The Case of the Stained Stilettos Page 3

  But Susana was stubborn, and she had her heart set on becoming the darling of the jet set … a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She imagined it all: summers in Lake Como … red carpet strolls with Ryan Seacrest asking “Who are you wearing” … the perfect husband with the perfect bank account and the appropriate executive-level position in the entertainment industry. Those were the childhood dreams of Susana Alfonso, and they never wavered. Not even once.

  When she was in secondary school, Susana had photos and headshots taken of herself to send to Hollywood agents. Most got favorable responses, but there were a few comments about her weight.

  Susana’s weight was perfectly normal for a teenage girl, but she had no intention of settling for “normal.” She started eating less and less, cutting the food on her plate and moving it around while everyone else finished eating, then slipping it into the garbage as soon as she was allowed to leave the table.

  Her skin took on an unhealthy pallor, which she fixed with spray tans and makeup. She suffered vicious headaches from lack of nutrients, which she chased away with pain pills that she was able to sneak out of her father’s pharmaceutical labs.

  She worked out multiple times per day and chased the pain pills with muscle relaxers to get rid of the muscle spasms that came from too few electrolytes. Though she was not intentionally bulimic, the combination of pain pills and muscle relaxers usually caused her to throw up what little food she had eaten.

  By the time Susana moved to Hollywood, she was down to a size double-zero and spoke English with no trace of an accent. In fact, she could do accents from New York to New Delhi, and people could not take their eyes off her beautiful face. Her well-heeled wardrobe disguised her frail, underfed body.

  Never again would a camera pick up an angle that showed fat instead of muscle.

  Susana enrolled in the Hollywood Academy of Creative Arts, known for its theatre department. Many actors and industry moguls teach there as a way to “give back” to the community.

  When Susana thinks back to her first day of class at HACA, she remembers sitting next to Sal Caggiano. The two had an immediate rapport. Sal had those New York “bad boy” looks and an incredible smile, and he seemed to look past Susana’s obvious beauty and see the person inside.

  That in itself was rare. Most people were so startled by her beauty that they never bothered to find out if she was smart or funny or kind. She appreciated Sal for treating her like a buddy. And she loved his personality. He was charming and industrious and talented. In many ways, Sal reminded Susana of her father. Both men had worked very hard to achieve success. Sal had the same type of drive and determination that catapulted her father to the highest levels of the pharmaceutical industry. Someday, Susana thought, Sal might attain a status that her parents would find acceptable for matrimony.

  But not today, and not soon enough. Señor Alfonso has made it clear that unless his daughter marries someone from an established family, he will stop funding her dreams of stardom. So, as charming as Sal is, he will have to remain “just a good friend.”

  On that same first day of class, she met Sal’s best friend, Mark Lathem, son of the legendary Daniel Lathem and Dana Montgomery. “Legendary.” That is what Susana wants to be. A face on the big screen in the dark who, in a hundred years, will be remembered as one of the preeminent actresses of her generation.

  Mark was younger than the men Susana had dated in Brazil. Unbeknown to her parents, she sneaked out to date college boys when she was fourteen, and by the time she was seventeen, her tastes had turned toward established men in their forties. She left for Los Angeles when she was eighteen and spent her first year dating studio executives twice her age and older. Her “specialty” was producers in mid-life crisis in search of an “arm charm.”

  Paparazzi snapped the photos of her dates and posted them online. Her parents in Brazil, now aware of her dating habits, are watching more closely, getting daily reports from private investigators they have hired to watch out for Susana’s welfare.

  While Mark Lathem was closer to her own age than she preferred, he had the right pedigree to help with her acting career and enough money and social standing to be acceptable to her parents. On paper, he was perfect.

  So, on the first day of acting class at Hollywood Academy for Creative Arts, Susana set her sights on Mark Lathem and set the path that she planned to ride to stardom. She pulled out all the stops — form-fitting dresses, short skirts, plunging necklines and extra fake eyelashes — in her pursuit of the heir to the Montgomery-Lathem dynasty.

  Whenever there was a love scene in acting class, Susana made sure that Mark was her scene partner. Perhaps the scene that got the most attention was Susana as Sally Bowles from the musical, Cabaret, complete with bowler hat, garter belt, fishnets and her over-the-top rendition of the erotic dance Sally performs with a chair. After some initial gasps, everyone fell silent as Susana belted out the song “Mein Herr,” doing her best to “out-Liza” Liza Minnelli. Who knew that behind all that beauty Susana actually had talent?

