Double Exposure

by Rhonda Laurel

  “Those were only privy to senior management. The rest of the staff doesn’t have authority to discuss those assets.” He tapped his pen on the edge of his desk.

  “This certainly does change things.” She gulped.

  “Significantly.” He gave her a wry smile. “There are some things I’d like to modify and I want to work on them now.”

  “Like what?”

  “When did you get married?”

  Kate rattled off her wedding date.

  Harvey hit the intercom on his phone. “Melissa, get me a new clock and have it installed on my wall now.”

  Moments later his assistant rushed in with a clock and ladder. Kate watched as Harvey programmed some numbers into it and handed it off to the assistant waiting on the ladder. When Harvey hit the button to activate it, it started counting down.

  “What’s that for?” Kate furrowed her eyebrows.

  “That’s how much time I have to figure out how to get you out of that marriage to that pretty boy actor. The clock is ticking on community property.” Harvey took a sip of his drink.

  “I’m not getting divorced. Chris and I are fine.”

  “My goal is to look after your interests. I missed the boat on the prenuptial agreement, but I’ll be damned if I’ll be the laughing stock of my peers for not getting you out of this quagmire.”

  “My marriage is not a quagmire, and I trust my husband implicitly.”

  “He’s an actor, Kate. The man gets paid to drift into alternate realities for a living. I’m not risking your assets on his ability to portray a dutiful husband. Marvin made the stipulation you stay under my wing for a good reason. I don’t let silly things like emotional attachment and sentiment sway my thinking.”

  “And I don’t let pompous idiots dictate my way of thinking. Chris Cavanaugh is a permanent fixture in my life, so get used to it.” Kate stood. “As a favor to Marvin’s memory, I’m going to do you a favor and pretend we never had this conversation. If I hear anyone from this firm opened their mouth about this conversation, I will take my business elsewhere.”

  “Fine. But I told Marvin I would look out for you. I don’t have your faith about marriages made in this town. Melissa, take the clock down.” Harvey motioned for his assistant to come down off the ladder.

  An hour later, Kate left Harvey’s office feeling drained. She felt like she was being watched, so she slowed her pace and turned around, but there was no one behind her. She punched the button and the elevator arrived within seconds. She stepped in and pushed the lobby button and just as the doors were shutting, someone put their hand in the way so the doors would open. A handsome man dressed in an expensive, shiny gray suit stepped in and hit the door close button. He was tall, well built, had mischievous blue eyes with the faint signs of crow’s feet etched around them, and salt and pepper hair, but he didn’t seem to be that old. She’d seen him before. He’d been watching her in Coriander last week when she was having dinner with her friend Charlotte. And she could have sworn she’d seen him when she was shopping on Rodeo Drive the other day. There was no one else but the two of them in the elevator, yet he stood unusually close. Kate moved a few steps over to get him out of her space. She had a feeling this was leading somewhere, but she just wasn’t in the mood.

  “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” the man said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “When I first came to L.A., I couldn’t adjust to the weather, but now I find that I never want to leave.”

  “The constant sunshine is a score for tourism.” She sighed. “What is it you want?”

  “Want?”

  “I don’t believe it’s a coincidence I’ve now seen you three times in one week in two different cities. Why are you following me?”

  “My name is Cooper Harding. I know who you are, Kate Cavanaugh. I won’t be coy and pretend that I don’t.”

  “What do you want, Mr. Harding?”

  He flashed a dazzling smile. “Please, my friends call me Coop.”

  “We’re not friends.”

  “Fair enough. I have a feeling we will be in the near future.”

  “From listening to your tone of voice, you don’t sound musically inclined, so I doubt you have a demo tape in that expensive, tailored suit pocket. Don’t tell me, you want to be in movies.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Perhaps, a head shot? You think those good looks are going to land you an acting career? To be honest, Cooper Harding sounds like a porno star’s name. Do you want to be a star, Mr. Harding? Because if you do, accosting the owner of a movie studio in an elevator definitely isn’t the way to go in pursuing a promising career.”

