She tried to remind him they weren’t alone, but his hand muffled her words into a garbled mess. She jerked away from him, hot words bubbling to her lips.
“Is the guy who asked for my autograph called TJ?” He stepped away, thrust his hands in his pockets, and scanned the crew.
She struggled to make sense of this lunatic’s behavior. “Are you having a stroke? What is wrong with you?”
“I hope he got all that. Brilliant. That bit about us in your trailer. I never would’ve thought of that. Not yet at least. Hope TJ kept recording after Michael broke away.”
“What are you blathering about? We’re not shooting.”
“And you said there was no story behind Kimmy. Nothing between you and Michael, either, I bet.” He winked at her.
At what point was winking considered a reasonable motivation for poking someone in the eye? She clenched her fists. “No, there’s not. And never has been, you—”
“There’s TJ.” Sterling pointed to TJ before cocking his thumb up and down. He raised his eyebrows. TJ flashed a thumbs-up.
Sterling beamed. “He got it all. Yes.” He pumped his fist. “Good job.”
She stared at him.
“Come on. Don’t I get some knuckles? That was a great scene.”
She watched TJ scurry from the room. He cast a single guilty glance her way.
Everything clicked all at once. The crew was recording while they fought. Sterling had baited her, and she’d walked right into the trap. She scowled. “Let me guess. You’re miked.”
“Yep. Rosie fixed me up. Hid it great. Girl knows her stuff. Of course, Kimberly Wantland gets only the best.”
“Once again, everyone is in on it but me. You’re already making me look like a fool, and you haven’t even been introduced on the show.”
“Rosie didn’t know anything about my plan to record a squabble. Neither did Michael.”
“So you tricked me and hurt his feelings for what? That’ll never make it into the show. We have a specific format. It doesn’t vary.”
“This wasn’t for the show. This is to leak to the Internet. We’ll tag you and get millions of views.”
“You can’t do that. Your appearance is supposed to be a surprise for the viewers.”
“A surprise? No, we want people to tune in to watch. Lots of people. Your fans, my fans, new fans. We need to let people know what’s coming. And the best way to get attention is to leak something to the Internet. Preferably something entertaining like people fighting. We stir up a little controversy, no one will be able to resist.”
“Did you run this past Michael? This needs to be okayed by top brass.”
“Run what past him? I don’t know what you’re referring to. I can’t help it if the crew recorded us arguing and someone leaked it.” He smirked again.
“Did you tell TJ to leak it? Or pay him? I do not appreciate this type of low behavior.”
“You will when your ratings skyrocket.”
“Don’t pretend this is about me. What happens when Hoffmeier hears about your stunt and demands to know the source of the leak? What happens to TJ when he’s caught?”
“Nothing. Hoffmeier cares only about ratings. He’ll be thrilled when he realizes how good this is for the show and wish he’d thought of it himself. No one will know TJ was involved any more than they’ll know I arranged it.”
“I know you arranged it. And I will protect my crew. They’ve been with me from the beginning.” Maybe this was the way to get rid of him. If she told Michael right now, maybe they could keep the footage from reaching the public.
“You’re going to tattle? Really? Is this middle school?”
“You’re the one who started this nonsense.”
“I’ll deny it all. And then say you’re just jealous and trying to get rid of me.”
“I’m not jealous of you in any way.” The man was infuriating. But Michael knew she didn’t like him or want him on her show. Sterling probably could spin this to his advantage. She would have to keep quiet. She didn’t have anything to take to Michael now anyway. “Go ahead and post the video. I think it’s disgusting how you’re attempting to leech off my success. I don’t think you’ll accomplish a thing, but by all means, knock yourself out.”
Head high, she stalked down the hall, hoping she appeared more confident than she felt. His video painted her in a bad light. All she could do was hope he didn’t cause any damage in his quest for ratings and celebrity status.
She needed something she could use against him. Some leverage to shut down his obnoxious antics. And maybe get him booted from the show.
