information about the murders I’m working on?”
“Yes,” I said. “The actors.”
“Actors?”
“The soap actors who have been killed.”
Any semblance of amusement left his face. I knew he hadn’t released information that he was working on more than one murder or that all the victims were actors. He was wondering how I knew. And he was wondering who the heck I was.
“Now, ma’am, how would you know anything about that?” he asked.
“What’s the matter, Detective?” I asked in my own voice. “Is absolutely nothing about me familiar to you?”
He stared at me, narrowing his eyes, actually leaned forward to look at my face, and then said, “Alex?”
“I told you I’m playing twins on my show. One of them looks quite different from me—I hope so, anyway.” I turned away from him and took the false teeth out of my mouth. “See?”
“Is that a phony nose?” he asked with a wicked gleam in his eye.
“No, it’s not! Smart-ass.” I poked his stomach with my finger. “That’s all mine. I added the teeth, glasses, contact lenses, gray wig, some body padding and a little bit of a Southern accent. What do you think?”
“I think it’s amazing,” he said. Despite the getup, I could tell he was happy to see me. “Are you trying to impress me with your acting talents, because if you are, it’s really not necessary.”
“Just listen. I want to go with you when you interview the families,” I said, “and I just proved they won’t recognize me. Especially Jackson’s family.”
“Well, won’t they recognize your character from your new show?” Jakes said.
“This was just for your benefit. I know you don’t watch my show. I’ll put on a different wig and mess around with my makeup. They’ll never know.” I got a little closer to him. I wasn’t above using feminine wiles when it served my purposes. On occasion, I mean.
“So, what do you think?” He didn’t smell like strawberries anymore but was still worth a good long sniff.
He sighed. I could tell he was torn. He wanted to be with me and this was as good an excuse as any. I felt the same way.
“All right. Just make a few alterations, though nothing . . . this drastic.”
“I can use the ladies’ room—”
“No,” he said, “not here. We’ll stop by your car so you can pick up your things. You can change on the way.”
He took my elbow and led me out of the room and down a hallway.
“In the car?” I asked doubtfully. “Can’t I go home?”
“No, it’s out of the way,” he said. “We’ll find a place along the way.”
“Hey, Jakes,” somebody yelled, “the boss wants to see you!”
“Say you just missed me!” he called back.
“But—”
We kept walking.
“Don’t you want to—”
“No,” he said. “My boss will tie me up for hours. Let’s just go—we’ll take the stairs. . . .”
He rushed me to his car in the parking lot and then drove us to mine to pick up my makeup kit and extra clothes. Then he took me to a restaurant he knew had a large ladies’ room.
“And don’t ask me how I know,” he said as we went in. “I’ll wait at the bar.”
Chapter 23
When I came back to the bar, Jakes was sitting with an iced tea in front of him and another waiting for me. He looked at me blankly, and then it registered that it was me.
“Jeez! You look completely different again!”
“I know! Isn’t it so cool?” I was having way too much fun with this.
“One question. Why are all your disguises so unattractive? Don’t you have any with, say, a platinum blond wig and big boobs, maybe a miniskirt?” he asked with a sexy smile.
“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t!” I felt flustered again. Why did he do that to me? “Now, seriously, why are you ducking your boss? And how come you’re never with your partner?”
“Look,” he said, “I’m having some trouble at work, but it’s got nothing to do with you. I don’t like my boss, and I don’t get along with my partner. He and I have
“Yes,” I said. “The actors.”
“Actors?”
“The soap actors who have been killed.”
Any semblance of amusement left his face. I knew he hadn’t released information that he was working on more than one murder or that all the victims were actors. He was wondering how I knew. And he was wondering who the heck I was.
“Now, ma’am, how would you know anything about that?” he asked.
“What’s the matter, Detective?” I asked in my own voice. “Is absolutely nothing about me familiar to you?”
He stared at me, narrowing his eyes, actually leaned forward to look at my face, and then said, “Alex?”
“I told you I’m playing twins on my show. One of them looks quite different from me—I hope so, anyway.” I turned away from him and took the false teeth out of my mouth. “See?”
“Is that a phony nose?” he asked with a wicked gleam in his eye.
“No, it’s not! Smart-ass.” I poked his stomach with my finger. “That’s all mine. I added the teeth, glasses, contact lenses, gray wig, some body padding and a little bit of a Southern accent. What do you think?”
“I think it’s amazing,” he said. Despite the getup, I could tell he was happy to see me. “Are you trying to impress me with your acting talents, because if you are, it’s really not necessary.”
“Just listen. I want to go with you when you interview the families,” I said, “and I just proved they won’t recognize me. Especially Jackson’s family.”
“Well, won’t they recognize your character from your new show?” Jakes said.
“This was just for your benefit. I know you don’t watch my show. I’ll put on a different wig and mess around with my makeup. They’ll never know.” I got a little closer to him. I wasn’t above using feminine wiles when it served my purposes. On occasion, I mean.
“So, what do you think?” He didn’t smell like strawberries anymore but was still worth a good long sniff.
He sighed. I could tell he was torn. He wanted to be with me and this was as good an excuse as any. I felt the same way.
“All right. Just make a few alterations, though nothing . . . this drastic.”
“I can use the ladies’ room—”
“No,” he said, “not here. We’ll stop by your car so you can pick up your things. You can change on the way.”
He took my elbow and led me out of the room and down a hallway.
“In the car?” I asked doubtfully. “Can’t I go home?”
“No, it’s out of the way,” he said. “We’ll find a place along the way.”
“Hey, Jakes,” somebody yelled, “the boss wants to see you!”
“Say you just missed me!” he called back.
“But—”
We kept walking.
“Don’t you want to—”
“No,” he said. “My boss will tie me up for hours. Let’s just go—we’ll take the stairs. . . .”
He rushed me to his car in the parking lot and then drove us to mine to pick up my makeup kit and extra clothes. Then he took me to a restaurant he knew had a large ladies’ room.
“And don’t ask me how I know,” he said as we went in. “I’ll wait at the bar.”
Chapter 23
When I came back to the bar, Jakes was sitting with an iced tea in front of him and another waiting for me. He looked at me blankly, and then it registered that it was me.
“Jeez! You look completely different again!”
“I know! Isn’t it so cool?” I was having way too much fun with this.
“One question. Why are all your disguises so unattractive? Don’t you have any with, say, a platinum blond wig and big boobs, maybe a miniskirt?” he asked with a sexy smile.
“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t!” I felt flustered again. Why did he do that to me? “Now, seriously, why are you ducking your boss? And how come you’re never with your partner?”
“Look,” he said, “I’m having some trouble at work, but it’s got nothing to do with you. I don’t like my boss, and I don’t get along with my partner. He and I have
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