Part 29 (1/2)

”Yes.”

He patted my shoulder and then removed his arm. Suddenly, the look on his face changed. ”Then what the h.e.l.l is going on with you, Alex?” he demanded.

”I-Sorry?”

”You've been late, you're forcing us to tape around you. . . . Why?”

I felt like we were having the same conversation but with him in an entirely different mood.

”I mean, I know you're Alex Peterson-I get that,” he said. ”You're one of the queens of daytime. I get that, too. But I've never thought of you as a diva, Alex.”

”Neither have I, Sean-”

”Then why are you acting like that?” he demanded. ”I don't know how it was on Yearning Tide, Alex, but here on B and B everybody carries their weight.”

I wanted to be indignant, I wanted to shout at him, but I couldn't because he was right. Not that I'd been acting like a diva, but in agreeing to help Jakes with his investigation-by wanting to be involved-I had been pus.h.i.+ng my job to the back burner. That certainly wasn't fair to the rest of the cast or the crew.

”I understand, Sean,” I said. ”To tell you the truth, I've have been rather . . . shaky since Jackson almost fell on me, since I was covered with his blood . . .”

I felt bad. The look on Sean's face changed. Once again becoming solicitous, he put his arm around me.

”I knew it,” he said. ”I know you're a rock, Alex, but something . . . horrible like that . . . it has to have a lasting effect.”

”I'm doing okay, really . . . most of the time. . . .”

”Do you want some time off?”

”No, no, Sean,” I said, ”I don't. I'll be all right, really. I'm here to work.”

He patted my shoulder and said, ”You're a trouper, Alex. But if you need some time off, please let me know . . . in advance, so I can schedule around you.”

”I-I'll do my best, Sean.”

”Good,” he said. ”Good. Now . . . get to work.”

I left, knowing that I deserved a Daytime Emmy for my time in his office, and feeling both bad about it . . . and just a little satisfied. I was afraid he was going to make me choose between my job and the investigation. I would have had to pick my job, of course.

But as I made my way to my dressing room, I felt a kins.h.i.+p with Jakes. We were two mavericks, flying in the face of authority to solve these murders.

I'd never been a maverick before.

Chapter 53.

I focused all my concentration on my scenes that day, but luckily I had only three, so that wasn't very hard to do. It was after my scenes were over that the day turned.

I entered my dressing room and saw an envelope with my name on it sitting on the dressing table. My heart almost stopped when I recognized the chicken scratch. Only one person I knew had that immature handwriting. I tore the envelope open and pulled out a note written in the same scribble: Hey, Babe.

Don't worry about Sarah. I'll pick her up today from camp, take her out for dinner, and then bring her home later. Can't wait to see you.

Love, Randy I admit it. I panicked. I ran out of my dressing room and went looking for a crew member, a stage manager, someone. I needed to find out if anyone had seen who had left the note in my dressing room. If it was Randy himself, then he'd found some way past the guards and into the building without a pa.s.s-or he'd convinced someone to give him a pa.s.s.

I talked to several people, who either saw nothing or admitted nothing in the face of my obvious distress. I decided to take it to Sean Peters.

I found him in his office, sitting behind his desk and again on the phone. I could tell from his end of the conversation that he wasn't discussing business. I was too harried to wait for him to finish his personal call, so I slammed my hand down on the receiver, cutting the connection.

”Alex, what the-”

”Read this!” I thrust the note into his face.

He took it, read it quickly, and then looked at me. It took a moment for it to dawn on him.

”Wait,” he said, ”this is your ex-”

”Yes,” I said, ”the man who abandoned me and my daughter and stole all of my money. The man who's been missing for years. A man who has no right to be on these premises.”

”Okay, Alex,” he said, standing up. Despite the conversation, he remembered to touch his hair-and despite the conversation, I managed to notice. ”Take it easy-”

”Take it easy?” I asked. ”Sean, I want to know how this note got in my dressing room. I want to know how he got into the building, let alone on the lot. If you think I've been upset up to now, you ain't seen nothing yet.” I grabbed the note back and crumpled it in my hand. ”If I see Randy, I can't be responsible for what I'm gonna do to him. This man abandoned my little girl, and now he thinks he's going to come back into her life-and into my life? G.o.dd.a.m.n it-”

”Alex, Alex!” he said.

I stopped abruptly, realizing I was a millimeter from being completely out of control.

”I'll look into it,” he said. ”I'll find out how the note got here. I swear. Leave it to me. Go take care of your daughter.”

I took a deep breath. ”Sean . . . I'm sorry I shouted at you.”

”Not at all,” he said. ”You get yourself home and I'll look into this. When I find out who let him into the building, I'll have their job and their head.”

”Thank you, Sean.”

I left his office and walked back to my dressing room-even though I wanted to run. When I got there I called Jakes.

Jakes pulled up in front of the building and I ran to the car.

”Let me see the note,” he said.

”Is your man still on Sarah?” I asked.

”Yes,” he said. ”I just spoke to him. He's with your mother and her.”

”He didn't upset my mother, did he? Or Sarah?”

”No, Alex, everything's fine,” he said. ”Give it to me.”