the check, “I’m going to leave you. I can’t be married to a man who doesn’t want me to be happy.” Her happiness came at a high price. She had made herself clear. Victor looked pale as they waited for their car outside the hotel, and they drove home in silence. He could see where this was headed. Either he paid the postnup, or he paid alimony and a settlement. He was so upset that he ran a red light and they nearly had an accident. He had never felt so panicked in his life.
Chapter 5
ON THE WAY to Palm Springs with Brigitte the next morning, Tallie mentioned her conversation with Victor about the cash.
“Are you paying some of the bills in cash?” Tallie asked her as she sipped a light vanilla latte from Starbucks on the way. They had stopped for it as they left town.
“Of course not. What’s he talking about?” Brigitte looked annoyed. “I pay all the bills by check, or credit card. He knows that.”
“That’s what I thought. I don’t see how he can think we’re spending that much in cash. I knew we weren’t. Maybe he screwed up the accounts.” Anything was possible. Maybe it was a bookkeeping mistake at his end. Tallie thought that was more likely than she or Brigitte spending twenty-five thousand a month in cash, which would have been astounding and sounded utterly impossible to her.
“He seems so distracted to me lately,” Brigitte commented. “Maybe he’s sick. Or too old to do his work and keep the numbers straight.” She sounded annoyed.
“Yeah. I don’t know. It sounded crazy to me too. I’ll tell him it’s a mistake of some kind.” And then she thought about the hotels. Maybe that was a mistake too. But she had to ask her anyway, just to be sure. “He showed me a list of hotel bills too, for the Chateau Marmont and the Sunset Marquis.” There was a momentary silence, and feeling slightly embarrassed, Tallie went on. “I hate to ask you this,” she said apologetically, “but did you happen to stay there and accidentally charge it to the joint card?”
“No.” Brigitte looked puzzled. “I’ve never stayed at either hotel. Why would I? If I were going to sleep with someone, I’d go to my own house, not a hotel right here in L.A. That sounds crazy to me too. Maybe it’s identity theft again.”
Tallie had thought of that too.
“That’s what I thought, or I figured you stayed there, charged it to our joint card, and reimbursed me later.”
“I’m not that sloppy,” Brigitte said with a broad smile.
“I know you’re not.” Tallie smiled back at her apologetically. “Especially if you’ve never stayed at those hotels. It must be a mistake then.” Tallie knew there had to be a reasonable explanation for it, whatever it was. And without thinking about it further, she pulled out the script and read the new changes on the way to Palm Springs. The incorrect hotel charges were the furthest thing from her mind.
She called Victor from her cell phone that morning from her trailer on the set, while Brigitte went to get her coffee. They had an espresso/cappuccino stand set up by catering that was as good as Starbucks. Tallie told Victor on the phone that she had no explanation for the cash or the hotel bills. She sounded unconcerned about it, and he sounded surprised.
“Hunt said he goes to those hotels with you,” Victor said clearly, and Tallie suddenly felt her stomach curl itself slowly into a knot like a boa constrictor in her belly. Had Victor misunderstood? Was he senile?
“I think you misunderstood him, Victor,” she said firmly. If Hunt had said it to him it simply wasn’t true, and Brigitte had denied that the charges were hers. So who had been charging hotel bills to her?
“It must be identity theft again,” Tallie said simply, as the boa constrictor in her belly relaxed.
“I’ll check it out,” Victor said cautiously, “and I’ll call you back. The credit card company should have a record of who signed at the hotel.”
“Probably no one we
Chapter 5
ON THE WAY to Palm Springs with Brigitte the next morning, Tallie mentioned her conversation with Victor about the cash.
“Are you paying some of the bills in cash?” Tallie asked her as she sipped a light vanilla latte from Starbucks on the way. They had stopped for it as they left town.
“Of course not. What’s he talking about?” Brigitte looked annoyed. “I pay all the bills by check, or credit card. He knows that.”
“That’s what I thought. I don’t see how he can think we’re spending that much in cash. I knew we weren’t. Maybe he screwed up the accounts.” Anything was possible. Maybe it was a bookkeeping mistake at his end. Tallie thought that was more likely than she or Brigitte spending twenty-five thousand a month in cash, which would have been astounding and sounded utterly impossible to her.
“He seems so distracted to me lately,” Brigitte commented. “Maybe he’s sick. Or too old to do his work and keep the numbers straight.” She sounded annoyed.
“Yeah. I don’t know. It sounded crazy to me too. I’ll tell him it’s a mistake of some kind.” And then she thought about the hotels. Maybe that was a mistake too. But she had to ask her anyway, just to be sure. “He showed me a list of hotel bills too, for the Chateau Marmont and the Sunset Marquis.” There was a momentary silence, and feeling slightly embarrassed, Tallie went on. “I hate to ask you this,” she said apologetically, “but did you happen to stay there and accidentally charge it to the joint card?”
“No.” Brigitte looked puzzled. “I’ve never stayed at either hotel. Why would I? If I were going to sleep with someone, I’d go to my own house, not a hotel right here in L.A. That sounds crazy to me too. Maybe it’s identity theft again.”
Tallie had thought of that too.
“That’s what I thought, or I figured you stayed there, charged it to our joint card, and reimbursed me later.”
“I’m not that sloppy,” Brigitte said with a broad smile.
“I know you’re not.” Tallie smiled back at her apologetically. “Especially if you’ve never stayed at those hotels. It must be a mistake then.” Tallie knew there had to be a reasonable explanation for it, whatever it was. And without thinking about it further, she pulled out the script and read the new changes on the way to Palm Springs. The incorrect hotel charges were the furthest thing from her mind.
She called Victor from her cell phone that morning from her trailer on the set, while Brigitte went to get her coffee. They had an espresso/cappuccino stand set up by catering that was as good as Starbucks. Tallie told Victor on the phone that she had no explanation for the cash or the hotel bills. She sounded unconcerned about it, and he sounded surprised.
“Hunt said he goes to those hotels with you,” Victor said clearly, and Tallie suddenly felt her stomach curl itself slowly into a knot like a boa constrictor in her belly. Had Victor misunderstood? Was he senile?
“I think you misunderstood him, Victor,” she said firmly. If Hunt had said it to him it simply wasn’t true, and Brigitte had denied that the charges were hers. So who had been charging hotel bills to her?
“It must be identity theft again,” Tallie said simply, as the boa constrictor in her belly relaxed.
“I’ll check it out,” Victor said cautiously, “and I’ll call you back. The credit card company should have a record of who signed at the hotel.”
“Probably no one we
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