Hadleigh didn’t bother defending herself to Macie. Once Macie’s mind was made up there was no point trying to change it.
Soon, Red Dixon would either find out he had another daughter he didn’t know existed or face the fact that a daughter he knew about, and chose to keep secret, was no longer secret.
Hadleigh was powerless to control what happened from here, and right now she wasn’t sure she even cared. The Dixons were not the kind of family she wanted to be a part of anyway.
She got up from the love seat and started to leave the room without even looking at her half-sister. As she reached the doorway she stopped and said, “When I first found out about you I hoped we’d at least become friends someday. It’s sad to me that you’re so damaged you’ll never know what it feels like to have a friend. I hope your success is enough for you, Macie.”
Chapter 14
As the first slivers of daylight appeared outside her window, Q’Bita stretched and got out of bed. Beecher would be almost done feeding the animals, and she needed to start breakfast.
She dressed and headed for the kitchen. She could see the light shining under the door between the dining room and the kitchen. As she entered the kitchen, she was surprised to find her nana sitting at the counter, dabbing at her red, swollen eyes with a tissue.
“Nana! Are you okay?”
Liddy Lou sniffled and then blew her nose.
“Hello, baby. I’m sorry if all the commotion woke you. Rene was hysterical by the time they left, and I couldn’t bring myself to shush him.”
Q’Bita took a seat next to her nana and slid the tissue box a little closer.
“Oh God, what did I miss? Is someone hurt?”
“Oh, Q’Bita, I’m just heart-sick. When Beecher went out to feed his critters this morning Rolfie followed him to the barn. He got hold of some of my gopher bait. I’m not sure if he ate it or just inhaled it but he was having a horrible reaction. Beecher got some salted water into him and he started throwing up but there’s no way to tell how much of the poison he ingested. It only takes the smallest amount to kill a coyote or even a person, for that matter. It wouldn’t take much to kill a cat. Even one as big as Rolfie. I just hope they get him to the vet in time to counteract the poison.”
“I’m sure Rolfie will be just fine, Nana.” Q’Bita hoped her words came out sounding more hopeful than she felt inside.
“I hope you’re right, baby. Rene will never forgive me if he isn’t. He treats that cat like it’s a child, and I can’t imagine how devastated he’ll be if the vet can’t help.”
Q’Bita got up and started making a fresh batch of biscuits. Her parents would be up soon and make their way to the kitchen. Biscuits were always best warm and consumed with fresh coffee. Cooking was how she coped with stress, and thankfully the rest of her family dealt with stress by eating. The rest of the morning dragged on at a painfully slow pace until Beecher finally called around eleven to say the vet was still treating Rolfie, but he’d be fine in a few days.
The sense of tension that had been hanging over everything finally lifted and Q’Bita was able to catch a few hours to herself. She pulled out her wedding book and flipped through the pages until she found the recipe for Comfort Casserole. Warm, bubbly, gooey comfort food was exactly what her family needed to set things right.
She made a quick shopping list and headed out the door. She called Evie and Jamie on her way into town and invited them to dinner. Evie offered to bring dessert and Q’Bita put Jamie in charge of wine.
Once she was finished shopping Q’Bita made a quick stop at Sammie Hake’s flower shop to pick out some flowers for the table. Sammie’s assistant rang up her purchase and was wrapping the flowers in paper just as Sammie came in from the back room. She smiled and waved.
“Hey, Q’Bita. This must be my lucky day, getting to see both my favorite customers. Liddy Lou stopped by earlier and picked up gift baskets and had me emboss more ribbon. I know I’ve probably said this before but I really do appreciate that you guys patronize the local merchants. It means a lot to little businesses like mine.”
Q’Bita stayed and chatted for a few minutes then headed home to get dinner started.
Chapter 15
The production crew was getting antsy. Today’s shoot should have started two hours ago, and there was still no sign of Macie or Hadleigh. Patti had shown up before the rest of the staff hoping to persuade Macie to wrap early so the crew could attend the Charleston Film Festival.
