The Unkindness of the Paparazzi

by Odette Botha

  I looked at the others reflection in the mirror. They were staring at me.

  “You look fantastic,” Liz said walking up to me; she put her hands on my hips.

  “This dress was really made for you.”

  I just smiled, I hated my body sometimes but I did feel very sexy in that dress.

  Isabel also looked great she looked younger and so much more happier, I hadn’t seen her like this yet, I liked it.

  The door bell was ringing now every couple of minutes I heard Edward open it and say that all the girls were still getting ready. He had spent the entire day getting the back yard ready, he put up fairy lights and tables for the drinks. He loved entertaining guests and it being our reception made it even more special.

  He had started selecting music for the occasion days before already. It would be mostly piano music playing softly in the background.

  “Is my wife ready yet? Some of the people out here think I made her up because they haven’t seen her yet,” Joshua said from outside the door.

  Liz opened the door and walked out she told him I was ready and that we were on our way out. She told him that its okay to go in, she was going to go greet the guests.

  He walked in and complimented Haley and Isabel.

  Then he saw me standing there putting in my earrings he walked up to me.

  “You look absolutely amazing; wow I don’t think we will be attending the party.” “You clean up nicely yourself,” I said pulling him closer by his tie.

  He looked so handsome.

  “Let’s take a photo,” Isabel interrupted our flirting.

  There were so many people already, I shook hands and hugged people I had never met before. Some of the people knew who I was because they had read my books, it was nice to talk to them, some of them even suggested new story lines.

  There was one woman who told me that she almost got divorced because of my books; she wasn’t giving her husband attention anymore because she couldn’t put my books down. She explained she had read one after the other and on many occasions burnt her husband’s dinner.

  There were also people who commented that I should write a novel about my life as a celebrity wife. I just looked at Joshua and smiled. I joked that I had to kill Jack first because he wouldn’t allow it.

  Joshua held my hand most of the night he never let me out of his sight.

  We got drinks and sat next to Isabel and Jack she had been begging me with her eyes to come sit by them, I assumed they weren’t getting to a conversation topic so she needed us to lighten the mood a bit.

  “Great night,” I started but it didn’t catch on.

  “I have something funny to share,” Joshua said smiling from ear to ear.

  He pointed to a teenage boy standing talking to Liz. That was their cousin’s son; he must have been about fifteen.

  “Steve said to me tonight, Uncle Joshua you have a very sexy wife, I would love to spank that,” Joshua said laughing.

  “You aren’t serious, what did you say?” I asked disgusted.

  “I just laughed and said me too,” he said laughing.

  “He is just a kid Katie, he thinks you are his Mrs Robinson,” Jack said laughing.

  I looked over at Steve and thought if he was a couple years older I would walk up to him and smack him. He looked over at me and winked.

  “Agh that is just wrong.”

  “I have to deal with thirteen year old girls screaming their heads off when they see me or that wacky one that took off her clothes at that premier. Remember Jack?” Joshua said trying to make me feel better.

  I calmed down after a while; I tried to avoid Steve at all cost. I knew he was just a teenager with whacked out hormones but it was weird.

  “Oh Katie everyone is crazy about you. I have been getting allot of compliment on my beautiful daughter in law,” Liz said as she sat down next to us.

 

  Chapter 42

  Joshua and Jack had disappeared into the study; I wondered what they were talking about.

  I got up and walked toward the study the door was closed, I put my ear on the door to try and hear what they were talking about, but I couldn’t make out a thing. Suddenly the door opened I got a fright, I immediately jumped out the way and stood against the wall next to the door, it was Joshua who had opened it.

  It sounded like him and Jack were having a fight, the door closed again but Joshua didn’t close it completely so that meant I could hear.

  “Anna got the test Joshua its not yours, at least that is off our shoulders.” Jack said thankful.

  “That was never a problem. What is bothering me is this Evan thing, I can’t believe you waited the whole night to tell me he is here following her,” Joshua said angry.

  “I wasn’t sure, when I got that call just now Meg told me that he was here. We suspected it but we weren’t sure, so tonight when she got the photos on the email, she phoned me and confirmed. That’s why I asked you to talk in the study. I don’t think he will really hurt her; we must just have the body guards follow her all the time. I will arrange for more body guards,” Jack said reassuring Joshua.

  Meg had been Jack’s trusted personal assisted, the only woman to ever put him in his place.

  “How am I going to tell my wife that someone is here and he wants to kill her, that he took photos of her and that he sent me those photos with her eyes cut out?” Joshua asked.

  I heard him hit something.

  “I know this is scary but we mustn’t tell her, I don’t want her to feel unsafe. No one will come close to her I promise,” Jack said trying to calm Joshua down.

  I walked away from the study my whole body was trembling. Someone wanted to kill me, what did I ever do wrong. I walked out and took a cocktail from the table and sat down next to Isabel.

  She looked at me frowning clearly picking up on my mood.

  “What is wrong Katie?” She asked when she saw my hands shaking.

  “There is nothing wrong I am just cold,” I lied quickly.

