Three Marie Ferrarella Romances Box Set One (21 page)

The stage attracted all kinds, Charley thought, taking an instant dislike to the woman. She looked her over very slowly before uttering a word.

“I’m absorbing the atmosphere,” she said.

“Like you were absorbing the stage manager?” the woman asked snidely. “Is that how you landed the part?”

Charley was startled. So she and Reese hadn’t been as alone as she had thought. She knew she should just walk away from the conversation. But this afternoon she didn’t feel much like going by the rule book. “I got the part on merit,” she said mildly. “What are you planning to get it on?”

She half expected the woman to lunge at her, claws unsheathed, like a huge Angora cat. With her platinum hair and white linen dress, that was exactly what she reminded Charley of.

“You’re letting your nerves get the best of you, Rhonda,” another woman said, putting a restraining hand on Rhonda’s shoulder. “She gets jumpy at auditions,” the woman added to Charley. Apparently the two knew each other.

Rhonda pulled her arm away and stalked off to a corner, where she stared moodily into space.

“Carol Reynolds,” the newcomer said, putting her hand out to Charley.

Charley shook it, grinning. “Charley Tremayne,” she said. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Hope it’s more than just a brief meeting,” Carol said. “I really need this job. I’ve got a landlady who’s dying either to collect three months’ back rent or to toss me out on my ear. I was so thrilled when I got called back after the dancing and singing auditions. I’d better not blow it now.” She tried to sound positive and enthusiastic, but Charley could see that Carol was as jittery as Rhonda. She just channeled the nervous energy better. Maybe. Or maybe her nervousness was just an act. Was she the spy?

“You’re very good,” Carol was saying.

Charley made a show of being pleased. “Just lucky,” she said.

“Does Chalmers always make snap decisions?” Carol asked. “He told that girl Doris right away that she had the part.”

If Carol wasn’t an actress, she was doing a great imitation of one, Charley thought, noting the anxiety in the woman’s eyes. Usually actors had to sweat it out for days before
 
the phone rang announcing a call-back. Often the phone just remained silent. Carol’s question voiced the curiosity any actress would have about a director’s methods.

“I’ve never worked with him before,” Charley said. “But it seems to be the case. This way, at least the decision is quick and painless.”

“Never painless,” Carol said, shaking her head.

Charley looked around her. Rhonda was pacing in a tight circle at the edge of the group, but Charley’s attention was drawn to a wispy blonde in the corner. Bingo! The blonde’s face matched the photo of the woman Charley was to baby-sit.

Carol followed Charley’s gaze. “That’s Allison Peters,” she said, confirming Charley’s identification. “Doesn’t she look perfect for the ingenue? Just the right touch of innocence about her.”

“Perfect,” Charley echoed, trying hard not to appear as surprised as she was. The woman in the corner had all the features Charley had studied so closely. But somehow Charley had expected more. Some kind of charm, some kind of magnetism. Surely it would take something like that to hurl an upstanding mid-western congressman out of the realm of respectability and turn him into a besotted fool.

The Bureau had thoroughly briefed Charley on the case. Congressman Ethan Graystone had gotten involved with this lovely, waiflike woman. Once captivated by her, he had been drawn into showering her with gifts whose prices grew larger and larger.

Same old story, Charley had thought. The congressman had found himself in deep debt as his simple prairie flower had turned into a woman with an insatiable appetite for the finer things in life. And then, out of the blue, the object of his affections had come up with a “simple” solution to all his money problems. She had “friends” who could help him out of his predicament, erase all his debts. All he had to do was turn over a little document to them at a strategic moment.

Luckily the congressman was only a fool, and not a traitor, too, Charley thought, her gaze sweeping over Allison Peters. He had realized what a dolt he’d been and had brought his story to the FBI. He had given them all the information he had, which was precious little: Allison’s picture and the fact that the document was supposed to change hands in Boston during this play’s trial run.

