Twisted (34 page)

“They have to mute the piano. Shane's going to lip-synch his song. His manager told me he always lip-synchs his concerts.”

Diana was puzzled. “Do you know why?”

“I'm not sure, but I'm going to watch him like a hawk. Do you remember if he played the piano in high school?”

Diana shook her head. And then something occurred to her that made her frown. “My parents were friends with his parents, and we used to go over to his house a lot. I don't think they had a piano.”

“Exactly! I don't think he knows how to play. Maybe he doesn't really sing, either.”

Diana's eyes widened “Do you think he's pulling a Milli Vanilli?”

“Maybe. Nan's studying vocal music, and she told me his speaking range doesn't match his singing range at all.”

“But that happens sometimes, doesn't it?” Diana looked a little worried. All her dreams would be dashed if Shane turned out to be a complete fake.

“It happens, but it's unusual.”

Cindy was silent for a moment and then she reached out to pat Diana's hand. “Will you be really upset if your idol turns out to have feet of clay?”

“I don't know,” Diana answered her honestly. “Maybe he won't. And if he does, I'll just have to deal with it somehow.”

Diana watched Shane carefully as they got ready to tape the segment. When Allison was busy talking to the man with the briefcase, Shane slipped his arm around Tracy's waist and said something that made her blush. They looked at each other for a long moment, and then Tracy nodded. But the minute Allison turned her attention back to Shane, he quickly dropped his arm and gave her an innocent smile.

“I wonder what he said?” Diana was curious.

“I know,” Betty Woo spoke up.

Cindy turned to look at Betty in surprise. “But how did you hear from this far away?”

“I read lips. It's something I picked up when I was a kid. I used to sneak downstairs to watch television, but I couldn't turn up the volume because my parents thought I was in bed. I didn't realize it then, but lip-reading really comes in handy.”

“Tell us!” Cindy began to grin. “What did he say?”

“He said,
I'm staying at the Portersville Inn, room 213. Be there at midnight. If you're as good as you look, I'll give you an exclusive.”

“Are you sure?” Diana turned around to stare at Betty.

“I'm sure. He's very easy to read. Most actors are.”

All during the taping of Shane's segment, Diana did her best to hang on to her dream. When Shane's song was finished, she turned to Cindy with a question in her eyes.

“Sorry, Di.” Cindy gave a deep sigh. “I took six years of piano, and Shane didn't play ‘Blue Christmas.' It wasn't even close.”

“But . . . maybe he wasn't trying to play ‘Blue Christmas.' It didn't really matter what he did. The piano was muted and they didn't do any close-ups of his hands on the keys.”

“Okay. Let's put it to the test.” Cindy took Diana's arm and led her over to the man with the briefcase. “Hi. Can you tell us where Shane's staying? Her parents want to call and say hello.”

“I'm sorry girls, but I can't give out that kind of . . .” The man with the briefcase stopped, and stared at Diana. “Wait a second. Aren't you the girl who used to live next door?”

Cindy nudged Diana, and she nodded. “That's right. I'm Diana Connelly.”

“Then I guess it's okay, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone else. I don't want Shane to be mobbed by autograph hounds.”

“We understand.” Cindy nodded solemnly. “And we promise to keep it a secret.”

“We're at the Portersville Inn until tomorrow night. Tell your parents to ask for Joe Harmon. I'll make sure they get through to Shane.”

“Thanks a lot, Mr. Harmon. We really appreciate it.”

Cindy took Diana's arm and pulled her over to a bench near the center of the mall. “You look sick. Wait right here. I'll get you some water.”

Diana sat down on the bench and sighed. She'd thought that she was in love with Shane, but she'd been caught up in a fantasy. Shane wasn't the type of man she'd thought he was, and she felt like a silly fool for dreaming about him all these years.

“What's wrong, Di?” Jay walked up and sat down beside her. He looked very concerned as he handed her a cup of water, and he put his arm around her shoulder. “Cindy said you felt sick. Is there anything I can do?”

Diana took a deep breath, and cuddled closer. Suddenly she felt much better. “I think I'm all right now. Thanks, Jay.”

