Cambria waved her hand in the air, indicating the vagaries of an LA probation. "I might be able to get you a small part."
"Like totally," said Dahlia.
"I don't want any part." I scooted to face her. "I really don't. That's not why I'm hanging out with you."
"Then Leonard hired you to watch me."
I sighed and nodded. "You have a rep."
"So true," said Dahlia.
Cambria grinned. "Oh, I know. But so do you. How many times have you been in rehab?"
I chewed a nail. "Real or celebrity rehab?"
"Both."
"One and three."
"And you always bounced back."
"The last one wasn't so much as a bounce as a judge-sanctioned, one-way ticket to Black Pine 'Get out of Jail Free' card."
"I mean when you were still working. It seemed you were able to spin all those incidents in your favor."
"Vicki is good at spin," I conceded. "Left to my own devices, I'd probably be on a Whatever Happened to This Teen Star-type show."
"Um, like I don't mean to burst your bubble," said Dahlia. "But you're already on those shows anyway. Unless you relaunch your career and they can edit."
"The difference between then and now is that now I don't care." But that was a disturbing thought. One I hadn't let myself consider. Those shows didn't let you rest on your laurels. More like they let you rest on your failures. Vicki had probably contacted E!, VH1, and Bravo, banking on a higher dollar amount for my fall from grace while my ex-star power was still fresh.
We quieted, contemplating the short burn of stardom. And the singed feeling it caused when your rocket began to fail.
Or at least, that was my reflection when the car stopped before a palatial home on a ridge above the lake. I realized I had let them distract me from the dead-Cambria-in-the-bedroom questions, but a glance out the window further broke that train of thought. Construction equipment lined the half-circle drive.
"This can't be a rental," I said, feeling queasy. "Vicki would not put up with all this construction if she were renting."
"Maybe it was her only choice. It's not like Black Pine is that big. We'd all be in Atlanta if it was closer." Dahlia squealed. "I'm so excited. I love working out."
Of course, she did.
The three story stone home had twin turrets and a four car garage. And a fountain in the front yard.
"Why does she need this much space for a short term stay?" I pulled at the elastic in my pants, my panic turning to bloat. "Is Jerry living with her?"
Cambria's famous lips curled. "Who's Jerry? A new lover? Is he going to be on the show? I heard they're filming All is Albright here."
"God, I hope not," I said. "Jerry was my trainer."
Jerry as my stepdad might just put me back in rehab.
Eight
#LittleGirlLost #NotFlorida
After a flurry of air kisses and workout fashion compliments, Vicki led us to a ginormous gym with an attached dressing room and cedar sauna.
"That's an interesting fit," said Vicki, eyeballing my Zobha tanks and leggings. "We'll work on that today."
I withheld my sigh. "You're doing work on a rental?"
"You feather your nest no matter how long you stay in it. I've told you that before." Vicki cast Cambria an apologetic look. "We've traded a few zip codes, Maizie and I. Bel Air, Malibu, Hollywood Hills."
"This is a lot more than paint and hanging art. You have construction equipment in the drive." I glanced around at the large open space. "Did this gym come already installed?"
"I tweaked it. Virgin rubber flooring. Great for impacts." Vicki bounced, her platinum ponytail bobbing. She pointed at the walls. "Cork. And reinforced beams for the trapeze equipment."
"Trapeze equipment?" My eyes stole to the ceilings, half-expecting Jerry to parachute off a beam. "Is there a net?"
Vicki snorted. "Nets are for losers."
"You're probably right about that," I said. "A loser would need a net. Virgin rubber isn't going to bounce you out of a broken neck."
"Trapeze is the best for all-muscle toning," said Dahlia. "I tried Circus Fitness in Bel-Air. Awesome for my core."
"Exactly." Vicki's eyes homed in on my middle. "Maybe you want to try it, Maizie?"
"That's okay," I said quickly. "I was doing Tae-Bo. I've moved on to Tai-Chow-Fo."
"I think I've heard of that," said Dahlia. "Martial arts fitness, right? I sometimes train with a friend who does MMA. I think she does that."
