Just Partners (Investigating LOVE)

Chapter 1CassieLink

Chapter 1

Cassie

“Something’s going on here!” I clasp my hands in my lap to keep from pounding my fists on Gary’s desk. It’s not his fault my roles keep going to other actresses.

Though, as my agent, maybe it is. My fists clench tighter.

“Look, sweetie,” Gary says it as if that’s the whole statement. The entire explanation of why I got rejected for yet another role that had practically been written for me.

“What is it this time? Twenty-four was too old to play a rookie cop. My hair wasn’t the right shade of blonde to sell toothpaste. And now? Are my boobs too little to be a dead body on Law and Order ?”

Gary shrugs inward. “Well, I didn’t want to bring it up again, but now that you?—”

I cut him off with a glare. “I’ve been a dead body on just about all the procedurals, Gary. For goodness sake, I was a detective on that pilot, remember? And I was only twenty-two when I did that!”

He raises an eyebrow as if I’ve stumbled on the answer.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I grip my purse, willing myself not to throw it at Gary’s fat head.

“Look, sweetie,” he says again. This time, the tone is clear. This conversation is over.

“Gary, please. I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t right. I’ve been with you for six years. You know I’m good for this. Talk to someone. Vouch for me.” A lump is forming in my throat, and I swallow it down. I’ve gotten as close to ‘hysterical starlet’ as I’ll allow. I can just see the headlines now. Teary-eyed, washed-up actress storms out of agent’s office.

“I know you’re good. That’s why I kept you on, even after last year.” Gary clamps his mouth shut like he knows he said too much.

I stand and lean over his desk, getting right in his face. “What about last year?”

We both know what happened last year, but I dare him to say it.

“Look, swee?—”

“No! I will not ‘look, sweetie!’ I’m not leaving this office until you tell me what’s happening. Say it!”

Gary leans back, but I follow him. This would look very compromising if anyone walked in right now, but I don’t care. What else do I have to lose?

“Look… I don’t blame you for what happened last year. Nobody does. And I, for one, think you’re an extraordinarily strong young woman. I really do. But the fact remains that you walked off a set and disappeared for two months. That’s unacceptable.” He swallows so loudly I can hear it go all the way down.

All the air disappears from my lungs.

“Two months?”

Gary nods.

I had no idea it was that long.

“But I gave them everything. The whole year before that… when he… I… never once…”

“I know.”

How dare they!

“Call them,” I say, flinging my purse strap over my shoulder. “Call them. Tell them I’m coming to audition. Don’t ask. Tell .”

“What? That’s not… I can’t just…” Gary stutters.

“I will be at that audition first thing tomorrow morning. I'll be there, even if I have to camp out and wait for the P.A. to unlock the doors. And they will see me.” I cross the room and stop at the door, waiting for him to give in.

Finally, he rubs his graying beard in his hand and drops his pen. “I can’t make any promises.”

“You never do,” I say as I leave.

On my way to the elevator, I see her.

My replacement.

I examine her as I pass the row of uncomfortable chairs. There’s never anyone in them. Gary likes to keep his girls far away from each other. He thinks we can’t sit in a waiting room together without clawing each other’s eyes out.

For her to be here now is a message.

She can’t be more than twenty. She reminds me of myself at that age, wide-eyed and brimming with potential. Where that all went in four short years is beyond me. Maybe if I knew, I wouldn’t be in this predicament, standing outside my agent’s office staring at the new me.

I can tell she has it, whatever it is, whatever I had back then. You can’t describe it, but you can feel it when you get close enough. It’s like a magnetic pull that makes it impossible to look away. Hers has me staring from across the room.

That’s when I see it.

Her silky blonde hair and bright blue eyes shine back at me. And when she smiles… I see bright pink lipstick on those perfect white teeth.

Who let her leave the house like that? I don’t know. But it’s one of Gary’s pet peeves.

My legs stop short of the elevator.

Help her.

No! She’s my replacement.

Your father raised you better than this.

Well, he’s gone now!

I force my feet to move again and push the elevator button.

Nothing happens. I look up to see floor twelve lit up.

Why did they have to make New York buildings so high?

To give people like you time to listen to their conscience.

I shake the angel off my shoulder. I have no obligation to help this girl take on my role. If anything, this is a sign that things are looking up for me. She won’t get past Gary, and he’ll make that call.

Speaking of looking up, the elevator dings, and the door opens.

I take a deep breath and step back.

“You, uh, have something on your teeth,” I say to the pretty young blonde. I pull out a tissue from my purse and hand it to her. “Gary is obsessed with perfect teeth.” I give her a wide, fake smile to show as many of my pearly super whites as possible.