  “On the contrary, I’m an investor who’s looking to raise my stakes in the entertainment industry. I’ve been a producer on several low-budget, yet lucrative films, but I’m ready for something more exciting.”

  Kate thought for a moment. There were certain trigger phrases she’d been learning in the film industry. “Low-budget yet lucrative” usually translated to slasher films. But who knew these days now that streaming platforms were giving studios a legitimate run for their money.

  “Don’t tell me, you were the financial backer for the Teenage Chainsaw Maniac movies? Because I feel like you jumped the shark in the seventh film. Bringing back the beloved coroner who knew the whole backstory only to kill him midway through the film was a middle finger to the audience.”

  She’d watched them all with Chris. Damn her husband and his questionable movie watching habits.

  His smile practically glowed despite the criticism, as if he were pleased she’d recognized him. “I had a hand in that but my resume is pretty diverse. I have a very special interest in Pinnacle Studios and I was hoping that you would sell me your shares.” He held up his hand. “And before you can ask, I can afford it.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “You haven’t heard my proposition yet. I’m sure I could persuade you to sell.”

  “I get a pampered, self-indulgent vibe from you and I’m sure you are accustomed to getting whatever you want. But there is no way I’m giving up Pinnacle, and I think you knew that when you targeted me. Which means you either like fruitless pursuits or there’s some tart you want to make a movie star. Do yourself a favor and remain a producer. It’s cheaper and you’ll probably get laid faster.”

  Kate exited as fast as she could in her three-inch heels when the elevator doors opened with Cooper following. Through the building’s glass doors, she could see Scar waiting for her by the car. Mr. Harding didn’t know it, but he was about to get a free trip to the emergency room if he didn’t leave her alone.

  He sped up his pace to keep up with her. “I’m serious about my offer. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you no means no. I don’t like when people think they can change my mind. It’s insulting to assume I can be swayed somehow. Even if I could, you wouldn’t be the one who would convince me.”

  “That pretty boy, actor husband of yours could, right?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You jealous of my husband?”

  “Why would I be jealous of him? He’s as generically good-looking as they come.” He huffed.

  She pushed through the front doors and frowned at him as she headed for the car. “There’s nothing generic about Chris’s good looks, charisma, and sex appeal. It’s an awesome combination. Millions of movie goers agree. And he does have one thing that you don’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A wife who has a majority share of Pinnacle. And she’s not selling it. Good day, Mr. Harding.” Kate continued on to the car without a backward glance.

  Scar opened the car door for her. “How was the meeting?”

  “As expected. I got the usual ‘Chris is no good speech,’ but on the upside, I learned about some new assets Marvin had. I just jumped into a much higher tax bracket.”

  “And what did Harding have to say?” Scar motioned toward the man who wanted to be called “Coop”
now getting into a limousine a little way down the street.

  “You know that guy?” Kate’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah. He’s been asking questions around town about you. Dude has a pretty big ego. Can believe his name? Cooper Harding is such a porno star name.”

  “Jinx!” Kate laughed. “I told him that. He likes to lay the seductive bit on thick.”

  “He has a reputation.”

  “I wonder what he’s up to?”

  “We’re going to find out.”

  Cooper Harding’s limousine pulled off. A car a few spaces down from the limo pulled out of its space too and began to follow him. The windows were tinted so it was hard to see who was driving. Scar gave the driver a hand signal.

  “Athena’s got it covered,” Scar murmured.

  “What? When did Athena get in town?”

  “She’s been around for a week or so.”

  “And why are you having him followed?”

  “If nothing else, it’s to find out why he wears those shiny suits.”

  Kate snorted as her cell phone rang. She took it out to see who was calling. It was her assistant Virginia at Pinnacle. “Hi Virginia, what’s up? Really? I didn’t see that on my calendar. I can swing by this afternoon after I finish up at Atlantis Blue. See you then.”

