Page 11 of No Pucks Given
So I was pacing and reading the script aloud, trying my best to get used to the words.
A heavy thud sounded on my door.
Fearing that whoever was on the other side of the door was going to tear it off the hinges, I swung it open to reveal two security officers. That was odd. Normally, they just monitored who was coming on and off the set. The only time they cameover to the trailers was when there were stalkers or death threats posed to one of the actors.
At our security gate, there would be a security guard, but it was very laissez-faire, and I knew all of them. These guys reminded me more of the police. I hadn’t met them before.
“Can I help you?”
The smaller, slightly older one nodded. “We need to have a talk.”
They let themselves into my trailer and shut the door. I realized things had to be serious. I put down my script, sat on the sofa, and tried to exude my normal easy-breezy personality, but I was failing.
One officer was on my right and the other was on my left. They both sat down next to me. Part of that was due to the fact my trailer didn’t have much in the way of seating space. It basically the sofa and a chari.
When they didn’t say anything right away, I had to break the silence. “You’re starting to scare me.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m Dick Morrison, and that’s Duke DuBois.”
I raised an eyebrow at the more muscular man. “Is that a nickname or your real name?”
“Real name. Yes, my mom named me after John Wayne. She named my little brother Butch.”
I giggled, trying to act like this was a normal conversation, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was massively wrong. Got to love a good naming scheme, and the name seemed to fit the guy. “Now the real question becomes, do you like Westerns too?”
“Hell no," he said with a snort. With a quick look at his partner, which I couldn’t quite decipher, since it wasn’t the normal look you saw when people wanted to move on from the conversation. It was more like they were asking each other a question, especially since Dick nodded his head.
Dick leaned forward and said, “There was a situation at the gate earlier, and there has been an uptick of negative comments and even death threats toward you sent to the studio. So you’re going to have a personal security team until we get the matter settled.”
I gulped since that was my worst nightmare. Being in the public eye, it was a constant threat, and it was scary. Still, I couldn’t stick my head in the sand and pretend that nothing was happening. I was grateful that people could recognize me and my character, but people didn’t obsess about me like they did when I was with my ex.
I tried to keep my thoughts together. While I didn’t think they were lying, security never gave me a call about somebody asking for me at the gate. Normally, if someone wasn't on the list, they would ring the set to make sure they were approved to come.
I had to know, so I asked, “What was the issue at the gate?”
“Not to sound like I’m changing the subject, but we’re here to gather information about you and your life as much as that person.” Dick folded his hands and leaned in closer to me. “So first, I need to confirm something. Do you have a boyfriend?”
Shit, I didn’t like the fact that they weren’t telling me what happened at the gate. But I had to rely on what they wanted to share with me, so I just told them the truth.
I nodded. “Yes. It’s new, but he wouldn’t come here. He’s not exactly a fan, and I never even thought to have him pick me up for a date. We’ve been taking it slow.”
Dick nodded. Everything about his demeanor was both professional and sympathetic. “That’s what we thought. Especially since the gentleman who claimed to be your boyfriend was expelled from attending any more tours due to exceeding his limit for the year. Plus, I didn’t see you with a scrawny guy.”
Shady Oaks had been successful for so long that they started to let people do tours of the set, meet some of the cast, andwhatnot. Each person was limited to six tours a year since Shady Oaks limits thirty people to a tour. That way, fans always had a chance to visit, and it wasn’t the same people over and over.
“Yeah. Carter couldn’t ever be described that way, and as far as I know, he’s never come down to set. So whoever was at the gate, it wasn’t him.”
That’s when Duke spoke up. “Which is one of the reasons why I’ll be your shadow when you’re here.”
Shady Oaks was like a little village on set. I had friends and felt perfectly safe. Somebody threatening Stephanie was my worst nightmare. Hell, I’d been so protective of Stephanie, trying to make sure she could be a normal kid.
“What about at home? I have a child.”
Dick sighed, which meant he didn’t actually like the answer he had to say. “Thus far, it doesn’t appear that the threat extends beyond Shady Oaks, and therefore, the powers that be have decided not to extend the service beyond the workplace.”
Duke spoke up, “If you want, I can follow you home. But we’re still waiting on approval for more round-the-clock security. Unfortunately, the executives aren’t fully convinced that Mr. Corwin will follow you off-site. So they don’t want to do anything more until it becomes clear that the threat extends beyond the set.”
That didn’t sound good, but I couldn’t actually fault them.
