I groan. It just gets worse.
She laughs at me. "We already had breakfast. Other people had more reason to stay in bed. But, I made some beignets for you two."
"Mais, oui."
"Take some up to your girl. But don’t ruin your appetite. I’m making a big lunch for us. Will you two be able to come down for it?"
"If we can still walk, yes." Two can play at this game.
"Practice makes perfect. I’m sure you’ll get it right soon enough."
Gotta remember not to play with Mama.
We’re seated on the floor in front of the fireplace. Well, actually, I’m seated on the floor, Kels is sprawled all over me. She’s a bit exhausted. I snicker, proud of myself. I’ve barely been able to get her to drink her tea or eat the beignets Mama made. The latter part doesn’t bother me. I could eat a dozen of these without blinking an eye. "Kels, you awake?"
"No."
I laugh softly, causing her to bounce about on my chest.
"Stop it, bad mattress," she chides, slapping my side.
"We can’t sleep all day."
"Sure we can, we didn’t sleep last night," she mutters and attempts to fluff my breast like a pillow.
"Stop that!" I protest. The woman is insane. "We have places to go, people to see."
"Where are we going to go, Tabloid?"
I summon up my courage once again. Based on my track record so far, I’m doing well. But, this one has the potential to really hurt. "I was thinking New York."
I feel her become a bit more alert. "Yeah?"
"I want to take the job CBS is offering me."
"Okay." Her voice suggests that this is anything but okay.
I lift her jaw so that our eyes meet. "I want us to go together, Little Roo. I don’t want to lose this, lose you."
"Oh. You don’t?"
I frown, confused. How have I been unclear? "Hell, no. Do I look stupid?"
"No, I’ve never thought you looked stupid."
"Don’t you want to go to New York with me, Kels?" I can feel my heart stop beating as it waits for her reply.
She sighs and burrows down into me once more. "Of course I do."
Blood begins pumping once more. "We need to have your agent negotiate it then. If it isn’t part of your contract for me to be your executive producer, it won’t matter if we’re both on Exposure."
"We’ll call Foster together later today." Kelsey kisses the spot where my shoulder has a little indent.
"Foster?"
"My agent. Foster McGovern. She’s with Phillip Morris in New York. I’ve been with her for a couple years now. She’s great, ruthless in negotiating."
"Good, I like that in a woman."
Kels nips my skin. "Well, don’t like it too much."
She’s got a point, given my reputation. "I won’t, chér. I seem to be a bit preoccupied with a certain blonde nowadays. She’s got me to where I can’t tell if I’m coming, going, or standing still."
"Well, recently, you’ve been coming a lot," she teases and squeezes me tight. "‘Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today,’" Kels begins singing softly.
Oh, what the hell, at least it’s not a Kermit song. "‘I want to be a part of it – New York, New York.’" I can sing too.
My Little Roo is waking up a bit more. Her voice gets stronger, "‘These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray.’"
"‘Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York,’" I continue. We both join in on the next section, struggling to keep from dissolving into laughter. "‘I want to wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep. And find I’m king of the hill - top of the heap.’"
Okay, we’re losing it now. Somehow one of us manages to sing at least one of the words in the next section, making for a very broken harmony, but a very good time. "‘These little town blues, are melting away. I’m gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York. If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere. It’s up to you - New York, New York.’"
I nearly die when I hear applause coming from outside our bedroom door. "Encore!" Mama calls.
Kelsey groans and collapses against me once more. "Welcome to the family, darlin’," I whisper. "It doesn’t get any better than this."
"No, it doesn’t, Harper; no, it doesn’t."
Mama announces through the bedroom door that if we have enough strength to sing, we have enough strength to come down for lunch. Even though it means giving up my spot on my new mattress, I agree and nudge Harper into agreeing as well. However, we do make it clear a shower is required first.
Right when she is about to join me, Mama actually sticks her head in the bathroom causing poor Harper to nearly go through the roof. Mercifully, I am already safe in the shower, hidden by the opaque shower curtain. I stand under the warm water and snicker at her distress.
"Harper, there is a phone call for you from Los Angeles, a Detective Brice. He’s says it’s urgent." She exits, much to Harper’s relief.
I stick my head out of the shower. "Why would Bear be calling you here, Tabloid?"
"Dunno." She shrugs, pulling on a robe. "I’m sure it’s nothing, Kels. You finish your shower and I’ll see what he wants. My poker check probably bounced, that’s all." She laughs, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice.
"Yeah, right. I’m coming with you." I get out, toweling off quickly and throwing on a robe in order to follow her to our room. I lean against the doorframe, while she takes a seat on the bed, picking up the extension.
"Yeah, Mama, I got it. Thanks. Hey Bear, what’s up?"
Harper smiles at me as she listens to him. I know that smile. That’s the ‘Oh, this is bad, but I can’t let Kels know it’ smile. I don’t intend to tell her I’ve figured that one out. It’s way too useful.
"Yeah, I understand." She swallows hard. "We’ll be back in L.A. tomorrow. Bear, Kels and I are thinking of making a move to New York. That should stop him, right?"
I knew it. This has something to do with my stalker.
"Hmm. Just as soon as we can." She extends her hand to me. When I take it, she pulls me down on the bed next to her, holding me so close I’m in danger of becoming part of her. "All right, I’ll tell her. Keep me posted." She drops the receiver back onto the cradle then her other arm wraps around me. Her reaction is worrying me more than anything else.
"What?" I can barely whisper it.
"I don’t know where to start, Kels. It’s bad news all the way around."
"Just tell me."
"There’s been another murder."
"Oh God!" I feel sick. She holds me close. I know I’m shaking now. How can the sick bastard do this? These girls, they’re dying because they look like me.
"They," she pauses, then tries again, "they found this one in Santa Monica, locked in the trunk of a car."
"The trunk of a car?" I pull back a bit. "Harper, that’s different from anything he’s ever done before. Are they sure it’s him?"
"Yeah, I’m afraid so, Kels." She pauses again. I don’t like this at all. "It was your car."
"What?"
"He stole your car from your apartment’s garage. Then he apparently put the body in the trunk, drove it to Santa Monica, and set it on fire."
I’m going to be sick now. I promptly head to the bathroom and close the door behind me.
Harper’s family must be wondering what in the hell she has gotten herself into. She decided since Bear called here, we need to give the latest news to her family. She knows Mama is not going to let us out of the house without an explanation.
"We could lie to them and tell them it was for a story," I offer quietly, tying the laces on my sneakers.
"Have you figured out nothing, Little Roo?" She kneels in front of me, smiling and trying to bring me out of my funk. "You don’t try to lie to Mama because she’ll catch you every time."