cushy gighere, Gus thought as he eyed the devil’s food cake. A good thing that could keep on going indefinitely as long as Belinda didn’t stick her pretty little nose where it didn’t belong.
C H A P T E R
41
Belinda sat in front of the makeup mirror applying her lipstick when Meg came into the dressing room carrying a glass vase filled with two dozen long-stemmed roses.
“Red. He never forgets,” said Belinda as she inhaled the fragrance of the flowers.
Meg wished Belinda would volunteer who he was, but she wasn’t about to ask what the leading lady might think was too personal a question. If she wanted Meg to know, Belinda would tell her.
On went the corset and the petticoat and the green velvet gown. As Meg zipped up the dress, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” called Belinda.
Langley stuck her head inside. “I just wanted to say, ‘break a leg.’”
“Thanks, Langley,” said Belinda.
“Oooo, you got flowers.” Langley walked straight over to the dressing table. “They’re beautiful. Who sent them?” “A friend,” said Belinda.
“The friend must be crazy about you,” said Langley. “Who is it?”
Meg was embarrassed by the understudy’s rudeness. But Belinda, smooth as ever, simply ignored Langley’s question.
“Get me my fan, please, will you, Meg?” Belinda asked.
Meg obeyed. “You look beautiful, Belinda,” she said.
“Thank you, dear. And thank you for all your help.” With that, Belinda departed for the stage, leaving Meg and Langley in the dressing room.
Langley picked up the small card Belinda had left beside the flowers. “Twenty years and you grow ever more beautiful, Belinda. Valerie is very lucky tonight,” Langley read aloud. “Yours forever, Remington.”
C H A P T E R
42
As the curtain lowered, the audience erupted in thunderous applause.
“Magnificent.” Nick leaned over and yelled in Caroline’s ear as the cast of Devil in the Details came out to take theirbows. The last actor out was Belinda Winthrop, and the audience came to their feet and cheered.
Watching Belinda take her bows, Caroline was already mentally composing the review she would write, knowing that she had just witnessed a rare production. Brilliant, inspired, breathtaking—those were some of the words she wanted to include in describing not only Belinda’s performance but also the content of the play. Victoria Sterling’s creation deserved the Pulitzer Prize. How she had envisioned, and executed, the scenes leading to the unmasking of the sociopathic husband was amazing. Caroline couldn’t help but feel that only someone who had firsthand knowledge of sociopathy could have handled the subject so expertly.
What was the old saw? Write what you know.
Refused permission to record the play, Lamar and Boomer waited in the lobby.
“I hope that dub they’re giving Caroline will be of decent quality,” muttered Lamar.
“Hey, it’s not your problem, man,” said Boomer as he munched on the giant oatmeal cookie he had purchased at the refreshment cart. “If they wouldn’t let us shoot, they wouldn’t let us shoot. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Yeah, but I hate depending on video shot by the audiovisual department of the Warrenstown Summer Playhouse. Who knows who’s manning the camera! It could be some college kid.”
The doors to the theater opened, and the audience started streaming into the lobby. Lamar studied the expressions on the theatergoers’ faces. “Looks like it was a hit,” he said.
Boomer grunted as he popped the last of the cookie into his mouth.
Lamar spotted Caroline and her husband. He waved to get their attention.
“Good, huh?” he asked.
“Fabulous,” Caroline answered. “I’ll tell you all about it later, but now let’s get right downstairs to Belinda Winthrop’s dressing room.”
Nick let go of Caroline’s hand. “I’ll see you later then?” he asked.
Caroline took his hand again. “Oh no,
C H A P T E R
41
Belinda sat in front of the makeup mirror applying her lipstick when Meg came into the dressing room carrying a glass vase filled with two dozen long-stemmed roses.
“Red. He never forgets,” said Belinda as she inhaled the fragrance of the flowers.
Meg wished Belinda would volunteer who he was, but she wasn’t about to ask what the leading lady might think was too personal a question. If she wanted Meg to know, Belinda would tell her.
On went the corset and the petticoat and the green velvet gown. As Meg zipped up the dress, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” called Belinda.
Langley stuck her head inside. “I just wanted to say, ‘break a leg.’”
“Thanks, Langley,” said Belinda.
“Oooo, you got flowers.” Langley walked straight over to the dressing table. “They’re beautiful. Who sent them?” “A friend,” said Belinda.
“The friend must be crazy about you,” said Langley. “Who is it?”
Meg was embarrassed by the understudy’s rudeness. But Belinda, smooth as ever, simply ignored Langley’s question.
“Get me my fan, please, will you, Meg?” Belinda asked.
Meg obeyed. “You look beautiful, Belinda,” she said.
“Thank you, dear. And thank you for all your help.” With that, Belinda departed for the stage, leaving Meg and Langley in the dressing room.
Langley picked up the small card Belinda had left beside the flowers. “Twenty years and you grow ever more beautiful, Belinda. Valerie is very lucky tonight,” Langley read aloud. “Yours forever, Remington.”
C H A P T E R
42
As the curtain lowered, the audience erupted in thunderous applause.
“Magnificent.” Nick leaned over and yelled in Caroline’s ear as the cast of Devil in the Details came out to take theirbows. The last actor out was Belinda Winthrop, and the audience came to their feet and cheered.
Watching Belinda take her bows, Caroline was already mentally composing the review she would write, knowing that she had just witnessed a rare production. Brilliant, inspired, breathtaking—those were some of the words she wanted to include in describing not only Belinda’s performance but also the content of the play. Victoria Sterling’s creation deserved the Pulitzer Prize. How she had envisioned, and executed, the scenes leading to the unmasking of the sociopathic husband was amazing. Caroline couldn’t help but feel that only someone who had firsthand knowledge of sociopathy could have handled the subject so expertly.
What was the old saw? Write what you know.
Refused permission to record the play, Lamar and Boomer waited in the lobby.
“I hope that dub they’re giving Caroline will be of decent quality,” muttered Lamar.
“Hey, it’s not your problem, man,” said Boomer as he munched on the giant oatmeal cookie he had purchased at the refreshment cart. “If they wouldn’t let us shoot, they wouldn’t let us shoot. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Yeah, but I hate depending on video shot by the audiovisual department of the Warrenstown Summer Playhouse. Who knows who’s manning the camera! It could be some college kid.”
The doors to the theater opened, and the audience started streaming into the lobby. Lamar studied the expressions on the theatergoers’ faces. “Looks like it was a hit,” he said.
Boomer grunted as he popped the last of the cookie into his mouth.
Lamar spotted Caroline and her husband. He waved to get their attention.
“Good, huh?” he asked.
“Fabulous,” Caroline answered. “I’ll tell you all about it later, but now let’s get right downstairs to Belinda Winthrop’s dressing room.”
Nick let go of Caroline’s hand. “I’ll see you later then?” he asked.
Caroline took his hand again. “Oh no,
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