Night Hunter (21 page)

“
This is definite?”

“
Nothing in this business is etched in stone. You can, of course, call on Mr. Lake and request an audition.”

Amelia’s only response was a slight lifting at the corners of her mouth as she put her glass to her lips. She sipped, put down the glass carefully, looked at Regina, and asked, “Then why did you invite Tammy and me to lunch today?”

Tammy returned to the table and sat down, emanating an overpowering cloud of Tabu.

“
I apologize to both of you if I led you to believe that we’re looking for a replacement hostess for ‘City Gallery’.” Regina toyed with her utensils. “I asked you to lunch to find out if either of you have received any threats lately?” She glanced up to see Amelia and Tammy staring at each other oddly.

“
Why would we get threats?” Tammy asked.

“
We had two anonymous calls at the station before Donna was attacked, warning us not to air that show.”

“
I don’t get it,” Tammy said.

Amelia was quicker to pick up Regina’s meaning. “You aren’t implying ...? Absolutely not. What happened to Donna was some sort of vendetta. There’s no reason to believe--”

“
How can you be so positive. Unless, of course, you know who did it and why.”

“
Don’t be ridiculous.”

The two women studied each other.

“
Hey, you two, what’s going on here?” Tammy said. “What are you talking about?”

“
I only asked if you’d had any threats,” Regina said to Amelia.

“
No. Have you?”

“
What kind of threats?” Tammy’s voice rose in alarm. “Tell me, please.”

Amelia whipped around to face Tammy, her lack of patience obvious. “It’s incredible. You haven’t gotten any brighter over the years. Regina is implying that whoever got to Donna wants to do the same to us.”

“
I didn’t say that,” Regina objected.

“
Well, what then?”

“
It’s a possibility, that’s all. The station was warned. There may be other warnings.”

“
Holy Mother of God,” Tammy said in a whisper, her face pale under the peeling skin. “I told Gary I thought the acid was meant for me, but I never really believed —
oh, shit.
”

The waiter brought their order and for many minutes they said nothing as each picked and poked at the food in front of her.

“
Corinne ... now Donna,” Tammy said finally. “Both Miss Classic finalists. Both their lives destroyed. Oh, God, I can’t imagine anything on this earth more horrible than having your looks wiped away,” she snapped her fingers “just like that.”

“
Well there are worse things,” Regina said.

“
Oh really?” Amelia gulped her drink. She motioned for the waiter to bring another. “It’s bad enough knowing that one day our bodies will become saggy and boxlike, and our faces as wrinkled as a cheap cotton blouse, but at least there’s some degree of control over the aging process. If you want my opinion, I think Corinne did it. I think she did it out of spite, to punish us for being pretty when she’s not.”

“
The thought crossed my mind,” Regina said. “And if that’s the case, why stop at Donna?”

Amelia chewed on her lower lip. She slowly nodded agreement.

“
I was standing right next to Donna when it happened. Maybe instead of Donna it was supposed to be—oh shit,” Tammy whined. “I don’t like this. I wish to hell I hadn’t come today. You two are bumming me out.” She pushed her soup away, dug in her purse until she found a prescription bottle, shook out a tiny yellow pill, and washed it down with the wine.

“
What do we do?” Amelia asked.

“
I don’t know. Keep our eyes open, report anything unusual to the police. Move away. Aside from
that, I
don’t know.”

The furthest thing from her mind as she lay in Fletcher’s bed watching him kiss the soft, white skin of her inner thigh, was a threat or an attack. She had conveniently put the conversation at lunch out of her mind while her lover attacked her with his mouth, giving her a delicious tongue lashing.

She moaned, gripping Fletch’s hair as she squirmed on the damp sheets. Fletcher kissed a feverish path up her sweaty torso to her breasts, then his full mouth found hers as he thrust into her. He bucked and she matched his ride, staying with him. They rolled, turned, found new positions, new sensations, panting and heaving and crying out. They became twisted in the bed covers, pillows tucked beneath them. Fletcher climaxed first, but continued until Amelia, moments later, went over the edge. Then they collapsed back on the bed, their breathing labored. Amelia, heart pounding, gave herself a few minutes to savor the last vestige of the pleasure.

He nuzzled close to her. “Can your husband make you cry out like that?”

“
Only from sheer frustration. God, Fletch, I detest him. I loathe the feel of his hands on my body. Thank God he can’t last long. Yet brief as his touch is, it’s just short of torture. Now you, my dear, know how to make love to a woman the proper way, the lasting way.”

He smiled. “It won’t be much longer.”

“
So how’d it go with Tapperman?” she asked,

“
Who?”

“
Tapperman. RAM Electronics.”

“
Great,” he said quickly. “We can count them in.”

She rolled over on her back. Looking down at herself, she noticed that her breasts seemed flatter and further apart in this position. She pulled the sheet up to her throat.

“
When do we start moving into the office?” she asked.

