Читать книгу Familiar Double - Caroline Burnes - Страница 11

Being on a movie set is pretty cool. I mean there are babes everywhere. They bring in the food, they work on the cameras, they star in the film—and the biggest babe of them all isn’t even the star. She’s the stunt double. Miss Nicole Paul is one of the hottest bods I’ve seen in years—and she’s just the stuntwoman and body double for Angela Myers.

I’m sure Peter and Eleanor, my humanoids, would send me back to the hotel room if they knew I was developing a fantasy about Nicole. But she’s so dang gorgeous, with her long legs and silky blond hair. I mean she’s fine. And nice, too, unlike Angela. They look enough alike to be sisters, but appearances are as far as it goes. Angela’s a witch. She actually tried to swat me with a rolled-up script because I sniffed her grilled shrimp.

She was yelling at me, saying she was a b-i-g n-a-m-e and didn’t have to put up with cat hair in her food. If Peter and Eleanor weren’t consulting on the movie set about animal behavior, I would have been sent to the pound. As it is, I’ve got my own job on the movie. I’m a body double for Elvis, the kitty star. He’s a sleek black rascal with a far better attitude than his human costar. In fact, Elvis has a real sense of humor. I think we’re going to become fast friends while I’m on this gig in Tinsel town.

I hear the call for lights, camera, action. They’re getting ready to film another scene for this movie about a cat who steals jewelry to bring people who love each other together. It’s a charming plot. Reminds me of some things I’ve done in the past.

Wait, what is that? It’s the police. And they’re headed my way. No, they’re passing me by and going to the trailer where Nicole is getting ready.

They’re knocking on her door. She’s opening it. And they’re putting her in handcuffs. Let me just say that Nicole isn’t acting docile about this. She’s doing her best to get away from them, and she’s one fit woman. I wouldn’t want to take her on in a kickboxing match.

Everyone from the movie set is just standing around gawking. No one is doing a thing to help her. And we don’t even know why she’s being arrested.

This is an outrage. Why don’t they cuff Angela? Speaking of which, she’s standing in the doorway of her trailer and looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. Whatever is going on here, Angela definitely has a starring role in it.

I have two choices—to stay and perform my duties as a backup for Elvis, or to ride to the police station with Nicole. Since no one else is stepping up to help her, I guess that leaves me. My decision is made. I’m going to LAPD headquarters.

It’s just a matter of timing to make it in the door of the patrol car before they close it. Once I’m inside, I don’t think Nicole is going to give me away.

“YOU’RE ARRESTING the wrong person,” Nicole said through the screen of the patrol car. “I didn’t steal anything.”

“We have a warrant for your arrest,” the officer who was driving said wearily. “Nothing personal, lady, we’re just doing our job.”

“But I’m innocent,” Nicole insisted. “Of course that didn’t matter twenty years ago, either.”

The cop in the passenger seat turned around and stared at her. “Twenty years ago, that would make you, what, about twelve? What were you arrested for then, robbing an ice-cream truck?”

Both police officers chuckled and Nicole threw herself against the back seat of the car. This was totally absurd. And the worst part of it was that she hadn’t seen it coming. Last night when Angela Myers had staged such a drama about the theft of her precious earring, Nicole should have known that the finger of blame would swing in her direction. Angela had all but come out and said that Nicole was a thief, just like her father. She’d implied that thievery was a genetic trait. But Nicole had just shrugged it off. She didn’t think that anyone would believe she’d steal anything. Now she saw differently. That’s exactly what everyone thought, even the police.

She felt something against her leg and almost screamed. Before she could utter a sound, though, the sleek black cat put a paw on her knee and drilled her with a steady green gaze.

“Familiar?” she whispered. She knew it wasn’t Elvis. As much as she enjoyed the black cat starring in the movie, he didn’t have half the personality of the stunt cat that had been brought in with the movie consultants. Familiar was the easiest animal she’d ever worked with in setting up stunts.

“Meow,” he said softly.

“So you came with me.” She held her elbow steady as the cat rubbed against it. “I don’t know why you did, but I’m glad you’re here.” She lifted her cuffed hands and let him jump into her lap. “We have to figure out a way to make them believe I didn’t steal anything.”

She stared into the cat’s unblinking gaze and had the oddest sensation that he understood every word she said.

JAX MCCLURE WATCHED as the police officers came out of Nicole’s trailer. They went straight over to Angela’s, knocked, and when she opened the door, they held up a clear plastic bag with a glittering piece of jewelry.

“That’s mine,” Angela said. “I told you she stole it. She’s been staring at those earrings every time I put them on. I told Mr. Hudson not to hire her on this set, but he wouldn’t listen to me. Now, I guess he’ll have to find someone to replace her in the middle of the film.”

