STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series (39 page)

SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN KATE HARPER STALKER CASE
— AP  Broadway

starlet Kate Harper slept a little easier last night after her attackers

were finally apprehended by police. Makeup artist Serena Carson and

actress Shelia Martin were arrested yesterday, after Carson attacked

Harper with a bat in a New York City alleyway.

Harper’s ex-boyfriend Max Shepherd was on his way to work at a nearby

restaurant and witnessed the attack. Carson escaped the scene, but

Shepherd identified her to police and she was arrested at her Queens

apartment a few hours later.

During questioning, Carson revealed that Martin was an accomplice

in the attacks; Martin is in the chorus of Les Miserables. She was

arrested late last night at Lincoln Theater.

The motivation behind these attacks seems to be good, old fashioned

jealousy. Reps for Carson and Martin were contacted, but did not respond

as of press time.

The arrests were a vindication for Harper, who’s suffered intense scrutiny

since her arrival in New York City. Just last week, several publications

accused Harper of lying about the attacks in an attempt to further her

career. Dylan Matthews, who became romantically involved with Harper

shortly after she debuted on Broadway, also released a statement

expressing doubts about Harper’s claims.

Through out it all, Harper remained stoic in the face of danger. She

released a statement shortly after being released from New York

Presbyterian hospital, thanking fans for their support and promising to

return to the stage as quickly as possible.

Carson and Martin have been charged with multiple counts of stalking,

harassment, assault, and attempted murder. Judge Henry Wallace denied

both bail requests and they are being held at the county jail until trial.

“I’m so glad this is over,” I told Janette as I finished the article and pushed it away. It was Sunday morning; Janette and I were alone in the apartment, lingering over breakfast and the morning papers. Max had stayed with us since I’d been discharged from the hospital, but he’d had to leave early that morning for breakfast with his family.

“I wish that I could have seen Dylan’s face when he read the morning papers.” Janette told me. “The Times was the only one remotely nice to him, the rest crucified him for turning on you in your time of need. Have you heard from him at all since Serena and Shelia were arrested?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’ll have to talk to him sooner or later. I want to be back at work by Tuesday… I don’t know how I’m going to kiss him on stage.”

“Maybe you’re mom’s right.” Janette said softly. “Everyone would understand if you wanted to quit Jersey Boys. Take some time off to rest and heal, and then have Marion book new auditions. Hell, you may not even have to audition at this point. She could probably make a phone call and get you a new role.”

“When I got involved with Dylan, I promised myself that no matter what happened I wouldn’t let the relationship affect my job. He’s only got a few weeks left on his contract, I can make it.”

Our doorbell rang and I rose to greet our guests. I opened the door and let in Caleb, Marion, Bruce, and Detective Ramos.

“Good morning,” I greeted them. “Come on in, Janette’s making a fresh pot of coffee.”

We took seats around the kitchen table; everyone took turns pouring themselves coffee, and then Detective Ramos cleared his throat. Caleb flashed Janette a broad smile but was careful to act like a professional in front of our other guests.

“As you know, Serena and Shelia both plead no contest to the stalking and assault charges, but not guilty to attempted murder. They’re both offering to roll on the other in exchange for a plea bargain. The D.A. will need your permission to finalize any plea deal, so if you want both of them to go to trial we can make that happen.”

“I don’t want either of them to get a deal.” I told him.

“Neither do I.” He agreed. “I’ll let the D.A. know that you have no desire to agree to any deal.”

“Have you figured out how they were getting in to Kate’s dressing room?” Janette asked.

Bruce blushed. “Yes, we did.” He admitted. “After the arrests, some of the crew members brought to my attention that Shelia and Shane have been involved for quite some time. He didn’t willingly give her access to the dressing room, but she visited him frequently in the security hub and was able to make copies of all of the keys.”

“So she had inside knowledge of the security measures.” I said. “Shane probably talked about it at home.”

