail. Then she started dinner while Josh excused himself to his room to finish up some computer work.
A half hour later Kandy had poured herself a small glass of red wine while two enormous filets were cooking on the kitchen grill and asparagus was steaming on the stove.
“So, tell me what you found out,” she said when he came to join her in the kitchen.
“Couple things,” he said. “First, did you know your cousin Daniel is in trouble with some bookies?”
“What? No. How did you find that out?” She chopped a few broccoli florets and tossed them into a large salad bowl with the other vegetables she’d cut for a salad.
“Basic digging. He’s into one for over five thousand, seven at another. Bets on sports. Since he’s not working, paying them off is a bit of problem.”
“To say the least. Does Aunt Lucy know?”
“That I don’t know.”
She slammed her hand down onto the counter. “Damn it!”
“It explains his erratic behavior,” Josh said, taking a pull from a bottle of water. “And the problems at work.”
“Yeah, it does.” She started to julienne some carrots. “This stinks.”
“His wife walked out on him about a month ago, too. Doesn’t look like she’s filed for divorce yet.”
Kandy chopped for a few seconds, tossed the slices into the salad bowl, and then took a large sampling of her wine. “Betsy’s a great girl. They’ve been together since middle school. I wish I’d known about this. I wish someone had told me.”
“Your family may not know. From what I’ve sniffed out, this betting’s been a problem for about a year or so. He’s always been able to pay off his debts before now, so he’s never really been in any trouble. But one thing you don’t want to do is owe bookies.”
Kandy nodded and drank some more. “What else?”
“Your buddy Evan Chandler.”
“Ex-buddy.”
“He’s hurting for cash, too. Over
extended on all his credit cards and has two personal loans coming due at the end of the month. He’s facing eviction from his apartment if he doesn’t pay within two weeks the three months’ back rent he owes.”
She took another gulp of wine and turned the steaks. “Serves him right for being such a moron.”
“He needs some capital influx immediately or he’s going to wind up in litigation, probably even do some jail time.”
Kandy’s lips pulled upward while she bit into a carrot. “Grandma always said to leave people to themselves. Give them enough rope, the hanging starts at noon. She was right.”
“Be that as it may, I can understand why he sniffed around you last night. I bet he was going to hit you up for cash.”
She snorted. “Fat chance. I’d sooner pay Daniel’s debt than Evan’s any day. Daniel’s family. Evan’s, well, a jerk.”
She pulled two dishes from the cupboard, accompanied by salad bowls.
“Reva mentioned your uncle Peter,” Josh said. “About what happened.”
Kandy chewed on the inside of her lip and then sighed. “That one’s my fault.”
“Didn’t sound like it from Reva.”
“You’ve heard only one side. Uncle Peter thought I offered him the original job as researcher for my book out of some kind of family obligation. He felt I didn’t take his writing seriously. I tried to help. I gave Reva his work and asked for an opinion.”
“She told me she didn’t think it was any good.”
“It wasn’t. I read it, too. I couldn’t understand the plots, or even where he was taking his characters. They all sounded the same. No individual voices. Reva tried to explain—nicely, I might add, which isn’t her strong suit—that she wasn’t able to help him.”
“And he blames you.”
She nodded. “The male ego is such a mystery to me.”
“Considering you were raised in a female-laden household with an absent father, I can understand that.”
“He hasn’t spoken to me since. Won’t return any of my calls. I even sicced Mom on him. If she couldn’t bring him around, I knew it was a hopeless case.”
“Any idea what he’s been doing?”
“Aunt Lucy does. She keeps an eye on him because they’re the closest in age. He’s been drinking a lot, not answering his phone, but he’s still writing, still trying to prove he’s the next Hemingway.”
She took the meat from the grill and put a steak on each plate. “Eat your salad first. The meat needs to rest for a few minutes.”
“Yes, Mom.” He grinned.
When their eyes met across the counter, she grinned back. “I don’t mean to be overbearing, but the meat really does need to simmer in its own juices for a while. It’ll taste better, be more tender when you cut into it if you let it just sit. Lord.” She put her hands across her eyes. “I sound like we’re taping the show. Sorry.”
“Forget about it.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
It was Kandy who spoke first. “You’re still convinced someone close to me is responsible for everything, aren’t you?”
He swallowed. “It makes sense. Only someone close would know your shooting schedule, your private numbers, would have access to the studio in order to stage the light fall, plus today’s little present.”
Her color paled. “What did you do with it?”
He explained that he’d brought the rat to a friend at the city’s crime lab. “If there are any prints on the knife, he’ll be able to trace them and get back to me.”
“Well, I think Uncle Peter is out of the picture. He doesn’t come to the studio, and I’m pretty sure I never gave him my private numbers.”
“He could have gotten them from one of your aunts, or from someone else connected to you.”
“But if he was at the studio, he’d be stopped. He has no security clearance.”
Josh nodded. “But Daniel does. Or did. And Chandler was around you long enough he’d know the ins and outs of the building. Either of them is a possibility.”
