Stay Tuned

Chapter 32

Monday afternoon, I hung Candace’s dress bag from the top of a dry-erase board near my desk. Somehow, in all of the chaos, she’d remembered about tonight’s fundraiser.

My mind, however, was a million miles away. Chris and I hadn’t resolved this new issue. He insisted he didn’t know a thing about who sent the note or where the photos came from. I wanted to believe him, but couldn’t help but worry.

It was okay to mope around a bit at home, but at work, I had to focus. I had scripts to review, video to check, beat calls to make. I had an Ask Anything scheduled in twenty minutes. And, I had to be perky and happy for tonight’s Gala.

Rick waved in my direction, snapping me out of my trance. “I can’t get off the phone,” he mouthed. “Can you check the wire?”

While Rick handled the call, I scrolled through the national and regional AP wire for breaking news. As I scanned the stories, I noticed another stack of anchor DVDs had appeared on my desk for review. I made a face, narrowing my gaze at the pile.

Rick hung up. “Everything okay?”

“Drew hasn’t liked a single anchor demo I’ve given him to review. I’m not quite ready for tonight’s Gala. And we almost lost my friend’s daughter over the weekend.” I recited in one breath. I wasn’t about to add in my home life woes with Chris and Mother’s dementia. “We found her after about thirty minutes, but it shook me up.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That’s the stuff that’ll scare you in this business.”

“We were petrified. I felt so helpless!”

He swung his legs down to the floor and leaned forward. “There was this time when I was a reporter back in Charlotte, twenty years ago, I guess. My buddy and I were in the news van on the way to this three-car wreck—”

“Drew!” a familiar female voice called through the newsroom. “Yoo-hoo, anyone know where I can find Drew Mazner?”

Suddenly, the normal newsroom noise cranked down to a dull murmur. Within seconds, everyone was silent.

“Drew, there you are!”

I looked up in time to see Alyssa hovering inches from my desk and Drew, on the opposite end of the room, his expression unreadable. My breath caught, and I stifled a dozen curse words in my head. My knee crashed against the desk as I tried to turn away.

Sunshine, the weather cat, appeared from nowhere, pouncing up onto a nearby desk.

“Go away, cat,” Alyssa sneered. Sunshine hissed back, bared her teeth, and stretched her claws. Pretty perceptive, that feline.

“Alyssa,” Drew commanded. “My office, please.”

Is he expecting her? What’s going on?

Rick turned to his computer and typed away on his keyboard. I bent my head and tried to concentrate on the paper in front of me. Alyssa didn’t move. My knee throbbed. The words on the page did a square dance in front of my eyes. Do-si-do.

“Melissa, how’s that husband of yours?” Alyssa remarked dryly in my direction. She took a step, then paused. Her eyes glinted cold and hard above her forced smile. “He sure is adorable. Gosh, and smart, too.”

My skin prickled. She never mentioned Chris. Ever. I wasn’t even sure she knew I was married.

“I’d watch out. Someone’s likely to just come in and snatch him away from you.”

“Really?” I jutted out my chin, meeting her eyes.

“Real-ly,” she drew out the syllables, emphasizing the words as if we spoke different languages.

“So, a secret admirer?” I asked with my best look of haughty disdain. “Now, who would that be and why would that person be a threat to me, Alyssa?”

That comment caught her attention. She tossed her hair, turned her back to me, and started talking to Rick. It was Alyssa. She sent the package. I was sure of it.

Rick shot me a desperate ‘help’ look.

“Alyssa!” Drew called from his office. Saved by the boss.

Alyssa ambled away with a fleeting sneer. “Don’t get too comfortable on the set, Melissa.”

I clenched at the papers on my desk, wrinkling the edges, and watched in silence as Alyssa disappeared into Drew’s office, shutting the door all but a few centimeters.

The room buzzed with suspicion and opinion. People murmured. “What is she doing here?”
    
“Is she coming back?”
    
“Did Drew call her in?”

Snippets of heated conversation drifted out into the newsroom.

“But the ratings…great.”

“Not anymore. It doesn’t matter…behavior…unacceptable.”

Crash! A coffee cup shattered. Crunch! I swear the walls shook.

Rick picked up his phone with a grim look and dialed. He growled a few words into the receiver and hung up. I resisted the urge to cover my ears with my hands. I didn’t want to listen, but couldn’t help myself.

“But, you need me…”

Alyssa’s tone sharpened. Drew responded with a shout. Alyssa became louder, straining her voice first one octave higher, than two. Finally, Alyssa wrapped up her performance with a bone-chilling scream that would make Stephen King proud.

I closed my eyes tight. With the proper music and dramatic lighting, the exchange would have taken on Greek tragedy-like proportions. That was enough. I had to get out of the building. At least for a few minutes.

As I jumped from my chair, two security guards appeared in the hallway. Rick gave a cool nod in their direction. Straight-faced, they ambled closer, muscles tensed. On cue, Drew’s door flew wide open.
Alyssa burst out, red-faced and teary, straight into their arms.