Authors: Jackie Coupe
“No. I’m from the north west of England”
“Nice. Very.”
She drove across two lanes to the distress of other drivers. The smile on her face told them she was loving every minute though.
Sky made the first of her fatal mistakes at that point.
“Do I know you from somewhere? You’re face, I’ve seen it somewhere before”
Heidi grinned and hunched over the wheel even further.
“Oh baby doll, I’m on cable, ever seen ‘Hot Tub’ talk?”
“OH YEAH!” Sky squirmed in the back seat. Karen decided that could be considered chit-chat and looked out of the window instead.
There followed another 9 minutes of chatter and near death experiences. Karen had never felt so glad to be pulling up at Tarkingtons. Heidi got it all the way up on the kerb and tossed the keys back to Sky.
“Nice fuckin’ car”
Sky took the keys and got back in the car, she’d put it back into the car park and make a damage report. It seemed the rear bumper would need the attention of a fabricator, posh cars didn’t know how to survive the urban jungle it seemed. But Sky wasn’t concerned, it wasn’t her car. Besides. She’d met someone
famous
today. She couldn’t wait to go and ‘Google’ Heidi. She knew she’d seen her before. Must have been at a promotional convention perhaps for the show she was on, Minnie had been nuts about the reality TV stuff and dragged her to a few.
Awww Minnie. Why’d things turn out this way.
A latent thought of melancholy struck her, they did from time to time.
Then she remembered she’d replaced her and came trotting back through to the elevator where she could make busy for another hour then go home.
Karen meanwhile had taken the client up to Tarkingtons, signed her in and deposited her, the case, and the signed documents into Miss Steiger’s office.
Her part in it was done. How could Miss Hunterwhoisitagain make the assumption she was on the Chain?
Maybe it was part of the request she made when she called her lawyer.
Seemed daft. But it all depended on what she was accused of.
Where had Sky gone? Seems she had misplaced her brains whilst they were on the way back. Karen’s hackles were all the way up that whatever it was it was big time trouble, Sky was pretending like Christmas had come early.
Rochelle was waiting back at her desk. She’d seen her take the red head through to Miss Steiger’s office and recognised her on sight. She wasn’t so much waiting for Karen as hiding from everyone else.
Back in Miss Steiger’s office a the two women faced each other down.
“You hung me out you bitch!”
“I don’t think that’s
quite
what happened. And I got you out didn’t I?”
She motioned for the redhead to come sit down. She had been pacing furiously, chain smoking, cigarette ash everywhere.
“What now?” she asked of her lawyer.
In the pit of her soul Miss Steiger didn’t think there was all that much she was going to do. Except defend her in court. The fact that they each knew a different truth about what happened would stay their secret, if she played her cards right.
“I will represent you. The bail. Inconsequential at this point. You have to remember this” she leaned across her desk, hands together at the palms. Heidi raised her eyebrow.
“They haven’t charged you with murder, only as an ‘accessory to’, and they have only brought those charges because they are at a dead end. They’re forcing your hand to throw them a bone”
“Just might too, kike bitch” she leaned back in her chair.
Sarah Steiger was faced with the first ever real problem she had encountered on the Chain at this point. At number ‘3’ Miss Huntington-Wolfe could have her eliminated completely. She could also sing a song for the cops that would see Sarah herself arrested. It was about more than just Demi now.
“They have very little forensic information, the bits they do have relate to one of the bodyguards and that will be dealt with”
“Oh yeah? Who else you gonna kill? Eventually you know if you kill everyone that kills or has been involved in a killing there’ll be no one left!” she banged her hands down on the table to emphasise her point.
Switch tacks Sarah.
She wasn’t quite panicked, it had taken a few called favours to get Heidi out of the slam when really she should have been remanded. One or two more and this would be,
she hoped,
a slap on the wrist. A short custodial at best. Jail birds loved hot chicks. She’d have plenty to do, probably end up running the whole show too before she was released.
That’s getting ahead now.
She leaned back in her chair. Her blonde hair as always, shiny, not a strand out of place. She was turning on the charm.
“Why don’t we just make sure that the worst that can happen is you get told off for seeing something you shouldn’t. I’ll help you work it out.”
“It stinks”
“I know. Listen, can we do anything for you this weekend. Help you relax maybe, take your mind off things?”
Cordiality never failed to impress.
Heidi seemed to think it over. She had Sarah by the balls, maybe this weekend had looked to be of the highest suckdom and this was going to make up for it.
“Who was that scatty bitch with the dark ringlets?”
Sarah’s smile dropped. This wasn’t in the game plan.
“Oh, Sky? One of our office assistants”
“I want her. All weekend. And the Porsche. And some cash”
Sarah started scribbling down items.
“I’m sure we can accommodate you”
Heidi leaned all the way forward in her chair then and kissed Sarah right on the mouth, “Fuckin’ good thing for you that you can babe” She licked her top lip.
Sarah flushed. Few people on the Chain could do that too her. She had known from the offset that theirs was going to be a substantially important relationship.
“And get a couple of those minge ninjas to run me home.”
“Of course.” she buzzed Karen.
“Come through please”
Heidi opened the box of cigars on Sarah’s desk.
“Help yourself” Sarah told her.
“You bet. I’ll take the fucking box too if I want” and she grinned down at her from her perch on the side of the desk.
Tap Tap.
“Come in. Karen, here” she gave her a set of keys.