“
Two weeks, when the phones go in. The lease was contingent on the agency fixing a few things. Minor problems, but for that kind of money they damn well better have everything running well.”

“
Business cards, stationery, office help?”

“
All taken care of.”

“
I feel detached somehow. Maybe if I had something to do.”

“
There’ll be plenty of time for that after you make the break from the old fuck.”

“
I guess.”

“
I won’t be able to see you for a couple days. I have to go out of town.”

“
Where? Why?” A jolt of anxiety hit her. With all that was going on in her life, the one and only person she felt secure with was talking about leaving.

“
Michigan. It’s a private matter.”

“
Oh? We’re starting to have secrets, are we?”

“
It’s my ex-wife. She’s trying to get the courts to allow her husband to adopt my kid.”

“
What do you care? You never visit him and you certainly don’t want him living with you.”

“
It’s the principle of the thing. Billy’s an only child, a Kincade. He’s the last to carry on the family name.”

Amelia was silent. So Fletch was an only child. She also was an only child. A change-of-life baby. A beautiful baby. From the day she was born her parents delighted in entering her in one beauty contest after another. The blue ribbons, trophies, and photographs had filled her room. Black hair, almond-shaped eyes the color of deep sapphires, fair skin that never freckled, were Amelia Travis’s claim to fame. And her parents doted on her. Her father, a custodian on the ferry to Oakland, brought home something for his daughter nearly every day. A trinket, a toy, a picture book—these gifts she accepted with glee, until, at the age of seven, she discovered that the items were not new, but things left by other children on the ferry. Without a word, she went through her room, carefully gathering all the used gifts that he’d given her over the years and, with obvious contempt, dumped them in the outdoor incinerator. In a quiet voice she had said to her mortified parents, “I want new things. Only new things. Never again give me dirty, filthy hand-me-downs.”

Both parents worked to supply her ever-demanding needs. In school she had always been the most envied girl, though not the most liked. She lacked the ability to make friends. All her life she’d been too competitive, pitted against other girls and taught that they were nothing more than rivals. Spoiled, conceited, and oftentimes mean and spiteful, she got what she wanted through intimidation and, of course, her looks. The loneliness was overcome by material things.

Later, there was never a shortage of lovers.

Despite the discouraging news that KSCO had a temporary replacement for Donna Lake, Amelia, confident as usual, knew that “show business” was a fickle business. Over the years she had noticed Nolan Lake’s gaze sweep over her appreciatively and his fingers linger on hers in greeting. She only had to encourage him a bit. She had, after all, made a screen test that had showed great promise. If the studio hadn’t gone under she’d be a star today. If she’d looked good to a major movie studio, she could certainly hold her own on a half hour local talk show.

“
Leave a number where I can reach you,” Amelia said to Fletcher. She sat up and began to dress.

Fletcher left the bed, took a business card from his wallet, and jotted down a number. “This is a hotel in Deerfield.”

She tucked the card in her new eyeglass case with the two twenties she’d taken from Matthew’s wallet that morning—old habits die hard. God, but she’d be glad when she would have complete control over her life. And the sooner the better.

“
I’ll go down with you to your car,” Fletcher said.

“
It’s all right. I parked on the street.” She refused to use the parking garage. The experience with the mugger was not to be repeated. Thinking about it now, Amelia felt a stab of fear.

Donna opened her eyes to see her father, a grim expression on his face, hovering over her. Under the dressing on her face, she smiled, hoping that he could detect, by the brightness in her eyes, how pleased she was to see him there.

“
I can’t believe something like this could happen to one of my own children,” he said gruffly. “A travesty like this could ruin your career. How bad is it?”

Donna rolled her head on the pillow, shrugging her shoulder.

“
Well, let’s have a look.” He reached for the gauze and began to pull it back.

“
What are you doing? Stop that!” A nurse rushed in, pushing Stanley Cragg aside. “You could do irreparable damage.”

“
Then I better get some straight answers,” he bellowed. “Is my daughter going to be deformed? I have a right to know.”

“
Please, sir,” the nurse said, her eyes darting from Donna to her father. “If you want answers, ask Dr. Saxton.”

“
Is he in the hospital now?”

“
Yes. Someone at the nurse’s station will page him for you.”

Cragg leaned over his daughter. “You’ll be normal again if it takes every cent I have to make it so. I’ll get the
best
plastic surgeon in the states. We’ll have you moved to the finest burn clinic. You hear, Donna? By God, you’ll not be malformed.” He squeezed her hand. Then he was gone.

The nurse smoothed back her hair. “Miss Lake, please don’t let what he said disturb you. Some people get so carried away with pain and anger they don’t realize what they’re saying. I’m sure he didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

A tear slipped out of Donna’s eye and rolled across her temple.

CHAPTER 20

With a strangled cry Tammy awoke. Her hand came up to touch her face. It was somewhat rough from peeling, but no bumps, nothing crawling.