Read Online Done to Death by Charles Atkins - Free Book Online

don’t worry, it won’t mess up your skin. It’s my own mix and it’s loaded with jojoba oil − won’t clog the pores.’
    â€˜I have no pores,’ Ada remarked. She tilted her face, checking the artist’s subtle efforts. Her firm jaw and pointed chin given extra contour, her cheekbones accentuated. Her only jewelry a pair of creamy pearl earrings.
    Melanie beamed. ‘You look awesome! From here we’d head to wardrobe, but that suit … it’s perfect. This could be your thing, high-end vintage. The only thing it needs—’
    â€˜I know,’ Ada said. ‘Pearls. I was going to wear them, but figured we didn’t know where we were going and I’d been a New Yorker for enough years not to want to risk it.’
    Melanie looked at Gretchen. ‘Any chance Peggy’s still here?’
    Gretchen looked down.
    â€˜Shit,’ Melanie said. ‘I keep forgetting.’
    â€˜Who’s Peggy?’ Lil asked.
    â€˜Head of wardrobe … and Lenore’s dresser for more years than any of us have been here.’ Melanie looked at Gretchen. ‘How bad is she taking it?’
    â€˜I think she’s in shock.’ Gretchen looked at Ada. ‘She’s the one who found her. Lenore was apparently still alive, but just. Peggy’s the one who called nine one one.’ She turned to Melanie. ‘And we all know how Peggy felt about Lenore.’
    â€˜The poor thing,’ Melanie said. She shook her head. ‘Well, so much for pearls. Ada, it’s time to get you in front of the camera.’ She pulled out her cell. ‘Jason, is Studio C set? Yeah, at least two, preferably three cameras. Great. Like we’re doing it for real.’

EIGHT
    B arry looked around the LPP penthouse conference room. They’d all gotten the memo signed by the executive team and Richard Parks. The line under Lenore’s son’s name – ‘acting director and CEO, LPP’ − answered one question, and raised more.
    They were seated three to a table and there was not an empty place; extra tables and chairs had been added. He nodded at fellow producers, putting names to faces and taking note of which ones currently had shows, and of those, which were hits and which were headed toward the chopping block. Of course the biggest question was: come tomorrow, do any of us still have jobs? Lenore’s death was a game changer. The central premise of this corporation was Lenore, her style, her personality, which on video was warm, engaging and gave her audience the absolute assurance that they too could master whatever it was they set out to do.
    It was nine p.m., barely nine hours since Lenore was shot. They were all there, even the west coast producers and show runners for the scripted dramas LPP had developed over the past few years. The memo had been brief and carefully crafted.
    To all LPP management:
    Topic: Interim Planning
    In this time of grief and transition, we will be holding the first of a series of meetings to review changes to the LPP structure. While attendance is not mandatory, your presence, and input as we move forward, are greatly appreciated.
    It had been signed by the three people seated on the raised platform at the front. In the center − Lenore’s seat − was Richard Parks, every dark hair in place, his navy suit making him look a decade older than his actual twenty-two. To his right was Patricia (Patty) Corcoran, LPP’s Chief Financial Officer, her hair bright blond and cropped above the collar of her white button-down blouse, her black suit as stiff as armor. On Richard’s left sat Garston Green, the Chief Operating Officer, also in black with a tie the color of fresh blood and recent hair plugs made obvious in the harsh glare of the overheads. They were Lenore’s inner circle.
    Richard tapped his microphone. ‘Thank you for coming. And thank you for the outpouring of condolences. My