7
Kimberly stood in Danielle and Stephen’s living room, surrounded by toys. She could do this. Despite Sterling’s behavior and insistence she was a fraud. She would show him. Her show drew higher ratings for a reason.
Danielle clutched her baby, rocking gently and bouncing the blanketed bundle. The woman glanced at her, fear in her tired eyes. Kimberly offered her a reassuring smile. Never once had she failed to solve a haunting, and she didn’t intend to break her record now.
The couple’s toddler—Drew, was it?—sat nearby, engrossed with running a train along a wooden track. He chugged and puffed and choo-choo’ed until the train crashed into a truck abandoned on the track and derailed in a clatter of train cars, complete with explosion noises provided by the toddler. He raised both fists over his head and yelled, “Crash,” before collapsing in a giggling heap.
She looked at Michael. They couldn’t shoot like this.
As always, he came to her rescue. “Maybe Mr. Drew could draw a picture for us?”
Stephen scooped up the giggling heap. “Let’s draw, buddy.” He situated the boy at the dining table, where Danielle hovered beside him.
“Okay, Kimmy . . . Kimberly.” Michael shook his head, a slight frown on his face. “Ready?”
She nodded. Stan and TJ took their places. Rosie dashed in for a final powder touch-up and pushed a lock of hair back into place.
She mentally took note of the train track and crash site lest she trip and ruin a take.
Michael counted her in and pointed, indicating she should start when ready.
She looked directly into Stan’s camera. TJ would capture Sterling’s entrance. “We need to determine the areas in the home to focus on by taking an initial reading. But before I check for activity, I have some news.”
Michael stood behind Stan, a huge grin plastered on his face, mouthing, “Smile.” He held rabbit ears over Stan’s head, danced the Robot, and made goofy faces—all in the span of five seconds. He really would do anything for the show. And for her.
One week. One show. She could do this. She relaxed and smiled. “Sterling Wakefield is here to help figure out what’s happening at the Williams home. Sterling?”
Sterling bounded from the kitchen. They shook hands as though meeting for the first time as Michael had suggested.
“Thank you, Kimberly. Pleasure to be here. Glad you accepted my challenge. So excited to be on your show. Thanks for having me.”
“Glad you could join us.” Now he could truly call her a liar. No truth in that statement at all. “Danielle believes she’s seeing the ghost of her grandmother’s cat. The presence disrupts her sleep and causes a sense of dread. I’m about to—”
“Sense of dread, huh?”
Her head snapped in his direction. He wasn’t supposed to say anything yet, let alone interrupt her.
“From a cat? You’re here to investigate a ghost cat? What will you call this episode? ‘The Case of the Killer Kitty’?”
She stared at him. She hadn’t even started the investigation, and he was already making fun of her. “Yes. A ghost cat.”
“Did you run out of real ghosts to investigate? What do we do first? Set out a bowl of Fancy Ectoplasmic Feast? A dish of ghost-white milk?”
She saw Danielle shift from foot to foot. The young woman scowled. Probably wondering why she couldn’t keep control on her own show.
Flustered, she stared at Sterling, unable to speak. Michael gestured for her to keep going.
“I . . . no, of course not. Ghosts don’t eat.” Ghosts don’t eat? What was wrong with her? She wasn’t handling this well. No one on her show challenged her before.
He laughed. “Oh. My bad. Ghosts don’t eat. I thought this challenge would be a real test of my abilities but looks like you’re going to make it easy for me. This will be a cakewalk. Scariest thing to watch out for will be spectral hair balls.”
What if Hoffmeier felt the same way? What if he’d brought Sterling here for the season finale because he’d heard she planned to investigate a ghost cat and thought the episode would fizzle? Had her producer lost all faith in her?
She straightened and took a deep breath, returning Sterling’s stare with a glare of her own. She’d show him. She’d show them all. This was her show, and she wouldn’t let him ruin it. “I’ll conduct my initial walk-through to locate the paranormal hot spots in the house.”
