As soon as they were seated and had given their orders he turned to Roger. "Now - what is this urgent matter you wanted to see me about?"
Roger cleared his throat, wondering if he should say anything in front of the others.
"Don't worry," Peter told him. "We're a close knit group and nothing that's said here will go any further. What's the problem?"
Roger winced. This had to be said, and the sooner, the better. If he didn't say it now he might lose his nerve. “Mr. Graff?”
Peter stopped him with a friendly gesture. "Call me Peter. I think we can talk more one-to-one that way."
"Okay - - Peter. I don't know if you'll believe what I have to say or not, but I swear it's the absolute truth."
"I'm listening," Peter said.
“This has to do with Gregory Wilcox. He stole my musical. I have a copy of it here.” He pulled out the script from his briefcase and held it up so Peter could see it.
Peter sat forward in his chair, an intent look on his face. “What’s the name of it?”
“I called it ‘The Happy Heart,’” Roger replied, “but Mr. Wilcox changed the name to ‘Sunny Days.’”
Peter looked triumphant as he listened to Roger’s story. “’Sunny Days’ is the musical that Jay Stuart is producing for Greg. They were touring here, trying to get a feel for the countryside. It takes place in France, right?”
“Yes.”
“If the name is different, how do you know it’s yours?” Peter asked him.
Roger grimaced. “I was watching television one day. Mr. Wilcox was being interviewed about his new musical that was in rehearsal - ‘Sunny Days.’ A pianist on the show played a couple of the tunes. They were two that I wrote for ‘The Happy Heart!’”
Peter nodded. “How did he have a copy of it?”
“I went to see Mr. Wilcox one night and showed him my musical. I asked him to help me break into the business. He said he’d be glad to do what he could. He did it all right! He asked me to leave a copy of the musical with him. I waited almost a month and didn’t hear a word. One day I read in the papers that Jay Stuart was going to produce Gregory Wilcox’s new musical, ‘Sunny Days.’ I thought nothing of it until I heard my songs being played on the television show. Then I realized what he’d done! I tried calling him, but all I got was his answering machine. I left several messages, but he never returned my calls. So I called Mr. Stuart, and they told me he was getting ready to go to France to do some research on ‘Sunny Days,’ and couldn’t come to the phone.”
A slow smile broke over Peter’s face as he listened. “Roger, you’re the third person who has come to me with this same story. I assume you have proof that you wrote it?”
“I didn’t copyright it at the Library of Congress, if that’s what you mean. But I did send it to myself in an envelope. The postmark is still on it.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About two years - - long before I got up the nerve to call Mr. Wilcox and ask him to look at it.”
“Good!” Peter exclaimed. “That’s all the proof we need. I think you and Hildy will be a great help to each other. Greg stole one of hers.”
Roger was astonished. “Was it produced?”
Hildy smiled bitterly. “It sure was! You’ve heard of ‘The Pepper Pot?’ Only I called it ‘The Ginger Jar.’”
Roger’s mouth fell open. “You wrote that?”
“Yes, I did. And the same thing happened to me. I went to see him one night and he promised to help me. You know the rest.”
“I’m glad you came to me with this, Roger,” Peter told him. “It will make our case even stronger with two of you accusing him. We’ll be finished with the filming of ‘La Fleur Rouge’ in another week or so. Then we’re going back to the States to sue Greg.” Roger looked around. “Is there any chance that Mr. Wilcox will see me talking to you? I mean, I think we should be careful. We can’t tip him off.”
“Oh, absolutely!” Peter agreed. “But don’t worry. He and Jay are on their way back to the States as we speak. They left on the six o’clock plane tonight. Anything that’s said here will be kept strictly confidential. There’s too much at stake.” He paused and looked at Roger intently. “Greg is a very dangerous man. He’ll stop at nothing to cut down people who get in his way. Please be careful!”