Considering I had made it up so Vicki wouldn't make me climb the ladder bolted to the wall, I just nodded. Then realized I'd just created a web where a muscle-bound spider would easily catch me. "Where's Jerry?"
Vicki shrugged. "I'm going to warm up."
"I'll join you. I wanted to talk to you, Vicki," said Dahlia.
"If you must." Vicki marched to the ballet bar, tossing a look back at me.
Keeping an eye out for Jerry, I forced myself to mimic Cambria's warm up which involved muscles I had forgotten to use since moving from California. Panting and sweating, I followed Cambria toward the weights.
"Want me to spot you?" I gasped, happy for an excuse to stand still for a few minutes.
"Sure." She hunkered over a rack of barbell weights, pulled off four, and dropped them in my arms.
I staggered to the weight bench, my arms barely hanging from their sockets, and waited while she fitted them on the bar. "Back to my visit to your cottage yesterday." I glanced around the room to see if Vicki was listening. Which was dumb. Vicki was always listening. I lowered my voice. "I'm not going to say what I saw, but do you know what I saw?"
Cambria reclined on the bench and found her grip on the bar. "No. I wasn't home, remember?"
I moved around to spot her and stared down at her. "You were home. I saw you. On your floor. I looked in your bedroom window. I heard music, and when you didn't answer, I worried you were partying. Alone. I peeked in your window."
Two spots of color flared in her cheeks, but she focused on the bar above her, took a deep breath, and blew out as she lifted. "Count for me," she grunted.
"One. Were you partying? Two. With someone else? Three. Who left you there? Four. But I saw you later. Five. And it didn't look like you had been partying. Six. What did I see? Seven. Because I freaked. Eight. Totally freaked. Nine. Like call-the-police freaked. Ten."
The bar hit the rack with a clatter. Cambria's eyes widened and focused on me. "You called the police?"
We both craned our necks behind us. Vicki had moved from the bar to a rowing machine. Dahlia followed, still chattering. We swiveled back.
"Did you call the cops?" Cambria whispered. "Because that's not cool, Maizie."
"I thought you were dead. Of course, I called the cops."
"God, you're such a narc." Her eyes narrowed. "So what happened?"
"A detective came. We did it on the down-low. Obviously, the resort doesn't want the bad press either. And the detective didn't find anything."
Cambria took another breath, blew it out, and lifted. "Obviously," she panted, "because there was nothing to find. Count."
"One. I still don't get it. Two. I know what I saw. Three. You looked naked and dead. Four. What were you doing? Five. And how did you get cleaned up so fast? Six. And what was with the film equipment? Seven. And where did your partner go? Eight. I won't tell Leonard. Nine. I swear. Ten. I just need to know what happened."
She dropped the bar into my waiting hands. I sucked in a breath and eased the weights onto the stand.
“Your ideas about nudity are prudish and outdated." Cambria sat up, grabbed her towel, and blotted the beads of sweat on her temples. “Are you trying to say the words ‘sex tape?’ With your notoriety, I’m surprised you don’t have one.”
"Give her time, dear," said Vicki.
We spun.
Vicki passed a water bottle to Cambria and smiled. "Although I hope you don't, Maizie. Sex tapes are so passé. It's all 'accidental' live videos and taped Snapchats now."
"Really?" Cambria grabbed the proffered water. "Passé?"
"You didn't know?" Vicki's stricken look could have been misconstrued as maternal. Speaking as her daughter, I knew that wasn't possible. It was soliloquy time.
"Sweetheart, don't let that tape get out. With Pine Hollow coming up, it'd hurt your relationship with Ed Farmer and the producers."
Theodore must have told Vicki about the movie. Or Vicki had told him. But more importantly, why was Vicki helping Cam-Cam? A friend of mine was no friend to Vicki. Even if Cams and I hadn't been true friends.
"It's a private film,” continued Cambria. "But if it did get leaked…"
"Publicity-wise, it would do you well for notoriety because the press would eat up the scandal," said Vicki. "But if what they're saying is true and Pine Hollow will be up for awards, it would do more damage than good. I know you've been around as long as Maizie, but this is your breakout role. Stay clean for your first big part and wait until you start to stumble. Then clean again, clean, hot mess, and clean. It's a balance between good and bad publicity. Bad goes further, of course. But it takes longer to get the roles you want that way. I assume your reputation made it difficult to land this role, despite the hype about your craft skills."