“Oh, thank you!” She takes the tissue and wipes away my last shot at ever working again. She smiles so I can inspect the spot.

“All gone. Good luck in there.” I turn to go, but her quick intake of breath tells me I’m too late.

“Oh my gosh! You’re Cassandra Marie! I can’t believe it! I loved you on The Force !” The usurper’s face lights up.

“Thank you. I gotta be going.” I jut my thumb over my shoulder.

“Is Gary your agent, too? Oh, sorry. You were just coming out of his office. Of course, he is. I’m such an idiot.” She smacks her palm to her forehead.

All I can do is smile. If you had asked me this morning, I also would have said, ‘Of course.’ But now, I’m not so sure. And this cute, bumbling, quirky younger version of me is someone I can’t be anymore.

Changing of the guard.

“It was nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ll do great.” I turn and walk away.

Of course, the elevator has abandoned me, just like Gary. So, I have the pleasure of waiting again and hearing him open the door to greet my replacement.

“Aren’t you adorable…”

I push the button repeatedly until the door finally opens.

I have four floors to get my face in order, not letting anyone in the lobby or on the street see how devastated I am right now. My best performance of the season.

As the elevator doors slide open, my smile is back in place. I make my way toward the exit with my head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone. A nice older man holds the door for me, and I can almost feel the warm spring air on my face when I hear it.

“Cassandra!”

The groan doesn’t escape my lips. There are too many people nearby.

“Rosie,” I say, making sure my smile is bright. “Sorry. I was in a hurry.”

The receptionist has never been good at taking hints. It’s probably how she’s held this job for so long. “We got another letter. Looks important. And urgent. More than the last one.”

She hands the certified letter over. I see who it’s from and toss it in the large trash can by the door. “Thanks, Rosie. If any more of those show up here, you can shred them.”

Not like I’ll ever be back here anyway , the pessimist on my other shoulder says.

And I agree, not after seeing how heartbreakingly perfect the new me is.

“What’s it about?” That question would be an intrusion from anyone else, but Rosie is the kindest person I’ve ever met. I can see in her eyes she has a good idea already.

“Just someone I don’t want to talk to,” I say, hoping my acting chops aren’t rusty.

More like something I don’t want to deal with.

“If you need anything… you know you can call me.” Rosie puts her hand on my arm.

Yep, she knows.

“I appreciate it. Really.”

As the hot sun barrels down on me, I hurry home to my apartment, feeling like the washed-up has-been the headlines in my imagination say I am.

And worst of all, the only person who cares enough about me to notice is the receptionist at my former agent’s building.

Link

“What’s a nice girl like you doing at a place like this?”

“Really, Link?” Carla rolls her eyes and leans up like she’s about to return to her jog.

I survey our surroundings, taking in the busy street and empty front porch of my perp’s townhouse. There is no way any punk that is Johnny Wilco’s age has a clean front porch. It's a dead giveaway that something bustable’s going on in there. And I should be focused on that door instead of the leggy brunette at my window.

“Yeah, really. That line’s a classic. Nothing but the best for you, Carla.”

“Darla.”

“That’s what I said.” I wipe everything off the seat beside me, leaning over to unlock the door.

Darla checks out the house I’m supposed to be watching while I check out her short shorts. “Is that your guy?”

My head jerks back toward the subject’s house, shooting an electric pain down my neck that I don’t dare let Darla see. “No, that’s not him. But good lookin’ out. You’re a natural.” I slowly turn and wink at her.

Darla adjusts the waistband of her jogging shorts. “You think so?”

“Why don’t you hop in, and I’ll give you some pointers?” I pat the passenger seat.

She looks around nervously, and when I hear her sigh, I know I’ve got her.

“You’re not gonna get in trouble?” She sounds concerned, but she’s already climbing in.

“Naw, I know the boss. He’s a good guy. Sexy, too.” Not really a lie. Still, a twinge of guilt hits my heart, and I think a silent apology to Robby. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year.

To recover, I flash her my most rakish grin and run my hand through my hair. There’s less of it than there used to be, but I still got it. The twinkle in Darla’s eye tells me so.

She closes the door behind her and tries to find somewhere to put her feet among all the clutter.

“Sorry, I’ve been staking out this perp for a while now. Haven’t had time to clean.” I grab what I can and toss it in the back seat.

Darla does the same, trying to help, and picks up a stack of papers with a candy bar mixed in it.

“Hey! My lunch.” I snag the candy bar just in time.

“You’re not seriously gonna?—”

I have it unwrapped and halfway in my mouth before she can finish. “Gotta be ready for anything,” I say, holding out the rest of the bar to her. “Carbs equal energy.”

“No, thank you.”

