Welcome to Installment #8 of my upcoming novel, Take Two: a Hollywood Romance with a Twist (see previous blog posts for excerpts 1-7). I am sharing Take Two for FREE every week, so click here for details on how to follow the story of Zac and Gina!

 

                Gina let herself into Zac’s hotel room and stood looking around in the dim light. It looked like a typical bachelor pad, with clothing randomly strewn about and papers littering the small desk. She reached for the light and hesitated; was it a good idea to turn on a light?

                Then she chided herself. What could she possibly hope to find if she couldn’t see? She flipped a switch and headed for the desk.

                It felt odd to be poking through Zac’s things, especially when she wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for. The papers on the desk were almost all shooting scripts. She checked the drawers of the desk; nothing but his computer and a jumble of napkins and wet wipes.

                What next? The drawers? It would really feel odd to go through his underwear…

                She needed more light. She went around the bed and reached for the bedside lamp switch. The halo lit up the area, and she gawked at what she saw. “It can’t be,” she whispered.

                There, on the nightstand, were the remains of what looked for all the world like…oatmeal raisin cookies.

                Gina jumped at a knock on the door. Moving swiftly, she looked through the peephole and then opened the door to Candy.

                “Did you find anything?” Candy said as she stepped inside.

                Gina shut the door firmly behind her. “I think I found the cookies you talked about.”

                Candy followed Gina’s gaze to the nightstand. Her eyes went wide. Gina went back to the desk. “There was a baggie in here somewhere,” she muttered. “Ah, yes, here it is.”

                She carried the bag to the nightstand. Carefully she brushed the cookie fragments into the bag, resisting the urge to sniff at them. When she turned to Candy, she found the young woman just staring at the bag.

                “I was right,” Candy said softly.

                “You were right about the cookies,” Gina said. “Let’s not jump to conclusions from there.”

                “I’m right,” Candy said. “I know it.”

                “Did you find Sasha?” Gina said.

                “Huh?” Candy said. “Oh. Yeah. She’s in the lounge. It sounds like she’s staying the night and heading out in the morning.”

                Another knock on the door caused Candy to let out a squeak.

                “That should be Dale.” Gina stepped to the door and let him in. “You got the pass card?”

                “That’s affirmative.” Dale looked from Gina to Candy, then to the bag Gina held in her hands. “But I’m getting a funny feeling about this.”

                Gina gave him a short explanation. “I think we need to talk to Sasha.”

                “Maybe we should check her room first,” Dale said. “That is why you had me get the pass card, isn’t it?”

©2013 Tracey Cramer-Kelly

Click here to be notified when the next FREE installment of Take Two is posted!

After a week off due to work-related craziness, I welcome you to Installment #7 of my upcoming novel, Take Two: a Hollywood Romance with a Twist (see previous blog posts for free novel excerpts 1-6). I am sharing Take Two for FREE every week, so click here for details on how to follow the story of Zac and Gina!

 

Gina had barely closed her hotel room door when there was a knock on it. She opened it to find one of the production crew.

                “Miss Devereaux.” The girl fidgeted, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s really important.”

                Gina didn’t have time for this.

                “I have information about Zac and I…I don’t know who else to go to,” the girl said.

                Gina assessed the girl. She was average in every way: mousy brown hair, glasses, nondescript clothes, worn tennis shoes. She had a gut feeling about this girl. “It’s Candy, isn’t it?”

                “Yes.”

                In Gina’s experience, the quieter the crew member was, the more they knew everyone’s business. They didn’t talk much; they watched and listened. It was possible Candy had information on what Zac had done outside of work the past three days. “Come in, Candy.”

                Candy was obviously nervous. “Miss Devereaux…”

                “Call me Gina.”

                “Gina, I…” she said. “Zac is terribly sick, isn’t he?”

                “He is,” Gina said.

                Candy wrung her hands. “I should have told someone.”

                Gina took the girl’s hands and guided her to sit on the bed. “Well, I’m here now. What is it, Candy?”

                “I think Sasha poisoned Zac,” she blurted out.

                Gina was instantly alert. “What makes you think that?”

                “You know—or maybe you don’t know—that Zac and Sasha were a couple?” Candy said.

                Gina shook her head. She didn’t follow any of that these days.

                “They auditioned for this project at the same time,” Candy continued. “Right after that Zac broke up with her. She was livid.”

                “Ah,” Gina said. “I did pick up on some animosity between the two of them.” Truthfully, she hadn’t given it much thought, since they were not in any intensive scenes together.

                “She’s said some crummy things to him since we started shooting,” Candy said. “They even had a fight. Last Friday, before the weekend break. But then, three nights ago, Sasha was in his room.”

                “And you know this how?”

                Candy went beet red and she looked down at her hands in her lap. “I followed him.”

                Gina also knew this about the film industry: there were stalkers, and there were quietly obsessed fans… and now she knew where Candy fell on this scale. “Go on.”

                “She brought him something—cookies or brownies,” Candy said. “Like a peace offering. Only, I think the cookies were poisoned.”

