Chapter 21 #3
She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure I can do this.
The pressure is way more than I ever imagined.
This show could shut down if I screw up.
I'm starting to understand why Paige was so scared those last few days.
She felt so much stress. She told me it was unbearable, and I didn't get it.
I thought she was whining. I told her to get a grip.
She had what every other girl in the drama department wanted, including you.
" Carrie paused. "You asked me earlier if I thought someone had killed Paige, and I said I thought it was an accident. "
"Yes," I said.
"I don't think it was an accident or murder. I think she might have killed herself."
I took a quick breath at her theory; one I hadn't allowed myself to consider. "Did you tell the detective that? Did you tell anyone else what you thought?"
Carrie shook her head. "I didn't want to hurt her reputation." She took a breath, then said, "Is there any way I could get you to leave? Because when I saw you sitting here, it threw me off-balance. That's partly why I was sucking so bad. Could you go?"
"I won't be here for long. But I do need to speak to my aunt."
"Do that now, and then go," she said, moving past me down the aisle and into the lobby.
My aunt came up the aisle. "I saw you back here. I didn't want to interrupt what looked like an intense conversation. Is everything okay?"
"For the moment," I said, seeing her concerned gaze.
"My friend told me Morgan called and said you'd both checked out. She gave her a credit card number to cover the bill. Why did you leave?"
"Because someone came to that hotel. They followed Morgan. She was able to get away, but she didn't want to stick around and give them another chance."
"I don't understand," Vivienne said. "I didn't tell anyone where you were, and the hotel wouldn't do that, either."
"It wasn't you. Someone had put a tracker on the car I was driving, the one Detective Barclay loaned me. Anyway, it's all good."
"It doesn't sound anything close to good. This is terrible, Tessa. As much as I want you to stay in Chicago, I really think you should leave."
"My job isn't done."
"It's a hell of a job. You should have kept on acting. You could have come here. I would have cast you in a second. You were a fabulous actress, ten times better than Carrie."
"Don't let her hear you say that. She's already suffering from a lack of confidence."
"Yes, she can't seem to think or act without Robert around."
"She'll get it. You're a good director, and she has talent. She just needs to focus. She said I threw her off."
"Oh, please, she's been bad all day."
I smiled. "I hope she gets better."
"You and me both. So, why are you here?"
"I wanted to check in with you, and I wanted to talk to Carrie again."
"Was she helpful?"
"Maybe a little. Is Nate around?"
"He ran some errands earlier, but he should be back now.
" Vivienne paused. "You're probably not going to find this news disappointing, but your dad's gig got cancelled, so he's no longer coming to town this weekend.
I did tell him you were here, but he said his band picked up another opportunity in Cleveland, so he wouldn't be able to get here for a few more days.
I really wanted you two to have a chance to talk. It's been too long."
"It's fine. We'll talk again. There's nothing wrong, Aunt Viv. It's just the way it is."
"Your dad was feeling down last time he came through here a couple of months ago. He was saying how he wished he'd been a better father."
"That was most likely a temporary feeling," I said pragmatically.
I was actually relieved not to have to deal with my father in the middle of everything else.
For the past week I'd had to come face-to-face with a lot of my own missteps and wrongdoings; I didn't have the energy to get into his.
Not now, anyway. "I'm going to see if I can find Nate.
Looks like rehearsal is about to start up again, and I don't want to make Carrie nervous. "
"Where are you going after you talk to Nate?"
"I'm not sure. I don't have a car right now because the one that was being tracked is back with Detective Barclay. So, I'm back to taking cabs."
"Take my car," she said. "I'm going to be here all day, and I can get a ride home with someone tonight and back here in the morning. I'm not doing anything besides this for the next few days."
"Are you sure? I already got one of your cars incinerated."
"Well, that wasn't your fault. But try not to do it again."
I smiled. "I will definitely try."
"My keys are in my bag."
I followed her back down the aisle, smiling at Jay. "It's looking good," I said.
"Liar," he returned, which was the second time in a few hours someone had called me a bad liar. Maybe I had lost my touch.
"Rehearsals are always the worst right before opening. Everyone is feeling the pressure," I said.
"Tessa is right," Vivienne put in. "It will all come together, Jay. It always does, and when the real lights go on, I believe Carrie and the others will rise to the occasion."
"I sure hope so," Jay muttered. "But I'd prefer to see at least some of that brilliance right now. There's Carrie. I'm going to have a word with her before we resume rehearsal."
As he moved down the aisle to Carrie, Vivienne handed me her keys. "Don't worry about getting this back to me. One of my stagehands lives three doors down. We often drive back and forth together."
"Thanks. I'll check in with you later."
"Do that. Because I worry about you."
"You have enough to worry about here."
"That's true, but I still have time for you, Tessa."
"I know," I said as our gazes met. "You always made time for me, and I don't think I ever told you how much I appreciated that. I'll talk to you soon."
I moved through the theater and into the lobby. The ticket office window was open and Nate was inside, sorting through a box of printed programs. He didn't look surprised to see me. He just waved a hand toward the open door.
I stepped inside. "Hi again."
"I had a feeling you'd be back," he said.
He waved his hand toward the rolling stool I'd sat on a few days ago when all this had felt a little more manageable than it did now.
Since that conversation, Cabot had died, someone had tried to kill me, and things had only gotten worse instead of better, with more questions than I'd had when I started.
"I heard about the fire," Nate said, leaning against the counter, his arms crossed, his gaze serious and thoughtful. "And Detective Cabot's death. This has gotten insane, Tessa. How are you doing?"
"I'm still standing, or sitting for the moment," I said lightly. "I need to ask you something, Nate, and I want you to think before you answer."
"Okay."
"Do you think there's any chance Paige killed herself?" The words came out in a rush, but I needed to say them out loud to someone who had known Paige better than anyone.
The color drained from his face. "That's a harsh accusation. How did you land on that idea?"