Read Online Deadly Fate by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B

looked onto the porch; at Simon’s words, she sat up and looked out.
    Someone was coming. A handsome man of about forty-five, medium height, with dark hair. He wore a double sweater beneath a thick parka and he was followed by a police officer and a shivering woman carrying a notepad.
    The police officer with him appeared to be frazzled.
    The woman looked as nervous as a cartoon rat. She was pinched thin, and wore a parka as if it were a heavy burden upon her.
    The officer, the man and the pinched-rat-like woman were stopped at the door by another state policeman.
    They talked for several minutes. At last, the officer in charge of guarding the front door opened it and let them in.
    For a moment, the man looked around the room. Then his eyes lit on Clara. He looked confused, as if he’d seen a mannequin come to life or a ghost return from the dead. Then he smiled. “My God—it’s you!”
    Clara didn’t have the least idea of what he was talking about.
    â€œHello?” she said politely. She stood; the others had done the same at the man’s entry.
    He smiled—a great smile, she thought.
    â€œI’ve seen you! You performed a Sandra Dee character in Grease ! You were amazing. I was a little bit in love!” the man said.
    â€œI was in Grease ,” Ralph murmured.
    No one paid him any heed.
    â€œThank you. And I’m sorry. Who are you?” Clara asked.
    â€œMarc. Marc Kimball,” he said. “I own Black Bear Island.”
    â€œOh!”
    The murmur seemed like a chorus line—it so perfectly seemed to come from everyone in the room at the same time.
    â€œHow do you do?”
    â€œIt’s a pleasure.”
    â€œMarc Kimball!”
    The greetings seemed to sail around the room.
    Clara didn’t speak. She felt uneasy.
    She loved being a performer. She’d received good reviews and bad reviews. She’d been in casts when she’d been the low man on the totem pole, totally ignored by those seeking autographs. She’d had lead roles and signed and greeted people, as well. She’d been panned by critics and loved by critics and she’d been careful never to take any of it too seriously.
    She’d been admired before, and that was nice. But something about the way this man looked at her made her feel queasy.
    She tried to smile. He hadn’t done an evil thing to her.
    â€œIt is you, right? I wasn’t sure about all the particulars, but I heard about Annabelle Lee being done on the Fate. And, I knew, of course, that Wickedly Weird Productions was using cruise line employees for Vacation USA , and I had hoped...”
    Simon sprang to her rescue.
    â€œWe’re all in the cast, sir. Ralph Martini and Larry Hepburn are the gentlemen over there. I’m Simon Green. And, yes, our leading lady is Clara Avery,” he said.
    â€œMiss Avery!” Kimball said, walking over to her. He took her hand. She wanted to scream and wrench it away.
    He kept looking at her as he spoke again. “I came as soon as I heard about what happened. They said it wasn’t necessary, but...I’m so glad I’m here.”

4
    â€œW e’ve got to make some decisions,” Mike said, joining Thor and Jackson after the initial interviews. “The groups out there are getting restless. I’ve still got the film crew separated from the caretaker couple and from the ship’s cast, but they’re all getting edgy. One of the film guys was saying he was already getting cabin fever, but his mate, Becca Marle, was saying that she didn’t want to be out of sight of a cop for the next year. Are we getting them all on a boat or holding them here for a while longer?”
    â€œNone of them is under arrest,” Jackson said. “We can’t really hold them.”
    â€œSome of them, I think, want to be held,” Mike said. “Until we find this guy.”
    They were all silent. It was a dream that a killer such as this