Sins of the Father (3 page)

“
Yeah, but
I’ll be okay.” Sarah threw her a wink, her green eyes flashing with
mischief. “You two, on the other hand, don’t look so good. I’ll go
round up some coffee.” She looked from one to the other, shaking
her head.

“
I’ll come
with you. I need to make a quick call.” Alicia brushed a finger
down Rebecca’s nose. “Hang in there. We’ll be back
soon.”

She linked her arm
through Sarah’s so they walked down the corridor arm in arm. The
steady tap-tap of Sarah’s heels reminded Alicia of ancient
typewriter keys. It brought a smile to her face.

Sarah nudged her hip as
they ambled along. “How are you, hon?”

“
Better now I
know he’s okay.”

“
I spoke to
Dad on my way here. He’s worried about you, but that’s nothing
new.”

Greg Munroe, Sarah’s
father, was one of Gray’s closest friends. “He’s my first phone
call. I’m betting Stu’s contacted him by now. I think I scared him
earlier.”

“
They’re both
worry warts, especially Dad. You know how he gets when one of his
girls is in trouble.” She nudged her again, this time with an
elbow. “But you’ve gotta love them.”

“
Indeed you
do.”Alicia shoved back, smiling when they began a playful game of
to and fro to the rhythm of Sarah’s clicking heels.

“
I’m sure
this won’t surprise you, but the press are camped
outside.”

Alicia sighed, conveying
her thoughts pretty well. “I think Becks is preparing herself for
it.”

“
She needs
to. I found a weasel sneaking around the ward. Needless to say he
has now left the building.”

“
I wish I’d
been there to witness that little confrontation.” She stopped when
they reached the coffee machine. “I’m so glad you’re
here.”

“
Sweetie, you
couldn’t keep me away.”

“
I
know.”

They exchanged a goofy
look, one that never failed to make Alicia laugh. “You grab the
coffee and I’ll phone Greg. I could be a while.”

“
In that case
I’ll see you back there.”

Alicia walked further
down the hall. Some of the other visitors had recognised her. It
was because of such scrutiny the media were now making a home in
the foyer.

***

A few hours later, she
walked into Jack’s room with a feeling of trepidation. Despite what
the doctor said, she was still fighting the fear of losing him. She
moved forward, pushing aside the wave of panic when she saw the
machines monitoring his progress.

His face looked swollen
and bruised; the stark white bandages covering his head highlighted
the shadows under his eyes – it broke her heart.

She wanted to touch him
but she was afraid he would feel pain even as he slept, so she
settled for a feather-light kiss on the dressing.

“
He was
mumbling your name earlier,” Rebecca whispered, observing her from
where she sat.

“
He was?” She
could see a tuft of dark blonde hair poking its ways free. He
looked like a boy.

“
It sounded
like he was dreaming.”

Alicia sat down in the
vacant chair and put her hand in his. “I can’t stand to think of
him in pain…all this equipment. I hope it looks worse than it
is.”

Rebecca glanced at the
machines and away again; she didn’t think it could look any worse.
After a moment, her eyes drifted to the window behind Alicia.
“Where’s Sarah?”

“
She had a
few things to take care of. She can’t resist organising things –
she likes to take care of people.”

“
I’ve
noticed.”

“
How do you
think this happened, Becks? Jack isn’t careless. I can’t understand
how…”

“
I know. It’s
been driving me crazy too.”

Alicia let out a breath.
“I’m just glad we didn’t lose him.”

“
Me too, I
don’t know…I’m glad too.” She rubbed her hands over her
face.

“
Did you see
Sam out there?”

“
No.” Alicia
frowned. Sam Morton was Jack’s agent. He was hard to miss with his
unconventional style and oversized entourage. Alicia didn’t like
him very much, but she knew Jack trusted him so she kept that to
herself.

“
He wants to
make an official statement to the press and to liaise with the
hospital about their response.”

“
Just make
sure you vet his statement. He has a habit of embellishing
things.”

“
What do you
mean?”

Alicia didn’t miss the
irritation in Rebecca’s voice. She cursed herself for her lack of
sensitivity. “Nothing, I’m just saying you should be happy with
what goes to print.” She didn’t elaborate. It was not the time to
question Sam’s work ethic.

“
Any chance
Sarah will deal with that too?” Rebecca asked,
hopefully.

“
She’ll do
anything you ask, Becks. If it helps I’ll hunt her down right
now.”

“
That would
be great. I can’t think of anything but Jack right now.”

Alicia was already on her
feet. She bent to touch her lips to Jack’s bandages. “I’ll round up
more coffee too.” She dropped a kiss on top of Rebecca’s
head.

“
Thanks.”

She paused at the door to
look back at her brother. The rise and fall of his chest was enough
to satisfy her that he was putting up a fight.

Chapter
2

"Can you believe this?"
Alicia stormed into Stuart’s office and threw a paper on his desk.
Startled, he stared down at the front page.

'LOVE HURTS'

Jack Murphy, star of
Blind Spot and

The Last Strike, was
involved in a car

accident last night. As
he was undergoing

major surgery, the two
women in his life

were at logger-heads. Not
surprisingly,

Alicia Gladstone, one of
the ladies in

question...

Stuart's voice trailed
off. “It’s nothing they haven’t said before, Al.” He struggled to
understand her reaction. “They’ve speculated about your
relationship for months.”

“
I know that.
It just makes me so angry that they spin lies instead of reporting
the accident in its own right. Why do they always have to dress it
up? Jack nearly died, period.”