Carol’s attention was captured by someone else at that moment, and Charley took the opportunity to edge her way closer to Allison. She was sitting on a stool, clutching a copy of the script. Charley could not see how the congressman had been won over in the beginning. She looked like a sweet, lost child instead of a full-grown woman.

Allison looked up suddenly, obviously surprised to see someone standing so near. Charley could have sworn she also saw a flicker of wariness come into the other woman’s eyes, then quickly disappear.

“Hi,” Charley said, giving Allison one of her brighter smiles.

Allison returned it. Her own smile was a dazzler.

“Hello,” Allison said. Although she looked friendly enough, she didn’t offer to make room next to her for Charley. Charley remained standing.

“Is this your first time?” Charley asked. “You look a little nervous,” she explained, nodding toward the mangled pages in Allison’s hands.
Nice touch
, she thought. She knew Allison’s role, like her own, had been secure from the start. Somehow the foreign agency had made certain Allison would get a part. The blonde had no real reason for nervousness.

Allison nodded. “I’ve done a little theater work back home, but this is my first stab at the big time.”

Interesting choice of words, Charley thought, looking at what appeared to be a totally guileless face. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought she was talking to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

“Tremayne!”

The shout cut short any further conversation. “I believe the director is bellowing for me,” Charley said, excusing herself. “Back to work.”

As auditions continued that afternoon, Reese was unable to keep his gaze from Charley. He had known when they’d auditioned together for Skin of Our Teeth that she was a good actress, and he admired her talent again today. Reading the same few parts over and over was tedious, and it was difficult for any actor to keep the energy level high and deliver the lines with great conviction. Still, Charley did just that, doing her best with the part to help the many actresses who were auditioning.

So Charley hadn’t changed in that respect
, Reese thought. But she had changed in other ways in the past year. He hadn’t been able to interpret the look in her eyes when she’d first spoken to him, but she had seemed almost afraid of him, as if he posed some threat to her. Yet when they had kissed she had melted in his arms, her lips as responsive against his as before.

He had been surprised, stunned, even, when she had walked out onto the stage earlier. Chalmers had told him that he had cast an actress, sight unseen, under duress. Reese would never have expected that actress to be Charley, would never have expected her to get a part in any underhanded way. Something had happened to her in the past year, and he was determined to find out what.

Allison auditioned last. Rhonda—whom Charley grudgingly admitted was good—and Carol had both gotten parts, as well as a seasoned actress named Lisa. The only role left was that of the ingenue. As she read with Allison, Charley was careful to draw out the best in the woman. For a so-called beginner, she wasn’t bad. But she wasn’t all that good, either, Charley thought. Nonetheless the part was hers. Charley wondered if someone had pressured Chalmers to hire Allison or if he was the missing link she was looking for.

“I got it!” Allison said several times as she and Charley walked backstage to gather their things. “He liked me!” And then her enthusiasm fell a little. “Oh, gosh!”

That, Charley thought, was laying it on a little thick. Nobody said “gosh” anymore. “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve got to find a place to stay.” Allison sank down on a stool, as if the thought drained her.

“Where are you staying now?” Charley asked.

Allison looked up at her, every bit the waif. “At a hotel. I haven’t been away from home long.”

“Where’s home?”

“Iowa. How hard is it to find an apartment?” Allison asked, her blue eyes open wide.

“In New York?” Charley couldn’t resist hooting. “You read the obituary columns and run to the address once occupied by the deceased.”

“But I’ve got to find an apartment,” Allison said a little desperately. “I can’t afford the hotel much longer.”

Not from what I’ve heard
, Charley thought. Was she being set up? Did Allison know who she was? Or was she just scrounging for cover, playing the role of the struggling young actress everyone expected her to be? In either case, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. If they were sharing an apartment, Charley would be better able to keep an eye on Allison.

“You can move in with me until you find a place of your own,” she said. “I can always use help with the rent.”

Allison beamed. “I can?” she exclaimed. “Are you sure I won’t be putting you out?”

“I’m positive,” Charley said firmly.
So far everything was working out perfectly
, she thought, but she couldn’t help wondering if it was going according to her plan or theirs. Still, having the woman around would serve two purposes. It would allow Charley to stick close to her “assignment,” and it would also give her added protection against Reese.

