Death of a Bacon Heiress Read Online Free PDF Page A

Now!” she shrieked, pounding her fist on the glass divider that separated them and jolting him into action. As he swerved away from the curb and into passing traffic Hayley sat back, relieved she was finally on her way.
    And then, after a few seconds, the car stopped again.
    â€œWhat’s going on? What are you doing? Why did we stop?”
    He looked at her wearily through his rearview mirror. “We’re here.”
    â€œWhat?”
    Hayley looked out the window. The studio building was half a block from the hotel. If she had walked she would have gotten there faster.
    The fare was a whopping two dollars and some change and that was mostly because it was the base fare.
    She hurled a five at him through the divider and clamored out the door. “Thank you!”
    She raced into the lobby where a harried production assistant was waiting for her. “We’ve been trying to call your cell for the last hour. What happened?”
    Hayley had meant to charge it when she went to bed, but of course that never happened, because after all she hadn’t even remembered to take off her clothes before going to bed, so the battery had probably died during the night.
    â€œNever mind. There isn’t any time to explain,” the girl with thick black glasses and a T-shirt with The Chat logo on it said, as she ushered Hayley into an elevator and up to the eighth floor where she was then led into hair and makeup.
    A very fabulous, very gay, very large black man with earrings and a purple blouse that flowed down his ample belly like a caftan grabbed her by the arm and forced her down in a chair.
    He took one look at her hair and shook his head. “Girl, you got hair going in every direction. It’s like a large crowd running out of a burning building! Not to worry. Calvin’s got you covered.”
    He made her feel slightly more relaxed. She turned to the production assistant. “Do you have an iron? I’d like to smooth out my shirt and pants before the taping if there’s time.”
    â€œI’m sure we can find you one,” the production assistant said, before glancing up from her clipboard. “Now, did you bring the ingredients for your bacon dish?”
    Hayley’s mouth dropped open.
    She hadn’t brought any ingredients.
    She had submitted her recipe via e-mail to the show’s producers, but no one had said anything about providing her own ingredients.
    She was about to go before a national television audience and prepare Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño-Stuffed Chicken Thighs with no bacon, no chicken, and no jalapeño to stuff it with.
    This did not bode well for her first TV appearance.

Chapter 5
    After a hair and makeup session that was as speedy as a NASCAR racing pit crew changing a tire, Hayley was bundled into a silk robe and quickly ushered down a hall to a door while her shirt was being pressed.
    The panicked production assistant lightly tapped on it.
    There was a growl from inside. “Come in!”
    The assistant turned to Hayley and forced a slight smile before gently opening the door.
    A loud booming voice was in the middle of a tirade. “I’m not just going to sit here and take this! If you people can’t do anything about it, then I will!”
    It was Rhonda Franklin.
    Hayley’s whole body shrunk from fright.
    She had read the gossip pages.
    Temper tantrums on the set.
    Twitter feuds.
    Scathing op-ed pieces excoriating any public political figure who disagreed with her very strong, strident views.
    Rhonda Franklin did not suffer fools lightly.
    And right now Hayley was the biggest fool in the building for daring to show up to prepare a bacon dish with no ingredients.
    Hayley jumped as she heard something smash against the wall inside the dressing room.
    She pictured Rhonda hurling her phone across the room.
    â€œDon’t hover outside! I hate people who hover! Get the hell in here already!” Rhonda bellowed.
    The production