Double Exposure

by Rhonda Laurel

  “OK.”

  The reporter’s lips continued to move on the screen, and Sabrina and the small crowd that had gathered in the conference room continued to watch, but Kate had gone mute. Her thoughts immediately went to Zoe.

  * * *

  Brianna’s funeral was more of a who’s who among B-movie actors. There was a huge turnout for the service, although Kate doubted the sincerity of most of the people in attendance. She tried to keep a low profile, but it was impossible with another media flare-up headlining how her media-deemed “arch enemy” had died. Brianna didn’t have much family; the story of her real life was just as colorful as that of the characters she’d played over the years. Her parents were deceased and the aunt who was raising her passed away, so Brianna packed her bags and headed for California at age sixteen. She was certainly scrappy and resourceful and hearing about Brianna’s life opened Kate’s eyes to what drove the woman.

  Jack was at the funeral with Zoe, but he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. He was taking a beating in the media too. Being in a custody battle with someone who committed suicide was tabloid fodder, and he was smack dab in the middle of it. Kate knew it would add fuel to the gossipy fires, but she went over and gave her friend and ex-husband a big hug anyway. Zoe, excited to see Chris, leaped into his arms. He walked over to the chairs and took a seat with her.

  Kate turned all her attention to Jack. “How are you doing?”

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t know.” Jack gripped her tighter.

  “If there’s anything I can do, just tell me. We’re here for you and Zoe.”

  From what she knew of the actress, suicide didn’t seem to be in her mental makeup. Even though she said she’d been having trouble getting jobs, a friend revealed that she had an upcoming guest-star role on a television show and she’d just hit the jackpot with her custody settlement with Jack. Kate’s heart when out to Zoe, who now had no mother. She and Chris were both a loss for words about Brianna. She hated Kate’s guts and now she was dead.

  * * *

  Chris knew the surefire way to lift Kate’s spirits after the funeral was a road trip. Six hours later they were walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. He stopped when they got to the middle of the bridge and looked out at the bay.

  “You know, we spend a lot of time around water. We live on the beach, honeymooned on an island, and the first road trip we’ve take in months was to San Francisco again.” Chris laughed.

  “I guess you’re right. What can I say? I love this city.” She laughed too. “My first visit to San Francisco was over fifteen years ago. My mom had a convention out here so I tagged along. I think that was when my love affair with California began. I felt like I belonged here.”

  “I felt the same way the day I walked out of LAX. I felt like I was finally home, in a spiritual geographical way. When I took to the water with my first surf board, I knew I was here to stay.”

  “Why do you like to surf?”

  “There’s no negotiating with the ocean. You can either hang on for dear life and enjoy the ride or get pummeled and thrown back to shore…or worse. It’s a lesson about survival on this planet.”

  “That’s very profound. And here I thought you went to the beach to see women in bikinis.” She grinned at him.

  “What do you see when you look out at the water?”

  “Freedom,” she mused.

  He pulled her close. “Feeling confined these days?”

  “I needed a day to feel normal. No spotlights, no drama, we’re just enjoying a day in San Francisco. Today we’re just Kate and Chris Cavanaugh.”

  “The day is still young. What would you like to do?”

  Kate’s eyes grew wide as a big red tour bus went by.

  Chris smiled. “Come on. There’s a tour bus company that leaves from Pier Thirty Nine.”

  Chris stopped at a gift shop and bought matching San Francisco baseball caps for makeshift disguises. Kate joined in and bought T-shirts and a bag. Now they looked way too touristy to be mistaken for celebrities. She loved being normal amid the thousands of people on the pier and relied on the absurdness of the situation. They enjoyed the tour around the city so much they signed up for the Napa Valley tour the following day. That’s what they needed, one more day to eat good food, taste excellent wine, and spend time enjoying each other’s company.

  * * *

  Charlotte called and said her car was in the shop for repairs, so Kate volunteered to pick her up for their girls’ night. She hadn’t seen her friend since their dinner at Coriander together; John seemed to be monopolizing all of Charlotte’s free time. It was good to see them both happy. Kate parked her car and walked toward the dance studio as Charlotte was walking out.

  “Did you get the karaoke machine out of the garage?” Charlotte giggled.

  “Sure did.” Kate hugged her friend.

  “What’s the theme tonight?”

  “I was thinking…television theme shows.” Kate smirked.

  “Damn that’s not fair! I don’t know why I bother. You sing me under the table anyway.”

  Kate laughed. “Yeah, but when you add a little dancing, it distracts people from your terrible singing.”

  “You remember that bar we stopped in when we did that road trip to Vegas?”

  “Between my singing and your dance routine, we didn’t pay for a drink all night.”

  “And that guy in the leather pants tried to sign us to his record label.”

  Kate shook her head. “Yes, I remember that slimy bastard.”

  “We could have been a girl pop group. Do you think Sabrina still has those videos of us?”

  “I hope she burned them.”

  “For your sake I hope so. She may do a documentary on you one day.”

  “Speaking of Sabrina, I have bad news. She can’t make it tonight. She’s working on Malik’s film.”

  “Wow. She’s really delving into this film-making thing.”

