was going to be anything but.
8
Carlotta checked her watch and tried to ignore the fierce
itching under her cast. She’d been ready for more than an
hour. Her suitcase sat next to the door and her heart
pounded with nervous excitement. She was eager to get
out of this house for a few days, and she was looking
forward to spending time with Coop. Even though she
knew he had a crush on her, she also knew he wouldn’t
pressure her, like Peter, or mess with her mind, like Jack.
And when the time came, it would be easy to slip away
from Coop for a few hours. She nursed the tiniest bit of
guilt over using the trip as a cover to get to Daytona
Beach, but no one had to know. She would locate the
Holiday Inn where her father’s fingerprints had been
found, and ask a few questions of her own. Maybe he was
working there. If he was in disguise, Jack could easily
overlook him. He could talk to him and not know it was
him…her father would love that. She wasn’t even sure that
she would recognize Randolph, but after her brush with
him at the fake funeral, she at least knew to be looking
past the obvious.
At the sound of Kiki Deerling’s name on the television, she
turned her head to listen. Knowing that they would be
bringing Kiki’s body back to Atlanta made her feel more
connected to the dead girl. Carlotta reached for the
remote control and turned up the volume.
“Fans of Kiki Deerling are stil reeling from the news of her
sudden death in Boca Raton, Florida. Details surrounding
the starlet’s final moments are stil sketchy, but initial
reports are that Deerling might have suffered a severe
asthma attack. Deerling’s publicist, Marquita White, issued
the fol owing statement, quote, ‘We are so saddened by
the horrific tragedy of Kiki Deerling’s passing. This is an
extremely difficult time for her loved ones and we ask the
media to please respect the family’s privacy,’ unquote.
“Meanwhile, members of the Deerling family are not
talking to the press. Here’s a clip showing Kiki’s ex-boy-
friend, Grammy award-winning singer Matt Pearson, being
turned away at the door of the Deerlings’ home in Boca
Raton by Kiki’s older sister, Kayla. You can clearly see that
Kayla has been crying. They appear to exchange angry
words, then Pearson leaves, stumbling twice on the way
back to his car. It’s widely known that she disapproved of
her sister’s al iance with Pearson.”
Kayla Deerling was an older, brunette version of her more
famous sister, except of a more normal weight, Carlotta
observed wryly. She ran a restaurant in Buckhead called
Diamonds, which was all the rage with the critics.
Reservations were hard to come by and the menu was way
out of Carlotta’s price range.
“Pearson has been arrested twice for al eged heroin use,
and has been in and out of rehab in the past few months.
Deerling and Pearson have not been linked romantically
for over a year, and Deerling has been photographed with
many other men since. Sources say that Matt Pearson
wasn’t on the Boca birthday party guest list, but showed
up unannounced, and Kiki herself let him in.”
Matt Pearson was portrayed in the media to be arrogant
and reckless, and Carlotta had heard enough reports of
him trashing hotel rooms and smashing sports cars that
she was inclined to believe it was true. What was it about
bad boys, she wondered, that made women overlook their
wayward behavior?
“No memorial arrangements have been announced, but
the Deerlings own a cemetery plot in their hometown of
Atlanta, where the family has many business investments,
including the flagship store for the Deerling jewelry
empire, and Diamonds restaurant. Experts tel us if there’s
an autopsy, it could be a week or more before Kiki is laid
to rest. Despite the initial reports linking her death to
asthma, rumors abound that drugs played a part in the
young woman’s col apse. Stay tuned for upcoming details
on the
8
Carlotta checked her watch and tried to ignore the fierce
itching under her cast. She’d been ready for more than an
hour. Her suitcase sat next to the door and her heart
pounded with nervous excitement. She was eager to get
out of this house for a few days, and she was looking
forward to spending time with Coop. Even though she
knew he had a crush on her, she also knew he wouldn’t
pressure her, like Peter, or mess with her mind, like Jack.
And when the time came, it would be easy to slip away
from Coop for a few hours. She nursed the tiniest bit of
guilt over using the trip as a cover to get to Daytona
Beach, but no one had to know. She would locate the
Holiday Inn where her father’s fingerprints had been
found, and ask a few questions of her own. Maybe he was
working there. If he was in disguise, Jack could easily
overlook him. He could talk to him and not know it was
him…her father would love that. She wasn’t even sure that
she would recognize Randolph, but after her brush with
him at the fake funeral, she at least knew to be looking
past the obvious.
At the sound of Kiki Deerling’s name on the television, she
turned her head to listen. Knowing that they would be
bringing Kiki’s body back to Atlanta made her feel more
connected to the dead girl. Carlotta reached for the
remote control and turned up the volume.
“Fans of Kiki Deerling are stil reeling from the news of her
sudden death in Boca Raton, Florida. Details surrounding
the starlet’s final moments are stil sketchy, but initial
reports are that Deerling might have suffered a severe
asthma attack. Deerling’s publicist, Marquita White, issued
the fol owing statement, quote, ‘We are so saddened by
the horrific tragedy of Kiki Deerling’s passing. This is an
extremely difficult time for her loved ones and we ask the
media to please respect the family’s privacy,’ unquote.
“Meanwhile, members of the Deerling family are not
talking to the press. Here’s a clip showing Kiki’s ex-boy-
friend, Grammy award-winning singer Matt Pearson, being
turned away at the door of the Deerlings’ home in Boca
Raton by Kiki’s older sister, Kayla. You can clearly see that
Kayla has been crying. They appear to exchange angry
words, then Pearson leaves, stumbling twice on the way
back to his car. It’s widely known that she disapproved of
her sister’s al iance with Pearson.”
Kayla Deerling was an older, brunette version of her more
famous sister, except of a more normal weight, Carlotta
observed wryly. She ran a restaurant in Buckhead called
Diamonds, which was all the rage with the critics.
Reservations were hard to come by and the menu was way
out of Carlotta’s price range.
“Pearson has been arrested twice for al eged heroin use,
and has been in and out of rehab in the past few months.
Deerling and Pearson have not been linked romantically
for over a year, and Deerling has been photographed with
many other men since. Sources say that Matt Pearson
wasn’t on the Boca birthday party guest list, but showed
up unannounced, and Kiki herself let him in.”
Matt Pearson was portrayed in the media to be arrogant
and reckless, and Carlotta had heard enough reports of
him trashing hotel rooms and smashing sports cars that
she was inclined to believe it was true. What was it about
bad boys, she wondered, that made women overlook their
wayward behavior?
“No memorial arrangements have been announced, but
the Deerlings own a cemetery plot in their hometown of
Atlanta, where the family has many business investments,
including the flagship store for the Deerling jewelry
empire, and Diamonds restaurant. Experts tel us if there’s
an autopsy, it could be a week or more before Kiki is laid
to rest. Despite the initial reports linking her death to
asthma, rumors abound that drugs played a part in the
young woman’s col apse. Stay tuned for upcoming details
on the
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