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“I’ll let Mr. Vulin know someone is coming. He’s the estate manager. Your friend can contact him directly to coordinate.”
“Again, this isifmy friend decides he can help.”
“Please do whatever you can to persuade him.”
After getting a list of employees who worked at the estate and Novak’s and Mori’s direct contact info, Teddy and Stone left the office.
When they reached the Porsche, Teddy said, “Not exactly the way I was expecting my evening to go.”
“If it’s any consolation, I wasn’t expecting his wife to be kidnapped this afternoon, either. But if anyone can find her, it’s you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“You are going to help them, right?”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you. If you need any assistance from me, let me know.”
“Don’t worry. You’re at the top of my list.”
6
Earlier that evening, Matthew Wagner sat in the driver’s seat of his car, looking through his binoculars.
The crowd of fans at the entrance to the Santa Barbara Hills Hotel driveway was the same size as it had been the past few evenings. Its members held magazines and notebooks and photographs, prepared to grab an autograph if the opportunity arose. A majority also had phones at the ready. Every time someone stepped out of the hotel, dozens of pictures were snapped—in case the person was one of the stars ofStorm’s Eye.
A pair of rent-a-cops made sure the onlookers stayedon the sidewalk and off hotel property. What they couldn’t stop was the shouts that rang out from the crowd whenever the hotel door opened.
The group was filled with amateurs, as far as Matthew was concerned. If they really wanted autographs or pictures, all they needed to do was enter the hotel as if they had rooms there and walk around.
Matthew had been inside the hotel multiple times since the cast had arrived. He’d seen several of the actors lounging at the pool, eating at the restaurant, and drinking at the bar. Mark Weldon had even walked by him once. The only star Matthew hadn’t seen yet was the only one who mattered to him.
Two men exited the hotel to calls from the fans and climbed into a classic convertible Porsche. Matthew recognized one as Billy Barnett, producer ofStorm’s Eye. The other man was director Peter Barrington’s father, Stone Barrington, a board member of Centurion Studios.
On one of Matthew’s bedroom walls back in L.A., he’d taped photographs of anyone associated with Centurion Studios so that he could recognize them by sight. Some images had been clipped from magazines, and some he’d taken himself. Under each was a label identifying the people in the shot, written in Matthew’s precise, error-free script.
He watched the two men drive away, then promptlyforgot about them. Barnett and Barrington were of little interest to him.
More people came and went from the hotel, but none were who Matthew wanted to see.
He could feel his annoyance growing. This would be the third night in a row he’d sat there without seeing her. He was getting tired of waiting. Maybe it was time to try something more direct.
He was about to lower the binoculars and call it a night when the hotel entrance opened again, and Tessa Tweed walked out, sweeping away all his anger and frustration in an instant.
Tessa was the female lead ofStorm’s Eye. In Matthew’s opinion, she was the best actress to ever grace the screen. She could do drama or comedy or action or anything she wanted. And it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful, too.
Accompanying Tessa were Logan Chase and Adriene Adele, two other actors in the movie, and another woman Matthew had seen on set but didn’t know her name. Not an actor, but a crew member of some kind.
The four of them waited until a valet drove up in a blue BMW. Chase’s car, Matthew knew. Just like he knew the vehicles driven by everyone important in the cast and crew.
As they climbed into the sedan, Matthew lowered the binoculars and started his car.
7
Tessa put a comforting hand on Adriene’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry. If Peter had a problem with the scene, he would have said something.”
The two of them, along with Stacy and Logan, were eating dinner at a small Thai restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara.