“He feels just terrible, Kate,” Bruce assured me. “He even tried to resign.”

“Please tell him that isn’t necessary.” I insisted. “He worked so hard to protect me. He didn’t know what his girlfriend was up to.”

“Bruce has more to tell you, Kate.” Marion prompted.

“Yes,” he continued. “I’m so sorry that these women were able to get to you at the theater. I know that I could never make it up to you, but the theater executives and I would like to try. We’re increasing your pay by two thousand dollars a week and adding three weeks of paid time off to your contract.”

“That’s very generous of you.” I told him.

“Kate, in exchange you will sign a form that releases the theater from any liability for the attacks. I think it’s a fair deal, but the final decision is up to you.” Marion explained.

“I’m fine with that, did you bring the paperwork?”

Bruce opened his briefcase and retrieved the form; he slid I over to me with a pen and I quickly signed it. “I appreciate the extra paid time off, but I’m still planning on coming back on Tuesday.” I told him.

“That won’t be necessary; the show is dark this week.” Bruce announced.

“Why?”

He shifted anxiously and answered. “Dylan broke his contract this morning, he won’t be returning to Jersey Boys. Hank and I need to scout new talent and hold auditions. I thought we could all use a little break to reset.”

Relief flooded my heart. “So I don’t have to see him anymore?”

“No, Kate,” Marion smiled. “You don’t have to see him anymore.”

“Unless we have to call him as a witness,” Detective Ramos reminded us.

“So, how long do you think it will take for the trial to start?” I asked him. “And what do you think our chances are of getting a conviction?”

“We’re looking at six months to a year before we get a trial date.” He explained. “As for the convictions, I think we’ve got a good shot. I’ll let Caleb explain what he’s working on.”

“I’ve started doing thorough background checks on both women. And I don’t mean computer searches Kate. I’m contacting everyone I can find from both of their pasts. I have interviews set up with high school guidance counselors, former acting coaches, family members. Detective Ramos is also petitioning the court to subpoena both of their medical records. I’ll comb through it all and find as much information as I can to strengthen our cases. If we can find a history of similar behavior, we’re likely to get convictions.”

“Have you figured out which one was the ringleader?” Marion asked.

“We’re still trying to determine that.” Detective Ramos confessed. “Serena insists that Shelia approached her shortly after Kate’s debut. Shelia insists that it was the opposite, that Serena approached her.”

“I don’t even know Shelia, I’ve only spoken to her twice.” I told them. “Serena being the ringleader makes a lot more sense to me.”

“Yes,” Detective Ramos explained patiently. “But if Shelia is the more disturbed of the two, then it’s more likely she’s the main culprit.”

“Caleb mentioned their medical records, do you think either of them will try to claim that they were insane?” Janette asked.

“They’ve already plead straight not guilty on the attempted murder, so it’s too late to introduce an insanity defense for trial.” Ramos told us. “They may try to bring it up during the sentencing on the other charges, but it’s not likely to do them much good. Insanity cases are typically nightmares for defense attorney because they’re damn near impossible to prove. We’re just having the medical records subpoenaed so nothing sneaks up on us at trial.”

We were all silent for a while; I went to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee and when I returned, everyone was on their feet.

“Unless you have more questions, I should be getting back to the precinct.” Detective Ramos explained. “From this point on, you’ll be dealing with the D.A.’s office. They’ll keep you updated on the status of the case, but if there’s anything that I can do please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you, Detective.” I smiled. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done.” I turned to the rest of the group. “That goes for all of you. I don’t know how I would have survived this without your support. I know that you all need to get back to work, I’ll walk you to the door.”

We walked to the entryway and said our goodbyes. Caleb and Detective Ramos made quick exits, but Marion and Bruce lingered in the doorway.

“Take care of yourself, Kate.” Marion told me. “I know that the press has been hounding you for a statement, I’ll have someone in the publicity department type something up and send it to you for approval. That should keep the reporters off of your back until you feel like releasing something more personal.”