  Outside the classroom, Susana had worked hard to ingratiate herself to Dana, although truth be told, she was more interested in pleasing Mark’s stepfather, Blaine Jeffries, than Mark’s mother. As far as Susana was concerned, Dana was a means to an end, but flirting with Blaine always made the trip infinitely more pleasant.

  Chapter 9

  Inside a classroom at the Hollywood Academy of Creative Arts, Sal Caggiano takes a seat in the back next to his best friend, Mark Lathem.

  Standing at the front of the classroom, writing on the blackboard, is Mark’s third stepfather since Daniel died, Blaine Jeffries.

  A handsome actor whose career has gone from popular leading man to frequent character actor, Blaine is an above-par acting teacher and a notorious skirt-chaser. His tendency to flirt with every attractive woman he meets, from cleaning ladies to studio heads, has earned him a reputation, but smoke has yet to produce fire. He is either the epitome of discretion and the luckiest man on the planet, or innocent of all charges.

  That being said, lack of proof never stops his students from pursuing him, and Blaine seems to revel in the advances he is constantly fielding from female students.

  Today, Blaine is discussing Hamlet, with a focus on character motives and plot intricacies. With his back to the class, he writes a list on the board.

  FOUR ELEMENTS OF A PLAY

  1. Introduction

  2. Rise of Action

  3. Climax

  4. Denouement

  The chalk squeaks as Blaine’s backside moves tantalizingly as he completes each line with a flourish. Some students suspect that this balletic ritual, obviously intended to show off his assets, is the real reason he continues to use a blackboard and chalk rather than graduating to electronic methods. What better way to seduce the female students than with a little jiggle in the service of higher learning?

  Mark glances at Sal and rolls his eyes at Blaine’s ritual mating dance and Sal bursts out laughing. Most of the students turn around and Sal shoots his employees a look designed to get them to mind their own business. Sal would rather have taken classes from a python, but Blaine’s students have gone on to measurable success, so he tolerates Mark’s stepfather.

  As Mark’s best friend, Sal also feels the need to protect his buddy, should Blaine ever start flirting with Mark’s fiancée, Susana Alfonso, again.

  Susana sits at the front of the classroom, lazily twirling her pen. As her manicured hand rotates, she sparkles the entire room with the six-carat diamond ring that Mark gave her when they became engaged. From one row over, Beth Luker shoots her a look to try and get her to stop.

  Susana ignores Beth and stares at her future father-in-law, admiring his blackboard dance. With one ear on the lecture, she is daydreaming about what it will be like to become a member of the Lathem-Montgomery-Jeffries family.

  Susana knows the rules, where Dana Montgomery is concerned. As the daughter of a South American pharmaceutical m
agnate, Susana is considered by Dana to be an acceptable partner for her son. Susana is beautiful (but not more beautiful than Dana). Susana is rich (but not as rich as Dana). Susana is talented (but never, ever to be as talented as Dana).

  Furthermore, Susana’s financial independence puts her beyond suspicion when it comes to the ever-present danger of gold digging. With “Daddy” Alfonso swimming in cash, Susana was more than happy to sign a prenup, and this suits Dana just fine.

  The only fly in this ointment is Susana’s attraction to Blaine. It is odd how the young woman’s feelings for her future father-in-law have evolved into a kind of open secret, bubbling beneath every interaction between Dana, Blaine, and Susana. Dana can feel the tension when the three of them are together. As a lifelong expert in the subtle art of attraction, Dana understands that there is a tragic inevitability to the chemistry between her husband and her future daughter-in-law. She endures it for Mark’s sake, not wanting to interfere with what could be a happy future with Susana, but it certainly is not a situation Dana enjoys. Her only consolation is that Susana is preferable to Mark’s ex, Beth.

  Dana was certain that Beth was dating Mark for his money while sleeping with Blaine on the side. If Dana were here now to see Beth flashing her bustline in Blaine’s direction, there would be pieces of shredded catering jacket strewn all around the classroom.

  Beth feels around in all of her pockets and pulls out a tube of lipstick. Slowly and deliberately, she applies a new coat of color, then directs her least subtle “come hither” look at Blaine. He notices this solo show and freezes for a second before continuing.