“Hot spots. Right. Lead the way.” His lips twitched as he gestured her forward.
If this episode failed, it wouldn’t be her fault. His presence and his galling behavior made focusing difficult. He was throwing her off already. How could she survive a week with this cretin? She couldn’t let him get to her.
She walked down the hall, clutching her crystal, braced for more skeptical comments. She took deep breaths and tried to clear her mind. She had to ignore him.
The first bedroom belonged to the toddler. Jeez. And she thought the living room was littered with toys. She stepped over a jumble of blocks and picked her way around miniature cars. Smiling trains stared at her from the bed sheets. The closet door gaped open, action figures, wadded clothing, and shoes spilling out of the space.
She centered herself in the room and closed her eyes. Her crew remained silent as she concentrated. All she could do was relax and open herself to possible input. She couldn’t force anything to happen—only be receptive to what was there.
A hand on her shoulder startled her. She jumped. Sterling grinned at her. “Sorry. Just me. Not a ghost. Feline or otherwise.”
“Please, Mr. Wakefield. I need quiet to concentrate.”
“Gotcha. I thought maybe I should know what’s happening. Since I’m here, too.”
“For the moment, I just need quiet.”
“What exactly are you doing? What do you think you detect during these sessions?”
She bristled. What do you “think” you detect? “I’m listening to the room and opening my extrasensory perception to disturbances. If you’re familiar with the show, you’ll know presences can be detected in numerous ways.”
“Sure, but couldn’t this all just be your imagination?”
She couldn’t believe Michael hadn’t cut the scene and told the guy off for interfering. She nearly instructed Stan to stop the cameras herself but remembered how Sterling had baited her earlier. Allowing him to get the better of her only made her look bad. She had to remain calm and take the high road.
“I understand we have different methods, Mr. Wakefield. You’ll have to trust that I do experience phenomena in ways others may not. You may not be able to measure these experiences with equipment and may not experience them yourself. But they’re still real. Please, allow me to do my job.”
He held out his hands. “By all means.”
She heard the cynicism and thought she saw disappointment in his eyes. He’d hoped she would lose her cool again. She focused on untangling her frustrated emotions. Breathe in and out.
Nothing reached out to her. Which in all honesty was to be expected. The toddler never reported seeing a cat, and Danielle hadn’t reported seeing the cat in this room. It should be free of ionic energy.
But she would not give Sterling the satisfaction of hearing her say she got nothing. “Let’s move on.”
“Nothing, huh?” His glib tone told her his insolent smirk graced his face.
“I’ll save my report until the end of the reading, as I always do.”
She passed from room to room, growing increasingly concerned as nothing set off any of her senses. No visions or voices, no eerie presence, no hot or cold spots. Nothing. Why this week? Why did this have to happen while Sterling was here? In three seasons, she’d classified only two locations as “no manifestation,” indicating the cause of whatever scared the owners wasn’t supernatural. Sometimes people’s imaginations did, in fact, get the better of them. But she had a feeling that Danielle had experienced something out of the ordinary.
Just as she was about to enter the master bedroom, raised voices in the front of the house interrupted. Now what?
“What is that?” This reading incurred more interruptions than she’d ever encountered.
Michael shrugged, so she retraced her steps down the hall, cameras and crew trailing behind. As she turned the corner into the kitchen, she heard Danielle and knew something had upset the woman.
“. . . means he’s seen it, too. This is proof!” Danielle held a piece of paper and shook it at her husband.
Stephen took the paper and set it on the table, rocking the seat the infant slept in. “Danielle, please, you’re scaring Drew. And you’ll wake Josh.”
Drew stared up at his mother, two fingers thrust in his mouth.
Stan and TJ moved to either side of the room.
“What happened?”
Danielle snatched up the paper and dashed to her side. “Look what Drew drew.”
Stan swung his camera behind her, no doubt focusing on the paper. She suspected TJ would focus on her reaction.