“You probably overdid it with the skipping.” Jay smiled down at her. “You gave me a scare, though. You looked so miserable, I asked Cindy if someone had died.”

Diana nodded. Jay was right. Someone
had
died. Her dream of Shane had suffered a painful death, but now that the last of her illusions was gone, Diana felt free for the first time in her life.

“Do you still want to go out for that burger? Or would you rather go home and rest?”

Diana looked up into Jay's concerned face, and gave him a radiant smile. “I'd love a burger. And don't worry about me. I feel just fine now. I think it was just a case of delayed growing pains.”

“C
ome on, you two.” Cindy ran up to the bench. “They're getting ready to show the edited version of the tape.”

“How did they do it so fast?” Diana was curious.

“They've got an editing bay in the
Night News
van, and Paul let me watch. That's why I sent Jay over with your water.”

“Paul?” Diana began to grin as they got up and followed Cindy to the large monitor that had been set up by the Christmas tree. Cindy had dropped her bitch act completely, and she was already on a first-name basis with the cameraman.

“Paul Murphy. He's from somewhere right around here, and he's a junior at the University of Minnesota, majoring in film studies.”

“He's a student?” Jay was surprised. “I didn't know the
Night News
hired student cameramen.”

“They don't, not usually. Paul's instructor got him a summer job there last year as a gofer, and he worked his way up.”

“What's a gofer?” Diana was puzzled.

“Oh, you know. Paul had to
go for
sandwiches, and
go for
coffee, all sorts of stuff like that. But then he filled in when one of the regular cameramen got sick. And he did such a good job, they hired him to work as an extra cameraman on all of his school breaks.”

Diana nodded. Cindy had certainly found out a lot about Paul in a very short time.

“Hi, Paul.” There was a huge smile on Cindy's face as she waved to the cameraman and led the way to the front of the crowd, where Paul was saving seats for them. “This is my brother, Jay, and my roommate, Diana.”

“Santa.” Paul grinned at Jay. “Nice job, guy. Have you ever thought about turning pro?”

Jay laughed and shook his head. “No way. That suit's too hot.”

“I bet it is.” Paul nodded, and turned to Diana. “You were great, too. I got a couple of nice shots of you. You're almost as photogenic as Cindy.”

“Uh . . . thank you.” Diana wasn't really sure what to say. She'd never thought of Cindy as being photogenic. But she was saved from further comment when Paul grinned and held up the tape.

“Catch you in a couple of minutes. I have to give this to Morrie.”

Cindy watched Paul leave with a smile on her face. Then she turned to them to explain. “Morrie's the field director. Well . . . ? What do you think?”

“I like him.” Diana nodded. She knew exactly what Cindy was asking. “How about you, Jay?”

Jay nodded, too. “Nice guy. As your older brother, I give you my blessings.”

“Thanks a lot!” Cindy laughed, but when Jay turned to talk to Larry Fischer, who was sitting right behind them, Cindy leaned close to Diana and lowered her voice. “Wait until you see Heather. You're gonna die laughing.”

“Why?”

“She looks fat!” Cindy nodded, as Diana looked dubious. “I'm not kidding. Paul told me that's why no one wears pure white on television. It's too contrasty and it makes you look as big as a house under the lights. Not only that, the camera adds about ten pounds.”

“Did I look fat?” Diana was concerned.

“Of course not. You look cute, you'll see.”

Just then the lights dimmed, and a moment later, Paul came back to sit next to Cindy. Then the large monitor next to the screen came on, and Diana began to smile as Tracy's image appeared.

Watching the tape was fun, especially when Jay whispered that her hair looked beautiful. And Cindy was right. Heather did look fat. Jay's Santa Claus imitation was perfect right down to the last “Ho, ho,
ho,”
and Cindy looked absolutely gorgeous when she appeared on the screen. The tape had just finished when Cindy nudged Diana and pointed toward the entrance of the mall. Two highway patrol cars had just pulled up, and their red lights were flashing.