  Joshua and Jack came out looking more worried than ever. Jack’s phone didn’t stop ringing, Meg kept on updating him on the emails she was receiving from Evan.

  I felt bad for Isabel because his attention was not on her but on me and this ugly situation.

  “Where were you?” I asked Joshua.

  “We went out for a quick chat. Nothing serious,” he said lying.

  He kissed me on the forehead.

  Later on I saw Jack motioning with his head that Joshua should go with him into the house again. I saw more and more security in the back yard.

  “What is happening?” Haley asked as she walked up to me. “There are body guards everywhere.”

  I looked around and saw that no one else really noticed it. It was only the family.

  Joshua came out and grabbed me by the arm so aggressively that I spilled my drink. “You need to come with me.”

  I tried to rub the drink off my leg.

  “What is wrong?” I asked upset.

  “Come I will tell you now.”

  He was dragging me to the study. Liz, Edward, Isabel and Jack were already in there, Haley followed shortly afterwards trying to fight of a body guard.

  I looked at everyone’s face they were panicking.

  “Joshua what is wrong?” I demanded.

  “That is something I would also like to know, I was having the nicest conversation with a guy by the name of Evan,” Haley said.

  My body went ice cold he was here.

  “You spoke to him? Can you tell us what he looked like? If we go out now will you be able to show me what he looks like?” Jack started demanding her to answer.

  “Yes he was very nice, why is everyone so up in arms about him. He told me he was a great friend of Joshua and Katie’s. He said he just loved her,” Haley said agitated. “Who is Evan, Katie?” Haley asked.

&n
bsp; “He… I don’t know who he is.”

  At first I wanted to say he is the man that wants to cut out my eyes but I couldn’t. “He is a very sick man that wants to hurt Katie,” Jack said.

  I didn’t look at him I just fell down on the chair; my legs just gave out from under me.

  “We have been receiving letters from him. In the letters he always says that he loves her and that he was going to kidnap her. We followed it up but found nothing, no information nothing so we improved security, then we got a letter saying that he has found a way to get to her without us noticing. He had been watching her constantly. When we made it more impossible for him to get to her he started threatening her life.

  “He had been sending us photos of her, he would cut out her eyes or colour her in with a red marker illustrating that he cut her throaght. He also sent us a video where he had a woman in a small dungeon like room he had her wear a wig matching Katie’s hair colour and this woman had on one of Katie’s dresses that he had stolen. He was beating her and raping this woman. He had his face covered so we couldn’t see who he was. The police have been trying to track him down,” Jack said avoiding eye contact with me.

  I cleared my throat and said, “Which dress?”

  I could feel the tears streaming down my cheek I was scared.

  “The blue one that went missing at the dry cleaners,” Joshua said softly.

  I looked up at him, I was so angry at him and Jack for not telling me this.

  “You didn’t even tell me! You let me go out and you act like everything is perfect, how could you lie to me Joshua, how could you lie to my face?”

  I stood up and walked towards the door.

  “Katie you can’t leave he is here, we are trying to find him,” Jack said with urgency in his voice.

  “You can’t keep me cooped up here, if he wants me he will find me. I want to see this sick freak.” I was shouting my whole body was shaking.

  “Katie please,” Joshua said holding on to my arm.

  “Let me go Joshua.”

  I pulled my arm out of his hand.

  I wasn’t sure why I was so angry at Joshua it wasn’t his fault but I couldn’t help it.

  “If you see him then you tell me, you don’t tell Jack or Joshua, you tell me,” I said looking at Hayley.

  I didn’t know what I would do if I saw him. When I got outside I saw that everyone was still having a great time, no one had noticed anything was wrong.

  I looked around at everyone that I hadn’t seen earlier trying to find his face, I didn’t know what he looked like but I thought I might get a feeling if I saw him. A body guard came up to Joshua and said something in his ear.

  “What did he say?” I demanded.

  “He said that they swept the whole area but they couldn’t find him, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t here somewhere,” Joshua said.

  He had that worried sad look on his face again.

  “Katie please let’s get you somewhere safe,” he pleaded.

  “I am not running.”

  “Can you see him?” I asked Haley.

  “No,” she answered, she was scared.

  Chapter 43

  Every time I got up someone followed me. Joshua didn’t leave my side once, even though I told him and Jack to leave me alone. I didn’t want anything to do with them.

  Isabel and I were standing talking in the kitchen; she was trying to make me see reason. I refused, I didn’t talk I just stood there. I was getting some more snacks out the fridge. She had a very short temper so we started fighting in the kitchen.

  When ever someone came in we would stop fighting but as soon as they left the fighting would continue.

  “I am going to fetch Joshua, you are going to talk and you are going to sort this out,” she said almost running out the room.

  “Nice party,” I heard someone say from behind me.

  I had met this man earlier his name was Charlie he was Edward’s brother.

  “Yes it was.”

  “Where is Joshua?” he asked.

  “I don’t know outside I think.”

  I had turned my back on him. I just wished he would leave I had nothing to say to anyone at that moment.

  I had a glass in my hand but I didn’t know if I wanted to pour juice or water into it. My mouth was so dry but I didn’t think I would be able to drink anything.

