AllFreeNovel
Share Us
For the first time, she thought about her job, and tucking her comb and brush into her purse, she walked toward the lobby. Spying a pay phone near the admitting area, she dredged up a quarter and dialed the station. The receptionist answered on the second ring.
“Hi, Becky, it’s Kaylie.”
“Oh! Kaylie, let me put you through. Jim’s been trying to
get hold of you.”
“I’ll bet,” Kaylie remarked as the phone clicked several times and Jim Crowley finally answered.
“You made the front page,” Jim announced. “And not of The Insider for once. You’re in the Times.”
“I’m not surprised,” she drawled.
“You okay?”
Kaylie wondered. She was still shaken by the incident, no doubt about it. Her skin prickled at the horrific memory, and yet she felt better than she had in years. She loved Zane, and planned to be with him for the rest of her life. “I’m fine,” she assured Jim.
A pause. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“It’s pretty late. I don’t suppose you’ll be in.” He sounded hopeful.
She laughed without much mirth. “Not today.”
“That’s okay. Alan already said he’d fill in, though he’d like to interview you about last night.”
“No way.”
“I told him that’s what you’d say. Anyway, since it’s Friday, I’m asking Chef Glenn to add a couple of appetizers to go with whatever today’s concoction is.”
“Hot and Spicy Chicken Linguine,” Tracy said in the background.
Jim snorted. “Yeah, some Italian thing. I’ll see you Monday.”
She rang off and took the stairs to the cafeteria. There she ate alone, devouring a bagel and cream cheese and fresh fruit along with two cups of coffee. She felt more than one curious look cast in her direction and heard a few whispered comments.
“Kaylie Melville…yes, channel fifteen…a crazed mental patient went after her…. Yeah, maybe it was the same guy…the guy she was with is up on the second floor…no, not Bently…some other guy…you know those Hollywood types…. Her husband? Ex-husband, you mean…are you sure…? Well, what’s she doing with him?”
Ignoring the wagging tongues, Kaylie cleared her tray and picked up a newspaper near the lobby. Page one was splashed with the story. Pictures of her house in Carmel, photos of the retreating ambulance, and older shots of Zane and Johnston and her at the premiere of Obsession years before graced section two under Local News. “Terrific,” she muttered under her breath. “Just great.”
Perusing the paper quickly, she decided Zane wasn’t up to reading all about the “drama in Carmel” and stuffed the paper into the trash on her way back to his room.
The nurse had left. His breakfast, uneaten, had been pushed aside. Zane was propped up in bed, staring at the television, where a newscaster was reporting Johnston’s escape and the attempt on Kaylie’s life.
“Well, your name’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue today,” he drawled.
“So’s yours.”
Zane rolled his eyes. “This is no good,” he said. “The problem with all these reports is that it sensationalizes the crime. Who knows what nut is watching and thinking he’d like to get his name and picture on the television by imitating that maniac?” Scowling darkly, he scratched at the back of his hand. A bandage covered the spot where the IV needle had recently been attached to his skin.
“I think I’m safe,” Kaylie replied. “Johnston’s locked up.”
“But how many more like him are out there?”
“It’s the price of fame,” she said, then nearly bit her tongue. Here it was. The same old argument. And she’d just inadvertently offered him a perfect opportunity to exploit his position. Still frowning, he clicked the remote control, and the lead-in music for West Coast Morning filled the room.
“Let’s see what your guys say about it,” Zane said, and Kaylie held her tongue, not wanting to let him know that Jim had already mentioned an interview to her.
