She could almost forget everything when she was on the set. It was fun working with Conar. He could take even a tired line and give it real meaning and emotion. And actually, though the scene was definitely melodramatic, it seemed real that he could be in love with the one sister and in lust with the other.
She told him that he could never, ever make her give up the child if she didn’t want to do so. He argued that Maria Valentine would never forgive him. That might be so, but he should have thought of that before, she said.
They were nearing the finale. He raised his voice again, telling her that she had set out to seduce him. She responded, “Just as you set out to ruin Natalie in Paris, and then set out to seduce Maria, here in the States, when Natalie wanted no more of you? You don’t love Maria. At least what you wanted with me was more honest. But at the bottom of it all, David DeVille, all you really ever meant to do was take everything that the Valentine vineyards had to offer. You meant to strip my father of years of work and effort. You wanted the glory—”
“Whatever I wanted at the beginning doesn’t matter anymore!” he shouted at her.
“Stop yelling!” she warned him. “The sands above have shifted over the years. We’ve dug this out of the dunes—”
“You’re excavating a tomb,” he cut in. “You came here to rob the Egyptians, just as you rob and manipulate everyone else you come near.”
“I do not!”
“Damn you, I won’t let you do this. I won’t let you have my child.” He started across the floor to her.
Small drifts of sand began to fall. She stared upward.
“Stop it! Stop it!” she whispered to him huskily, fear tingeing her voice. “Look, look, what you’re doing—”
“You stop it, Verona! You’ll use anything, any trick at all to keep from admitting I’m right. The only reason you’d ever have this baby is to hurt everyone around you.”
“Stop, for the love of God, stop! The sand is coming in—it’s going to block the passage. We’ll die here, smothered!”
“Verona—”
He came to a dead stop. Right on cue, the sand started pouring down hard, blocking the entrance to the “tomb.”
Conar rushed to grab her, sweeping her away from the falling sand.
They were supposed to watch in horror as the sand filled the entrance.
Crushed in Conar’s arms, Serena whispered. “Conar, it’s too much … it’s flowing too hard.”
“Damned right.” He started to move off the set with her.
The sand fell harder. “Back up,” he said. “Under the ledge.”
“Conar—Joe is coming toward us. He’ll get caught under the flow!”
Suddenly they heard a hoarse shout. Then someone cried out, “Joe is down!”
“Cut the sand!” she heard Liam roaring.
Conar swore suddenly, caught in an avalanche of white sand. He cast his bulk over her.
For one split second Serena could see what was going on. The sand had hit Joe, knocking him down before he could grab the safety lever.
Jinx was standing next to Joe—within reach of the lever. But she wasn’t moving. She was just standing there, staring, her eyes fixed, her mouth gaping.
It seemed an eternity …
It was really only seconds, yet every second mattered. She and Conar were trapped on the set, and they would all be suffocated within a matter of minutes if …
“Jinx!” Serena shouted.
But Jinx didn’t move. Jay, who had been ready to come onto the set, was staring at Jinx.
“Jinx!” Jay shouted.
Jay rushed for the lever, knocking Jinx out of the way to reach it. By then, however, the man from the construction company had seen that the main lever had failed. He reached the safety and hit it immediately.
Then Serena saw no more. Even Conar, trying to protect her, was knocked over as the sand poured over them with a force that stole away all strength …
And all air.
Chapter 23
IT WAS AMAZING HOW quickly things could go wrong. It was supposed to appear that the tomb was being buried by a shift in the dug-up sand above. In seconds, what had appeared to be a smoothly running piece of theater became a disaster.
Liam wasn’t near the lever, but as the sand kept pouring down, he tore across the distance between the cameras and Serena. Ignoring the still-flowing sand, he plowed beneath it. Jeff was beside him, digging as frantically as he was. He had seen exactly where Conar and Serena had been. He reached Conar and dragged him up. At Liam’s side, Jeff held Conar steady while Liam found Serena’s hand, then the rest of her, and pulled her, gasping and coughing, out of the granular torrent.