Prior to working on Country Cooking With Macie, three of the crew had filmed a documentary about waste and abuse in the restaurant industry, and their film was screening as the main event at the festival tonight.
Patti took one look at the cherry almond crumble she’d staged over an hour ago. It had not held up well under the hot lights of the set. She was just about to pull it off the counter when Macie finally made an appearance.
“Why are you all just standing around? This show doesn’t stage and film itself. I’ll be in my dressing room centering myself. You’d better be ready to roll when I walk back out here.”
***
Macie walked down the hallway to her dressing room still reeling from the conversation with her father. How could he have kept all these secrets from her? It was like her whole life was a lie. Hadleigh was right, even her cooking show was a joke. The only part of her life that wasn’t a farce was The Macie Dixon Line. The concept and designs were all hers, and it was something she was very proud of. She had an eye for color and a knack for knowing what looked good together, but these weren’t skills that impressed someone like Red Dixon.
Red was all about money and building an empire, so right from the beginning Macie agreed to take on all the other pieces, like the cooking show, the blog, and the brand. She would much rather have focused on the product line until she’d perfected it, but her father drove her like she drove others, and she never wanted to come up short in his eyes.
She reached the door to her dressing room and noticed it was open a crack. She could hear someone moving around inside. Macie tiptoed to the door, peered in, and saw it was Hadleigh. She opened the door, and Hadleigh turned to look at her.
“Before you start screeching, Macie, I’m just here to get my personal things. You can check the box; I didn’t steal anything.”
Hadleigh motioned towards the copy-paper box sitting on the corner of Macie’s desk.
Macie stepped inside and pulled the door partway shut behind her.
“No need to be so defensive, Hadleigh. I didn’t accuse you of stealing anything.”
“No, that’s right. You accused me of being a scammer, a loser, and a liar but not a thief. Stealing is your flaw, not mine.”
“Wow, and here I thought I was the only bitch in this family,” Macie said sarcastically.
Hadleigh dropped the files she was holding into the box and stared at Macie.
“This family? So yesterday you accuse me of making this whole thing up to con your father out of his fortune and now we’re family? Why the sudden change of heart, Macie?”
“Hadleigh, I know you won’t believe this, but I’m not really as horrible as you think I am. I heard every word you said yesterday, and trust me, some of it stung. I called my father after you left and told him I needed to speak to him. When I told him about our conversation I expected him to react the same way I did, deny everything and call his lawyers, but he just went quiet. When he did finally say something, it was that his relationship with my mother was complicated, things weren’t as perfect on the inside as they seemed on the outside, and they’d both done things to hurt the other. He insists he had no idea about you, and I believe him. And to prove to you I’m not as horrible as you think, I asked him who your mother was, but he isn’t sure. Apparently, it could be one of several people, so I think that’s a discussion you and he need to have.”
“Discussion he and I need to have? You mean you’re okay with your father and I speaking? What’s gotten into you, Macie? Where ar
e your talons?”
Just then a small knock sounded at the door and Patti Becker called out a timid, “Hello.”
“For the love of God, what now?” Macie muttered as she stepped back towards the door and pulled it open.
Patti stood in the doorway looking like she was afraid to speak.
“How long have you been standing there?” Macie snapped.
“Just a few seconds. I wasn’t eavesdropping, if that’s what you mean. I swear I didn’t hear a thing.”
Patti was babbling and wringing her hands around a white cotton towel.
Macie leaned her weight against the door.
“Well, what do you want? We’re in the middle of something, and I don’t have time for you right now.”
Patti looked like she wanted to crawl inside herself and disappear, but somehow found her voice.
“I was wondering if you’re ready to get started. We’re already behind schedule, and tonight’s the night Carl, Steve, and Ben’s film is being screened at the Charleston Film Festival, so we’d like to wrap by five… and it’s almost three now.”