"Wow. My agent isn't as foresighted as you," said Dahlia. "Maizie's so lucky."
"Vicki's not my manager any—" I stopped to catch the water bottle Vicki threw before it slammed into my chest.
Vicki stepped around me. "Cambria, honey. Are you looking for a manager?"
"I don't know. I have a great agent. He's managed me well so far."
"Alvin Murphy, right? Young, eager, and passionate. That's good. He got you this role. I'd trust him with that side of your career. And he's with an excellent agency. But your personal life also needs management."
"Wait, a minute." Vicki was going to manage me out of a job. "I'm here to help Cam-Cam."
Vicki's eyebrow arched. "By ratting her out for a little sex tape?"
"I wasn't ratting." Although I'd been hired to rat. "It didn't exactly look like a sex tape. I don't know what I saw. And if that was a sex tape, Cambria, what the Hades are you into?"
"You see what I mean?" Rolling her eyes, Vicki tucked an arm through Cambria's and steered her toward the changing room. Dahlia traipsed behind them. "Just look at how I handled Maizie's career. Every time she lit it on fire, she rebounded."
"I lit it on fire because I didn't want to rebound," I said.
Vicki opened the dressing room door. "Why don't we take a sauna and chat? Dahlia, dear, you could probably use some help, too."
"Totally," said Dahlia.
The door closed behind them.
"Wait, a minute." I charged toward the dressing room door. "You can't steal Cambria from me."
My own words jerked me to a stop.
God, I sounded pathetic. I halted before a mirrored wall, noting the panic paling my face.
Time for a therapy-taught reality check. "Get a grip, Maizie. Is this about Vicki possibly stealing your job? Because you — or Julia Pinkerton you — could convince Leonard to continue with the insurance thing. Vicki will probably use your gig to boost Cam-Cam's career and possibly denigrate your own, but as long as Nash Security Solutions gets paid for the job and secures a recommendation, that shouldn't matter."
Homing in, I noted the shine to my eyes. Then saw the tremor in my chin and my protruding lower lip. I probed my feelings, à la Renata's coaching. The usual wounded pride, destroyed vanity, and shattered self-confidence remained. I cocked a hip, slanted my eyes in Julia Pinkerton fashion, and took on her voice. "So Vicki becomes Cambria's manager. And possibly Dahlia's. No biggie.
"I mean, she's still your, you know, mother. But as therapist Renata always says, 'You can't choose your parents, only your path in life.' Go out there and live your own life and let Vicki live hers."
I nodded, then altered the nod until it appeared legit. Mirror talks. Who knew they'd be good for more than character development practice? Acting had taught me at least one thing.
"Right." I did a few Tao-Bo punches for luck. Which hurt thanks to Cambria's warmup. I rubbed my arms. "I need ice. And I should probably stop talking to myself. At least, out loud."
Crossing the room, I opened the dressing room door.
Vicki glanced up. She spoke while tucking a towel around her slim figure. "Maizie, did you want to sauna, too? I know how you feel about breaking a sweat. How about a shower instead? This sauna is pathetically small. I might have to build a bigger one in the future."
My stomach rolled at the word 'future,' but I let it go. "No, you go on. I didn't bring a change of clothes."
I turned to Cambria, who had peeled off her outfit and stood with her back to me, nude.
"Maizie, could you hand me a towel?" Cambria glanced over her shoulder and noted my gape. "What? Did I bruise myself?"
I shook my head. "No. No bruise. I just thought you had a birthmark? Shaped like Florida?"
Cambria peered over her shoulder, trying to see down her back. "What? I don't have a birthmark. Is there something on me?"
"There's nothing," said Vicki sharply. "What are you doing, Maizie? Don't make Cambria feel awkward."
I felt my cheeks heat. "Everything's fine. I thought I remembered you having a birthmark shaped like Florida…never mind."