  “Something wrong in the land of make believe?” Scar asked.

  “There’s always something new going on at Pinnacle. Raymond and his minions are hard at work. They’re trying to get some fantasy erotic thriller into production without a script and decided to have the meeting while I’m out of the office.”

  * * *

  Visiting Atlantis Blue always made Kate feel good. The staff adored her, and she’d loved getting updates on the goings-on from John. It had taken some time for the two record labels to become a cohesive company, but the dust had finally settled and she was satisfied with the direction of the new label, even with Tru’s backroom tactics. As disconcerting as it was to be around someone who was trying to destroy her efforts and keep Marvin’s memory alive, she felt good knowing when she wasn’t there the company was in the capable hands of John and their vice president Andre. It had taken a whole lot of convincing for them to leave Tru to his machinations. Both would have preferred the old-school, kick-ass approach.

  But she had enough on her plate in the media about her rumblings with Raymond at Pinnacle. Fighting two powerful figureheads for control was tricky because whether she was right or not, she looked like the troublemaker.

  Kate anticipated being in the Pinnacle office for the rest of the day so she told Scar to catch up with Athena to see what she’d discovered about Cooper Harding. She didn’t expect any progress at this stage of the surveillance, but it beat having Scar skulking around the Pinnacle offices. Jack wasn’t the only person at the studio who found her presence off-putting; she made the people at Pinnacle uncomfortable as well. Since she’d arrived in town and was assigned to be their bodyguard, she’d done some snooping and had uncovered some strange happenings around the movie studio. Directors, producers, and actors trading favors was typical and was also only the tip of iceberg. Scar had uncovered some pretty creative accounting going on as well. The marketing budget for some of the blockbuster movies was sometimes greater than the cost of the film’s production. And no matter how many times anyone tried to explain it to her, it still sounded fishy. Scar, on her orders, had hired a forensic accountant who’d found out some of the companies being paid marketing costs were really shell companies owned by some of the executives. Kate was stunned at the several mini dramas unfolding and how everything had gone unnoticed under Marvin’s nose. It was a wonder anyone had time to make a movie. As scandalous as the information was, Raymond was still at the top of the list of people who wanted her booted from Pinnacle.

  One person she was grateful to have on her side was Scar. Scar had this innate ability to ferret out secrets and could be quite scary. When her cousin Billie had insisted Scar stick around after Vaughn, Raymond’s bodyguard, tried to kill her at Marvin and Clara’s house, she’d acquiesced under protest, but secretly she was glad. Since she was a child, her tough cousin had always been her protector. And that hadn’t changed when she’d moved from the east coast to California. The music industry was filled with secret pacts and back alley deals and sometimes things got dangerous. She knew that better than anyone.

  The details behind their star rapper’s death were still muddled. She knew Andre had played a part in finding out who’d killed Malik. Andre had gone off the rails when Malik had died, and it was Billie who’d had to pull him from the brink of insanity. Billie and Andre had a strange relationship. It was clear he had strong feelings for her cousin, but Billie kept him at arm’s length. Which wasn’t a surprise. She was devoted to her husband Dom, much to Andre’s chagrin.

  Billie had been in the background once again when the attempt was made on Kate’s life. She’d never believed for a moment that Raymond’s lackey had acted alone in the interest of securing the identity of the six percent share holder when Kate had discovered him ransacking Clara’s beach house. She’d been in the fight of her life to stop him from torching the place. If it weren’t for the sniper who’d shot him in the head, she was sure she wouldn’t be alive today. She never did find out who’d saved her life, but she was certain her cousin Billie had something to do with it. Scar’s insertion into their everyday lives as their protector was a confirmation that Billie thought someone might try to hurt her and Chris again.