  “Lovely dress you have on,” Charlie commented.

  “Thank you,” I said being polite.

  “You would look great in blue,” he said softly he had walked up to me; he was standing right behind me.

  My body went ice cold.

  “Evan?” I asked softly.

  “Have you been missing me too?” He asked.

  I could feel his breath in my neck. I was panicking, I thought about screaming when I felt something sharp being pushed up against my back.

  “We are going to leave calmly, no drama.”

  “Please Evan this party is in anyway so boring,” I acted.

  “You want to leave with me?” He asked surprised

  “Yes,” I lied.

  I kept on telling myself to stay calm; I didn’t want him to see that I was scared. I turned around so I was facing him; I looked over his shoulder at Joshua standing outside. Joshua was looking at me frowning. I looked back at Evan smiling.

  “But before I go, I want you to kiss me I want to know it will be worth my while.”

  I made sure that Joshua was still watching me. Evan smiled a satisfied smile and kissed me. I felt something burn in my arm he had injected me, probably to make sure that I would not fight him.

  I saw the panic shoot up in Joshua’s face he knew what I was doing. He pulled a body guard by the arm and they ran into the house.

  It all happened so quickly, I put my hands on Evans chest and pushed him away so quickly with all the strength I had left in me, he had no time to grab onto me. He managed to cut my arm as he fell to the ground.

  I fell backwards and landed on the floor, I pushed myself up against the cupboard blood was pouring out my arm. Joshua got to me in no time. I saw that Evan was lying against the wall holding his chest the blood poured through his fingers. He had been shot. I didn’t hear anything but Joshua’s voice.

  “She needs a doctor,” he kept on saying.

  I saw Liz and Jack’s faces but I didn’t hear what they were saying. Liz was crying she put a cloth around my arm. Then I heard her, “don’t worry my girl you are okay, you will be okay.”

  I felt cold I started shivering. Joshua took his jacket off and put it around my shoulders. I felt him pick me up but my body was numb. My eyes caught the image of Evan laying there dead against the wall.

  I saw how Joshua put me in the car. Jack was sitting inside the car he took me from Joshua and then I felt the car move. The entire time I heard Joshua and Jack talk but it was like I couldn’t talk or move a finger to show them I was okay.

  My eyes were open but I couldn’t move them, I could see out the window, the car was moving fast.

  My chest was tight it felt like my lungs couldn’t to expand anymore to take the air in. My throat was sore like there was something stuck and I couldn’t swallow it down.

  The next moment I was on a hospital bed I saw an old man leaning over me, I assumed it was the doctor. At first I couldn’t hear anything, everyone’s voices sounded like they were talking under water. I saw gloves and needles I couldn’t feel them injecting me. I didn’t even feel it when they put the drip in. I did notice that it was chaos in the room.

  Joshua was rubbing his hands through his hair. Liz, Isabel and Haley were also in the room they were crying. They all looked so panicked. Jack was pacing he kept on looking over to me.

  And then it went dark.

  “She was injected with some sort of narcotic; it looks like it was a high dosage. I put something in th
e drip to counter it. She will have to stay the night,” the old man said. “Will she be okay?” Liz asked.

  “She did have a bad reaction to what ever he injected her with. It looks like she went into anaphylactic shock. Also the cut on her arm was very deep, there won’t be any permanent nerve damage but still she lost allot of blood. I will be here to monitor her all night,” he said trying to reassure the family.

  “When will she wake up?” Jack asked.

  “She should wake up in a couple of hours, although she might not be completely clear on what happened,” he warned.

  “You can go I will wait with her,” Joshua said.

  For the first time I heard him talk. I heard them arguing about sitting with me in shifts but Joshua insisted on waiting, he didn’t want to go home or get sleep.

  Eventually everyone left but Jack and Joshua.

  “I should have told her,” Joshua said softly.

  “No it was right not to tell her, if she knew it could have ended differently,” Jack tried to reassure him.

  “He could have gotten her out there if I hadn’t kept an eye on her, if she couldn’t show me…” Joshua said, his voice was soft but not calm.

  “She took a very stupid risk leaving that room,” Jack said.

  “I want you to leave,” Joshua said angry.

  “Don’t be angry with me you know as well as I do that she took it on herself by walking out there, we could have gotten him, without her provoking him,” Jack shot back.

  “Nobody could track him not the police not the bodyguards, they looked over him they didn’t even notice him. She is in this mess because of me.”

  “She made herself obvious,” Jack said again.

  “Leave now!” Joshua said.

  I heard foot steps and I presumed that he left.

  “I am so sorry Katie, please just be okay.”

  He was sitting next to my bed holding my hand.

  Chapter 44

  I didn’t how many hours had passed, when I opened my eyes I saw that it was light outside. I looked down at my arm it had been bandaged up. I felt something in my nose and noticed that they had put a nasal cannula in.

  Joshua was sitting next to my bedside; he was lying with his upper body on the bed still holding my hand. He was sleeping but he looked tired. I moved the hand he was holding, he opened his eyes.

  “Hey,” I said softly my voice was hoarse.