Page 96 of See You There
Dahlia took a spiral notebook and settled on the sofa. It had taken a bit before the words flowed, but the more she wrote, the more confident she became. Now, as she scanned over the words she’d written, she felt a flutter of pride. It was only an outline, but it was a start.
“What are you working on?” Luke asked from behind her.
Dahlia flipped the notebook closed. “Just an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head.”
Luke sat in the seat beside her. “It’s gotten hot out there.”
Dahlia’s brow wrinkled. Small talk about the weather?
“I just got off the phone with James.”
Her ears perked up.
“He’s acting as a liaison for us with the APD. They aren’t happy about the bullet holes in the window. He’s also working to fast track your deposition. The attempts on your life make you eligible for expedited process.”
Dahlia winced. “You mean because if Hank kills me, I can’t testify about the photos?”
“I won’t let that happen.” Steel glinted in Luke’s eyes.
Dahlia frowned. She was torn between wanting Hank found and worrying about how expensive a private investigator would be. She knew if she asked, Luke would tell her not to worry about it, but she didn’t want to be in his debt. He’d already done so much more than he had to.
“One more thing, I need to have a teleconference with the GBI. So, I’ll need to use the bedroom.” Dahlia’s eyes rounded, and he smiled reassuringly. “Nothing to do with you. Something else. Family related.”
“Is everything okay?”
Luke hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision. “I was the last person to see someone before he was murdered. I’ve got an alibi, but they have to do their due diligence. These are follow-up questions.” Luke assured her, but the tight lines at the corners of his eyes told her he wasn’t as certain as he wanted her to believe.
“I’m so sorry! Was it someone you were close to?”
“No,” he said, but his eyes slid away from hers.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Luke’s head snapped around to look at her. “I’m not trying to pry. Last night when I opened up about my family stuff, I felt better. I thought maybe…”
“I’m fine.” He gave her a terse smile before walking away and pulling out his computer.
But everything wasn’t fine.
After Luke disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door, Dahlia tiptoed closer to eavesdrop. She wasn’t proud of it, but something was worrying Luke. Unfortunately, Luke must have put on headphones for the meeting because, although she could hear the low rumble of his voice, she couldn’t make out any others.
Dahlia gave up. She took her notebook to the deck and chewed on the end of a pen.
Young kids, teenagers in particular, without regular access to a theater program would have no interest in the classic plays and musicals most camps put on. But what ifshewrote a play for them to perform? She could pick a subject they could relate to? First crushes. Fights with friends. Rebelling against their parents. That kind of thing.
Even in the porch's shade, the heat and the extra exercise from the morning made her drowsy. Dahlia had only been writing for about half an hour and was contemplating another afternoon nap when her phone rang. She wrinkled her nose when she saw who the caller was.
“Did you know the police are trying to pin this shooting on Chandler because of what you said?” Victor spat when she answered. “And now you’re off doing god knows what! This movie is going to be a disaster, and it will be your fault!”
“Hi, Victor. I’m doing great. It’ssonice not to have someone shooting at me for a moment. Thanks for asking.”
Victor sucked in a breath. “Don’t get sassy with me! You created this shit storm and then ran out, leaving me to clean it up.”
Dahlia’s temper sparked. “I didn’t do anything. Chandler dragged me to an illegal casino after being threatened by a couple of goons. Then he played macho leading man and got himself shot by his own trainer. It’s no wonder the police think he is involved. I left Atlanta because someone is trying to kill me!I thought you’d be more concerned about your meal ticket dying than you are!”
She heard Victor click his teeth. “You cancelled all your interviews. How does that help? I’ve been in crisis meetings all day with Matt Crawford, trying to salvage this movie. The best thing for you to do is to come back from wherever you are. Matt has agreed to pay for armed security to accompany you to any appearances you need to make. One of those appearances being to Chandler’s hospital bedside as a concerned girlfriend!” Victor was shouting by the end of his tirade, and she held the phone away from her head, fuming.
“I’ve already emailed Heather. She’s rescheduling my interviews for the next few days so that I can do them virtually. But you are unbelievable! All you care about is the money. We’ve worked together for ten years! I’ve done everything you’ve asked, put my personal life on hold while you took most of every check I got… I would have thought that would buy me a little loyalty. Instead, you seem to only care about what Matt tells you to!”
There was a pause, and she knew Victor was trying to process her fighting back. His voice was pitched low and mean when he said, “Right now, you’ve got your fancy pants lawyer telling you whatever you want to hear just so you’ll spread your legs for him. Do you think he’ll want to keep you around when he knows the truth about you? He’s so far above you it’s laughable. You honestly think he wants to be with a trailer trash whore? The tabloids would love that.” Victor’s words lashed at her heart.