                Gina sat back. “That’s pretty far-fetched, Candy.”

                “I know it sounds that way,” Candy said. “But think about it. That was Monday night. He started feeling badly on Tuesday. And why would she make nice to him? It’s not like she was going to get a better part in the film.”

                What should Gina make of this conversation? It was almost laughable—Sasha couldn’t be that vindictive, could she? Or that smart? On the other hand, Gina didn’t have any idea where to start, and the poison part did fit …

                “Did you hear any of their conversation?” Gina asked.

                “No,” Candy admitted. “But they didn’t fight, I know that much. And when she left, she didn’t have the cookies with her.”

                Gina was silent for a spell. “Candy, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to find out if Sasha’s left for the weekend.”

                “You believe me?”

                “I have no reason to doubt what you saw,” Gina said. “But it’s pretty tough to believe what you’re implying. I’ll do this much: I will check Zac’s room and see if I can find these cookies.”

                “You will?” Candy’s gratitude was almost too much. “You can do that?”

                “Meet me at Zac’s room.” Gina stood. “But don’t let anyone see you there. And for God’s sake, don’t tell anyone about Zac being sick.”

                “That won’t be a problem,” Candy said. “Most of the cast doesn’t even notice I’m alive.”

 

©2013 Tracey Cramer-Kelly

Click here to be notified when the next FREE installment of Take Two is posted!

Welcome to free novel excerpt #6 of my upcoming book, Take Two: a Hollywood Romance with a Twist – coming to you from Scottsdale, AZ, where I am attempting to sell motorcycle accessories for our family business, Leader Motorcycle.

I am sharing Take Two for FREE every week, so click here for details on how to follow the story of Zac and Gina!

 

Even though she was watching for him and mentally preparing for it, Gina was still startled when she heard Sylvester’s angry voice at the nurse’s station. “Where the hell is my actor?”

                She strode toward him. “Syl.”

                “What the hell, Gina?” He turned his piercing gaze on her. “You drag my actor off the set without alerting me?”

                “There was no time, Syl,” she said. “He’s very sick.”

                “He passed out,” Syl said. “What, too much partying last night? The kid’s got a lot of nerve…”

                “It’s not like that,” she said. “The doctor thinks he’s got food poisoning.”

                “I want him back on the set tomorrow.”               

                It was as if the man hadn’t even heard what she said! She’d worked with Sylvester a long time but…damn, this was just too much. “This is a human being we’re talking about, Syl,” Gina said sternly. “Not a robot or a part you can simply replace.”

                “I should replace him,” Sylvester said. “These actors get a big head, think the film is all about them.”

                Gina lost her grip on civility. “If you want to fire Zac, then you might as well fire me, too. Because I don’t want to work for someone who places more importance on a film than on a human being.”

                That shut him up, but only momentarily. “There’s a lot of money riding on this being pulled off on schedule.”

                “So you’re saying the money is also more important than Zac’s life.”

                “You’re getting dramatic,” he said. “The kid is sick, not dying. I’m just saying…”

                “I know what you’re saying,” she said disgustedly. “Who do you think slaved over the schedule? We’ve shot almost half the footage. If you fire him now, I’ll quit too. You’ll have to find a new director and a new leading man and re-shoot it all. Then your schedule truly will be screwed.”

                He opened his mouth in astonishment, but she cut him off. “But just as important, the work Zac’s done up to now has been damn good. And you know it.”

                She stared at him until he was forced to respond. “Yeah, the kid’s done some good stuff,” he muttered.

                “Send everyone home for the weekend,” she said. “By then we’ll have a better idea when Zac can come back. Hell, it might not even be long for all we know.”

                “It better not be,” Syl growled. But he was already backing up, looking about the hospital with obvious distaste. “Well, then…”

                “I’ll take care of the details here,” she said. “You put the word out at the set.”

                “Fine,” he said. “I’ll tell them as little as possible. Make sure this is kept quiet. The last thing we need is tabloid rumors.”

                Gina waited until he’d left, then let out her breath. Slowly, count to ten…

                She jumped when she heard the doctor’s voice behind her. “Miss Devereaux? I’m Mr. Davies’ specialist, Thomas Carrini. I’m a nephrologist, and I specialize in diseases related to the kidneys.”

                Gina took his hand. He was only an inch taller than her and probably the same age, but she noticed right away that his eyes were kind.

                “I need to talk to you about Zac,” he said.

                “Can it wait?” she said. “We should be able to reach his family soon.”

                “I don’t think so,” the doctor said. “Nothing turned up in Zac’s stomach contents. At least, nothing we could identify that would make him sick. We need to run blood tests to check his liver function.”

                “Is that serious?”

                “It depends on what we find,” he said.

 

©2013 Tracey Cramer-Kelly 

Click here to be notified when the next FREE installment of Take Two is posted!

Welcome to Installment #5 of my upcoming novel, Take Two: a Hollywood Romance with a Twist (see previous blog posts for excerpts 1-4). I am sharing Take Two for FREE every week, so click here for details on how to follow the story of Zac and Gina!