Jax ignored most of Angela’s rant. After five weeks of filming with her, he was more than ready to blow her up in some of the special effects he designed for the movie. She was one of the most difficult women he’d ever worked with—totally immune to his charm and totally wrapped up in herself. And Angela had had it in for Nicole ever since the stunt double walked onto the set of Midnight Magic.

Angela didn’t even like the cat costar, Elvis. And Elvis was an easy cat to like.

Jax waited until the dust cleared and Angela was back in her trailer before he walked over to the police detectives.

“I’m a friend of Ms. Paul’s,” he said, which was stretching the truth quite a bit. Nicole had not been unfriendly, but she’d simply been unavailable for any of the crew get-togethers that might have forged the bond of friendship. She was a real loner. “Is she going to be charged?”

“Theft of property,” the policeman said. “Ms. Myers didn’t want to press burglary charges. She just wants her property back.”

“Was there any sign of forced entry at Ms. Myer’s trailer?” Jax asked.

The policeman shook his head. “We didn’t look. No point if she won’t press charges. The theft charge will be enough to send her away for a while.”

Jax nodded. “Where is Ms. Paul being held?”

“County jail. She’ll be arraigned as soon as possible and then remanded somewhere else, unless she makes bail.”

“Thanks,” Jax said. He walked back to the trailer he shared with another stuntman, Jason Thompson. There was something about the situation that didn’t sit well with him. Nicole wasn’t overly friendly, but he’d never seen her looking at the jewelry some of the stars wore. In fact, Nicole seemed to care very little about the things that normally turned a woman’s head—jewelry, clothes, fancy cars, money. Now that he thought about it, she hadn’t shown interest in any of those things.

Something about the theft just didn’t jell.

He entered his trailer and took a bottle of cold water from the small refrigerator.

“Jason?” he called out.

“What?” His roommate came out of the back, his lean frame in cowboy boots, jeans and a button-down shirt. He was headed out on the town.

“What’s the story on Nicole Paul?” Jax asked.

“Not much story on her. She’s worked a few movie sets and done a fine job. She’s just breaking into the business. The story is her old man.”

“Her husband?”

“No, her father. He went up for some big jewelry heist back in the eighties. Seems like he was designing jewelry for all of the movie stars for the Academy Awards and some very important diamond disappeared.” Jason scratched his chin. “Yeah, it was some lavender diamond. They called it the Dream of Isis. It was supposed to be cursed or some such. Anyway, Nicole’s dad did some hard time over that jewel. I don’t think he’s been out of prison all that long. I hear he’s in poor health. Bad ticker.”

“Was the diamond ever found?” Jax asked.

“Nope. Not a hint of it. And Nicole’s old man— I think his name was Vincent—anyway, he never spoke of it again. At least that’s the gossip that blows over the set and you’d know it if you ever talked to any of the extras. It’s too bad for Nicole, though. Wherever she goes, someone resurrects that story about her dad.”

“What do you make of what happened today?

Jason shrugged. “Looks like the kid has a lot of her old man in her. Maybe she just got tired of being accused of things.”

“Or maybe someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look that way and set her up.” Jax drank the rest of his water as he watched his roommate step out into the gathering dusk.

NICOLE USED HER one phone call to let her father know she was okay.

“I’ll get you out as soon as possible,” Vincent promised her. “I’m sorry, Nicole. This is more about me than you.”

“What do you mean?” Nicole felt a sudden rush of dread. Her father had just been released from prison. His health was not good. Was something else going on?

“I mean that you’ve been tarred with the brush of thief because of me,” he said slowly. “You’re accused because of me.”

“That’s not true! This isn’t about anyone except Angela Myers. She planted that earring in my trailer. I just don’t know why. What does she gain by getting me off the set? They’ll have to slow filming until they find a new double.”

There was a long silence on the other end. “We need to talk as soon as you get out,” Vincent said. “I’ll see if I can get Carlos on the phone. You’re going to need a lawyer and he’s one of the best.”

“We can’t afford Carlos,” Nicole said tersely. The last thing she needed to do was put her father under financial pressure. “This is a mistake. They’ll straighten it out.”

She heard the silence on her father’s end. She was echoing the words he’d said twenty years before when he’d been charged—and wrongly convicted—of the theft of the Dream of Isis. Back then, they’d both been certain that the authorities would rectify their tragic mistake. But they hadn’t, and Vincent had gone to prison for a long, long time.