There was a moment of silence, as everyone turned to look at the two officers who were getting out of their cars. Then Jay turned to Diana with a frown. “There must be something wrong. They don't use their lights unless it's an emergency.”

The silence lasted for another second, and then everyone started to talk at once. Paul jumped to his feet, and turned to Cindy. “Later, okay? This could be something big.”

They all watched as Paul grabbed his camera and headed off after Tracy at a run. A fire? A death? An accident? Diana felt her heart beat a rapid tattoo in her chest as they joined the crowd that was heading toward the entrance.

“It's okay, folks.” The older officer did his best to calm the crowd as he came in through the plate glass doors. “But the weather's getting real nasty out there, and we came out here to warn you.”

The younger officer nodded. “The weather bureau just posted storm advisories. There's a big one coming in, and it's going to hit hard. We came to lead you out.”

Tracy Thomas stepped up to the officers, and Paul was right behind her. “How bad is it supposed to get, Officer . . . ?”

“Daniels.” The older officer answered her unspoken question. He didn't seem to be fazed at all by the fact he was on camera. “They say it's going to be a full-scale blizzard. We can't let you drive out unless you've got chains or snow tires. The road out there is a mess. That means you'll have to double up so we can evacuate everyone.”

Shane stepped up to the younger officer. “How about four-wheel drive? I'm Shane Winter and I can't get stuck out here. I have to fly back to L.A. tomorrow night.”

“You should be able to make it, Mr. Winter.” The young officer swallowed hard. He was obviously flustered at being this close to a major star.

The older officer frowned. “That depends. How heavy is your vehicle?”

“It's a Cadillac stretch limousine.” Shane's driver spoke up.

“You should be able to make it.” The older officer nodded, and then he turned to the crowd. “We've got another officer on the way, so let's split up into three groups. If you need to get to Portersville, gather over here on my right. People headed for Two Rivers, line up on my left. Officer Goetz will take the group for Prairie Falls. We need to know the type of vehicle you have.”

Jay, Diana, and Cindy moved to the Prairie Falls group, along with the rest of the college students. Cindy looked worried as she turned to Diana. “Sorry, Di. My car won't make it.”

“You didn't put on the snow tires Dad bought for you?” Jay turned to Cindy with a frown.

“I was going to take my car in last week, but I was so busy studying I . . .” Cindy sighed deeply. “Forget the excuses, Jay. I goofed. I should have done it right away.”

Jay slipped his arm around Cindy's shoulders. “Don't worry about it. My truck's got four-wheel drive. You and Di can ride with Larry and me. It'll be a little crowded, but we'll make it.”

“Thanks, Jay.” Cindy looked very grateful, but before she could say any more, Larry rushed up with a clipboard.

“Will you help me, Jay? I told Officer Goetz we'd make a list of everyone who needs a ride.”

Jay looked down at the clipboard and frowned. “All these people need rides?”

“That's right.” Larry nodded. “And most of them have little kids they need to get home to.”

Diana peeked over Jay's shoulder, and her eyes widened as she saw that the first side of the page was almost completely filled with names. “We'll help, too. Is there another clipboard?”

“Officer Goetz has a couple up there at the table.” Larry pointed toward the front of the line.

Diana nodded. “Okay. Cindy and I'll get a list of available cars and the number of passengers they'll hold. That should make it easy to match the people who need rides with the cars we have.”

“Good idea!” Jay gave her a little hug. “Let's get started. This should be a snap.”

But it wasn't. Diana sighed as they finished, and brought their clipboards up to Officer Goetz's table. Since they hadn't had much snow this winter, almost everyone had put off switching to their snow tires. And they didn't find a single vehicle with chains. There were a half dozen vans and trucks with four-wheel drive, but most of the drivers had car-pooled to the mall this morning, and they didn't have room for extra passengers.

“Di?” Jay tapped her on the shoulder. “There's a woman on our list, Gloria Olsen. She's eight months pregnant, and she's got two kids in day care. She's really nervous about getting stuck out here. And then there's a janitor with a heart condition. He's got medicine he has to take at night. And another man's wife is in the hospital. He's worried and he wants to visit her tonight. I know I promised you a ride, but . . .”