“The theater is releasing a statement as well.” Bruce explained. “All you have to do is relax and heal.”

“Thank you, Bruce.” I smiled. “I’ll see you next week.”

They moved towards the elevator and I closed the door. I returned to the kitchen, where Janette was cleaning our breakfast dishes. I crossed the room and wrapped her in a hug.

“It’s finally over.” I sighed.

“Yes, it is. Now the fun can really begin.”

“Good morning beautiful, how did you sleep?” Max asked me with a smile.

I rolled over into his arms and rested my head on his shoulder. “Really good,” I answered honestly.

Four months had passed since Serena attacked me in the alley. In the weeks right after the attack, I was plagued by horrible dreams every night. But Max had been there every time; he held me, told me that he loved me, and promised me that I was safe. The nightmares subsided, and now they only haunt me once every couple of weeks.

“I thought so,” he smiled. “I didn’t feel you move at all last night.”

“What time is it?”

“Eighty-thirty,” he replied with a smile. “We’ve got an hour before we need to get up.”

“I don’t know, maybe we need to show up a little early and make sure that everything’s in place.” I suggested.

“We can do whatever you want, but the wedding is going to go off without a hitch.” Max assured me. “I think we have time to linger here and have our own, private celebration.” He suggested.

“What are we celebrating this time?” I asked with a smile.

“The same thing we always celebrate: we’re together. I love you so much, Kate.” He answered sincerely. He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and rolled on to my back, pulling him on top of me.

“I love you too,” I told him. He lowered his head and we kissed again, urgently this time, and I felt myself get wet with anticipation. Max sat up and pulled his t-shirt over his head. I wiggled out of my pajama pants and tank top while he kicked off his boxers.

“I want you now.” I pleaded.

“You have me baby,” he replied as he moved quickly into position. He laid on top of me and wrapped me in his arms. Our bodies moved together instinctively and Max’s long, stiff cock found its destination without any guidance. He started rocking in to me and I let out a loud moan of pleasure.

With our arms already entwined, I straightened my legs underneath Max’s and curled my ankles around the inside of his. It was impossible for us to get any closer, to be more connected, and yet I still longed for more.

“I can’t get enough of you.” I told him as he moved above me.

Max propped himself up on his right elbow. He rolled me onto my left side and caressed the side of my face. “Open your eyes, Kate.” He whispered. He was still inside me but he moved much slower now, thrusting into between long, motionless pauses.

I hesitated, but complied. Max stared lovingly into my eyes.

“You have all of me.” He said sincerely.

I lowered my eyelids and he caressed my face once more. “Keep them open, baby.” He encouraged me. “Look at me.”

I opened my eyes again and met his passionate gaze. I’d expected to feel awkward with my eyes open, but it was one of the most sensual, erotic things I’ve ever experienced. I felt vulnerable and confident at the same time.

I slid my left arm up the mattress and braced myself against the headboard. I pushed against it as Max drove in to me, allowing his cock to slide deeper with every thrust.

“You’re so… beautiful,” Max said though heavy breaths. “I could look at you forever.”

The look in Max’s eyes told me that he was sincere. I caressed the side of his face.

“I love you, Max.” I told him as I moved my lips to his. I started softly and then slowly opened my mouth. The intensity of our kiss sent me over the edge. All of my senses were engaged as the powerful climax overwhelmed me. My eyes twitched, but I was able to keep them open.

The waves of my pleasure began to subside just as Max erupted inside me.

“That was amazing.” I gushed as we collapsed on the bed. We held each other close and I felt myself drifting back to sleep. “I wish that we could stay in bed all day.” I said with a yawn.

Max laughed. “I wish that we could too, but we have a wedding to get to. But my schedule is free tomorrow…” He grinned devilishly.

I kissed him and smiled. “It’s a date.”