And just like that, the old Macie was back.
“Patsy, why do I have to constantly remind you people that we roll when I say roll and we wrap when I say wrap? If they made the film, they already know what happens, so I don’t think it would be a tragedy if they didn’t get there in time to see it. I’ll be out when I’m ready and not a second sooner.”
Macie closed the door in Patti’s face and turned back to Hadleigh.
“Okay, you’re unfired. I can’t deal with these people like you can.”
Hadleigh let out a little chuckle.
“Sorry, Macie, you’re on your own, but I’ll leave you with some advice. You might get further if you’d stop calling them ‘you people’ or at least try to remember their names. It’s demeaning, and part of the reason why they hate you enough to spit in the dishes you taste each show.”
Hadleigh turned back towards the desk, dropped the last of her belongings into the box, and grabbed her purse to leave.
Macie moved closer and blocked Hadleigh’s path to the door. She reached up, took the box from Hadleigh’s arms, and set it on the floor.
“Okay, you’re right. I need to work on my people skills. If you agree to stay I’ll agree to work on being more personable. I’ll even let them leave on time, so they can get to their stupid film festival. Even though I can’t figure out why anyone would choose to watch a documentary; those things are dreadful.”
“Seriously, Macie, did you have a stroke or something? This new you are scarier than the old you.”
Macie groaned and flung herself down on the couch.
“No, Hadleigh, I didn’t have a stroke. I’m just tired of always being the bad guy. It’s exhausting. I’m a bitch because the more I yell the more people scramble to do what I want. If you think I don’t know what people say about me, or how they feel about me, you’re wrong. I hate that I don’t have any real friends or anyone I can trust. I doubt you’ll believe this, but I had nothing to do with taking those recipes. I asked Liddy Lou and Q’Bita to create recipes for the show, but they refused because of their publishing contract, which I understood.
“Then, out of nowhere, Tony showed up with those copies. I knew what they were, and I should have sent him packing, but Daddy said he’d take care of the fallout. You don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to just be honest and give them back to Liddy Lou, but the show has been a hit, and I’ve dug the hole so deep I don’t know how to crawl out without tanking the whole Macie Dixon Line. “I haven’t had to work for much in life, but I’ve worked hard to design my brand, and I can’t let it fail.”
By the time she finished, Macie’s face was streaked with tears and mascara.
Hadleigh sat down beside her and put her arm around her. “Okay, I’ll stay, but from here on out we do things the right way, and that includes giving those recipes back and dealing with whatever the consequences might be.”
Chapter 16
When the screening ended, Hadleigh excused herself and stepped outside to call Macie. Hadleigh’d been surprised when Macie called it a wrap at 4:30 saying she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest. When Hadleigh had shown concern, Macie insisted she’d be fine and encouraged Hadleigh to go enjoy the festival with the rest of the crew.
But Hadleigh was worried, and now her call went right to voicemail. She tried two more times and got voicemail each time. It wasn’t like Macie to not answer the phone, and Hadleigh was starting to feel guilty about leaving Macie alone at the studio when she wasn’t feeling well.
The drive back to Castle Creek took half an hour, and still Macie wasn’t answering. As Hadleigh pulled into the parking lot, she noticed Macie’s bubble gum pink Hummer was still parked in its usual spot near the door.
Hadleigh parked next to Macie’s SUV and climbed the few stairs to the front door. She was about to swipe her access badge when she noticed the front doors were open a crack. The TV station doors were normally locked after 5:30 PM and only accessible via access badge. Hadleigh made a mental note to mention the open doors to the station manager the next day. She and Macie often worked after hours, and while Castle Creek was usually a safe place, she didn’t like the idea that someone could just walk in off the street unannounced.
She pulled the door open and stepped inside. It was unsettlingly dark, and she fumbled for the light switch on the wall, expecting to find that they’d been switched off. She was surprised to find them in the ‘on’ position.