“He’s that bad?” Roger asked in surprise. “I know he’s a thief, but - “
“We’re almost certain he put a bomb on Hildy’s plane,” Peter explained. “It went off on a luggage rack after the plane landed. Everyone was off the plane when it happened so no one was hurt.”
“But the plane was destroyed,” Hildy told him. “The bomb was on the luggage rack right in back of Jenny and me. Greg made sure it was as close to us as possible in the First Class section.”
“Oh, no!” Roger gasped. His eyes widened as he remembered hearing about the bomb that went off on a plane that had just landed at Orly Airport. “I’m glad he didn’t know I was on my way to Paris. He might have tried the same thing with me.”
“He might very well have,” Peter grimly agreed.
“Well, I’m here safe and sound,” Roger replied. “And I promise to be careful.” He started to say something, then stopped.
“There’s something else?” Peter asked him.
“As long as I’m here, I wonder - - would you mind if I go along with you to the studio tomorrow and watch the filming? I’ve never been on a movie set before. I’m very interested in seeing how things are done.”
“Not at all,” Peter said. “You’re most welcome! And I want to read your script. If Hildy’s is the success I think it will be, I may just consider filming another. It must be pretty great if Greg thought it was good enough to steal.”
They finished eating and retired for the night. It had been an exhausting day, and they all felt the need of a good night’s sleep.
CHAPTER XXXII
Hildy still wasn’t feeling normal. She had attributed it to her trepidation about Greg. But he was on his way back to New York, so why would she still feel queazy? It was at its worst when she first woke up, then wore off during the morning. Like the old familiar punch in the stomach every time Greg started causing problems for her. But she was beginning to suspect it might be something else. If that’s what it is, she mused, I never had a chance to tell Jay. I wonder how he’ll feel if it’s true? I’ll wait till I’m sure before telling him.
She was delighted when she spied the note from Jay on her dresser. It had been delivered to her room while she was in the restaurant eating dinner. But as she read it, her face turned pale. She clutched her stomach! Was this a joke of some kind? “Hildy,” it read, “I’ve been giving our marriage some serious thought and I feel we made a mistake. I’m sorry it has to end this way, but you should have told me who you are. I feel we must make a clean break. I’ll get an annulment. It shouldn’t be too hard, since you married me under an assumed name.” It was signed simply, “Jay.”
Hildy thought she was going to faint. All the breath had been squeezed out of her. She was shocked - - deeply hurt - - and completely baffled. What had happened between this morning and tonight to cause such a complete turnaround in his feelings for her? She collapsed on her bed, sobbing.
The sound of her weeping carried next door to Jenny’s room.
She ran into the corridor and knocked on Hildy’s door. “Hildy? Hildy, what’s wrong?” She waited, then knocked again. “Hildy? Please open up.”
By this time Zack had joined Jenny.
Hildy opened the door. She stood there, a forlorn figure, her wig disheveled, her eyes red from weeping. As Jenny and Zack entered her room, she said nothing - just handed them the note. After reading it they looked at her, as puzzled as she was.
Jenny put her arms around her. “What in the world is this all about?”
Zack spoke gently to Hildy. “Let’s wait and find out exactly what happened before we make any hasty decisions.”
“Well, what else could it mean?” she asked, wiping her eyes.
Just then Peter appeared at the door. “What’s going on?”
Jenny handed him the note.
Peter read it and handed it back to Zack. “You were right. Greg knows who Hildy is, and somehow he’s managed to drive a wedge between her and Jay.”
Zack put his arm around her. “Hildy, there’s something you should know,” he told her. He went on to explain what happened the morning he paged Greg from the swimming pool. “Unfortunately, before I had a chance to leave the pool area, he came down as I was getting on the elevator. I only hope he didn’t guess that I’m Dan. Peter and I kept quiet because we thought you had enough to handle. We also weren’t sure that he really knew. But if we had only told you then, you could have gone to Jay with the truth before Greg had a chance to get to him. Maybe we could have prevented all this.”