"Come on, Cambria. Don't mind, Maizie. It's been a while since she's worked out. It's probably all that adrenaline rushing to her brain. Or from her brain." Vicki grabbed the handle to the sauna and yanked it open. Cedar scented heat wafted out. "Maizie, we'll meet you on the patio. Have someone fix you something. They don't do fat, fried, or gluten, but you can have fruit. Or a Bloody Mary. Oh wait, you’re not allowed those. Just eat the celery.”
Dahlia followed Vicki through the doorway. "Catch you in a few, Maizie."
"Yeah, sure." My heart pounded, but I waited until the wooden door swung shut behind them, then ran to find a phone.
The body I saw was not Cambria. Which meant somebody else might have been dead for real.
Nine
#DeadDouble #VillianousVista
It seemed Vicki had not adopted Daddy's quaint practice of house phones. After scurrying through rooms searching for one, I pounded back to the locker room to snag Vicki's cell. Luckily, she hadn't changed her passcode — 90210 — and had saved Nash's phone number. When he wouldn't answer, I tried Lamar. He answered, then handed his phone to Nash.
"Why didn't you pick up?" I said.
"I thought Vicki Albright was calling. How was I supposed to know it was you? Why are you using her phone?"
"Never mind that. It's important. The body I saw wasn't Cambria."
"What?"
"I just saw Cambria naked, and she doesn't have a birthmark shaped like Florida on her butt." I waited a beat for Nash to speak. "You better not be thinking about Cambria's butt. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"I get it. I'm trying to process this."
"Someone who looks exactly like Cambria is dead. You need to call Detective Mowry and tell him."
More silence.
"Nash?"
"Still processing." He sighed. "First, we don't even know if whoever you saw was dead. Aren't they actors? Can't they act dead?"
"Her eyes were open."
"For how long before you fell and hit your head?"
"Really? I thought you said hitting my head doesn't cause hallucinations."
"Still doesn't mean she was dead. She might have recovered and left after you took off."
"Someone who looks like Cambria pretended to be dead until I left to call the police?"
"I don't know what to think. Maybe Cambria has a twin."
"We'd know if Cam-Cam had a twin. It would have been news a long time ago."
"I told you this business can get lewd and nasty. I'm not going to list the possibilities of some Hollywood actress having a lookalike appear dead in her bedroom. With movie cameras. All I'm saying is, the girl might not be dea
d."
"But what if she is?"
"I'll call Mowry. But unless he has evidence other than your testimony, not much can happen. They already canvassed the other cabins. No one was home. No staff was in the area, and housekeeping saw nothing out of the ordinary. You're the only witness. The resort won't let them in the cottages without a warrant."
"Maybe now they can get a warrant."
"Based on a peeping Tom who hit her head and believes she saw someone else because they had a birthmark on their ass? I wouldn't count on it."
"Can't he check for a missing person? Who looks like Cambria?"
"Oh sure. If someone reports Cambria's body double is missing, that'd be perfect. Until then, Mowry's got other cases. And between you and me, he's doubtful you saw anything."
"He thinks I made it up?"
"People do. For attention. You can get arrested for that, by the way." Nash paused. "Not that I think you'd do something like that. Are you still there?"
"I was just thinking. Body double. Maybe that's something we should check into."
"You shouldn't always take me so literally, Miss Albright. I fear my use of sarcasm is lost on you at times."
"No, you were right. We use body doubles all the time. Usually, they don't look that similar, but it could have been the angle. Plus, her hair had fallen over her face." I glanced behind me. The sauna door had rattled but remained closed. "Gotta go. I'll stay on Cam-Cam and see what I can learn."
"Your job is babysitting not looking for a dead body double, Miss Albright."
"You didn't want this job, remember?"
I deleted Lamar's number from Vicki's recent calls and replaced the phone on the chair where I found it. The sauna door opened. Three toweled women exited, pink and glistening.
Vicki dabbed at her temples. "Maizie, are you still in here? If you want to use the sauna, it's free now."
"No, I'm good."
Cambria cocked her head. "Did Leonard say you literally couldn't leave my side? This is going to be awkward."
"I'll speak to Leonard for you." Vicki strode to her phone, picked it up, and began paging through her emails. "Maizie, Cambria isn't going to shoot heroin in front of me. You can wait on the patio."
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