“Mines the Lincoln today, please take Miss Huntington-Wolfe home”
“Yes Miss Steiger”
“Take Sky with you”
Karen’s stomach sank.
“So glad we could do business” Heidi shook Sarah’s hand. In her eyes though she spoke a different truth. This business was no where near finished.
“This way please” Karen showed her out and went round to where Sky was ‘working’. Sky looked up and saw the two of them again.
“We’re to take the client home”
“What? You can’t say my name?”
“Miss Huntington-Wolfe!” Sky chirped. Karen could have gleefully slapped her, she was like a performing pooch.
“And you’re Sky, come on, we got stuff to discuss”
“Really?” she grabbed her blazer off the back of her chair and she flicked her screen off, Karen just bet she had been fucking off on the net and getting herself into deeper shit.
“Leave that hun. You won’t need it”
“Yes Miss Huntington-Wolfe”
“Please, call me Heidi” a sharks grin flashed across her face.
Do not, do not, DO NOT raise your damn eyebrow!
Karen tried to let it all wash over her as she led them back down to the car park, Rochelle had been about to tell her what the beef was when her desk buzzer had gone, summoning her again to the office of Sarah ‘Sainted Twat’ Steiger.
The Lincoln was huge car. Almost as big as the damned limo she’d been made to drive. It had a lot of room in the back. Miss Steiger could be nothing if not accommodating it seemed.
They got into the back. Karen felt a little ill. She had never imagined Sky being such a shallow creature that someone she could ‘Google’ would make her weak at the knees.
Green eyed monster?
Rubbish. Karen didn’t have a jealous bone in her body and Sky was a free agent. But this Miss Heidi character worried her.
Demi?
She needed to talk to Rochelle. The look in her eyes, Rochelle’s haunted look, always about Demi.
Eyes on the road she turned the radio on. Muted chatter from the back seat, pillow talk if ever she’d heard it. Goddammit she just wanted to grab Sky and slap her round the kisser. Talk about playing with fire.
She must be on the Chain then.
If that was the case then this wasn’t a matter of choice. Superiors got what they wanted. Sounded like Sky was getting what she wanted too, she was jabbering a mile a minute. Karen followed the sat nav to the address she’d gotten from Miss Heidi before they’d cosied up in the back seat and forgot all about her.
Her mobile phone buzzed. It was probably Rosh. A flicker of a glance in the rear view mirror saw Sky reach down into Miss Huntington-Wolfe’s underwear,
oh right, now you remember her name…
“Fuck” through gritted teeth. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt so mad.
Playing with fire and the green eyed monster.
She braked a little harder than necessary at the lights and heard Sky bump into the double seats.
“Sorry” she smiled into the mirror, Heidi narrowed her eyes at her.
Fucking cat!
Cockney fucker!
If Karen progressed through the Chain in the speed she had done of late than in the not too distant future she’d be doing what Sky was now. Pleasuring the redhead. Heidi moaned all the more loudly, perhaps sensing it was putting Karen’s back up.
They weren’t far off Miss Heidi’s apartment now. What was ‘back seat etiquette’, drive round till they finish? Drop her off and let her fucking sort herself out?
Mind you, from the sounds of it they were almost done anyway, Karen winced as Heidi started making strangled noises and she wondered just what the fuck Sky was up to?
Talk about your ‘over achiever’.
You’ve gotten too involved you know. Rochelle is the one you love isn’t she?
Well yeah. But this, this is dangerous!
Keep telling yourself that.
Heidi had her hands against the roof of the car whilst Sky dug deep, she could see the apartment block up on the left as Heidi came rather vocally. Karen would never forget what she saw next, she slapped Sky’s face, then kissed her on the mouth.
Fucking weird slut.
Karen pulled to the kerb and the girls in the back re-arranged themselves.
There was more murmured talk, Sky’s excited voice and Miss Heidi’s lower more confidential tones. Karen felt a little wound up and a little aroused, it was impossible not to be listening to all that straining and groaning in the back. Sky was panting. She wasn’t going to get hers it seemed. Heidi left the car and stalked up the steps to her apartment without a look back.
Karen pulled out her mobile.
Rosh
Waiting for you at your place
Karen checked her watch, work finished an hour ago. Time flies when you’re having fellatio eh?
Not funny.
Sky came and got in the front seat next to Karen. Her eyes were sparkling and she couldn’t wait to run over the events of today.
After minutes of talking and getting one word answers she asked Karen what was wrong.
“Honestly?” she looked at Sky, “She’s trouble”
Sky looked down and then sat backed into her seat.
“Please don’t be mad. Please”
Karen felt all her anger evaporate.
“I’m not mad. I’m worried, just, promise me this, don’t get too involved with her”
Sky went red.
“I’m spending this weekend with her”
Karen thumped the wheel.
Sky rubbed her leg, “Please”
Karen couldn’t find words to explain the dread she felt deep down inside. This was all turning into something that could easily end up with people,
Leaving LA in fear for their lives,
only to be found days later hanging in little itsy pieces from whatever LA landmark they’d use next time.
Traffic built up around them. The windows of the Lincoln were tinted so people couldn’t see them, Sky smiled and ran her hand a little higher on Karen’s leg.
“Sky. Don’t. Please”
“I’m a big girl you know. I’ll have a little fun with her, but in the end when I need something more its you I come to”
“Its not really that” Karen put her head down on the top arc of the wheel.
Tell her then.
But by telling her you make her part of something she may not have known about and put her at risk. Is that what you want?