STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series (36 page)

The next day, I lounged in my dressing room between the matinee and evening performances. I’d woken early that morning, well rested and refreshed after having my king sized bed all to myself. I was in such a good mood that I’d called Maggie and told her I wanted to do both of the day’s performances. Most understudies long to take the stage; mine sounded happy to have a break.

The first show went off without a hitch. Dylan and I hadn’t made up yet, but we weren’t fighting anymore either. After the final matinee curtain call, he explained that he was meeting an old friend for lunch between shows. He invited me to go along but all I wanted to do was relax and read a magazine.

As I flipped through Cosmo, my cell phone chimed. I looked down at my phone and was surprised by the number on the screen. “Max?” I answered.

“Hi Kate,” he replied. “How have you been?”

“As well as can be expected I guess,” I replied. “How are you?”

“I was fine until an hour ago. Some jack ass claiming to be a private investigator just came in and interrogated me while I was taking care of customers. It was bad enough when the police questioned me, but at least they called and scheduled the interview. This guy just walked in, ordered a scotch, and started drilling me with questions.”

“The police have interviewed you?” I asked; Detective Ramos hadn’t said anything to me about speaking with Max.

“Of course they did,” he told me. “The ex-boyfriend is always the first suspect when something like this happens. They came by the apartment a few days after you… collapsed. They took my prints, asked me for alibis. Luckily I’ve been working my ass off lately and they were able to clear me with one call to the restaurant. So you can imagine my surprise when that prick showed up today and started throwing around accusations.”

“That doesn’t make any sense; Caleb’s a really nice guy.” I told him. “I’m sure that he was just trying to be thorough. Every suspect they’ve looked in to has an alibi for at least one of the attacks. The cops are investigating the possibility that we’re dealing with two people working together.”

Max took a deep breath and exhaled. “You’re really in trouble, aren’t you Kate?”

“The police think that at least two people want to kill me so, yeah Max, I’m in trouble. I’m sorry if the investigator ruined your perfect morning, but there’s kind of a lot at stake here. We have no viable leads, no finger prints, and no clue of who’s behind all this.”

“I’m sorry I bitched about it Kate. Look I know everything ended badly between us, but the last thing I’d ever want is for you to be hurt. Is there anything that I can do? My family has contacts; I could make some calls and get some guards at your place.” He offered.

“The theater covered that weeks ago.” I told him. “I’m under constant armed watch. I’m safe Max, I promise.”

“I need you to promise me something, Kate.”

“What is it?”

“We weren’t together for very long, but I know you. I know that when you get pushed past your limit, you lose all of your nice girl, old fashioned manners and fight back like you did that day in the kitchen with Ron. Please promise that no matter what happens, you won’t try to find the attackers on your own. And for god’s sake, stay with your security team.”

“You know that I can’t promise that.” I told him softly. “This is ruining my life, Max. If I can put a stop to it myself, I’m going to.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Can you at least promise to be careful?”

“I can promise to try.” I offered.

“I guess I’ll have to settle for that. I know you’re busy Kate and I have to get back behind the bar. If you ever need anything, or if you just want to talk, give me a call.”

“Thank you, Max. Tell Fiona that I said hi.”

“I will,” he laughed. “But I think that you talk to her more than I do these days. I appreciate the way you’ve called and checked in with her through all of this. She’s been so worried about you; the calls have helped a lot.”

“Fiona’s a great girl.” I told him. “And she makes more sense than most adults I know.”

“That she does,” Max agreed. “I’ll talk to you soon, Kate.”

Max ended the call; I sat silently on the sofa for a while and let myself miss the feeling of his lips against mine.

“Need a touch up?” Mica asked as I walked into the makeup room.

“Just a little one,” I told her. “I fell asleep in my dressing room again and messed up my hair a little bit.”

