Hollywood Confessions Read Online Free PDF Page A

you know who the figure outside Chester’s house is,” I countered.
    She opened her mouth to respond, did a couple guppy faces, and shut it. Clearly she did not.
    “ I take it you do?” Felix asked me, his eyes quickly scanning the copy.
    I nodded triumphantly. “I do, indeed. Alec Davies.”
    Felix glanced up at me. “The producer?”
    “ Correct. And he was Chester Barker’s partner.”
    “ How did you get this information?” Tina asked, dancing around Felix, trying to read my copy over his shoulder.
    I shrugged. “I have my sources.”
    “ What kind of sources?” Felix pressed. “This is a pretty big accusation to make blind.”
    “ The hat,” I said. “The one with the snake on it that the figure was wearing in the photo? They gave them out to the cast and crew of Lady Justice . Davies worked on that show. He owns the hat.”
    “ So must dozens of other people,” Tina jumped in. “If they gave them to everyone on the set, it’s hardly a one-of-a-kind.”
    “ True,” I conceded. “But, it’s quite a coincidence. What are the chances anyone else on the set had that close of a connection to Barker?”
    Felix paused a moment, taking in both of our arguments. Finally he said, “Well done, Allie.”
    I felt my chest swell with pride. “So you’ll print it?”
    Felix nodded slowly. “Let me read it over first, but if it’s solid, yes, it’ll lead tomorrow’s edition.”
    Tina threw her hands up on the air. “Oh, come on! You gave me this story.”
    “ Did you know about Davies?” Felix asked, turning on her.
    “ Well, no, not exactly. But I have some very good feelers out there right now.”
    “ Great. Let me know when those pan out. In the meantime, Allie, I want you to follow up with Davies tomorrow at the studio. Find out what he was doing there and what he knows about Barker’s death.”
    “ Yes, sir!” I did a mock salute, glitter raining down onto his brown carpet.
    Tina rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe this shit. You’re giving my headline to the glitter queen.”
    “ Tina,” Felix warned.
    But she plowed ahead. “Though, why should I be surprised? It’s no secret she’s editor’s pet.”
    “ Tina …”
    “ I mean, we all know the only reason you even hired her was because she waltzed in here with her shirt unbuttoned to her navel and her skirt hiked to her doo-dah.”
    “ Bender!” Felix shouted. “That’s enough.”
    Tina shut her mouth with a click.
    “ If and when your leads get back to you, type it up,” Felix barked. “Until then, Allie is lead on Barker. Do I make myself clear?”
    Tina shot me a look that could freeze Mt. Saint Helens. “Crystal,” she spit out.
    “ Good. Dismissed, Bender.”
    Tina turned and stalked out of the office, clomping her boots all the way back to her cube. I watched her go, feeling my satisfaction at besting her slowly slip down a notch. Felix never raised his voice. In fact, I’d only heard him do it once in all the time I’d known him. He was forceful, yes. Commanding, yes. But in true Brit fashion, he always kept a tight reign on his emotions.
    So the fact that Tina had rattled him meant she must have hit a nerve.
    I paused in the doorway. I knew I should just take my story and go. But instead of turning to go, that hit nerve had me turning back to my boss.
    “ Um, Felix?”
    “ What?” he asked. His eyes were still dark, flashes of navy shooting through them as his chest rose and fell faster than normal.
    I bit my lip. “I have to ask…you gave me the story because I’m a good journalist, right?”
    He gave me a blank look.
    “ What I mean is…what Tina said has no merit, right? When you hired me, it was totally because you knew what a great writer I was and that I would deliver copy and sell papers for you. And not…” I trailed off, feeling my cheeks burn, wishing I’d just left it alone.
    Felix’s eyes met mine, his sandy eyebrows still hovering menacingly over his blue eyes. “And not what, Allie?