Too Little, Too Late (7 page)

He stared at her as if she’d just grown an extra head. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“I can’t do it.” Kate forced herself to make eye contact. “Sorry.”

“Are you crazy?” he asked. “Anyone would give their right arm for a shot at this.”

“Then I’m sure you won’t have any problem finding someone else with an arm to do it.” Kate felt sick to her stomach. Standing up, she made to leave.

“Hey, what’s the rush?” Alex jumped up and put a hand on her arm. “They’re willing to pay you a very generous stipend – much more than any print ad would pay. Think about what all that money will mean for Sonja.”

Alex had her with that and he damn well knew it. Kate sat back down tiredly. Sonja had been at Woodland Hills for a few months now and each time Kate went to visit, there was no recognition or signs of animation on her daughter’s face. Although Sonja had several physiotherapy sessions each day, her motor skills showed no signs of improvement at all. According to Dr. MacGuyver, Sonja’s primary caregiver, her daughter was making adequate progress but to Kate, the progress was negligible. She wanted to transfer Sonja to a better facility but that took money – money she didn’t have.

“I don’t quite know how to explain it. The director and I – we don’t get along,” she tried lamely. “It…I just don’t think it would work out.”

“What’s to work out?” asked Alex. “You go to Zifarelli Studios and report for work. You go through costume and makeup. You take direction brilliantly, your hands perform even more brilliantly, and then you leave. It’s a piece of cake. There are going to be literally hundreds of actors, extras, technicians and assistants on set so you won’t ever have to be alone with the guy. Believe me, there’s no drama except for the nice fat paycheck at the end of the rainbow.”

“I don’t know, Alex.” She looked at him with worried eyes. “You make it sound so simple.”

“That’s because it
is
,” he told her soothingly. “Trust Uncle Alex on this, will ya?”

***

In the end, it looked like Alex had been right. She had been worried for nothing. By the time Kate had finished with makeup and wardrobe, she barely recognized herself. Her slim body was encased in a stiff, brocaded gown and her blond hair was hidden beneath a heavy brunette wig. Even her hands and wrists were weighted by chunky ornate pieces of costume jewelry, made to resemble gold. All in all, Kate looked every inch a medieval king’s wife. Divinia Goldman, the actress whose hands she was replacing in the close-ups, came over and introduced herself. She was about the same height as Kate and maybe a few pounds heavier but other than that, the two women could have passed for twins. Glancing surreptitiously at the woman’s hands, she saw that Divinia was indeed a nail biter. Divinia introduced her to a few of the other actors in the banquet scene before taking her over to Todd Greaves, the first assistant director (or first A.D., as he was referred to on set).

“Is this your first shoot?” he asked. He had a boyish face but his hair was already peppered with grey.

Kate nodded.

“It looks like chaos around here,” he remarked with a grin, “but you’ll get used to it.” He glanced at his watch. “Rehearsals will start in about ten minutes. After that, we’ll block the scenes and hopefully start filming shortly after lunch.”

Todd was in charge of the rehearsals. Since Kate had no lines to rehearse, she sat and watched the actors go through their lines. At some point, she felt, rather than saw someone standing beside her and when Kate looked up, it was her father. Her body stiffened but he didn’t seem to notice as all of his attention was focused on the rehearsals. Todd came over and said something to him and then the two men walked over to where the rehearsals were winding down. Karl Bauer then took center stage and immediately launched into a discussion as to how he wanted the first scene blocked. Kate’s eyes darted around the soundstage, looking for an escape route before she forced herself to calm down. She was in full costume. There’s no way he’d remember her from his Christmas party several years ago.

When it came time for her scenes to be blocked, she forced herself to remain focused. Her father’s eyes were impersonal as he calmly orchestrated the blocking. When her scenes had been blocked, Kate quickly escaped to the sidelines. Karl spent the next hour discussing camera angles and lighting with the second A.D. It was after one in the afternoon by the time final checks had been made to hair, makeup, wardrobe and props. Todd called for quiet on the set before Karl yelled, “Action!” Filming was finally under way.

