‘Nothing,’ Shannon said quickly, putting her hand to her cheek. ‘It’s just a blotch. This conversation you had with Jerry—‘
‘Are you coming down with something, Shirley?’ The famous green eyes narrowed. ‘You have these little red spots all over your face.’
‘No, no, it’s nothing, Rima. Just a little allergic reaction. Answer my question. When did Jerry...’
‘You’re sick,’ Rima said, her voice rising as she backed away. ‘What is it, the measles or something? Jerry, where are you? I’m not playing this scene, not with what’s-her-name coming down with God knows what.’
‘Coming down with what?’ The director moved into the light and peered at Shannon as if she were a laboratory specimen. ‘Jeez, Padgett, what the hell’s happened to you?’
‘It’s nothing,’ Shannon insisted, putting her hand to her face. ‘I have some pills in my dressing-room.’ She took a deep breath and stepped closer to him. ‘Jerry, please, I... I have to talk to you.’
‘Listen, we’ve gone past ten minutes here.’
‘Jerry.. .Mr. Crawford, please—it’s about Cade.’ Crawford hesitated and then took her arm. ‘All right, let’s go get your pills. What the hell, we can’t tape with you looking like a pizza.’ He glanced down at her and then cleared his throat. ‘Look,’ he added gruffly, ‘I shouldn’t have been quite that hard on you this morning.’
‘That’s all right,’ she said quickly. ‘I just want to know about Cade...’
‘Hell, I can’t hold you responsible for your boyfriend.’ The director forced a smile to his face as they walked through the studio. ‘Guilt by association is frowned on in polite society.’
When they finally stepped into her dressing-room, Shannon closed the door and leaned against it. ‘Jerry, please...’ She heard the quaver in her voice and she took a deep breath. Get hold of yourself, she thought. Don’t fall apart. ‘Jerry, you and Rima both seem to think I know what’s going on here, but I don’t. I wish somebody would tell me what’s happening.’
Crawford scowled. ‘Am I supposed to believe that you’re not party to all this?’
‘Party to what?’ she managed to whisper.
‘You and Morgan were seeing each other, weren’t you?’ he demanded.
Shannon opened her mouth and closed it again. ‘Yes,’ she said finally.’
The director shrugged. ‘Then you know he’s gone to California.’
She nodded, tempted for a second to laugh and tell him, as she’d told Rima, that the rumor mill had gone wild, but something in his face stopped her. ‘Yes, of course, I know,’ she said slowly, sitting down at her dressing-table. ‘He went out for the weekend, on business, and he’ll be back tonight.’
. Her heart kicked against her ribs as she saw the look of sudden pity in Jerry’s eyes. ‘Jeez,’ he said softly, ‘you really don’t know, do you?’
‘Don’t know what?’ she asked. ‘Please, Jerry.. .’
‘Morgan’s not coming back tonight. He’s not c
oming back at all, except to do a couple of days’ work that I all but bludgeoned him into.’
Shannon looked at him in disbelief. ‘What are you talking about? Of course he’s coming back. He told me...’
‘Our big star’s signed a contract to do a movie for Scorpio Studios.’
‘In the spring, Jerry. In May.’
‘Morgan’s signed to do a film right now. They start shooting a week from Wednesday in Tahiti. They’ll be there for the next three months at least.’
Shannon shook her head. ‘That’s impossible,’ she said positively. ‘Someone’s made a mistake.’
The director shifted his weight from one foot to the other. ‘Listen, I think you’d better take those pills. You don’t look so hot. And we have to tape this scene.’
Automatically, she fished in her pocketbook until she found the antihistamine tablets and popped two into her mouth.
‘Thanks,’ Crawford said with a quick smile. ‘I guess you’re not much in the mood for it, but... ’
‘There’s a reasonable explanation for all this. There has to be. Cade wouldn’t.. .1 mean, I know him. I...’