Cara Putman - Deadly Exposure

They stepped into the wide hallway. Dani looked around, hoping tonight wouldn’t be the time she ran into the only person she’d allowed to break her heart. Caleb Jamison. The thought of him made her emotions spiral into a tornado of anger and hurt. She looked over her shoulder, afraid he’d appear like some horror-movie ghoul. Wished she could wipe her memory of him.

“Aunt Jayne, let’s step up here. I interviewed your new friend last week. Maybe she’d like to join us.”

Dani approached the neighboring box. She knocked on the doorframe, parted the curtain and entered the woman’s box. A spicy fragrance tinged the air.

“Renee?” Dani waited a moment. The woman never turned. The seconds ticked by. “Are you enjoying the show? Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.”

Renee remained silent. Dani stepped closer. One part of her mind began to insist she leave. Now.

Dani tapped Renee on the shoulder. Her skin felt cool. With quick steps she circled the seat and stood in front of Renee. Dani looked down, looking for a flash of recognition. Instead, Renee’s gaze remained fixed, a horrible grimace pasted to her face. The emerald scarf wound tight around her neck in contrast to the way it floated earlier.

She sucked in a breath and willed herself to remain calm. Between the tightness of the scarf and the bruise lying under the woman’s jaw, Dani’s instinct jumped to murder. Bile rose in her throat. She put a hand over her mouth and swallowed.

This couldn’t be happening again. Images of her college roommate’s distorted features floated in front of Renee’s. She’d been too late then. She couldn’t be now. Dani rushed into the hall, fumbled for the cell phone in her evening bag and dialed 911. No service. She thrust the phone back into her purse. “Somebody call 911. There’s a medical emergency. Does anyone know CPR?”

She didn’t wait for an answer but ran back into the box. She sensed someone behind her, and turned to find Aunt Jayne. She pulled her attention back to Renee, and tried to ease her to the floor, struggling under the leaden weight.

Please don’t let it be too late.

Concerned faces peered into Dani’s from around the curtain. A well-dressed gentleman slipped into the box. He eased Renee the rest of the way to the floor, then loosened the scarf. He checked the woman’s neck for a pulse. Dani watched him silently tick the seconds off his watch for an eternal moment. He shook his head and glanced at her. “It’s too late.”

Dani shuddered. She rose to her feet and took Aunt Jayne by the arm. “Let’s get you back to our seats where you can be comfortable.” A couple minutes later, Dani stood in the foyer. She took a step toward Renee’s box, then turned back to her own. Aunt Jayne seemed fine, but Dani hesitated.

The news director would expect a complete report. She’d found the body, so she’d own the story from this moment. Somehow she’d balance that with caring for Aunt Jayne until she was back in her suite at Peaceful Estates. Interview questions ran through her mind. Someone had to have seen something.

“Ma’am, you have to stay until the police arrive.” A tenor voice tickled her ear.

Dani jumped back against the wall. She turned toward the sound. An usher had invaded her space and her gaze met a fishy stare.

“You’re a reporter with Channel 17, right?” He slid a half step back and licked his lips. “They…the police, I mean, should be here soon. They’ll want to talk to you. You found the body.”

She stepped to the side, unable to bear his proximity. “I promise I won’t leave before the police arrive.”

“Maybe I should clear the box.” His gaze darted around the small area.

“It’s a little late for that. Quite a few people have moved in and out already.”

“Still, there must be something. They never told us what to do in a situation like this.” Beads of sweat pooled on his brow as he twisted the top button of his shirt open. Angry uncertainty flashed across his face.

Dani leaned farther into the wall. “Are you okay? I’d be happy to get help.”

“I’m fine.” With a parting glare and tug at his collar, he turned on his heel and headed down the hall.

Dani watched him disappear, and then turned to the box. A security guard huffed up the stairs. A couple followed him. The man, tall and trim with a long stride, caught her eye. The woman held his arm and managed to keep up without looking rushed. Every brown piece of hair was in place, and her blue cocktail dress perfectly fit her athletic form. The man looked at her. Dani froze. One look in Caleb Jamison’s face, and she reverted to the teenager head over heels for the star football player. The teenager who couldn’t say no. The teenager who ached when he stopped seeing her. Stopped calling. Stopped caring.

The ice disappeared in a flash of anger. Her hands trembled. Her stomach clenched at the thought of his smug, self-satisfied face. She couldn’t go back there. The echo of their baby’s cries as she was given to others jarred Dani’s mind. Caleb had abandoned her long before the birth. Yet here he was, cocky smile and all. He took a step toward her, and Dani escaped into the box.

Dani blinked to adjust to the dim lighting and pull her attention back from the nightmare of her past. The curtains brushed against her back, but she refused to turn and see who was there. Note to self: don’t run into a closed room when trying to avoid someone. Several people filled the box. She worked her way toward a young coed.

A hand gripped her arm. Even though she knew it was Caleb, she jumped.

“Dani, we need to talk.” His voice reached deep inside her. She stiffened. “But it’ll wait. Right now you need to get out of this box. Wait for me in the lobby.”

“Let go of me.” Dani hissed and tried to shake free.

“I will when you start to obey.”

“That worked so well for me last time.” She snorted, stepping back. “Excuse me. I have a job to do.”

She turned and ignored his soft chuckle. She didn’t even want to know what amused him. She could imagine. None of the options merited turning around.

“Everyone out.” Caleb’s voice sank lower and easily filled the small space.

Dani kept her back to him as the crowd dispersed along with her interviews. She spun on her heel and followed everyone to the foyer. A burly security guard moved to the top step. He crossed his arms and stood legs apart, a barrier to reentry.

Caleb directed the group toward a small room, acting every bit the police officer. How could the young man who’d had no qualms about drinking underage and partying end up as an investigator with the Lincoln Police Department? And why was he with a beautiful woman?

Dani eased a coed and her date to the side. The twenty-something young man looked like a player for the university’s renowned football team. Their holey jeans and T-shirts stood out in the well-dressed crowd.

The girl clung to her date, wide-eyed. “This is wild. How could this happen here?”

“Yeah,” the young man said. “I heard the excitement and rushed over. Wonder where her date is?” He tucked the girl under his arm.

Dani smiled at him. “Did either of you see her with anyone tonight?”

“Nope, but she wasn’t dressed to be alone.” He glanced toward the box. “Seems like a strange place for this to happen.”

“Why would you say that? I’ve heard of stranger things.”

“Maybe on CSI. But the theater is packed. Not a place I’d pick.”

Dani shook her head. “Maybe not. Here’s my card. If either of you think of anything, call.”

She stepped back as Caleb waved the couple into the room. She scanned the foyer looking for others to talk to. No way was she stepping into a small space with him. It didn’t matter how many other people were there.