I walked over to the front desk. The wordsSilver Screen Talenthung with shiny letters behind the receptionist. “Hi there. I’m here to see Agatha.”
She cocked her head. “And you are…?”
“An old friend. Can you please tell her that Jonah Carter is here to see her?”
“She’s super-duper-busy today, and she doesn’t like it when people stop by without an appointment.”
“Yeah, she’s tight like that.” I leaned forward on the high desk. “Agatha and I go way back. I’d love to tell her about what I heard about the new Tarantino movie.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Tarantino?”
“I came here right as I heard. Agatha willdiewhen she hears it.”
She chewed on her lower lip, clearly debating whether I was a charlatan and whether she was willing to risk it if I wasn’t. Eventually, she stood up and said, “Wait here. What did you say your name was?”
“Jonah Carter.”
I waited anxiously as she went into Agatha’s office and closed the door. Never one to cause a scene, I knew I would have to if Agatha refused to see me.
Maybe I should let Hayden know what I’m doing.It hadn’t occurred to me that I might be tampering with an activeinvestigation. I reached for my phone, but the office door opened before I could.
“You can go in,” the receptionist said.
“Thank you.”
*
“I never would have guessed you’d stop by, Jonah.”
Agatha sat behind her organized desk while I sat on the other side, trying to ignore the overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Despite her smile, her body language radiated discomfort, but was it because I was a waste of her time or because she suspected what had brought me here?
“Thanks for seeing me.”
“Oh, I always have time for old clients,especiallywhen they have news about the new Tarantino movie.”
“Sorry about that.”
“That’s okay.” She crossed her arms, her hair straight as a ruler and dyed platinum blonde. “So, to what do I owe the honor?”
Neither of us was a fan of small talk, which I always liked about her, even when her blunt words hurt. “I need to ask you something, and I need you to answer honestly.”
“I was always honest with you.”
“I’m here because of Nick.”
She cleared her throat. “Nick?”
“Nick Torres.”
“Oh, right. He did mention you and him were… hanging out.” She smiled coyly and winked. Being in the industry for as longas she had, she must have experienced the shift in acceptance toward gay actors.I’ll drop you faster than a sack of potatoes if you get labeled as a homo actor, Jonah.
By the way she spoke about Nick, I assumed that no one told her about what happened. “Nick is missing. He disappeared a few days ago.”
“I’m aware.”
I frowned. “You are?”
“A sexy detective came over to ask me about that. I wasn’t much help, but I told him it was likely a case of Nick running away to lick his wounds.”
