At
the modeling gig, Kirk and Margo discover a lot of oddities. For one
thing, no one is really talking to each other. Also, the food is
virtually untouched. Everyone seems afraid to eat.
"What
do you mean? We've offered trays to everyone."
"Yeah,
but until they saw the new guy was fine, they didn't dare touch it.
Weird things happen when you eat the food—that's the scuttlebutt
anyhow."
"Not
ours! Our food is prepared with the greatest care!"
"The
other caterer...." He shrugged uncomfortably. "I dunno,
can't explain it. Folks got sick, went home, never saw them again."
"Only
the models?"
"Crew
too. I mean, you expect a little of that kind of thing once in
awhile, but every job?"
"You
work for Andres a lot?"
"Who?"
"The
company owner, Andres Cavedo."
"Oh,
thought it was some holding company somewhere."
"Every
holding company has someone holding the company," Tommy said
with a wink.
"I
dunno from Adam," the gaffer replied, his mouth full. "But
this food is kick ass! I never seen you guys here before."
"This
is our first job for Mr. Cavedo. If he gets a good response, he'll
keep us on."
"Sweet!
Boss will hear from me." He dusted his hand on his jeans before
extending it to Tommy. "Gene. Gene Schwartz. Delicious. I mean
it. Not even my grandmother cooks this good."
"Thanks.
I'll extend your compliments to the chef." The truth was, Tommy
had prepared most of it himself, with only a modicum of Drea's
supervision.
The
day finally over, they packed up and went home. The following day,
Margo and Kirk had a runway show. Both were nervous. Coming in at the
last minute, they hadn't had much chance to practice. The elegant
sunken living room became the seating and the area before the kitchen
and dining room gave satisfactory space for strutting.
With
running commentary from Carley, Drea and Tommy, they found the right
expressions to convey utter boredom with not only the show, but their
attire. Tommy found it highly amusing that Margo flaunted her figure
while sporting a sweatshirt and bunny slippers.
Margo
finally flopped on the couch, massaging her cheeks. "I'd
forgotten just how exhausting being beautiful is. Carley, how on
earth do you stand it?"
"It's
not so hard. I do what they tell me and stand where they want me.
Sure, it's crazy hours and can be tiring, but it's pretty easy work,
all things considered. The money is good. Dad always says—said...."
She started sniffling. "Nice work if you can get it. He worked
so hard. I wanted to make a lot of money so he could sell his
business and retire. He was a good man," she whispered. "Why
would anyone want to kill him?"
"We
want to find that out, Drea said, hugging her. And we will, honey.
Your dad was a great guy. He always treated us well—gave us first
pick of his fish. I wish we'd had the chance to get to know him
better, but he was always in such a hurry."
Carley
smiled through her tears. "He used to say that fish take on an
unwelcome odor if left on the truck too long. He tried to be prompt
so his customers got the freshest and best.... I don't understand why
anyone would hurt him. He hadn't even met Andres. He knew I was
seeing someone new...."
It
was Kirk's turn to comfort her. He put his arms around her in a very
fatherly fashion. Without saying a word, he conveyed that strength
and warmth of character that had so endeared him to Drea when they
first met. He'd come a long way from his humble beginnings.
Drea
smiled with an almost maternal pride at her handsome spouse. Carley
eventually stopped crying and even managed a smile or two when Kirk
and Margo continued their fashion show with Tommy providing
ridiculous commentary. The practice session turned into an impromptu
party until Andres showed up unexpectedly at the front door.
"Darling!"
Carley rushed to his side. "What are you doing here?"
"I
thought I should tell you someone else has disappeared."
"Today?
We watched everyone," Tommy said.
"Who?"
Drea asked quietly.
"Some
technician. Not one of us. No one I ever heard of. I didn't even know
he worked for me."
"Gene?"
Tommy asked. "Gene Schwartz?"
"How
did you know?"
"I
talked to that guy! He said it had something to do with the food.
People ate the food, got sick and never came back."
"He's
right," Carley said. "Vincent, all the others, ate and got
sick. They went home early. The driver took them."
"Driver?"
Andres frowned. "I don't hire drivers. Waste of money to keep
some guy hanging about sucking down the free food and taking up
space. Most of the time, they hit on my models, and interfere with
the workings of the shoot. Some of them fancy themselves models and
want a gig. After one of them took a swing at the director, I quit
having them about."
"Really?
There was always this guy hanging around who said he was the driver.
Every time someone disappeared, he was there. Oh, my God! You mean he
was the one taking people?"
"I
fear so," Andres said. "This is terrible. How did I not
notice him?" He played with Carley's hair, wrapping it around
his fingers.
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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