“Poor Pandy. She was so alive.”
“Impossible to think she’s gone.”
“How could this happen?”
“So young, too.”
“Literally the best woman—the best woman in New York—”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
The buzz in the hall grew louder. PJ Wallis. Icon. Great loss.
Hellenor Wallis. Pandy’s sister. Over there. You can see the resemblance.
“Excuse me,” Henry said, yanking on Pandy’s arm, bringing her back to reality. Following Judy, he marched her through the exit door and into the backstage hallway.
“Here you go,” Judy said, unlocking the door to SondraBeth’s dressing room.
“Thank you,” Henry said. He pushed Pandy into the room, closed the door, and locked it. He crossed his arms. “Explain.”
“I don’t know where to begin.”
“Try.”
“SondraBeth convinced me. It’s only for a couple of hours. She said if I killed Monica, the mob would go after Jonny—”
Henry looked away, held up his hand, and gave a quick shake of his head. “You’re going to exercise the clause b
ecause of Jonny?”
“It’s only for a couple of hours,” she said pleadingly. “In between the Woman Warrior of the Year Awards and the leg event. Look,” she said, pointing at the red booties. “There they are. Monica’s shoes.”
“You are going to kill Monica at the Woman Warrior of the Year Awards and then bring her back to life at the Shoe Unveiling?” Henry’s voice was beginning to sound thunderous.
“Yes,” Pandy said quietly.
“Who is she, Tinker Bell?”
Pandy shrugged.
“You can’t just go around killing creations and then bringing them back to life,” Henry snapped.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s cheap. It’s soap opera—”
“It’s drama. Monica will die, Jonny will get a talking-to from the mob, and when all that is taken care of, PJ Wallis and Monica will rise up like two phoenixes from the ashes, and everyone will love them again!”
“You’re sacrificing Monica and risking everything you’ve ever achieved for a man?”
“I’m doing it for me.”
“No, you are not. You’re doing it to get even with a man. Meaning, once again, you have allowed your actions to be dictated by a man.”
Pandy had had enough. “You’re a fine one to talk.”
Henry paused. He inhaled, exhaled, and then glowered threateningly. “So you’re going to use that as an excuse.”