The banquet scenes were shot in tandem, with the wide shots covering all of the actors. The scene was then reset and shot all over again in close up, with Kate’s hands and arms subbing for Divinia’s. Kate had to will her hands to stop shaking and it mercifully took only three takes to get the scene right. The murder scene was more difficult and demanding and Kate thought she would pass out when, at one point, Karl jumped out of his chair and took her by the wrist, twisting her hand this way and that, while explaining what he wanted her to do. It was well after midnight when he finally yelled, “Cut!” and shooting was finished for the day.

Kate’s wig had begun itching shortly after the dinner break and she was happy to finally shed her hot costume. Dressing quickly in her own clothes, she gathered up her purse and made her way to where she’d parked her car. She was about to get in it when she heard her father’s distinctive voice, on the other side of the golf cart parked beside her car. After having listened to his voice for the past twelve hours, it was unmistakable.

“What did you say?” Kate glanced around her nervously, hoping someone – anyone – would walk by so she wouldn’t have to be alone with him.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to pass up the money.” He casually lit a cigarette, the light from the match casting his face in shadows as he moved closer to her.

Kate stared at him slack-jawed. “
You
got me this job?”

He nodded, releasing a thin stream of smoke from his nostrils. “My stepson went to see you the next day…but you never showed up for work. Then when he found out you had vacated your apartment, he became curious.”

“Rape has that effect on people,” she shot back angrily. “They get scared and they run.”

“But you didn’t run very far, did you?” he pointed out. “I think it’s time you and I had a talk, Kate.”

“Why? So you can try and intimidate me—”

“So we can have a proper reunion.” He moved closer, breathing harder. “Katya.”

All the blood drained from her face and she felt lightheaded as she leaned against her car for support. “How did you find me?”

He laughed. “It’s not that difficult to obtain the right information – as long as you’re willing to pay for it.”

“So you must know about Sonja, then.” She stared at her father with contempt.

For the longest time, he said nothing. When he finally spoke again, his words seemed forced. “We need to talk privately, just the two of us.”

“I don’t want to be alone with you.”

He cleared his throat. “Come to the house. Tomorrow night, eight o’clock.”

With that he left, not waiting for her response.

“Marcus!” Kate hurried over to the man about to enter one of the classrooms at the end of the hall.

“Ah, my beautiful Kate desires me,” he joked dramatically. “I knew my persistence would eventually pay off.”

“You are such a ham!” His banter was infectious and Kate found herself smiling for the first time since last night.

“It’s all part of the Stanton charm,” he told her as he led her into one of the deserted classrooms. “Want to catch a bite to eat? I’m almost done the repairs on the glass house set.”

Kate had met Marcus Stanton in
Mastonson’s
while he was buying his girlfriend a pair of gloves. He’d accidentally toppled over a glove display and when they both tried to prevent the display from crashing to the floor, the impact of their colliding bodies had knocked Kate on her derriere. Marcus had been most apologetic and extremely charming, managing to talk Kate into having lunch with him. By the end of their lunch, they were fast friends. Kate had told him about Sonja, and Marcus had told her about the music he wrote and hoped to sell one day.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to either one of them when Marcus eventually broke up with his girlfriend and made it abundantly clear to Kate that he wanted to date her. Although she was attracted to Marcus Stanton in a way she had not been to any other man, she insisted that their relationship remain platonic. The last thing she needed in her complicated life right now was the demands of a relationship. Although Marcus took her rejection in stride, he refused to give up, joking with Kate that she’d come around to him one day. When her agent convinced Kate to take acting classes, Marcus had suggested that she take lessons with a drama coach from the acting company where he worked as a handyman.

“Can I get a rain check?” she asked. “I’ve got to rehearse tonight.”

“Want me to help you run lines?” he asked. “Some of the guys will be coming over to my place to work on our music but that won’t be until later on.”

“Thanks, but…I’ve kind of got to focus and you know I can’t do that when you’re around.” Kate hoped she sounded convincing.