“Sit down, I’ll take care of it.” Mica gestured to an empty chair and I sat down. She shook her head. “I don’t know how you’re sleeping at all, poor thing. If I was in your shoes I’d be a nervous wreck.”

“It hasn’t been easy.” I admitted. “I only sleep for a couple of hours at a time. I know you’ve noticed all of the dark circles under my eyes.”

“It’s nothing I can’t cover.” She assured me. “Are things still pretty calm? I haven’t read about any new threats in the papers.”

After I released a statement and admitted to lying about the food poisoning, Mica had been very forgiving. She assured me that she understood why I’d tried to hide the attacks reminded me that she was there to listen if I ever needed to talk. I still wasn’t convinced that she was innocent, but I was beginning to think that Parker may be right about her.

“Nothing’s happened since the night that I was poisoned.” I told her. “In fact, it may be over for good, if I’m willing to live under constant surveillance for the rest of my life.”

“I know that has to suck.” Mica told me. “But you don’t have anyone with you today, are your friends all busy?”

“No, I told them not to come.” I confessed. “I’m actually going from here to Bruce’s office to talk to him about dropping all of the extra security.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She asked.

“No, but I’m sure that it’s the only way this will ever end. If nothing happens, we’ll know that the stalker got bored and moved on. If the stalker tries to attack me again, we may be able to catch them.”

I watched Mica’s face for a reaction; I half expected a glimmer of triumph to flash across her face when I told her I’d soon be unprotected, but all I saw was concern.

“It’s your life Kate; you have to do what’s best.” Mica told me. “Just be careful and let me know if you need anything.” She finished repining my hair, touched up my makeup, and pronounced me ready for the evening performance.

“Good luck with Bruce,” she called out as I felt the room.

I thanked her and started for the director’s office. The closer I got the more nervous I felt, and I decided to detour to the vending area before approaching Bruce with my idea. I reached the corridor with the machines and surveyed my selections for a while. I knew that if I was able to convince Bruce to loosen my security, I’d have to stop keeping food and drinks in my mini-fridge; I’d have to assume that everything in the room was dangerous. I finally selected a bag of pretzels and a Sprite, and then sat down at one of the small tables.

“Trying to hide from all of your adoring fans?” A sarcastic voice from behind me interrupted my thoughts. I knew that nothing would rattle her more than kindness, so that’s the approach I took.

“Hi Serena,” I replied without turning around. “Just having a between show snack. Would you like to join me?”

She moved to stand in front of the soda machine and shot me a hostile look. “Aren’t you supposed to be surrounded by the National Guard or something?” She spat.

“I don’t need the guards, nothing’s happened for weeks.” I explained. “I’m sure that it’s all over. I just want to get on with my life.”

Serena reacted just as I’d expected her too; I saw a flash of satisfaction flash across her face, just before she furrowed her brow. “Kate, are you sure that that’s a good idea?” She asked in a syrupy sweet voice. “You could just be opening yourself up to danger!”

I shook my head. “No, I’m sure it’s over. The person behind this was a chicken shit, otherwise they’d have hurt me face to face. I’ve proved that no can get to me, they won’t be brave enough to try anything else.” I explained lightly; I could see the rage bubble beneath Serena’s calm façade.

“Hmm… that’s an interesting theory.” She said slowly. “I just hope you’re as smart as you think you are, Kate.” She slid a dollar into the vending machine and pressed the Coca Cola button. She retrieved her drink, turned to me, and smiled.

“Good luck,” she told me before turning and walking away. I slid my phone out of my pocket and called Janette.

“Hey, how did it go with Bruce?” She answered.

“I haven’t spoken with him yet, I’m on my way now.” I told her. “Something just happened, are you going to be home tonight?”

“Yes I’ll be home tonight, but what do you mean something else happened? Are you okay? Was it another break in?”

“No I’m fine, I’m sorry. I just did something and I’m not sure it was a great idea. I just wanted to make sure that you’d be home later, I need to talk about it.”

