AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tamara glanced at me. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
“Yeah.” I gave her an earnest look. “Absolutely.”
I stood up to leave, stretching as I wandered over to the door. Tamara was already gone. I needed to get back to the set but as I began walking away, I noticed something that caught my eye on her dresser vanity.
I walked over to where a picture sat on a frame next to her mirror and various bottles of perfume.
“Well, that sure is strange…” I muttered. I glanced at the open door leading out of her dressing room. Tamara was already long gone with the director. Out of sight.
I picked up the picture and studied it. It was a shot of Tamara standing next to a tall man. They were hugging and smiling at the camera, obviously in good spirits. I didn’t recognize the guy in the picture, but based on their grins and body language, they appeared to have a close relationship.
What I saw next in the picture sent a chill of dread and fear up my spine.
Standing beside Tamara on the opposite side was a stingray mascot. Behind them was a stingray tank where the live rays were swimming around. I gasped in shock. They were apparently at a Tampa Bay Rays game. I recognized the scene because I’d been to several games myself.
I remembered the stingray figurine that we had discovered at my ransacked hotel room.
My hands clammy, I set the picture back down where I’d found it, staring at it. Maybe Caleb was onto something after all? How common were those stupid stingray figurines?
Numbly, I walked out of Tamara’s dressing room with ringing ears and a thudding pulse. I went back to my dressing room and stayed there. I waited until the set had cleared later that afternoon, then I discreetly followed Tamara back to her dressing room so that she wouldn’t notice me trailing behind her.
Chapter 28 - Geneva
My heart pounded in my chest like a high school drumline. I stood with my back pressed against the wall right outside of Tamara’s dressing room. She didn’t close the door, much to my relief. Everyone else had gone home hours ago. I’d stayed very quiet in my own locked dressing room, and stuck to the shadows when I came out. She obviously thought she was alone.
I held my breath and stood as still as a statue, frozen. Despite everything that had happened, I prayed I was wrong, that I was being stupid and foolish for suspecting my friend.
A shameful, darker part of me almost hoped she would do something to incriminate herself. Then, at least I would know the truth. I could move on.
She cleared her throat, shuffling through a few things on her vanity table. I waited. If I was patient, I’d have my moment. Carefully, keeping my movements smooth, I unlocked my phone screen and opened up the video app. Just in case.
After a few more minutes, I caught my lucky break.
“Hey, Jesse,” Tamara breathed into her phone. She sounded terribly exhausted. “What are you doing?”
Jesse was Tamara’s brother. I had never met him, but I’d heard her talk about him before. Biting my lip, I pushed the record button and waited. If nothing happened, I could always just delete the video later, and apologize for being such a sneak, but I needed to be fully prepared.
There was a pause while Tamara listened on the other line. Then she spoke again. “No, I’m just getting ready to leave the studio. It’s been another long day.” She chuckled, then said, “Yeah,” in response to something else unheard from the other end of the call.
She cleared her throat again, and I saw her shadow move across the door frame. I tensed up, bracing myself to be discovered. Tamara didn’t walk out of the room, and what she said next flooded my gut with wrenching betrayal.
“No, it’s just… I can’t believe that bitch Geneva is still working on the same set as me.” Pause. “I know, right? Everyone thinks she so pretty, but I don’t see it. She’s not that hot.” Tamara’s voice was laced with malice and envy.
My eyes widened, and one hand pressed to my mouth to hold back a sob. I couldn’t believe this. I thought she had been my friend! How could I have been so stupid?
The phone call continued on.
“Yeah.” Tamara let out a sinister laugh that made my blood run cold. “I agree. Apparently, she didn’t get the message the first time around, but next time I’m going to make sure she hears me loud and clear.”
I swallowed hard, my grief turning into seething anger. My strained jaw began to throb and ache as I stood there, tense with fury. How could Tamara do this to me? I would make sure she wouldn’t get away with it.
There must have either been silence on the other end for several seconds or Tamara was listening to what her brother was saying.
“Because this is my turf, Jesse!” Tamara said. “I don’t need any competition, especially not from Geneva. As long as she’s around, the agents will keep giving her all the best jobs. I can’t let that happen anymore.”
I had heard enough. I hastily pushed the little red button on my phone, ending the recording. Then I pushed open the door. I stood in the center of the doorway to block her path if she tried to flee.
“Tamara, I need to talk to you,” I said through gritted teeth.