Hadleigh reached for her cell phone and activated the flashlight app. She directed it at the floor a few feet in front of her and started towards Macie’s dressing room.
As she made her way down the hall she heard the distant sound of the Country Cooking With Macie theme song. She shook her head; only Macie would be so self-absorbed that she used the theme song to her own show as a ringtone. The song played through again and then ended, having gone to voicemail.
A few feet from Macie’s door, Hadleigh came to a stop. The door was open, and she could see a dark mass lying across the threshold. She inched closer, holding her breath, and almost fainted when the flashlight beam illuminated a hand and a tangle of long, blond hair.
“Oh God, Macie.”
Hadleigh knelt and leaned in closer. Macie wasn’t moving and didn’t respond. Hadleigh reached out and gently touched Macie’s hand.
“Macie, can you hear me?”
Still no reply. She reached for Macie’s shoulder and gave her a gentle shake.
“Macie, wake up.”
But Macie’s skin was icy cold.
Hadleigh scrambled back against the wall and dialed 911.
“Dispatch. What’s your emergency?”
Hadleigh’s mind went temporarily blank.
“Hello, is anyone there?”
Hadleigh felt her voice cracked as she spoke.
“I, I… um… I need an ambulance, please.”
A calm voice said, “What’s the nature of your emergency?”
“I’m not sure,” Hadleigh said. “I think my boss may have had an accident.”
The rest of the conversation went by in a blur, and Hadleigh was still huddled against the wall when she heard sirens outside. She got to her feet and started towards the door when she heard Macie’s cell phone ring again. The sound of the ringtone made her stomach churn as she realized somewhere someone was trying to reach Macie and they had no idea they’d never speak to her again.
Chapter 17
Orvis Burr pulled two succulent T-bone steaks off the grill just as Andy’s phone rang.
“Okay, we’ll be right there.”
Andy ended his call and shot Orvis a look that conveyed their steak dinner was going to have to wait.
“We’ve got a body at the television studio. Looks like they need us both.”
Orvis poured his beer over the coals and walked the plate of sizzling red meat into the kitchen as he muttered, “I’ll grab my stuff a
nd be right with you, Andy.”
Orvis Burr had been the Castle Creek coroner for thirty years, and this wasn’t the first meal he’d missed because of work, and probably wouldn’t be the last.
A small crowd was starting to gather in the parking lot of the television studio as Andy and Orvis arrived. Deputy Mike Collins met Andy’s SUV at the barricade and let them pass. Andy parked just inside the makeshift, sawhorse parameter.
As they exited Andy’s SUV, Castle Creek’s resident gossip columnist Spenser Penn charged the barricade with a photographer in tow.
“Sheriff Hansen, what’s happening in there?” Spenser yelled.
The repeated flash from the photographer’s camera temporarily blinded Andy as he turned towards the growing crowd and mustered up his authoritative voice.
“You people need to go on back home. All information will be released through our Press Office when the time is right.”
He turned and started to walk away when he heard a commotion behind him. He turned back around to see Spenser Penn ducking under the barricade as his photographer wrestled with Deputy Collins. Spenser bolted toward Andy and Orvis.
“Sheriff, need I remind you that the election is only a few months away, and I’d hate for my readers to get the impression that you don’t think it’s necessary to share information with the press.”
Andy took two quick steps towards Spenser and was about to rip into him when he felt Orvis grasp his arm.
Spenser seized the moment like a snake in an unguarded hen house.
“Hello, Orvis. Would you care to comment as to why your presence is necessary? One hardly expects to see the coroner arrive with the sheriff at a crime scene unless there’s a dead body or two to be dealt with.”
Orvis let go of Andy’s arm and took a step towards Spenser Penn.
“Spenser, I have a quote for you.” Spenser was practically salivating as he leaned closer to Orvis.
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