“Are you also maybe betting that audiences will want to come see you because you’re a vampire?”
“Maybe,” she said.
“Has being a vampire helped you in other ways? You’ll stay young-looking, but what about stage presence? Your ability to connect with an audience? I saw your show, and I have to say it was almost supernatural.”
“Thank you, I think. But you’re talking about the powers vampires are reported to have. The mind control, that sort of thing.” She said it wryly, like it was a joke, an urban legend that had no basis in reality.
“That’s right.”
“I was an actress and singer before I became a vampire. I really hope my talent is my own.”
That didn’t really answer the question, which shouldn’t have surprised me. “Well, Mercedes, are you ready to talk to a few listeners?”
“Sure, that sounds like fun.”
The board was all lit up—like the lights of Broadway. Ha.
“Hello, Frankie, you’re on the air. What would you like to ask Ms. Cook?”
“Oh, my God, I knew it! I just knew it! You had to be a vampire, you haven’t changed a bit in forty years.”
; “You’ve been a fan for a long time, then?” Mercedes said, a laugh behind her voice.
“No—I mean, I haven’t even been alive that long!”
I butted in. “Wow, Frankie, you really know how to make a girl feel special.”
“You know what I mean. What I really want to say—it was only a matter of time, with so many actors and actresses these days who seem ageless. It can’t all be plastic surgery. I want to ask Mercedes if she knows any other celebrities who might be vampires.”
“It’s not my place to reveal such information. I’d certainly have hated it if anyone else revealed my nature before I was ready.”
“Not even any guesses?”
I interrupted. “I do have to wonder if coming out as a vampire will be the next cool thing. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Next caller, hello.”
“Ms. Cook, I’ve been a fan of yours for ages. You must have such a unique perspective. How has musical theater changed over the course of your career? You’ve seen the whole history of it. You could probably write a book.”
“What an interesting idea, maybe I will.”
I had a lot more musical theater fans among my audience than I would have expected, and I was thrilled to no end that they asked intelligent questions. Mercedes never seemed bored. A few numbskulls called in demanding to know how to become vampires. Mercedes politely used my line—that this wasn’t a lifestyle she advocated. We were here to talk about problems and issues, not to advertise. The whole thing managed to stay pretty light—right up until the end.
“All right, I think we’ve got time for one or two more. Next caller, hello.”
The caller had a low male voice, like he was speaking close to the phone and didn’t want to be overheard. “Mercedes. I can’t help but wonder what you get out of this revelation. I know vampires, and I know you—at least by reputation. And everything you do has a purpose.”
It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that her reputation among vampires might be as something other than a great Broadway actress.
I said, “You seem to be talking about a different Mercedes Cook from the one sitting with me in the studio.”
“Perhaps I am. Remember, she didn’t start out as the person with you now. She’s probably reinvented herself a dozen times over the decades.”
“And you know this how?”
The line clicked off.
Mercedes and I exchanged a glance—she artfully arched her brow, shrugged a little, as if to say she didn’t have any idea what that was all about.