Hildy looked at him with a blank expression. “I don’t think it would have made any difference,” she said. “If it was that easy to turn Jay against me, it’s better that I found out now. I don’t want to be married to someone who can’t trust me.” Her voice dropped to scarcely above a whisper. “What if Greg tries again to kill me? I’m so tired of his ruining my life. I think he’s done it again.”
“Aren’t you forgetting he’s gone back to New York with Jay?” Jenny reminded her. “I don’t think he can kill you long distance!”
“She’s right,” Peter agreed. “I know it won’t be easy, but I think the best thing to do right now is to finish this film. Once it’s done, we’ll go back to the States and take care of Greg. Then Jay will know the truth.”
“How could he believe Greg, no matter what he told him?” Hildy lamented. “After all we’ve been through together? I thought he loved me.” She straightened her shoulders, shedding her self pity. “This is the second time he’s done this - trusting Greg over me. How do I know it won’t happen again? I was a fool to marry him. You’re right, Peter. We’d better go to bed and be ready in the morning to work as hard as we can to finish this film. I want to go to court as soon as possible and stop Greg from stealing anything more.”
She removed her beautiful engagement and wedding rings and placed them in the velvet box they came in when Jay gave them to her. “I’m going down to the lobby and have them wrap this up to mail back to Jay. I don’t want them in my sight any longer. Too many memories.” Her voice broke and she struggled for control. “I’ll see you at breakfast,” she said and headed for the door.
“I’ll go with you,” Jenny said. When they were alone in the elevator, she came right to the point. “Hildy, what’s going on? You’ve fainted, you’ve lost your appetite, and you’ve been nauseous. Are you pregnant?”
Hildy burst into tears. “I think I may be,” she sobbed. “Please, Jenny, promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
Jenny looked at her, aghast. “Don’t you think Jay has a right to know?”
“No!” Hildy was adament. “He just gave up that right. I don’t want him back just because of the baby. He has to trust me and want me. I can manage. I have to go back to Boston and sue Greg. I have the money now, and there’s plenty to take care of me and the baby, if I am pregnant. Jenny, promise me you won’t say anything - not to Zack, not even to Peter. They might feel duty bound to tell Jay, and that’s the last thing I want. Promise me!”
Jenny nodded. “I promise. You have a right to handle this your own way.”
When Hildy got back to her room, after destroying the note from Jay, she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower in an attempt to wash away all the bad events that had taken place. Although she knew this was impossible, the warm shower soothed her and helped her gain a sense of stability and determination.
But she had a fitful night. When she finally fell asleep she had such terrible dreams she woke several times, only to doze off and continue the same nightmare. In her dream a rope was tied around her waist and she was being dragged through the deep snow of the Alps, with Greg on the other end, pulling and taunting her. There was no one around to help her. She was so cold she shivered in her sleep. She tried to scream but was unable to make a sound. Suddenly she saw Zack and Jay reaching out to her across a deep abyss framed by jagged peaks, with walls of snow on either side. She reached out toward them, but try as they would they couldn’t span the distance between them. And all the while Greg kept laughing triumphantly, saying over and over - “You little nobody! You’ll never get anywhere! I’ll see to that! ‘The Ginger Jar’ is mine! So is ‘La Fleur Rouge!’ I’ve told Jay what a thief you are, and he believes me! I’m Gregory Wilcox, writer of great musicals! No one will ever take that away from me! You’ll never get the chance to prove anything in court! I’ll see you dead first! You nobody!”
Hildy woke with a start, shaking uncontrollably. The room was cold. While thrashing wildly in her sleep she had pushed the blankets to the floor, trying to escape from the rope she dreamed held her captive.
She sat up and looked around the room. Then she remembered. Jay had gone back to New York and told her he was having their marriage annuled. She reached down and picked up the blankets, wrapping them around her as tightly as she could, at the same time trying to erase from her mind the intense cold she had felt as she slept.
