Waites was one of those laughing loudest but he stopped when Sally gave him a frosty look.
‘Let’s take it from the top again,’ said Phillippa. ‘Less of the cockney rebel, Jenny, but the more English you make it the better. Okay, off we go. Scene One. Day. Diana’s office.’
Jenny began to read her lines, this time in a very passable English accent. As the reading progressed and with his eyes on the script, Day found himself forgetting it wasn’t Carolyn reading.
CHAPTER 72
Richards heard the shower kick into life and he rolled out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. The woman in his shower turned to smile at him. It was Carolyn. ‘Good morning,’ she said, water cascading over her back.
Richards frowned but didn’t say anything. What the hell was she doing in his shower?
‘Why don’t you join me?’ she said, then turned away and reached for the soap.
Richards pulled off his boxer shorts, dropped them onto the tiled floor and pulled open the glass door to the shower. Steam billowed in it. She looked over her shoulder again and giggled, then took a half step backwards so that she was pressing against him. He ran his hands down her hips and she twisted around and put her arms around his neck. Her lips found his and they kissed as the water cascaded around them. Richards felt himself grow hard and he gripped her tightly. The water was blasting out of the shower heads, battering against his head with such force that it pushed him backwards. He fell against the glass wall of the shower but Carolyn kept her mouth against his.
He found it hard to move his legs and realised the shower stall was filling with water. It was already up to his groin. Carolyn lifted her right leg and entwined it around his, pulling him closer. He was finding it hard to breathe and tried to pull away but her lips stayed glued to his. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth and he tasted salt.
The water was up to his neck now and was so cold his body was growing numb and, still, her tongue probed between his teeth, the taste of salt so strong that his stomach began to heave. He pushed her but she stuck to him like a limpet and now the water was above his head and his eyes were stinging and he could hear the pounding of his heart.
Richards woke up with a gasp, bathed in sweat. He lay on his back for a minute or so, gasping, his heart racing. When his heart had returned to normal he rolled over and grabbed his mobile. He had Halpin’s number on speed dial.
‘Morning, boss,’ said Halpin.
‘Mick, mate, I need you to do something for me. Can you check out Jenny Castle for me?’
‘In what way?’
‘That she is who she says she is.’
‘You said she was Carolyn’s twin.’
‘She is. The spitting image. But I want you to dig up a birth certificate or something.’
‘That’s easy enough. Carolyn was forty-four, you said.’
‘Yeah.’
‘I should be able to get it done on line.’
‘I didn’t know you were a computer whizz?’
Halpin laughed. ‘I’m not, but I know a man who is. Do you still want me to take you to the club this evening?’
‘Sure. Pick me up at seven.’ Richards ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed. He rolled over and stared at the bathroom door, half expecting to hear the shower kick into life.
CHAPTER 73
Paul Day tapped out the number of Peter Sessions, Carolyn’s agent, and swung his feet up onto his desk. He had the man’s mobile which meant he didn’t have to go through his secretary. Peter answered on the third ring. ‘Paul, are you calling to offer Carolyn more money now that she has that lifetime achievement award?’
‘I’m actually calling to see if you know where she is. She hasn’t turned up for work today.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘I’m afraid so. And she’s not answering her mobile. When was the last time you saw her?’
‘Last week. Monday. We had dinner.’
‘And she was okay, she didn’t say anything?’
‘About what?’
‘About not turning up for work this week,’ said Day.
‘Good God, of course not,’ said Peter. ‘Carolyn is a true professional. She wouldn’t just walk away.’
‘Well she’s not here,’ said Day. ‘We’ve just done the read-through and we are supposed to be shooting tomorrow.’
‘Let me see what I can do,’ said Peter.
‘Like I said she’s not answering her phone and she’s not at home. What are you planning to do, Peter, wave a magic wand?’
Peter didn’t reply.
‘Is Carolyn happy, Peter?’
‘Of course. She loves the show. She loves you.’
‘What was she talking about the last time you two got together?’
‘Come on now, Paul, you wouldn’t expect me to breach client confidentiality, would you?’
‘That would be your call. But if she doesn’t turn up sharpish she won’t have a job and you won’t have your fifteen percent. She’s been worried about the show, right? About her role?’
‘You know actors, Paul. They’re the most insecure people in the world. They count lines, they fret over the number of close-ups. Half my time is spent massaging egos.’
‘She’d heard there was a writers’ conference and I got the feeling she thinks its part of a plot to get her off the show.’
‘And is it?’ said Peter.
‘Over my dead body,’ said Day. ‘Carolyn’s a crucial part of Rags To Riches, always has and always will be.’
‘I think Carolyn worries it might not be your decision. The network is being pro-active and they seem to be wanting to chase a younger audience.’
Day nodded as he listened to the agent. ‘Peter, is it possible she’s playing some sort of negotiating ploy with us? Withdrawing her services?’
‘Striking, is that what you mean? Carolyn’s not like that. She certainly didn’t tell me she was going to walk out. And she’d have to know there’s no upside to her doing that. She’s a professional, Paul. Grease paint in her blood and all that.’
‘I know she is,’ said Day. ‘Which takes us back to the original question. Where the hell is she?’
‘Let me ring around,’ said Peter. ‘I’ll call you back.’
Day ended the call. As he put the handset down, his office door opened. It was Laura. ‘Sally and Phillippa want a word,’ she said.
Day stood up. ‘They’re not armed, are they?’
‘I frisked them, they’re clean,’ whispered Laura. She stepped to the side and ushered in Sally and Phillippa.
‘I’m sorry about this, Paul,’ said Sally, sitting down on the sofa at the corner of the office. ‘We really need to sort out the Carolyn situation.’ Phillippa sat down next to the TV executive.
‘Absolutely,’ said Day, pulling up a chair and sitting down opposite her. ‘I’m just off the phone to her agent but he doesn’t know where she is.’
‘There are two issues here, Paul,’ said Sally. ‘The first is she’s missing and do we need to inform anybody. And the second is, what are we going to do show-wise?’
‘We’re prepped for shooting her tomorrow,’ said Phillippa. ‘If she doesn’t turn up…’ She shrugged. ‘It’s a nightmare.’
Day held up his hands. ‘Let’s not get into a panic,’ he said. ‘She’s only a few hours late. For all we know, she might turn up after lunch.’
‘Or she might not,’ said Sally. ‘And I don’t want to be paying for a full unit tomorrow if they’ve no one to shoot.’
‘We can shoot around her,’ said Day. ‘It’s not the first time we’ve moved things around if an actor is sick.’