I couldn’t hear her over the applause in the background but her lips were easy to read. In case I had any doubt, she held all ten fingers up.
“Thanks.” I nodded then turned to check my lipstick in the backstage mirror and tried not to vomit. Live performances scared the crap out of me. I preferred a camera, a clapboard, and the option to do over.
For the fifteenth time in as many minutes, I wished I’d declined the invitation to present an award. My agent had thought it would be good for exposure, as did our show’s publicist. The only reason they’d asked me in the first place was because Ty Macy, my costar in NextGen, was up for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. Ty had decided early on that the SAG Awards weren’t worth his time even though he was a shoo-in for the win. So they’d chosen me to present it so that, if he won, I could also accept his award on his behalf and not waste time with climbing out of my chair and approaching the stage.
Less time meant less money spent from the budget. Hollywood was all about keeping as much in the producers’ pockets as possible. I was economical. Woohoo for me.
I was also crabby. And restless. While I’d expected to easily get back in the rhythm of filming, I’d been on the set for two weeks and it hadn’t happened. I blamed it on Amber – still missing, still occupying my mind. I refused to credit Reeve Sallis for my distraction. The fact that I’d been counting the days since I’d left his resort – nineteen to be precise – didn’t mean anything either. That was simply the number of days since I’d abandoned my original Find Amber plan. That’s why I knew the count.
Of course, I didn’t have a new plan yet. Which was another reason I was in such a perma bad mood.
“Your forehead wrinkles when you’re pissy.” Amber had told me that more than once during our friendship, and sure enough I saw the crease now. Taking a deep breath, I forced my shoulders back and my face to relax. I swept another coat of gloss over my lips and stuffed the tube into the pocket of my designer dress – the absolute best thing about the evening. Pockets had been my only requirement for the evening’s apparel. I hated being tied to a purse.
As I put my hand in, I felt my phone buzz. I didn’t intend to answer it, just see who was calling. But it was Joe.
“She was spotted,” he said without a hello.
It took a few seconds to register the meaning of his words. “You found Amber?” I was so excited, I forgot to hush my voice.
The stage assistant glared at me with a finger pressed to her lips. I mouthed an apology and plugged an ear so I could hear Joe better over the show in the background.
“No, I haven’t found her. But she was spotted. Sallis is off the hook.”
Electricity pricked at the back of my neck but I refrained from getting my hopes up without more information. I stepped farther back into the wing so I wouldn’t disturb anyone. “What does that mean exactly? Spotted by who?”
“Don’t know. Someone texted me a picture. She’s standing in a casino in Colorado and she looks good. The photo is date stamped and there’s a sign in the background that mentions a Halloween Slot Fest. I’ll send it to you when we’re off the phone.”
“Halloween.” I went through the dates in my head. We’d guessed Amber’s disappearance had occurred sometime between August and September when Reeve had been seen with another woman. “Could he have gotten back together with Amber in October? Is there a chance we have our timeline wrong?”
“I don’t think so.” Joe’s quick answer told me he’d already been through all these possibilities before calling me. “And Amber’s with another guy in this pic.”
“What guy?” There was applause again behind me. I glanced back to make sure it wasn’t time for my entrance and saw there was still one more presenter before me.
“Don’t know who the guy is. Can’t see his face. It’s not Reeve, though. He wasn’t in Colorado at Halloween. He was at a Day of the Dead charity event that Sallis Resorts and the Four Seasons sponsored in Hawaii.”
“And you’re sure that the picture wasn’t doctored to make us think it was taken later than it was?”
Again, Joe’s tone was sure. “I’ll send the pic to you. You’ll see.”
Other excuses begged to be spoken, reasons why Reeve couldn’t possibly be innocent in Amber’s disappearance. But, really, why did I think that? Because he’d threatened me? Because he’d had a shaky relationship with her? Because I didn’t want to stop thinking about him, even if it was only in terms of this case?
It’s not him. This is a good thing. “Well, okay then. I guess we can drop the investigation regarding Reeve.”
“I’ve already pulled the resources that were allocated to researching him further. I’ll keep a loose eye on him in case something comes up, but this is a pretty good sign. And now you don’t need to play amateur Nancy Drew and can drop whatever insane investigation you were doing on your own.”
“What are you —?” Except, as soon as I thought about it, I knew exactly what he was referring to. A humiliated blush crept up my neck. “How did you —?”
Joe cut me off. “It’s my job, Em. I have a loose tail on the guy. How did you think I wouldn’t find out?” He didn’t wait for my answer, which was fine because I didn’t have one. “And this isn’t my job, but I feel I need to tell you that what you did was beyond stupid. Not only did you put yourself in the circle of someone who is very probably a dangerous man, but you didn’t tell anyone what you were doing. What would have happened if Sallis had discovered the reason you were at his resort in the first place?”