At that moment the safety lever kicked in and the sand stopped falling. Liam was barely aware of it. He was dusting the sand from Serena’s face. She was still coughing and trying to brush it from her eyes.
The truck operator was down, out of his chair. “Is everyone all right?”
Serena nodded, still unable to speak. Conar was busy dusting himself off.
“Hey, someone help me with Joe!” Jay Braden called out.
“You all right, really!” Liam asked Serena. Covered in sand, her eyelashes, cheeks, and even lips white with it, she nodded. Then he realized that she was smiling. “Yes, I’m fine, really fine. It’s sand, Liam, just sand, and the safety lever worked.”
Liam left her, heading for Joe. Bill was already on his way. By the time they reached him, Joe was already emerging.
“Maybe we should get an ambulance,” Kelly suggested.
Joe panted and wheezed, and struggled to his feet. “No!” He had to take a second to get his breath. “Kelly Trent, no ambulance. I’m fine. What about Conar, Serena?”
“I’m all right,” Conar said. “Serena?”
“Absolutely fine,” she assured them all.
Applause went up around the set. “See, there should always be a safety,” Joe said, sounding authoritative once again. “Here you have it, a working piece of show biz, with everyone on hand ready to pitch in.”
“Well, we do need showers,” Serena said dryly, provoking laughter around the set.
“You and Conar can head on out, Serena,” Joe said. “Jay, Kelly, the sand is practically perfect for the next scene. You two both okay?”
“Well, of course, we’re okay,” Kelly said. “But, Joe, you need a shower.”
“Let’s get back to work,” Joe insisted. “Do you know what it will take to set up all over again? I want to finish with Jay and Kelly outside the tomb today. Then we can clean up tonight and get back in the tomb with Serena and Conar tomorrow. Everybody got it?”
“Think we could take five?” Jim suggested. “You could at least wash your face, Joe.”
Joe scowled at him, but his scowl only provoked more laughter. “Hey, seriously. I want to thank everyone. There’s always a risk with any location work. Everyone pulled through just fine. Take five.”
He walked over to Serena, taking her by the shoulders. “You’re really okay?”
“Just very dirty,” Serena said.
She looked very strange, covered in white. She saw Liam and smiled at him. “You know, you are an awfully good bodyguard. You manage to be there for every emergency. But as you saw, this was really an accident. The truck hydraulics got jammed. Poor Joe got knocked down before he could protect his investment.”
It had to have been an accident, Liam thought. He had watched the entire thing.
Serena was looking around.
“What’s the matter?” he asked her.
“Where’s Jinx?” she asked.
Liam shook his head. “I don’t know.” He looked through the crowd of people milling around. His first thought had been Serena. Now he realized that although the place was filled with bustling activity, there was no sign of Serena’s diminutive assistant anywhere.
“She panicked, Liam. When Joe went down, she didn’t hit that lever. I’m worried about her. We’ve got to find her. She’s going t
o feel responsible for this, and she’s already upset about something.”
He nodded. “All right.”
He caught her hand. They moved through the crowd of soap people.
Jay came up behind the two of them.
“Do you see her?” he asked.
Serena swung around. “You mean Jinx?”
He nodded.
“No. Where might she have gone?”
“Back to the studio?” Jay suggested. “To her home?”
“We’ll try the studio,” Liam said.
“I’ll check her house,” Jay said distractedly.
But as he turned to head back, he heard Andy shouting at him. “Jay, where are you going? Joe said that we’re going to finish this up.”
Jay shook his head. He was obviously concerned about Jinx. Why? Conar wondered.
“Hey,” Serena said, “don’t worry, we’ll find her.”
“Yeah, all right,” Jay said huskily. He turned and started walking back, shoulders squared, spine rigid. “One take, one damned take, and no rehearsals,” Jay called out angrily.