And something told her she was going to need all the protection she could get. The armor plating she was trying to put around her heart would probably turn to aluminum foil at the mere sight of him. She didn’t want to get involved again. Allison would be her insurance policy against that. Otherwise, if he came to her apartment . . . She didn’t finish the thought.

Charley felt around in her oversized shoulder bag for a pen and a piece of paper. Inside the lining of her purse were several items not usually found in a lady’s handbag, and any one of them might one day save her life. Charley hoped that when that day came, she could find them faster than the pen and paper she was searching for now. Finally she pulled out a dull pencil and a crumpled pamphlet.

“Here,” she said, writing down her address. “This is where I live.”

Allison took the pamphlet from her. “Terrific! I’ll get my stuff, settle up with the hotel, and come on over. Tonight’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Sure,” Charley said, gathering up her things. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well ...” Allison hesitated, as if she were searching for the right words. Charley was sure the right words were never hard for Allison to find. “I . . . um, saw you with that guy. . .”

Her meaning was clear.
Had everyone seen them
? Charley wondered, beginning to feel as if she had landed on the six-o’clock news.

“And I thought that maybe he’d like to come over ...”

Charley had no doubt that he would. But that was something that wasn’t going to happen. Not if she meant to keep a clear head. Reese did not make for a clear head—or a steady pulse.

She waved away the suggestion. “Don’t worry about that. Reese is just an old friend. He’s—“

“He’s here.”

Charley spun around as Reese announced himself. The smile she had once termed sultry was on his lips. Her heart skipped a beat. The old excitement was back in her veins. How was she ever going to get through this thing if she kept turning into jelly every time he made an appearance? Jelly was not known for its cerebral qualities. It also couldn’t be counted on to hold up very well against enemy agents.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Allison asked in a low voice.

Charley nodded, trying to pull her gaze away from Reese’s breathtakingly handsome face.

Her eyes refused to obey. “Sure,” she said without looking at Allison.

“Okay, then,” Allison said. “See you tonight.”

Charley heard the sound of receding footsteps, then the slam of a door. Allison was gone. They were alone again.

“Well,” Charley said with a false note of gaiety, “gotta run.” She lifted her heavy purse to her shoulder.

Reese slipped his fingers onto her shoulder, preventing the strap of her bag from landing on it. “What’s the hurry?” he asked.

The strap slipped down to her forearm, yanking the purse along with it. “I’ve got to study my lines,” she said nervously, pulling the purse back up.

“As I recall, you’re a very quick study,” he said. He was watching her closely, his eyes daring her to fabricate more lies. He was drawing her soul away from her, she thought as panic set in.

“Things have changed,” she murmured.

He ran his fingers along the ridge of her cheekbone. “Have they?” he asked.

Yes,
she thought.
I chase down foreign agents now and keep the world safe for democracy. On weekends I bend steel with my bare hands. Oh, please go away, Reese, and stop cluttering up my mind with things that have nothing to do with this case.

But those were realities she couldn’t reveal to him. The Eastern European operatives she worked to expose were serious thugs, reminiscent of the KGB of the old Soviet Union, or the Gestapo of the Second World War. They posed a threat to national security and the safety of good people everywhere, but the danger she faced was calculated and she’d been trained to deal with it. Reese hadn’t. He was a civilian, and civilians risked being casualties when they got in the way. That was something she had to guard against with all her hard won abilities.
 

 
“Everything changes,” she said, trying to sound remote. On a scale of one to ten, that answer was a definite one, she thought, annoyed with herself. Maybe a minus one. She had to get away from him.

Without warning he moved to take her into his arms. She stepped backward and managed to catch her heel on a carelessly dropped coil of rope. She tripped, and Reese caught her, just as she was afraid he would. She almost thought she would have rather fallen on the floor in front of him. Almost.

“Well, here we are again,” he said, grinning. Their bodies were against each other’s, setting off sparks between them.