“It's fine with me, Jay,” Diana interrupted. “I don't mind if you drive them home.”

Jay shook his head. “That's not it. I thought I'd let them use my truck. I don't really need to get home tonight, and neither does Larry. Cindy said to go for it, but are you sure you don't mind?”

“I'm positive.”

“You're a good sport, Diana.” Jay gave her a hug. “I'll go give them my keys.”

Diana was smiling as Jay hurried off through the crowd. She didn't mind being snowbound at all, as along as Jay stayed here with her.

“Di? I've got great news!” Cindy wove her way through the crowd until she'd reached Diana's side. “You said you'd stay, didn't you?”

“Of course. What's the great news? Is Paul staying, too?”

Cindy shook her head. “No. He has to go with the news van. But guess who's leaving?”

“Shane? I heard him say he had to fly back to L.A. tomorrow night.”

“Oh, he's already gone.” Cindy made a disgusted face.

“He didn't take anybody else with him in that big stretch limo, either. Paul told me he said it would be too much of an inconvenience.”

Diana shrugged. Surprisingly, the news that Shane was selfish and irresponsible didn't bother her at all.

“Maybe I shouldn't have told you.” Cindy began to look a little worried. “Are you upset?”

“Not a bit. I'm completely over Shane. The whole thing was just a silly fantasy.”

Cindy nodded. It was clear she approved. And she began to beam again. “Back to the good news. I just found out that someone else is leaving. Nan just told me that Heather's new car has four-wheel drive!”

Diana's smile grew until it was even bigger than Cindy's. Thank goodness Heather was leaving! But just then, Officer Goetz called for silence, and everyone gave him their attention.

“Okay, folks. I've got four sets of keys here, thanks to Jay Swanson. He started the ball rolling.” Officer Goetz picked up a set of keys. “These are from Hal Bremmer. His Dodge pick-up has chains and he says it'll hold four if you squeeze.”

Cindy and Diana clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Hal had done the right thing.

“And this belongs to a new Ford Explorer.” Officer Goetz held up another set of keys. “Sue Langer says it'll hold eight.”

Cindy and Diana applauded again. It was nice of Sue to lend out her new car.

“And here's another set of keys from Dave Atkin. His father's an investor and he owns the Crossroads Pub. Dave has a classic Lincoln with snow tires, and he's willing to lend it to six people who need rides. These college kids are great, aren't they folks!”

Everyone applauded, and Cindy grinned at Diana. “Good for Dave. But you noticed who didn't give up her keys, didn't you?”

“Everyone noticed.” Diana motioned toward Heather who was actually starting to look a little embarrassed.

“Okay, folks.” Officer Goetz called for attention again. “Raise your hands if you still need a ride. Let's get these keys redistributed right away.”

Diana noticed that there were still a lot of hands, and she exchanged worried looks with Cindy as Officer Goetz counted the number of people who were left. “Oh-oh. I wonder what he's going to do.”

“All right.” Officer Goetz nodded. “I can take four people with me. It's against regulations, but I figure this qualifies as an emergency. Unfortunately, we still have almost forty people left. Does anybody have any suggestions?”

“I do!” Heather stepped up to the front of the crowd. “My father leased five delivery vans with four-wheel drive. I just called him, and he's given me permission to turn the keys over to the carpool. They're all gassed up, and they're in the mall garage. And I'm throwing in the keys to my car, too. I'm staying here so that the people who really need to get home, can go.”

Cindy turned to Diana with a frown. “Damn! I should have known she'd do that.”

“But that's not like Heather.” Diana was puzzled. “She's never cared a bit about other people.”

“Of course not. But Paul's getting it all on tape, and she knows we're staying. She saw Jay hand over his keys. Heather wants Jay to think she's just as generous as he is.”

“Right.” Diana nodded.

“But that's not the real reason.” Cindy winked at Diana. “There's no way Heather is going to leave you alone out here with Jay. She still wants him back, and that means she has to keep her eye on the competition.”