“Hey, it was just a bunch of sand,” Jim said.
Serena turned back to Liam. “Let’s go. We have to find Jinx.”
He nodded. “I’ll go back to the studio, and then on to Jinx’s house. If you walk around the city like that, I can guarantee you’ll attract attention.”
“Liam, I’m really worried—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find Jinx. I’ll ask Conar to stay with you—hey, there’s a high point to it. You can get that stuff all over his car.”
She smiled, but said, “Liam, I’m afraid for Jinx.”
“We can have the cops put out an APB.”
“No, that could put her into a hole for the next year.”
“Then I’ll find her. Somehow.”
An hour later, Serena was at last drying her hair. Kelly called to her that they had finished the shoot. A reporter who happened to be in the vicinity had come to the set—even something like a little extra sand on the set of Valentine Valley drew attention these days. “You know Joe. He used it, he was charming. He went right out to talk to the reporter, who stood there, of course, accusing him of seeking publicity. ‘Did I call you?’ he asked the guy,” Kelly said. “Then he went on, ‘Sand. We had a little sand. Everyone is fine.’ Naturally, he then went on to tell them, ‘Wait until you see it! It’s a spectacular scene. And there will be more from Valentine Valley.’”
“Never miss a photo op, and there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” Serena said.
“I guess. Oh, well, it is pretty great. We get the scripts for the Valentine’s Day crescendo tomorrow. Rehearsals right off … and then we shoot. Everyone shows up in Egypt. How’s that for a plot?”
“I suppose the Valentines are rich enough to hop on planes to faraway countries at the drop of a hat,” Serena said. She hung up.
Conar was in the living room, watching a Discovery Channel program about Egypt. Serena came out and joined him, telling him what Kelly had told her.
“I’ve heard most of it. We’re having a huge family scene at the tomb. We get dug out—then something happens.”
“I know Joe is going for secrecy, but he sure is taking chances, giving us scripts to learn that quickly.”
“Jim complained. It did him no good. Liam called, by the way, while you were still in the shower.”
“And? Did he find Jinx.”
“No, not yet. He went to the studio, to her house, and he prowled the streets. No sign of her yet. Jay was worried about her, too. I imagine he’s out looking for her now. Liam is going to try both places again, then stop by the hospital. He’ll be here after that. And Jennifer is coming over with the baby.”
“Great.”
She was delighted to see Jennifer when she arrived with the baby. They talked about everything that had happened. “We haven’t been at any parties lately,” Jennifer told her. “I barely knew Amesbury.”
“You mean you two aren’t going to be caught on tape?” Serena teased.
“Never,” Jennifer said with mock horror. “We have a child to think about now.”
Conar came into the kitchen. “I’m starving,” he said, opening the refrigerator. “What’s he got in here?”
“I’m not sure at the moment,” Serena said, coming over to check out the contents of the freezer.
“Steaks,” Jennifer said from behind her.
“He’s a meat man,” Conar said.
“Steaks. Maybe he’ll show up by the time we’ve cooked them.”
They were ready with dinner by the time Liam arrived. He shook his head at Serena’s anxious look. “I tried everywhere.”
“Did you … try breaking into her apartment?”
“No,” he said. “Serena, that’s not legal.”
“Oh, right, and that concerns you.”
“I couldn’t break in. I might have … except that I was pretty convinced she wasn’t there. She has a porch and windows. I could see most of the place. Trust me. I’m anxious to see her myself. If we don’t hear from her soon, we’ll break in. I promise. Hey, it smells great in here.”
“And dinner is ready,” Jennifer announced.
“How was Sharon?” Serena asked.
“She hasn’t regained consciousness, but the doctors say her vitals are good, and her brain activity is excellent, under the circumstances.” He hesitated, then shrugged. “The neurologist told me today that he can’t make promises, but he thinks she’s going to pull out.”
“Thank God,” Serena said.
He smiled at her. He still seemed thoughtful, but a lot better.