"He’s going to be okay,
Al. Getting yourself worked up by things printed in the tabloids
isn’t going to help.”

Alicia sighed and dropped
into a chair. "You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just tired of
it, that’s all."

"You need some rest. Have
you been at the hospital all night?”

“
Yes. I
didn’t want to leave in case he woke up.” She closed her eyes for a
moment, surprised at how easy it would be to drift off in Stuart’s
office chair. “But I’m okay right here.”

Stuart laughed, knowing
too well that she would be happy to recharge her batteries in the
hard-backed chair. “Get out of here and get some sleep. Everything
else can wait.”

She opened one eye and
looked at him suspiciously. “Okay, what is it?”

“
It can wait,
honey. There are a few decisions we need to make about the film,
but the problems will still be here when you wake up.”

“
I don’t
suppose we have the option of postponing until Jack
recovers?"

"Are you crazy? We have
too much invested in the project.”

Alicia felt irritation
prickle her skin. “I know how much we’ve invested, and forgive me
for being over-sentimental right now, but I wrote the part for
Jack. Making the film without him feels like we’re kicking him when
he’s down.”

Stuart fought to control
his temper. He moved to the front of his desk and perched on the
edge. “I know how you’re feeling, I do, really. But we have to be
realistic, and Jack would understand that.”

She forced her tired
limbs to climb out of the chair so she could walk over to kiss his
cheek. There were so many things he could have said. She deserved
it all.

“
I’m sorry,
that wasn’t fair. I didn’t engage my brain. Let’s talk about it
when I’ve had a little shut eye.”

“
I’ll arrange
the meeting for this afternoon. We’ll figure it out, Al. Trust me,
okay?”

“
Always.
Thanks for taking care of it.”

She’d inherited a
considerable amount of money when Gray died. The biggest part of
which she’d used to establish a production company in his name.
Their newest production, Breathless, would be the fifth venture for
Gray’s Films.

“
That’s what
I’m here for. Now scram before I set you to work.”

Alicia made a face. “I’ll
bring my rational brain to the meeting. See you in a
few.”

As it turned out, she had
to wait a little longer for that rest. The whole crew knew about
the accident so she spent the next twenty minutes fielding
questions and offering reassurance about the future of the project.
A large majority she’d worked with before. They were like a family,
dysfunctional but ready to lend a hand in times of need.

When she was alone she
let the exhaustion settle. The only thing she wanted to do, besides
get some sleep, was take a long, hot shower, followed by a stiff
drink to ease the tension in her body.

As she shrugged out of
her jacket, her eyes fell to an object on the coffee table. The
postcard hadn’t been there when she left – it looked out of place
on the polished oak surface.

A feeling of unease crept
up her spine. Nobody entered her trailer uninvited, except for
maybe Sarah. The doubt took hold even when she considered the
possibility her friend had left the note.

A quick scan of the words
confirmed her suspicions. The message was short, but it had the
desired effect. YOU’RE NEXT.

The chill that started to
run through her was quickly chased back by the anger heating her
blood; fear was no match for the outrage at those three simple
words.

Someone was trying to
provoke a reaction, and by bringing Jack into the equation, they
were pushing exactly the right buttons.

You
might be jumping to conclusions.
“Like hell,” she muttered, arguing with her own conscience.
The only thing she didn’t know for certain was whether they had
timed it for effect.

“
Son of a
bitch.” Her own voice jolted her alert.

What if
they’re still here?
Alicia
did a full three hundred and sixty degree turn. There weren’t many
places for someone to hide – one large living space and a bedroom
with en suite.

It took less than a
minute to check the bedroom, including a search of the cupboards;
she refrained from going through drawers. The image of her creeping
across the room clutching a kitchen utensil brought on a wave of
hysteria.

What’re you
going to do, cook them an omelette?

She let out a relieved
breath, clearing her thoughts. There was only one thing to do, she
realised, and that was to show the note to Stuart. With one last
longing glance towards the shower, she rushed out.

He
looked surprised when she entered the office. A quick study of her
face turned his expression to one of worry.
“What is it?”

“
Someone left
me a little message.” She stepped towards his desk and dropped the
paper on the highest pile – there wasn’t another free
space.

He stared down at it and
then back to her. “What the hell is this?”

“
It’s a note
someone kindly left in my trailer.”

Stuart stared at her,
registering the implications. “Someone’s been inside your trailer?
My god, Al, this insinuates that...we need to call the
police.”

“
I suppose we
do, or security. It could be a prank.”

He looked at her with
exaggerated patience. “Nobody would leave this as a prank so soon
after Jack’s accident. This is a serious threat.”

“
I know. But
I don’t get it…the security in this place is tight. I mean, how did
someone get through without identification?”

“
That’s a
good question and supports my point. If someone went to that much
trouble we have to involve the police.”

“
I’m not
arguing with you. They need to know what this implies about Jack’s
accident.”

They had come so close to
losing him, and for what, so a pissed off fan could hit home with a
deadly message?

“
Let me take
care of it.” He could see the signs of strain around her eyes from
the past few days. “Why don’t you lie down for a while?”

“
I don’t
think I’d sleep now, but I could use a shower. Let me know when
they get here, okay.” She started back towards the door.

“
Why don’t
you use my facilities?” he motioned over his shoulder towards the
living quarters. “If they’re still on set...just humour an old man
and stay close for a while.”