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His bloodless lips curved into the faintest of smiles as he felt the knife, wedged tightly between sock and leather, rubbing against the side of his foot.
* * *
Kaylie’s first full day back at work started the minute she shoved open the glass doors of the building. She waved to the receptionist and made her way through the series of hallways toward her office. On the way, Tracy flagged her down with a sheaf of papers.
“Today’s guests?” Kaylie asked.
Tracy nodded and slapped the papers into Kaylie’s outstretched hand. “Yep. Just a little more information that came in late. Isn’t that always the way?” She lifted her slim shoulders and turned her palms toward the ceiling.
“Always.” Kaylie laughed, glad to be back in her normal routine. She didn’t even think about Zane standing naked in her driveway—well, she didn’t dwell on the vivid image she’d seen in her side-view mirror.
She stopped by the tiny cafeteria and saw a couple of technicians and cameramen.
“Great to have you back, Kay,” Hal said as he grabbed a doughnut from the box of pastries lying open on the glossy Formica table. Hal, thin and balding, was in charge of the sound booth.
“We missed you around here,” his partner, Marvin, agreed.
“It didn’t look like it,” Kaylie replied, picking up a cinnamon twist and a napkin. “I saw the program.”
Hal snorted. “Old Alan was in his element, no doubt about it. He was snapping orders around here like he owned the place.”
Marvin, his slight paunch jiggling, chuckled. “The funny part was, no one paid him much mind.”
“I bet that went over like the proverbial lead balloon.”
“More like a lead zeppelin,” Marvin said. “Hey, how’s that aunt of yours anyway? What was wrong with her? Heart problems?” He dusted the sugar from his fingers.
Hal, wiping the last crumb of a jelly doughnut from his mouth, said, “I heard she was in an accident of some sort—ended up in a coma.”
“She’s fine. Her heart did act up after the accident, and she was in and out of consciousness, but she’s fine now, out of ICU,” Kaylie replied, improvising, mentally cursing Zane for his lies. She breezed out of the cafeteria, balancing a coffee cup, her pastry and napkin in one hand, her briefcase swinging from the other and the notes Tracy had handed her tucked under her arm.
“Welcome back to the rat race,” she told herself as she dropped into the chair behind her desk. Sipping her coffee, she retrieved her notes from her briefcase. As she added in the information Tracy had handed her, she jotted down a few new questions and underlined background information she considered important.
She finished with the notes and her pastry just as the door of her office flew open and Audra, the hairdresser and makeup artist, scurried breathlessly inside. “Lord, what a day! Sorry I’m late. Alan’s toupee, you know. He’s never satisfied with that damned rug, and there’s only so much I can do with it. If he hates it so much he should break down and buy a new one. Or go without. Hell, I think a man is much sexier in nothing than something, and that goes for hairpieces as well as clothes.” She laughed at her own joke and unzipped her oversize makeup bag. “Well, anyway, I didn’t mean to rush you.”
“No problem,” Kaylie said around a smile. Audra, with her fast tongue, stiletto heels and bloodred lipstick, was always a breath of fresh air in this conservative old building.
Audra eyed her critically. “Nope. You look none the worse for wear,” she agreed, rifling in her bag with her red-tipped nails. “In fact you look pretty damned good for hanging around a hospital for four or five days.” She frowned thoughtfully as she pulled out a comb and swirled it in some cleanser. “How’s that aunt of yours? Heard she had a gallstone operation.”
“Uh, it was her heart—no operation,” Kaylie replied. Thanks a lot, Zane, she thought as Audra smoothed a few errant strands of her hair into place.
“Well, at least you got away for a few days,” Audra said, pointing an aerosol can in her direction and spraying a cloud of mist over her locks. “And don’t be worrying about this—ozone friendly. See, right here on the can.” She pointed to a symbol Kaylie couldn’t read through the mist. “I’m an environmentalist now.”
“Good,” Kaylie said, coughing as she reached for her coffee.
Audra snatched the cup away, sloshing a few drops of brown liquid onto Kaylie’s notes. “Oh, no, you don’t. No, sirree! Your lipstick’s perfect. Let’s not be messing it up by leaving it on this here cup.”
“Aye-aye, Captain,” Kaylie teased, saluting Audra as the makeup artist picked up her gear, zipped her case closed and exited.
There was a rap on her door and the familiar sound of Tracy’s voice. “Ten minutes, Kaylie!”
She scanned her notes one last time, then dashed to the set. Alan was already waiting. As Kaylie’s microphone was pinned onto her jacket, she caught his glance and smile. He seemed genuinely glad to see her.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” he said, as she settled into her chair. He patted her hand affectionately. “I’ve got everything covered today. All you have to do is sit there and smile and be your gorgeous self.”
“You’re kidding,” she replied. “Besides, I’m all set.”
On the floor in front of camera three, Tracy was motioning for all quiet on the set.