  “I think it’s her calling. She has the bug like Jack had. If he were really engrossed in a project, I could walk through the house naked and he wouldn’t notice.” Kate rolled her eyes.

  Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “I bet you don’t have the same problem with Chris.”

  “Actually I do. He walks around the house naked, swinging that baseball bat-like appendage to distract me when I bring work home.”

  “I knew I liked coming to your house for some reason.” Charlotte rubbed her chin. “I’m going to miss his cooking tonight.”

  “I’ve been watching him cook. It won’t be authentic chez Chris, but I don’t burn the food anymore.” Kate smiled. Charlotte fell in love with Chris the night they’d met and he’d made them fajitas.

  “So what you preparing tonight?”

  “I know you’re in the mood for Fajitas, but I’ve been on a seafood kick lately,” Kate said to Charlotte as they crossed the street.

  Charlotte linked arms with Kate. “Cool. I like lobster.”

  “We saw the cutest lobsters on our honeymoon. Their names were—”

  Suddenly a black SUV with tinted windows stopped in front of them, blocking their way.

  A big burly man stepped out and handed her an envelope. “Mrs. Cavanaugh, we need you to come with us.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Kate squinted at the guy. He looked familiar. She’d seen him around the studio lot. He was security of some kind.

  “Your attendance is required at a council meeting.”

  “Council meeting? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’ve been instructed to pick you up and bring you to the meeting.” He put his hand on her elbow and tried to guide her into the backseat.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Kate gripped his hand and wrenched it back so hard he lurched backward.

  Charlotte came over and followed up with a kick to his crotch.

  “Damn it!” the bodyguard swore as he crumpled to the ground in pain.

  “Mrs. Cavanaugh.” Another man he
ld up his hands as he exited the vehicle. “If you call your secretary Ms. Claymore, she will confirm you should come with us.”

  Kate whipped out her phone and called Virginia. The older woman answered on the first ring.

  “Virginia, I’m in the middle of a botched kidnapping attempt. Some big burly dude is yammering on about a council meeting. Do you know anything about this?”

  Virginia cleared her throat. “Yes and no. Marvin did have these sporadic clandestine council meetings, but I never knew where they were or who attended. In fact, I’m not supposed to know anything about them at all.”

  “Well, I need a really concise summary right now.”

  “There’ve been rumors for years about a Hollywood mafia that oversaw the entire industry. Think high stakes.”

  Kate swallowed hard. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”

  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think they’d try to contact you. It’s a bit of an old boy’s network.”

  “How old?”

  “They were probably here when the sign read Hollywoodland.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s all I know, but if they want to see you, it’s an auspicious invitation. This could mean bigger things for you Kate.”

  What could be a bigger than owning a preeminent movie studio that made billions of dollars a year? She had a feeling she was about to find out she was still just a small fish in a big pond full of sharks.

  “Thanks, Virginia. I’ll see you in the morning.” Kate ended the call but discreetly opened the GPS app on her phone to make sure it was active. She turned to her friend. Charlotte was still in her self-defense stance, ready to do more battle. “Charlotte, I have to go. We’ll reschedule our dinner.”

  “Wait a minute!” Charlotte jumped in front of her. “Kate, don’t go with them. This doesn’t feel right.”

  “Charlotte, it’s OK. I know this seems very intriguing, but I trust Virginia. She wouldn’t tell me to go with them if it wasn’t on the up and up.”

  “But still—” Charlotte looked over her shoulder. “I’d be an awful friend to just let this happen.”

  “You are the greatest.” Kate gave her a reassuring hug and whispered in her ear. “Call John and tell him to find Scar.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “OK then.” When Kate pulled back, she showed Charlotte the open GPS app and winked. Charlotte gave her a subtle nod, stepped back onto the curb, and held her phone up to her ear.

  * * *

  Kate was kind of disappointed the men escorting her didn’t try some cheesy move like blindfolding her or putting a pillow over her head. As if she’d let someone muss up her stylish new hairdo. Instead she was offered a cocktail and her preference of music but wasn’t given any more explanation about who’d summoned her to the council meeting.

  She peered out of the tinted window as the SUV continued on the highway. They’d been driving for a half hour and so far she had a pretty good idea of where she was. She worried about Chris. The vague, preemptive text she’d sent about being OK prompted a firestorm of texts from him, and her cell battery was running low. No doubt he was going insane by now. She’d just given him the lecture of a lifetime about the reckless behavior involving Darwin and here she was taking the same stupid risks. She took comfort in knowing Scar was with him. Their lives hadn’t been normal since the day they met.

  She gripped the leather armrest when something tapped the back of the SUV. It was hardly the time for a fender bender when she was already in the middle of a kidnapping. She looked out the back window to see her cousin Billie and the other part of Billie’s trio, the elusive Athena in a black SUV of their own. What was Billie doing here? She knew Athena had been around, but Billie was supposed to be out of the country. When the driver wouldn’t slow down after a second firm bump, they drove up ahead, got up in front and came to dead stop. The driver of the SUV had no choice but to slam on the brakes.

