Writer's
Note: Please read the previous chapters and prologue of Invisible
Threads before reading this.
CHAPTER NINE
Philip Sessa, field
producer for Superstar
films, was finished with the interview of Dr. Lecki and was not
happy. He called Cherie and Gary in Lecki's office as soon as the
professor had stormed out.
"We got nothing.
The guy didn't say anything that wasn't sarcastic,
passive-aggressive, or just mean. Does he like you at all?"
Gary shrugged, "No."
It was odd to be
standing in Lecki's office with the professor not there. There was
constant motion as cameras and lights were being folded up and put
away. It was distracting.
"Then why did you
give us his name?"
"You asked for
someone that knew me well and would talk about me. He's it."
Philip looked to
Cherie. "We need something better than this."
Cherie rounded on
Gary. "You mentioned that your mother is ill. How sick is she?
Maybe we could use that."
Gary looked up from
the floor and briefly into her eyes. "Maybe we could what?"
Cherie frowned.
"Okay... not great wording. But how sick is she? Really?"
Gary looked from
Cherie to Philip and then back to Cherie. He touched her arm. "Can
we talk a minute?"
She allowed him to
lead her down the hall to his office. Gary shut the door after they
entered.
"No, we cannot use
my mother," His voice was strained.
"Is it that bad?
Is she comatose or something?"
"No, it's
psychiatric. She's heavily medicated and it just wouldn't work."
"Could she stop
taking her meds for a day or two?"
Gary's teeth
ground together but he kept his voice even. "Not an option. Maybe
we just go forward without an interview."
"We need to show
America a version of you that they can identify with. What about that
guy in your office, Phang?"
He thought for a
second. "You don't know him very well. Phang's sense of humor
is... problematic."
There were no other
options. Her mind raced trying to come up with something. It was like
a wheel spinning round and round. Where
she stops nobody knows.
Then it stopped. Oh
crap.
She gave herself one
more moment before opening her mouth and making this real. "Then
there's only one idea left and you owe me big time."
Cherie stepped
forward and stood directly in front of Gary. Putting one hand on each
of his shoulders, she leaned forward on her tip-toes and closed her
eyes. She fell short. Tip-toes and all, her lips were about 8 inches
lower than Gary's.
She opened one eye.
"A little help here."
Gary stepped back.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to
kiss you."
"Why?!"
She had intended to
make a dramatic point but the moment was lost, "We will give
America your girlfriend. No... your fianc"
"I don't have
either one of those things."
"How dense are
you? I am saying that I will be your fiancfor the interviews."
"You're not my
fianc" His tone was a little more panicked than either of them
would have liked.
"You know that.
And I know that. But America doesn't know that. We have to figure
out how we're going to do this."
"We're not. The
Superstar
people don't want us to make something up. They said that they want
a real story that can stand up against fact checks."
"I am sure they
do. But they won't know either."
"Of course, they
will! They know you worked for them and how long we've known each
other."
"Where have I been
living for the past week?"
"In my apartment."
"With whom?"
"With me."
"Anyone else?"
"Uh-h-h-h no."
"Well then, we are
two healthy young people full of hormones and stuff. What do you
think they believe we're doing in there?"
"Reading sci-fi
novels and watching Netflix."
"No. That's what
we're actually doing. What any reasonable person assumes is that we
are making wild, hot monkey sex in there."
"But I don't
find you particularly attractive."
She clenched her
fists. "And you're not exactly a hunka hunka burnin' love
either. But we make do."
"But the Superstar
people still know that we have only known each other since the
audition."
"I'm an actress.
I can sell this."
"I hate this
idea."
"Give me something
better or get on board." She crossed her arms and waited. Gary had
nothing.
She continued,
"Let's go back and grab Philip before they get packed up. I'll
do the talking."
She took his clammy
hand and led him down the hall.
"Hey Philip!"
Cherie called out as they approached.
Philip looked up,
"What's up?"
"We didn't want
to say anything because we haven't told our folks yet, but Gary and
I are engaged."
"Engaged?" His
tone was dubious.
Cherie stepped
forward. "We've been living together since I got to town. You can
verify that."
Philip looked at
Gary rubbing his chest and laughed. "Okay. Sure. You're engaged.
I assume that means that the shoot is back on."
Cherie beamed. "We
just need to find a backdrop."
"Somewhere outside
is usually good."