“We can’t count on that,” Vincent said in a voice low and worried. “Talk to Carlos. He’ll help you say the right things. And don’t talk to the police. That was one of the biggest mistakes I made. Every single thing I said was twisted and turned against me.”

“I remember,” Nicole said. She’d been twelve, and it had been impossible to forget. Her beloved father, her only parent after her mother’s death when she was nine, had been painted as a thief all over town. The only thing that had saved her was that she’d gone to live with an aunt in Nebraska. She’d been able to leave the crime behind, sort of. Her father had never had that luxury.

“Promise me, Nicole,” Vincent said.

“I promise.” She hung up the phone and let the guard take her back to the cell she shared with three other women.

As soon as the door shut, one of the women nodded toward the top bunk. “My name is Connie, and you’ve got a visitor.”

Nicole looked up to see the green eyes of the cat staring at her. “What are you doing here?” she asked the cat.

“We don’t know,” Connie said. “He slipped in here, checked things out and then hopped into that bunk. He’s been watching, like he was expecting you. What kind of cat is he?”

Nicole couldn’t help but smile. She was in jail and what she’d done wrong wasn’t the question anyone was interested in.

“If I remember correctly, he was a stray that a veterinarian and his wife saved from animal experimentation. Then it turned out he’s smarter than your average person. He’s solved mysteries all over the world, and right now he’s working as a stunt double for a cat on a movie set.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Connie said, reaching up to stroke the cat. “What’s he doing here?”

“He works with me,” Nicole said, and for some reason she couldn’t explain, just having Familiar around made her feel a whole lot better.

“The guards won’t let you keep him,” Connie said. She leaned closer to Nicole. “Neither will Lizzie.” She nodded in the direction of a tall, muscular girl. “She doesn’t like cats or dogs or people.”

“I won’t be here that long,” Nicole said. “I’m innocent.”

The laughter from Lizzie and the as-yet-unidentified woman was loud and raucous. “Yeah, we’re all innocent, sweetheart.”

Nicole didn’t argue. She knew better. She’d been stupid to shoot her mouth off, as if these women really cared whether she was a thief or not.

“What are you charged with?” she asked Connie.

“Grand theft auto.” She looked down at the floor. “The car was mine. My boyfriend gave it to me for my birthday.”

“She didn’t get the paperwork, just the key. The car was never registered in her name,” Lizzie said, laughing. “Sucker.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to explain it.” Nicole had enough on her plate.

“Kevin says he’s going to let me rot in here because I wanted to break up with him. He has the car and I’m stuck here. He says he has the best of both worlds.”

Nicole didn’t know what to say. “Did you get a lawyer?”

“Public defender, but he seems okay.” She finally looked up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “Awful young to be a lawyer.”

“How old are you?” Nicole found herself asking, though she didn’t really want to know. She didn’t want to be involved at even the most basic level.

“Eighteen.”

“What about your parents?” she asked.

“What about them?” Connie’s bravado faded as quickly as it had come. “They’re in Arkansas. I haven’t talked to them since I left three years ago.”

“And you came out to L.A. to be an actress, right?” Nicole asked, feeling as if she’d dropped into the middle of a really awful B movie. Women in Prison or something like that.

“I know it sounds stupid, but I really can act.”

“And pigs can fly,” Lizzie said, creating another round of laughter.

The guard came for Nicole. “You’ve been bonded out,” he said.

“Just a minute,” Nicole said. She gave one desperate look around the cell, then leaned over to Connie and whispered something.

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I’d end up in a cell with four prisoners. But it could be worse. Nicole is drop-dead gorgeous and I get the feeling that Connie wouldn’t look half-bad if she had a little meat on her bones and some decent clothes. Now, that Lizzie is another matter. She’d scare the paint off a fence.

Nicole is getting out of here and I’m curious to see who made her bond. There’s another little matter to consider. I’m AWOL from the movie set and by now my humanoids have missed me. Maybe I should get on the phone to Eleanor and Peter and let them know where I am.

While I’m here, it might be a good idea for me to take a look at the report filed by the detective investigating the case. And I wonder who that might be? I guess I came off a little half-cocked, but I wanted Nicole to know she wasn’t alone. I don’t know why, but I thought that was important.

Here we go. She’s scooping me into her arms. Looks like we’re out of here. But she’s giving Connie a phone number to call. She’s going to help Connie, too. Now, that’s the ticket.

I hear the chow cart. I’d say let’s stay for a meal, but somehow I know better than to get my hopes up. I am a cat with discriminating taste, and prison food just doesn’t have the appeal that a steak does.

I have to say the checkout process is fast here. But look who’s come to take Nicole home. It sure isn’t her daddy. My, oh, my, I think there’s going to be some serious trouble.