 

                Zac sighed; he hadn’t the energy for this. “I woke last night with terrible stomach cramps. I puked up a lung a couple times.”

                “That’s it.” Gina stood and moved toward the desk. “We’re taking you to the hospital.”

                “Ourselves?” Dale said. “No medic transport?”

                “In my car.” She tossed him the keys. “You drive.”

                “Sylvester won’t like it,” Dale said.

                “Screw him,” Gina said. “We should have taken him when this first happened. You know how to get there?”

                “Affirmative.”

                “Bring the car as close to the trailer as you can. If we’re quiet about it maybe I won’t have to deal with Syl until after we find out what’s wrong.”

                Gina picked up Zac’s backpack and slid it onto her shoulders. Then she slipped her own purse over her head so that it hung across her chest.

                “You really don’t have to go to all this trouble.” Zac struggled to a sitting position, eyeing his backpack. “I’m sure if I got a couple days rest…”

                “Come on.” Gina sat down next to him. “I’ll help you. Just go slow.”

                Zac put his feet on the ground and his hands in Gina’s. Slowly he got to his feet. He stood there, swaying slightly as the room swirled around him.

                Gina’s arm came around his waist. “I’m not strong enough to catch you if you fall,” she said. “So you’ve got to let me help you.”

                He let his arm come down around her shoulder somewhat timidly.

                “Better,” she said. “Now I think we’ll make it.”

********************

                The moment the car started moving, Zac was sick again. And he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. And damn it all, he was spread across his boss’s lap with a bucket in his face.

                You’re a real professional, Davies.

                And then it was difficult to care where he was; as dry heaves wracked his body and blackness buzzed at the edges of his vision, he could only pray that the hospital was close and the movement would stop.

                I am in hell.

                And then, somehow, he was on a gurney in a hospital room, still curled up and clutching the bucket. Gina’s voice floated somewhere overhead. He tried to concentrate on the doctor’s words: Food poisoning. Stomach pumped. The prick of a needle in his arm. “Sedative…relax…”

                And now this doctor’s face hovered over his, saying “relax, Zac, relax.”

                Who was he kidding? He wasn’t the one with a tube being shoved down his throat!

                I am in hell.

©2013 Tracey Cramer-Kelly

 

Click here to be notified when the next FREE installment of Take Two is posted!

Welcome to Installment #4 of my upcoming novel, Take Two: a Hollywood Romance with a Twist – coming to you from Big Sky, MT, where I am enjoyed our annual family ski trip. I am sharing Take Two for FREE every week, so click here for details on how to follow the story of Zac and Gina!

 

                Zac was dimly aware of a wet pressure on his forehead.

                “Zachariah.”

                His full name…Aunt Trudy?

                He inhaled a careful breath, licked his lips, swallowed.

                “He’s coming around.” The same voice. Not Aunt Trudy.

                “How long has he been out?” Another voice. Male this time. The squeak of a chair hinge.

                “About fifteen minutes, I think.” The wet pressure retreated.

                “Still running a fever?”

                A lighter touch on his forehead. “Still.”

                He opened his eyes and tried to make sense of the woman who perched on the edge of the cot next to him.

                Holy shit!

                His left hand pressed against the cot in an attempt to raise himself.

                “Take it easy, Zac.” Gina’s hand went to his other wrist, which lay across his abdomen. He let himself fall back as a sudden pain sliced into his temples.

                His eyes left Gina and wandered the trailer—yes, he was in the director’s trailer—then went to Dale (who stood next to the chair) and back to Gina. This doesn’t look good.  “What happened?”

                “You fainted in the middle of the scene,” Gina said.

                He groaned and ran a hand behind his head. That meant the entire crew had seen it. And Sylvester…

                “Do you want me to get the medic”? Dale asked.

                “No,” Gina said. “I want to hear from Zac first. How do you feel?”

                It felt like a woodpecker had taken up residence inside his skull. “I have a raging headache,” he muttered. “I need Vicoden.”

                “Vicoden?” Gina said.

                Damn. What was he thinking, telling her that? But it was hard to think clearly…

                “Nothing else was working.” He rubbed his temples. “It was from a back injury I had last year.”

                “Zac, you should have told me you were feeling that badly.”

                “I didn’t think that was a good idea,” he said. “Not given our conversation…”

                Gina’s face took on a stricken look.         

                “Besides,” he continued. “I thought it was just the flu.”

                A wave of nausea washed over him. Oh, no. This could not be happening…

                He moaned softly. “Not again!” He waved toward the small garbage basket that sat by the chair.

                Gina swiped up the basket and handed it to him just in time. He leaned away from her as his stomach twisted in on itself and he heaved into the basket.

                “Sorry,” he rasped when he could catch his breath. “This headache makes me nauseous.”

                He was surprised to find she hadn’t left her perch next to him. Her face was a mask of concern as she asked, “What do you mean by ‘not again’?”

                She noticed Zac’s hesitation. “No acting, Zac. Please. Just the straight-up truth.”

©2013 Tracey Cramer-Kelly

 

Click here to be notified when the next FREE installment of Take Two is posted!