She stared at the paper, covered mostly with incomprehensible scribbles. But no one could mistake the central image—a scowling, red-eyed, arch-backed cat, mouth drawn back in a hiss, complete with razor-sharp fangs.
“That’s Felix,” Danielle said. “He drew a picture of Felix.”
8
Kimberly attempted to hide her shock. This episode threw her one unexpected curve after another.
Sterling took advantage of her hesitation. “Felix the cat? Wasn’t that a cartoon?” He hummed a few notes and sang, “Felix the cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat—”
Danielle’s eyes blazed. “I don’t want to hear that song. My grandmother sang it to that horrible cat all the time. He was anything but a wonderful cat. But she rescued him from a shelter and thought he’d been abused. She wanted him to be a wonderful cat.”
“Okay, no singing. My bad.” Sterling stepped forward and took the paper. “Let’s see. Clearly it’s a cat. But why do you think this is Felix?”
Danielle took the page from him and gave Sterling a “butt out” look.
“The coloration matches Felix’s exactly. See these stripes? Drew captured the pattern perfectly, right down to this one with an unusual jag on the side.”
“So Felix had red eyes? I thought I heard they were yellow.” Sterling cocked an eyebrow at her and offered his smirk.
Though he’d managed to throw Rosie off balance with his charms, Danielle was not similarly affected. “Obviously he gave Felix red eyes because that’s the way Felix looks now. Right, Kimberly?”
Sterling persisted. “You claim you’ve seen the apparition. Did you note red eyes when you saw the so-called ghost cat? Have they changed from yellow to red?”
“I don’t remember. I was scared. Maybe he didn’t have red eyes when I saw him. So what? This could mean he’s getting angry. Right, Kimberly?”
Sterling crossed his arms. “Is that the conclusion you immediately jump to, Kimberly?” Sarcasm dripped from his words.
She loved that Danielle gave him the cold shoulder. And thank goodness she’d left the cameras rolling. In all honesty, she would normally hype something like this big-time. But she needed to remain professional. For now. She could gloat later, when the cameras were off.
She situated the paper flat between both palms and closed her eyes. The silent minutes as all eyes were undoubtedly riveted on her were
a balm to her soul. Her spiritual energy recharged, feeding off the hope that hinged on her abilities. But she didn’t need to exaggerate or skirt the question. She did sense something.
“I’m getting something from the paper. But I believe it’s residual rather than active.”
“Residual what, exactly?” Sterling asked.
“Don’t interrupt.” Danielle hushed him. “Is it Felix?”
“I’ll review all the evidence after I complete the initial reading.”
“Evidence?” Sterling scoffed.
His interruption couldn’t throw her off her game now. “Could I read Drew’s spectrum? Would that be okay?”
“His spectrum? What does that mean? Is this related to Felix being here?” Danielle’s voice rose.
Stephen interrupted. “I don’t want my kids dragged into this.” He pulled Drew to his side.
“If it helps, let her.” Danielle looked frantic.
“How does this help? I don’t like how worked up you’re getting. I don’t want Drew freaking out, too.”
“I agree,” Sterling said. “This is getting out of hand. And over what? A child’s drawing.”
Danielle whirled on him. “What do you know? You haven’t been here, sleepless and terrified. I don’t know what’s causing these things to happen, but I know Kimberly can figure it out for me. This isn’t your show, and I didn’t invite you here. I waited months to even get in touch with Kimberly, and then we had to wait for them to work us into their schedule. I only have a few days for her to figure out what’s happening here. So no offense, but I don’t want you interfering. All you do is make fun of people. You probably want to make me look crazy.”
Sterling actually looked taken aback. And for once had no quick reply. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Thank you, Danielle.
She placed a hand on the woman’s arm. “No one thinks you’re crazy. But I don’t want to upset anyone, either.” She faced Stephen. “I won’t hurt or antagonize your son in any way. I promise. And, no, I don’t think he’s causing or provoking the apparitions. I’m just curious about a feeling I have.”
The Wantland Files Page 4