She pondered. "We
need to find someplace scenic in Champaign, Illinois in the winter."
They both looked at Gary.
Gary thought for a
moment. "How about in front of the Cattle Bank?
Cherie shook her
head. "I'm not going to be filmed under a sign that says Cattle
Bank."
"What about the
Illinois Traction Station? That's an easy walk."
She pulled out her
phone. "Since when are you an architectural historian?"
Gary shrugged. "I
walk a lot when the weather is good. It goes with having no social
life."
Cherie and Philip
were busily googling the building on their phones. Philip looked up
first. "Works for me if it works for you." He looked at his
watch. "We've lost the light today and I think the weather is
supposed to be better tomorrow. I'll find motel rooms for the
night, and we'll crank this out in the morning. We have to be on
the road before noon."
***
Jim Harriman didn't
sleep. When Superstar
had originally contacted him and asked him to compete, they had been
clear that he would be a frontrunner and they would make him a focus
of the season. Now they were telling him to copy the trick of another
magician!
He gave up around
5am and got on his computer. There was no way he could concentrate
enough to work on his act. What was the tone he heard in Ed's
voice? Was
it dismissive? Was he yesterday's news before ever making the
paper?
His mother left for
work, leaving him alone in the house. He was normally indifferent to
being alone. But this morning, aloneness was oppressive, like a
weight. He wanted someone to talk with and distract him from his
thoughts. His mind worked better with the adrenaline load of
performing for others. An acquaintance had once said that he was like
a dog that enjoyed showing off his tricks.
He clicked the link
that was waiting in his inbox and the first video was of Gary in the
cubicle with Cherie at their first meeting. Harriman recognized
neither of them. He watched until the trick was over and stopped it
just as Cherie said, "That's impossible."
Jim's first
thought echoed the woman's: That
is impossible!
But then he stopped himself. That was exactly what the illusionist
wanted him to think. He had stolen tricks before. Anything that has
happened is possible. Therefore, he just had to work backwards from
what he saw to figure it out.
He replayed it
multiple times. The only chance to plant the card was before the
trick started. That required that she be in on the trick. What was Ed
trying to tell him?
The second video was
the Phase 4 audition. In this one, the camera work was much smoother
and everything was clear. In both instances, Richardson seemed to be
surprised that he was having to do his act. It was a clever ruse. It
made the audience believe that this was happening cold with no
preparation. That way, they subconsciously ruled out any preparations
when they reacted to the trick.
He replayed through
the trick again frame by frame. By calling attention to Ed who put
the card between his hands, Richardson was calling attention away
from the woman who would be the recipient of the card. That is where
Jim focused his attention. He saw no unusual movements from the woman
but again her left palm was never clearly shown. That was obviously
how the trick was done, but, again, required her to be an accomplice.
He stopped the video
and looked over the heads of the staff at the table. In the back
corner of the room was the woman from the previous video. She was
nondescript, so he opened the two videos side-by-side and confirmed.
It was her.
Since Ed had made
the initial card vanish, he had to be in on it, as well. But why? And
why were they telling him about it now?
The third video was
the actual audition in front of the judges. He watched this one very
closely and Richardson was 15 to 20 feet away from the illusion. It
was raw footage so he could see the camera feed from both sides,
right and left. This gave him a clear view of both palms of each
judge as they became part of the trick.
He watched it again
and again. Even with collusion, this would require all four judges to
have professional level sleight of hand skills. Or editing. But there
was a live audience. He replayed it again and watched the timer on
the video. No glitches.
Occam's Razor was
beginning to get dull.
He went back through
the videos with a fresh mind. He watched the videos yet again and
tried to focus his mind on the perspective of Richardson. The first
video didn't give him a lot of evidence, so he started with the
second one. He put himself in Richardson's head.
And then he was
terrified.
His eyes jerked away
from the screen and focused on the room around him. There was the
television set and the old bookshelf full of his mother's memories.
Across the way was the kitchen. The fear faded away. That was odd.
But he needed to figure the trick out. So, he tried again.
And the fear came
back.
He stood up and
physically turned his back on the screen and immediately calmed.
Spinning back around, he avoided looking at Richardson or the
staffers at the table but focused on the girl in the back of the room
who had been in the first two videos. She was the key to this.
Harriman was sure of it. Just because there wasn't a vast
conspiracy, did not mean there wasn't
any
conspiracy.
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