They ate. With Jennifer and Conar at the table, the evening seemed more natural. Serena was glad that Sharon seemed to be doing well, but she was deeply troubled about Jinx. She called the girl’s apartment several times, but the answering machine came on each time she dialed the number.
Conar and Jennifer went home around ten. They were barely out of the house before Liam sat down with Sharon’s yearbook again.
Serena hesitated before approaching him. “Liam, about Jinx—”
“Come here,” he said.
She walked over to where he stood. He was looking down at a picture. He pointed to someone standing on a ladder, adjusting lighting on a stage.
“Recognize her?”
Serena frowned at the picture, studying it. Then she gasped. “Jinx!”
“And look … here. There’s a paragraph on her. Jennifer Blase … belonged to this honor society and that, pulled equal time in stagecraft and performance. Why do you think she’s working as an assistant?”
Serena shrugged. “Maybe because she’s so shy.”
He shook his head, staring at Serena. “I think she got knocked down a few times too many. I’ve managed to read a lot on her now. Here she is, all talent and genius, but apparently, according to these records, she left school for almost a half a year. She graduated with Sharon; she should have graduated the year before her.”
“Lots of people take time off.”
“I think that maybe she left because of a breakdown.”
“What? How can you say such a thing?”
“Right now, I’m speculating. I think that Sharon was going for this book,” he said softly. “I think the more things started happening on the set, the more she worried about her ‘friend’ who had a job at the studio. I think Sharon was looking for Bill Hutchens to warn him that Jinx might have a screw loose somewhere. Then she was afraid she was way off base and might hurt someone, and decided not to say anything. Then more stuff happened, and she didn’t want to tell the cops, but she could tell me. Only … someone surprised her before she could tell me.”
Serena bit her lower lip, staring at him. “You might be the one unhinged, you know!”
The phone started to ring. Serena jumped. “I’ll get it.”
He nodded.
Serena had thought that it was a futile hope, but she answered the phone, her fingers tensed aroun
d the cord.
“Serena?” Jinx whispered.
“Yes. Yes, it’s me,” Serena said, nodding as she stared at Liam. “Where are you? I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“I’m so sorry. So sorry. I just … I had to call. I wanted you to know … you are a good person, Serena, really good—”
“Jinx, so are you.”
Jinx started to laugh. “No. Are you alone?”
She glanced at Liam, who was staring at her. “No.”
“I wish I could see you. Talk to you before …”
She sounded despondent.
“Jinx, listen to me. Are you home now?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming over.”
“No. No, I can’t talk with anyone else there, and Liam won’t let you come alone.”
“Jinx, we can talk alone.”
She glanced at Liam. He was scowling at her.
“Stay calm. I’ll be right there.”
She hung up the phone. Liam was already up. “You aren’t going anywhere by yourself,” Liam said firmly. “And you should tell me now what you know that I don’t.”
“She … she had an affair … or just sex or whatever with someone at Kyle’s house. I think she’s all upset about the tapes. Liam, we won’t get anything out of her if I can’t have a chance to talk with her alone.”
“You can talk alone. But rest assured, I’ll be there.”
They left the house. He drove to Jinx’s, which was not far from Serena’s. It was a tiny, freestanding house with a fair expanse of lawn. Liam walked Serena to the front door, silently pointing to the window he had mentioned earlier. “I’ll be here. Right here.”
She nodded and tapped on the door. “Jinx. It’s me, Serena.”
“Are you alone?”
She frowned at Liam. He flattened himself against the wall.
“Yes,” Serena said.
Jinx opened the door and stepped back to let Serena enter. She walked into the living room. Serena looked around curiously. She’d picked Jinx up for work a few times, and dropped her off. She’d never come inside the house before. She was amazed by the movie posters lining the walls. There was paraphernalia around as well—cases with props used in various shows, ray guns from sci-fi movies, gloves, tags, all kinds of things.