Famous by Todd Strasser Page B

head.
    Me: “Can I really do this? Destroy Willow’s career in order to advance mine?”
    Carla: “Darling, are you crazy? This is your ticket. Everything you’ve dreamed of since day one. People would kill for this kind of opportunity. You think if it was the other way around—if Willow Twine needed to wreck your career to advance her own—she’d hesitate for a second?”
    â€œBut Willow and I are friends.”
    â€œOh, please! You’ve known her for exactly one week.”
    â€œYou don’t know. You haven’t been out here with us.”
    â€œMy dear, they were calling me an old-timer in this business back when you were still in Pampers. I’ve seen and heard it all. Believe me, I know.”
    My BlackBerry vibrates. I slide it out of my pocket and check the number. Speak of the devil. It’s Carla. I almost answer, but something stops me. We spoke yesterday. She said we’d speak again when I got back to New York. So why is she suddenly calling?
    Instead of answering, I let the phone take a message and then listen to it. “Jamie, sweetheart. Wuzzup, girl? So listen, there’s a rumor going around that Willow was partying with old Rexxy last night. Any truth to that? You wouldn’t happen to have any shots, would you? Let me know, because those shots could be worth their weight in gold.”
    Huh?
I stare at the BlackBerry, seriously puzzled. This is totally beyond strange. How in the world could Carla know that Willow and Rex were partying last night? That was supposed to be top top secret.
    The BlackBerry rings again. This time it’s Edie McGovern, one of the editors from the
Weekly Dish
website. Again I don’t answer and wait instead to listen to the message. “Hey, Jamie, s’up, babe? Heard you’re out in LA hanging with Willow. Any truth to the rumor shewas out with Rex last night? We’d give any pix you’ve got big money and big play. Here’s my direct line in case you don’t have it.”
    Even as I listen to this message, another call is coming in, and I listen to that message next. It’s from Suzie Feld at the gossip website
Hear It Here First
. “Jamie, darling, listen, there’s word on the street that you may have hit the mother lode. Whatever you do, talk to me before you sell those shots to anyone else. I could make this huge for you. Call me as soon as you get this message. I’m giving you my personal cell phone number, the one I never give out.”
    I’ve hardly finished listening to that message when the phone vibrates again. It’s Carla. “Jamie, what’s going on out there? I’m swamped with calls about these photos you’re supposed to have. They’re going nuts. I’m getting offers sight unseen. You have to call me immediately.”
    The phone keeps vibrating, but I stop paying attention. How do all these people on the other side of the country know about Rex and Willow? Why do they think I have photos when I only found out about all this a few minutes ago? It’s as if they knew about it
before
I did. How is that possible?
    Rapid footsteps are approaching in the hall outside the powder room. I hear Willow’s personal assistant, Doris Remlee, urgently asking, “Zach, have you seen Jamie Gordon this morning?”
    â€œYeah, uh—” Zach begins.
    â€œWhere?” Doris impatiently cuts him short.
    â€œOut by the pool.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œA little while ago. She went into the kitchen. I guess she was getting coffee or something. Oh, and she asked me if I’d seen her camera.”
    â€œOh, God! Did you?”
    â€œWell, yeah, I told her I thought I saw it on the kitchen counter. Why? What’s going on?”
    â€œGo out to the front gate and make sure it stays closed. No one is to come in or go out, understand? No one. Then get over to the guesthouse. See if she’s there. If she is, grab her and