“Look at you! One movie role and you already think you’re Ethel Barrymore.”

“It’s
not
what I think at all.”

“That’s what they all say,” he replied airily.

She felt herself blushing under his close scrutiny. There was something so damned appealing about his unbridled devotion and sincerity that Kate just wanted to sink into the comfort of his arms and let him take care of her. And she knew he’d do it in a heartbeat if she let him.

“Actually, I kind of need a favor.”

“Ask and ye shall receive.” He ran his finger along her bare arm. “All I ask is that you don’t trifle with my weak heart.”

“Would you be serious?” She cleared her throat nervously. “Do you think you could get me a gun from the prop department?”

His hand fell to his side, his playful banter replaced by a look of seriousness. “What do you need it for?

“It would help me get into character if I got used to handling one.” The lie sounded lame and Kate inwardly cringed.

“What’s the role?”

“Does it matter?” she parried nervously.

“Can’t you use a brush or something?” When she didn’t answer, Marcus tilted her chin and forced her to look at him. “Hey. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She blinked away the tears that had formed behind her lids. “Can you help me or not?”

Something closed over his features and his expression became unreadable. “Follow me.”

Kate followed him down the hall to the room where all the props were kept under lock and key. Marcus removed a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, pulling her inside, before closing the door behind them. He unlocked a cabinet on the far wall and removed one of the guns hanging on a peg before bringing it over to her.

“This is a .44 Magnum prop.” He placed it carefully in her hands.

It felt heavy. “It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“Even a prop gun, loaded with blanks, can be dangerous if it’s fired at close range near the head.” He gave her a strange look. “Needless to say, you’re not getting any blanks. I need the gun back by tonight so I can replace it first thing in the morning before anyone notices that it’s missing, okay?”

“Thanks, Marcus.” Her bottom lip trembled.

“Promise me you’re not going to do anything stupid.”

Kate nodded, not trusting herself to speak. If there was one thing she had learned in dealing with her father, being stupid wasn’t an option. She needed insurance.

***

He answered the door himself. “You came.”

“You didn’t give me much choice.” Kate followed him back to his study. There was no sign of any servants and she could tell by the way her father was weaving back and forth that he’d been drinking. This immediately put her on her guard. “Where’s your wife?”

“Somewhere in the Napa Valley, I think,” he replied, before going over to the bar and pouring himself a liberal amount of scotch. “Do you want a drink?”

“No thanks.” Kate surreptitiously glanced at the carpet on which she’d been raped. The carpet was clean now. There was nothing left to bear witness to the humiliation she had endured. She watched as her father lumbered over to a wing chair and sat down heavily. “And your stepson? Is he in another room, lying in wait?”

“He doesn’t know who you are.”

“How comforting.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

“You look just like your mother.” He took a swallow of scotch. “I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before.”

“When would you have noticed?” she asked, unable to keep the contempt from her voice. “While you were screwing your stepson or while you were raping me?”

“You have a filthy mouth.” He watched her through hooded eyes.

Kate ignored his comment. “Don’t you want to know what happened to her?”

“To who?”

“My mother.”

His hand shook as he lifted the glass to his lips. “That was another lifetime ago.”

“Well, I’ll tell you anyway,” she continued as her courage grew. “Mama was raped and beaten before her nude body was dumped in a field like a piece of garbage.” Kate leaned forward deliberately. “And let’s not forget Lilly, another one of your defenseless victims. She ended up being tortured by some animal who would’ve also killed me had Mama not shot him first.”

“Himmler thought he was creating a master race.” He stared at her with unseeing eyes. “More like a race of emotional imbeciles!”

“What are you talking about?”

“She should have been able to overcome confrontation and come out victorious.” He shook his head sadly, as if unable to come to terms with what had happened. “Lilly wasn’t made of the right stuff, but you obviously were.”

“Just barely!” she cried. “No thanks to you, I might add.”

“War always has casualties,” he told her vehemently, “and there must always be those who are sacrificed for the greater good.”