  Kate opened the door and jumped out when she saw Billie reach into her backseat and retrieve a shotgun. Athena had a device in her hand that she’d activated, but Kate wasn’t sure what it was. Despite being pretty far up the coast, there was still plenty of traffic around.

  “I’m OK!” Kate yelled. “There’s no need for the hardware.”

  Billie didn’t look convinced, so Kate went over to her. “Hey cuz, funny you didn’t mention you were in town.”

  “We’ll discuss my travel itinerary later.” Billie rolled her eyes. “I need you to get in the backseat and get on the floor.”

  Kate glanced over at Athena; the device she held had started beeping. “Athena, do you mind turning that off?”

  Athena looked to Billie. So Kate turned her attention back to her cousin.

  “I talked to my secretary Virginia. This is all on the up and up. They’re going to take me to some secret meeting. It’s an organization Marvin used to belong to, and they’ve extended an invitation to me. If you maim everyone here, I won’t find out what all the cloak and dagger crap is about.”

  “You’re not going alone. We’ll follow. You’re with us.” Billie shouted loud enough so the men could hear.

  Kate got into the SUV with Billie and Athena and followed the SUV another ten miles until they reached their destination. They stopped at iron security gates with the initials E M on them. Once the gates were opened, they drove down a tree-lined road for a few miles until the end of the clearing where a massive estate sat. They pulled up to the front door to be greeted by another burly man dressed in a black suit. An older man stood beside him. He was tall, slender, and had a pair of deadly ice-blue eyes. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a shirt with an outlandish scarf tied around his neck. She’d never seen him before.

  “You sure you want to do this?” Billie looked back at her. “I have no compunction about fighting our way out of here.”

  “I know and I love you for that fighting spirit. But, yes,” Kate said. “I owe it to Marvin. Like it or not, I inherited his legacy. The good and the bad.”

  Athena got out and opened the vehicle door for Kate. The older, fashionably dressed man approached.

  “Mrs. Cavanaugh, so nice you decided to join us. May I call you Kate? I feel like I already know you. Marvin used to speak so fondly of you. I’m sorry about all of the drama. This isn’t how we planned to introduce ourselves to you.”

  “OK,” Kate replied and pointed at Billie. “This is—”

  “Your doppelganger, Wilhelmina St. James,” the older man replied. “NYPD detective when the mood suits her and all around loose cannon. She has a very interesting family tree and she’s married but doesn’t use her husband’s name.”

  “I see you’ve been doing some digging,” Kate said.

  Athena held out her hand. “Are you going to read my palm too?”

  “You are a beautiful mystery my dear. I can’t get one shred of evidence you exist at all. I’m not sure you even have a social security number.” He gave her a once-over.

  “It’s better that you don’t,” Athena replied.

  Kate cleared her throat. “Back to the reason for the theatrics?”

  “There’s no need for your entourage to remain. This is a private matter.”

  “They stay or I go.” Kate folded her arms over her chest.

  “Very well.” He motioned them into the mansion and guided them through an opulent foyer to the massive living room. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “I’d prefer an explanation.”

  “And explanations will be given. But before we go any further, I must insist they stay here. We will be going down the corridor to my office. The others are waiting for us inside. We’ve never had anyone other than council members in the meeting.”

  “I guess I don’t have a choice if I want answers.” Kate nodded then looked over at Billie and Athena. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Ladies, make yourselves at home.” The older man gave a curt nod and took Kate by the elbow and led her out of the living room and dow
n a long hall. “If you agree to take Marvin's place on the Council, we can reconvene many things on our agenda. Hollywood doesn’t simply run itself.”

  “What part do you play in this?”

  “I wiggled down the rabbit hole and emerged forever changed. There was no return to the land of make believe unless I was willing to embrace the ignorance from whence I ran.” He flashed a cryptic, enigmatic smile.

  “Who are you?”

  “You can call me Mr. Monroe.”

  “Why have I never heard of you before?” She’d been privy to lot of Hollywood power circles the past several months and had never seen the man or heard about any power player named Mr. Monroe.

  “I am invisible. I go about my day and do my job. And my job is to keep this wonderful fiction-riddled cesspool we call the entertainment world balanced. With celebrity comes the incessant need to be apologetic. And I hate apologizing. It’s so unnecessary if the person making the statement would just have the balls to own up to their own fucked up views of the world. The fact that they voiced their opinions stirred from some deep subconscious urge anyway. For once I’d like to see someone run with it and ride the wave until it crashes. That’s what we old folks used to call conviction.”

  “Let me guess? Your job includes moving people around like pawns.”

  He stopped when they reached his office door. “I’ve never met a person to, when offered the chance to make their deepest desires come true, turn it down. It’s amusing to see people rationalizing, bargaining, and even eventually giving away their self-respect to be, ironically, respected by the faceless masses who know nothing about them. A good friend of mine used to say the empty adoration of a million strangers was the equivalent to the best drug you could find. But like all narcotics, the feeling doesn’t last long.”

  She knew that phrase. Marvin used to tell her that all the time. He’d often equated it to the reason Henry couldn’t shake his drug habit. It was about keeping perspective about the reality around you. “That was one of Marvin’s favorite lines.”

  “He was a brilliant man.” Mr. Monroe winked and opened the door.