She lay there wide awake, trying to convince herself it was only a dream, but she couldn’t shake the horrible feeling of premonition that remained. She felt she had glimpsed a scene into the future, and it terrified her. It was just a dream, she told herself. Greg is back in New York with Jay.
As soon as she was able to control her shaking, she rose and set the water temperature a little higher than usual, deciding a hot shower was just what she needed to warm her up. It was time to get up, anyway, and she was determined to let nothing stop her from finishing this film and suing Greg.
As she showered, she felt strangely calm. Her decision to get on with what must be done freed her mind. She dried herself and dressed, shaking off her fears, determined to go forward, refreshed with new purpose.
Then she thought about Jay. She shook off her disappointment. This isn’t the first time I’ve been disillusioned by a man, she reminded herself. I was a fool to think he loved me. I should never have trusted my heart to him. I’m not going to let this ruin my life. I have my music, and now this baby that I may be carrying. Somehow that has to be enough.
Tears tried to come to her eyes, but she bravely brushed them away, donned her wig and horn-rimmed glasses, and walked down the corridor to knock on Zack’s door. Together they went down to have breakfast at the sidewalk cafe.
Jenny and Peter were already there. Roger joined them shortly and they all rode in the limousine to the studio.
Once inside the car Jenny spoke to Hildy. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously.
“I’m fine!” Hildy answered, her jaw set with determination. “I have one thing on my mind! Finish this film and get back to the States! I’ll take care of Greg. He’ll wish he’d never met me!”
They accomplished a lot in the next week. It went so well that Peter figured they would be finished in another day.
One more day to go! Hildy exulted. Every time Jay popped into her mind she pushed him out. Never again! she promised herself. Twice is quite enough! When the fear about Greg and the dream returned to haunt her, she quickly shook that off, too. Greg is back in New York with Jay. You have nothing to fear.
True to Peter’s word, they finished filming the next day. At
that moment there were no more beautiful words in the English language than the ones Hildy heard as he said, “That’s a wrap!” The film was a masterpiece, and Hildy now had the weapons and proof to fight Greg.
CHAPTER XXXIII
It was five o’clock in the late afternoon when Hildy, Peter, Jenny, Zack, and Roger entered La Grande Veue Hotel and made their way to the elevator. They decided to skip dinner and turn in early. Peter suggested instead that they join him in his room for a small farewell party with hors d’oeuvres and wine, so they could retire early and be rested for their long trip home tomorrow.
There was a feeling of great comradery among them as they toasted the successful completion of the film. The party broke up in an hour, and Hildy and Roger left Peter’s room together.
“Feel like some dessert?” Hildy asked. The nausea she had experienced had faded, and in its place were cravings she had never felt before.
“Sure,” Roger grinned. “Why not? We can talk. By the way, I didn’t get a chance to speak to the others, but when we reach Boston I want you all to stay with me at my home in Marblehead. There’s plenty of room, and you’ll be more comfortable there than in a hotel. Besides, we’ll be safer if we stick together.”
“Why, Roger!” Hildy was touched. “How thoughtful of you!”
The elevator came, and they descended to the lobby and coffee shop. It was too late for lunch, too early for dinner, so they were the only customers. This gave them plenty of privacy. After they each ordered a big, gooey, hot fudge sundae, Roger turned to Hildy.
“Do you have any idea how grateful I am that I found someone who can help me prove that Greg stole my musical? It’s like a miracle the way things have worked out. I feel hopeful for the first time.” He shook his head in disbelief. “How can Mr. Stuart be so naive, believing such a liar and a con artist?”
Hildy grimaced. “I know how you feel. That’s how I felt till I reminded myself that Greg fooled me once. He fooled you, too, Roger. He’s a charmer. Don’t be too hard on Jay. He’s known Greg for years and he’s had no reason to doubt him - or at least he thinks he’s had no reason,” she snorted. “He’ll find out soon enough once we get back to the States!”
La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower Page 17