Kandy cut into her meat and sighed. “Who else is on your list?”
“Pretty much everyone who comes in daily contact with you has the potential to be.”
Her fork stopped midair. “Well, that’s certainly a depressing thought.”
“By the way, I had the rental company in LA fax me a write-up of your accident, along with the official police report.”
“Why?”
“Just tying up ends. After going through all the info, I’m beginning to think it might actually have been just an accident. The initial report mentioned a routine vehicle parts check done on the car about three weeks before you rented it. Cited was a weakened axle and brake line with a recommendation that both be replaced before the car went out for usage again. Somehow, no one ever followed through on the advice.”
“So nothing mysterious about what happened, then? It really was brake failure?”
“The line may have fatigued to the extent it snapped. But it’s unusual for a brake line to tear with such uniform precision. It would be more plausible if it broke apart in irregular pieces. But yours had the appearance of a cut or slice to it, so it was deemed suspicious.”
“What you’re saying is these weird things might not have started in Los Angeles.”
“Maybe. What’s the first strange incident you can remember?”
She thought for a few seconds. “The clothes in my closet. I was sure someone went through them, moved them around.”
“Anyone aside from the cleaning lady and Stacy have a spare key? Chandler, for instance?”
“No. No one.”
“Not even Mom?”
“Oh God, she’d be the last person I’d give one to. She’d be here every day, camped out, waiting for me to come home, like a spider hiding in wait for prey.”
Josh sniggered. “Did you ever ask the cleaning lady if she let anyone in while she was here?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Okay. I will. But first, I have to tell you, you were right about the steak. This is the best meat I think I’ve ever eaten.”
She smiled, more pleased at the compliment than she’d thought she could be. “It is good, isn’t it?”
Together they finished their meal.
When the dishes were done and put away, Kandy turned to him and was about to ask a question when the house phone on the kitchen wall rang.
She stared at it and then up at Josh.
“Go ahead and answer it. I’ll grab the cordless from the living room.”
When he had the phone in his hand, he motioned to her from the living room. Kandy picked up and he hit the on button.
“Hello?” Kandy said.
At first there was silence. Kandy stared across the length of the room at Josh, who nodded.
Then, “Bitch! Did you like your present today? There will be more, Kandy. Soon.”
The line went dead.
When nothing else came through, Josh waved his hand for Kandy to disconnect. When she did, he attempted to trace the call.
“Must have been a burner,” he said, coming back into the kitchen. “Can’t be traced.”
She was standing at the sink, leaning over it, her head bowed. Her knuckles were bone white where they gripped the porcelain so tightly, she couldn’t feel the tips of her fingers.
“Kandy?” He placed a hand on her shoulder.
She turned her head to settle her gaze on his face. Concern and worry stared back at her.
“That’s the first time my name’s been used,” she said, her voice breaking on the last word. “All along, I wanted it to be a mistake. Some crazy person got my number by accident. Didn’t really want me, but someone else. All those taunts, those mean things, were for someone else. I guess I can’t think that anymore.”
His face started to blur as her eyes filled. “I guess it really is me,” she said as the first tear spilled down her cheek.
> Without a word, Josh pulled her into his arms.
His heart pounded against her cheek, echoing the pulsing of her own blood. His fingers were strong and sturdy and soothing, as they trailed up and down her back. Their height, so similar, allowed their bodies full range of touch as she clung to him.
Kandy felt every hardened sinew, every throbbing muscle pressed against her and shivered.
Josh’s hold tightened.
“I feel like an idiot,” she said against his shirt. “I never cry like this. Never. And twice today I’ve lost it.”
“I can’t fault you for being emotional,” he said against her hair. “Anyone in your position would be.”
“Why is this happening?” She pulled back to look up at him. She could see the outline of his lashes against his lids, the small, fine lines just beginning in the far corners and branching outward.
“That’s what we have to figure out,” he said, running his hands up to her shoulders. Gently squeezing them, he asked, “You okay?”
She nodded and swiped at her wet cheeks. “Sorry about all the blubbering. I’d blame the wine, but it would be a lie. Wine has no effect on me.”
“Don’t worry about it. You deserve a good cry after all that’s happened.”
Kandy stared at him for a moment, profoundly aware of how cold and empty she now felt out of his hold. “Did you grow up in a house full of women?” she asked. “You do the comforting thing really well, where most men run for the hills when they see tears.”
“Sorry.” He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. “Male-dominated household. Mom was the only girl. And she never cried in front of us.”
“Wailing and sobbing were a daily occurrence in mine. If someone’s emotions weren’t going off the deep end, we got scared and wondered what was wrong.”
She wiped her face with a paper towel and then tossed it in the garbage. When she turned back to him, she’d gotten ahold of her fright.
“I want to know who’s doing these things and why,” she said.
“I know.”
“And,” she added, “I want to go see Daniel. Now. I don’t believe for a moment he’s responsible for any of this, but I agree he does have easy access to the studio, and it doesn’t look good for him.”