I shrug and pop the other half in my mouth. My reflex is to drop the wrapper in the seat where she’s sitting, but that would be rude. So, I toss it out my window.

“So, you ready for your first stakeout?”

“Do we just sit here until he comes out?”

“Pretty much. It can get very boring… and lonely,” I add for good measure, leaning over to seal the deal.

My phone buzzes. I keep going in for the kiss, but Darla puts her hand out. “You gonna get that?”

“It’s nothing,” I say, as there’s another buzz. And then another.

“You know what,” Darla says, leaning away. “That reminds me. You never called me back after our date. Were you ignoring my texts at a ‘stakeout’ with some other girl?” She folds her arms over her chest, breaking my heart.

“I told you, my phone got busted up tackling that bank robber. I had to get a burner. Still haven’t had time to go by the store.” I flash her my smile again.

“Link, it’s been three months.”

“You don’t believe me? Look.” I pull my phone out of my pocket. “It’s a flip phone! When’s the last time you saw one of these? Come on.” I’m careful not to open it, especially when it buzzes again. I toss it up on the dash. “See, a burner. And I promise that’s just Quinn.”

Her lips tighten into a scowl.

“My assistant. At the agency.” I gesture toward the car, the street, and the house I’m supposed to be watching.

Her arms uncross, and she smiles back at me, finally. She leans in and whispers, “So what’s my first stakeout lesson?”

“Well,” I whisper back, meeting her more than halfway, “Stakeout rule number one is that the backseat is the safest part of the car.”

“Really? And why is that?”

“Because the tint is darker back there. Nobody can see anything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

I reach behind the passenger seat and start frantically swiping everything away.

“What’s the second rule?”

“Rule number two is to master rule number one,” I say, nodding toward the back of the station wagon.

There’s a noise… somewhere… that I ignore until I feel Darla’s gasp on my cheek. “Is that our guy?”

“Nah, that’s?—”

My guy!

“Stay here! I’ll be right back.” I give her a wink and fling open the door.

Wilco eyes me immediately and takes off running.

“Aw, come on!” I give chase.

He runs between the houses and jumps the fence. I’m not worried, though. He’s got three inches and twenty years on me, but he’s still an idiot. He’s heading straight for the open field.

Wilco notices his mistake when he drops to the ground, and there’s nowhere else to run. I slam into him, and we roll several times. When we come to a stop, I straddle him and take out my cuffs.

“John Wilco,” I say between breaths, “consider yourself bountied.”

I reach for my phone to call it into the locals, but it’s not there.

Crap.

Well, maybe not. I bet Darla would like to see me walk the perp to the car.

“Come on,” I say, pulling him up. “We’re gonna take the scenic route this time.”

“Man, come on, Link.” Johnny’s voice starts as a whine but ends in disgust. “I wasn’t hurting nobody. I’m on parole. Keeping my nose clean.”

“Yeah? If that were true, I wouldn’t be here. And don’t try me. I know a stash house when I see one.”

“Hypocrite,” Johnny mutters.

“That may be so, but I’m the one with the cuffs and three G’s about to be in my account.”

Johnny scoffs. “Only three? Should I be offended?”

“Nah, man. You’re young. I’m sure you’ve got a long career of dirtbaggery ahead of you. You’ll get there.”

Johnny straightens his back. “Make sure you put on the report that I roughed you up a bit.”

“Not happening,” I snort. “I got my own rep to think about.”

“Come on, you owe me.”

“You made me jump a fence, Johnny! We’re even.”

We walk in silence back around the block until we get to the corner. I pull on his cuffs a bit, trying to get close enough to whisper.

“Geez, how tall are you now, kid?”

He shrugs.

“Well, do me a favor now, and I’ll owe you one again.”

“What?”

“Slouch down a little. At least to my height. Make us even.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve got a lovely lady in the wagon, and I’m trying to seal the deal. But I can’t do that standing next to the Jolly Green Giant. Slouch or I’ll say you started crying… maybe even wet your pants a little.”

“Jerk.”

“Punk.”

Johnny scrunches over and even starts limping to make me look extra good for Darla.

“Thanks, man.”

When we get to the car, I lean him up against the back, and he bangs his leg into the bumper for good measure.

“And stay there!” I smack him on the back of the head and plaster on my best hero smile.

I lean in to grab the phone and tell Darla, “Don’t worry, babe. I won’t let him hurt you.”

But the car is empty.

“See what you did!” I yell to Johnny. “She’s gone.”

“Who?”

“Darla. I was teaching her how to have a proper stakeout.”

Johnny laughs. “In that case, I did you two favors. She’s Phin’s girl now.”

My stomach drops. I dodged that bullet.

I hope.