Unconscionable, A Rich Coleman Novel Vol 3

by William Manchee

  Chapter 22

  Best Seller

  Amanda closed her eyes as she pulled up the New York Times Best Seller list on her computer. When she opened them she gasped for joy. The Pact was number ten on the nonfiction list. She printed out the list and took it into the kitchen where Ryan was eating breakfast.

  “Honey, guess what!”

  Ryan looked up at her in anticipation. “What?”

  “The Pact is number ten on the New York Times Best Seller list.”

  Ryan’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “Yes!” Amanda exclaimed. “My first placement is a New York Times best seller! I’m so excited.”

  “I can see that,” Ryan said, laughing. He got up and they embraced. “I am so proud of you!”

  They sat down across from each other at the breakfast table.

  “Well, it wasn’t my doing, exactly. It was that unfortunate Inquisitor article and the Jay Leno appearance.”

  “Yes, I still can’t understand how the Inquisitor got ahold of Mom’s notes.”

  “The break-in, obviously.”

  Ryan frowned. “I don’t know about that break-in. They didn’t take the notes.”

  “Well, they probably just photographed them and put them back so it wouldn’t be obvious what they were after.”

  “I guess, but something is not right about it. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

  Sensing she was walking on thin ice, Amanda changed the subject. “So, is there any chance you can get Matt to write his story?”

  Ryan laughed. “No. Not a chance. If he told his story he’d be going back to jail, too.”

  Amanda’s eyes widened in alarm. “You think your father is going back to jail?”

  Ryan shrugged. “He could if the DA elects to prosecute him.”

  Fear and guilt swept over Amanda. She’d never seriously believed Rich would be charged with murder. She thought he’d be embarrassed and humiliated, but that would be the price of fame and fortune. But would the DA really try him for a crime that had taken place over twenty-five years ago? Her head began to throb and the muscles in her neck and shoulders tightened, causing her to wince in pain.

  “Are you all right?” Ryan asked.

  She forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I strained my neck jumping up and down. I’m going to go lie down.”

  She went to the bathroom adjacent to the master bedroom and took some aspirin. Looking in the mirror, she thought she looked a little pale. Was she getting sick, or was this sickly look the price of her ambition? She finally decided it was the lighting and assured herself that everything would work out okay in the end.

  On the following Monday Sheila Samson called to see how Rich and Erica were holding up and to report that over a hundred thousand hardcover books had been sold in the first two weeks since its release. She also wanted to know if Rich or Erica were available for any more appearances.

  “I seriously doubt it,” Amanda replied.

  “Well, that’s a shame. I’ve got over a dozen request for appearances. One is even offering money for him to appear.”

  “Seriously?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes, the Inquisitor is offering $50,000 for an exclusive interview and follow-up story to their initial exposé.”

  Amanda’s heart sank. “Well, forget that.”

  “Why? It will be an opportunity for Rich to get some compensation for all the hassle he’s going through.”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  “You have an obligation as his agent to advise him of any offers.”

  “I’ll mention it to him. Who else wants him?”

  “More talk shows: Good Morning America, The View, The Late Late Show.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to get him to consider doing more shows, but don’t hold your breath.”

  “I won’t. But getting a author’s book published is just part of your job, you know. You need to be putting deals together to increase the demand for his book.”

  “I think from his perspective he’s got way too much exposure already.”

  “All right. See what you can do. I hope you don’t disappoint me,” Sheila said and hung up.

  Amanda took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She felt a stress headache coming on and was hoping to short-circuit it. She’d have thought Sheila would be ecstatic with how everything had turned out and not putting heat on her for more promotion. The phone rang and she picked it up.

  “Amanda Sherman?” a male voice said.

  “Yes.”

  “This is Roy Stanhouse. I’m a foreign-rights agent and I’ve done work for your boss in the past. If you ask her I’m sure she’ll vouch for me. “

  “Okay. What can I do for you?”

  “Do you have anyone soliciting foreign rights for The Pact?”

  “No. Not yet. I was about to start looking for someone.”

  “Well, you’re in luck. I’ve been checking around, and I’m pretty sure I could arrange a number of foreign-rights deals if Mr. Coleman would hire me.”

  “Who do you think might be interested?”

  “My people in London tell me that there would be considerable interest at a number of publishing houses in Great Britain, France, and Germany. Japan is a possibility as well.”