  She walked into the office and stopped at her secretary’s desk. “Hi, Virginia. I have something for you. Harvey mentioned he had some business to settle with you, and I offered to bring it to you. He looked at me like I was insane.” Kate handed her an envelope. Earlier when Harvey had finished his tirade about Chris, he’d told her he had one more parting gift from Marvin to Virginia. She offered to deliver it. She didn’t mind. The nature of the relationship between Marvin and Virginia intrigued Kate, but she decided it was none of her business. Marvin’s wife Clara only had kind words for Virginia and that was all that mattered. Whatever happened was in the past.

  Virginia laughed. “Because the boss shouldn’t be running errands for her employees, no matter how polite she is. It would help if you embraced the role of supreme leader and queen of all she surveys.”

  “I know.” Kate rolled her eyes. “But I can’t help it. I’m afraid I’ll develop muscle atrophy from never lifting a finger. I think people who enjoy being pampered have a dormant gene in them that activates when someone waves money and prestige at them.”

  “You’re forgiven this time, but you want people like Harvey to know you mean business.” Virginia glanced at the envelope she held but didn’t open it. Instead she gave Kate a knowing smile. “So did Harvey give you a hard time about not signing a pre-nup?”

  “Yes. You’d think the world was coming to an end. I gave him the obligatory ‘stay out my personal life’ speech.” She sighed and continued into her office with Virginia walking beside her.

  “Good for you. Harvey should try taking his own advice sometimes.”

  Kate’s eyes lit up. “There’s a story there?”

  “Honey, there’s always a story with men like Harvey.”

  “Virginia, I do believe you are a historical gem of gossip and I love you for it.” Kate giggled as she set her handbag down. “What time is the meeting for this movie in development with no script?”

  “I called over to Raymond’s office and insisted he change it. I affirmed that if he didn’t I was going to schedule an audit for the entire studio the month he disappears to have his plastic surgery tune-up.”

  “Good. The whole project smells like a rotten egg. Which makes me wonder why he’s pushing so hard.”

  “Now that Marvin’s dead, I think Raymond wants sexier movies on the roster. Marvin had a bad habit of not wanting to be associated with exploitative crap, no matter how big the payday.”

  “Cool. Sounds like I’m in the clear for
the afternoon.” Kate picked up the hand-written messages on the desk and smiled. She liked that Virginia had some old-school ways. Sabrina, her assistant at Atlantis Blue, always emailed all her messages.

  “You do have another meeting. It’s not something I’d put on the schedule. Prying eyes and all,” Virginia replied.

  “Can I move it to another day?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “Sounds mysterious.”

  Kate watched Virginia as she went over to the wall safe, punched in the combination, and retrieved a folio.

  “You are expected at Serenity Shores sanitarium at seven o’clock to sign out Max Garcia.”

  That caught her attention. “The crazy director that surfaces once every blue moon to film a masterpiece then goes back into hiding?”

  “The one and the same. But he’s not hiding. When he’s not directing, he resides at the sanitarium. Marvin was his custodian, and now that responsibility has been transferred to you. Once he’s completed his next movie, he’ll go back until it’s time to sign him out again.” Virginia handed her the documents.

  “Are you serious?”

  “As serious as I was when I told you about a certain movie legend who has that ridiculous foot fetish.”

  “Yikes.” Kate winced. Virginia amazed her daily with the wacky things she knew about some of Hollywood’s elite. “Is he dangerous? Will I be signing out a madman?”

  “You’re not setting loose a serial killer. Max is eccentric and a cinematic genius, but I’m afraid he’s always been ahead of his time. The production of his next project should start exactly twenty-six days after he’s released. He says nothing worthwhile can be put together before or after that time frame. He’ll come out, ruffle a few feathers, ask for a film budget that is almost laughable, and then he’ll go back when he’s done. And don’t expect him to do a press junket, so I will make sure we’ll have someone who can handle that end of the business.”

  “Does he receive scripts while he’s locked away?”

  “Don’t know. It’s all downright magical the way it unfolds.”