“I’ll be home. Do you want me to make dinner?”

“Sure, but don’t go to too much trouble. I’ll head straight there after the show.”

“Alright, good luck with Bruce.”

I ended the call, took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, and finally set off for Bruce’s office.

“Kate, what have you done?” Janette gasped. We were in the kitchen getting our plates ready for dinner. Janette refilled her wine glass and took a long drink.

“I wanted to see both of their reactions when they found out I’d be easier to get to soon.” I explained. “I don’t think that Mica has anything to do with this, but I’m positive that Serena’s guilty.”

“But did you have to be so antagonizing to Serena?” She asked. “If she’s behind this, she’s an incredibly dangerous person Kate. And you just called her a chicken shit and basically dared her to come after you.”

“I know, and that’s exactly what she’s going to do.” I agreed. “Bruce wasn’t as easy to persuade as I’d hoped, but he finally agreed to drop the guards here.”

“Yeah, I noticed when I came home from the market to an empty apartment. I was relieved at first because it means we can keep pot in the house again. But after what you just told me I’m wondering if we shouldn’t call them back.”

I shook my head. “We’ve always been safe here, Janette. Serena will make her move at the theater, I’m positive of it. It’s her home turf and I’m the outsider that came in and ruined everything for her. That’s where she’ll want to take her revenge.”

“Have you talked to Detective Ramos or Caleb about this?” Janette asked critically. She pulled a pot of pasta off of the stove and poured it into a strainer. A pot of tomato sauce simmered on the opposite burner, but I had a feeling that Janette had lost her appetite.

“Yes, I told them both that I was tired of the constant guards and I thought I’d be alright on my own. Ramos didn’t argue much; Caleb was another story but I promised him I’d stay alert and call him if I notice anything strange.”

“I’m guessing that you didn’t tell any of them about your run in with Serena?”

“Of course I didn’t. Look Janette, if you don’t feel safe here I completely understand. I can stay somewhere else until all of this is over. But I have to handle this my way, I have to take back control of my life.”

“What does Dylan think of this plan?”

“I don’t know what Dylan thinks.” I answered with frustration. “He gave me the idea in the first place and now he doesn’t want me to go through with it. I think that he’s more worried about what the press will say about us than what actually happens to me.”

“I take it that the two of you haven’t kissed and made up?” She asked.

“No, we barely spoke today. I doubt that the audience noticed any tension but we kept our distance backstage. I popped my head into his dressing room before I left and said goodbye; that’s pretty much been the extent of our conversations. To be honest, I’ve been thinking that it might be time to end things with him. I just dread what that might mean for my career.”

“Kate, you’ve proved that you’re more than talented enough to be on that stage. If Dylan gets his feelings hurt and somehow convinces Hank to fire you, you’ll have directors lined up around the block offering you roles. If you’re tired of his shit, end it.”

“I didn’t know that you felt so strongly about it.” I teased.

“I’ve wanted you to dump his sorry ass since that night he left you at the hospital. He really hasn’t handled any of this very well, you’d be better off without him. You need a stable, solid man who can balance the chaos of your career.”

“Someone like Caleb Porter?” I asked with a smile.

“Maybe,” Janette replied with a blush.

“How are things going between the two of you? You hardly ever talk about him.”

“Things between us are good. We aren’t putting a label on it; we’re just enjoying each other’s company. But I could see it growing into something more serious.” She admitted. “Caleb makes me happy. I want you to have someone like him in your life.”

“Max called me today.” I confessed.

“Oh yeah, did he apologize for being an asshole and storming out on you?” She asked.

“No, but he was really nice. I’d forgotten how well he knows me. I hadn’t even told him about my plans and he asked me not to go through with them. God, if only I hadn’t kissed Dylan that night at Joe’s, everything would be completely different right now.”

“There’s no since dwelling on ‘if only’ Kate,” Janette told me. “Real life is hard enough to manage.”