  “Okay. Send me a proposed contract and I’ll talk to my client about it. . . . What kind of advance do you think they will offer?”

  “Probably $10,000 or so for each country.”

  “Oh, that much? I’ll definitely talk to Mr. Coleman,” she said and hung up.

  Talking about money got her to thinking about Sylvia and the $50,000 offer the Inquisitor had made. She decided to go visit her friend Sylvia and talk to her. They met at Denny’s near Sylvia’s office.

  “What exactly would Rich have to do for this $50,000?” Amanda asked.

  “He’d have to sit down with me and answer all my questions.”

  “Doesn’t the book answer all your questions?”

  “No, there are a lot of holes I need filled in.”

  “He doesn’t have any memory of the murder, so you’re not going to get him to confess to it.”

  “I know, but there’s a lot he will remember, I’m sure. I’m also interested in how our story and the Leno interview has impacted him.”

  “Okay, I’ll let him know about the offer and let you know.”

  “Good. I appreciate it. Oh, congratulations on the New York Times Best Seller list.”

  “Yes, that is incredible, isn’t it?”

  “It is.”

  “So, did the story do anything for your career?” Amanda asked.

  Sylvia nodded. “Yes, I’ve finally earned a little respect around the office. This follow-up will do even do more for me—not just a flash in the pan, you know?”

  “Right. Well, that’s good. I was hoping it would benefit us both.”

  On the way back to her office Amanda worried that while Rich was being interviewed, Sylvia might accidentally or intentionally reveal where she found out about Erica’s notes. She didn’t think Sylvia would do that, but the thought dogged her. A reporter never reveals her sources, she kept telling herself over and over again.

  When she got back to the office she decided to call Rich to advise him of the talk show offers as well as the Inquisitor’s proposal. She was half-afraid to call him as she hadn’t talked to him since the police had searched his house and he’d learned of a possible indictment for Aunt Martha’s murder. She held her breath as she dialed the phone. Suzie answered the phone and said she’d put her through.

  “Rich. This is Amanda.”

  “Oh, hi, Amanda. How are you?”

  “Good, actually. I guess you saw you’re number ten on the New York Times Best Seller list.”

  “Yes. I saw that. Can you believe it?”

  “No. It’s totally amazing.”

  “So, what’s up?”

  “Well, since you are now a best-selling author there have been requests for you to make appearances
all around the country.”

  “Really? Any good ones?”

  “Yes, Good Morning America, The Late Late Show, and others.”

  “Do they want me or both of us?”

  “They’d like both, but they’d be happy with just you.”

  “I don’t know. With the grand jury looking at me for a possible indictment it might not be a good idea to stir up more publicity.”

  “Well, if you don’t, the press isn’t going to get your side of the story and you may end looking guilty. Don’t you think it would be better to tell people what you think happened? If Erica and your friend don’t talk, the press won’t have any way to refute what you tell them.”

  “I guess. I need to talk to Erica and my attorney about it.”

  “Oh, and the Inquisitor wants to do a follow-up story as well. They are willing to pay $50,000 for it.”

  “How much?”

  “Fifty thousand.”

  “Whoa! That’s a lot for an interview.”

  “You should do it. It will give you a chance to do some damage control and stop all the wild speculation.”

  “Okay. You may be right, and I could use the money to pay my attorney. I know he’s going to want a big retainer.”

  “You don’t have to give me a cut of the money. Technically I should get fifteen percent, but I’ll talk to my boss. We didn’t solicit the story so we—”

  “Nonsense. I’m not going to take advantage of you just because you’re family. You’ve done a great job. I’m a New York Times best-selling author for godsakes. I hope you make a million bucks.”

  “Right,” Amanda laughed, “because that would mean you made eight million.”

  “Well, that’s true,” Rich agreed, laughing.

  Amanda hung up, shocked at Rich’s upbeat mood. She guessed it was due to the success of his book and felt relieved. He’s obviously not worried too much about being indicted, so why should I lose any sleep over it? Everything I’ve done has been for Rich and Erica’s benefit as well as my own. A feeling of pride and accomplishment swept over her, but it didn’t last. No matter how many times she told herself everything would be okay, the throbbing in her temples and dull pain in her stomach wouldn’t go away.