  Fixing his eyes back on Beth for just a moment, Blaine luridly spouts the day’s lesson on the four parts of a play. “The play’s action builds to the … climax,” he says, looking over at Beth, then briefly at Susana. “What’s after the climax?”

  Beth waves her hand and leans forward, flashing a glimpse of camisole.

  “The denouement,” she purrs. “Day-nooooo-mohn. The French word describing the time after the climax.” Beth aims the final word directly at Blaine, pursing her lips across both syllables.

  She slides down in her seat, twisting to give Blaine a better view of her bustline as she pulls her jacket lapel to one side and returns the lipstick to her pocket. He walks toward her, arm outstretched.

  “Very good,” Blaine says. “And now, let’s see how this all works in the context of a love scene.”

  Sal grimaces as Blaine takes Beth’s hand and guides her toward the front of the classroom, where she giggles and curtsies to Blaine.

  Sal snorts, whispering to Mark, “Dude, this had better stop or I’m going to kill them both.” He pulls a rubber band tight between his fists. It snaps and flies toward Mark, who flinches when it hits his arm.

  “Hey!” Mark says, and Sal quickly apologizes before returning his attention to Beth and Blaine.

  Blaine waves at the breakdown of Hamlet on the blackboard.

  “Can anyone name a feature film or television show that is based on Hamlet? Or has a reference to Hamlet in the plot?”

  Hands go up. Voices call out the obvious answers … The Lion King … Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead … Clueless … Hair … Blade Runner … at least one Star Trek episode per season … Grosse Pointe Blank…

  “You’re forgetting one of my favorites,” Blaine says. “Sons of Anarchy. Does no one recognize the similarity between Hamlet and Jax Teller?”

  Beth purrs, “I love Jax Teller.”

  Blaine holds out his hand and says, “Perfect. I’ll be Jax. You be Tara,” and the two proceed to give the class a display of the TV couple’s on-screen chemistry.

  Blaine pulls Beth into a tight clutch, their lips inches apart. Their improvised scene from the television series goes from zero to sixty in under a minute, with only a few lines of dialogue.

  Sal grimaces. He calls to Beth from his seat, saying, “You do know I’m in the room, don’t you?”

  Beth barely registers this comment, while Blaine glances slyly at Sal and dips Beth for a kiss. Sal’s face quickly goes from a light shade of watermelon to beet-red. He hisses to Mark, “Your stepdad is some piece of work.”

  Mark whispers, “He’s a piece of something, alright.”

  When Mark and Sal turn their attention back to the front of the class, the love scene between Blaine and Beth is mercifully over, but now Mark’s stepdad is recruiting Susana Alfonso for another go around.

  Sal nudges Mark. “Look out, buddy. Blaine’s moving from my girl to yours.”

  Mark hisses his disgust as Blaine guides Susana over to the mini stage at the front of the class, twirls her around twice, then pulls her toward him for an over-the-top stage kiss.

  To the relief of both young men, the bell rings and interrupts any further “acting” between Blaine and Susana. They hustle out of the classroom, trying to leave the memories of the day behind.

  “I have to run over and check things at the deli. Want to come along? I’ll comp you a soda if you’re low on cash,” Sal chuckles. “I’ll even throw in extra ice to freeze the memory of Blaine out of your brain, if you want.”

  Mark laughs and says, “Sure,” and after quickly waving to Beth and Susana, the two old friends start over to the deli.

  On the way, Sal asks, “So, I have to ask … is this attraction to Beth a ‘family’ thing? You dated her before I did, and now Blaine seems to be moving in. I thought I was going to have to peel him off of her back there and smash him into the floor.”

  “A family thing?” Mark says. “Um, no. Blaine is my third stepfather and I hardly consider him family. We have nothing in common, except for Mom.”

  “Nothing in common?” Sal exclaims. “You both slept with Beth before I did.”

  Mark shakes his head. “Yes … I mean maybe. Probably. I have no proof. But my suspicion that they had slept together was one of the two reasons that Beth and I broke up. I have no interest in sharing anything with that man.”

  “What was the second reason?” Sal asks. “Let me guess: Dana thought Beth only wanted you for your inheritance?”

  “That’s what Mom thought, but Beth wouldn’t have had the patience to wait for my inheritance. No, I think it had to do with Beth and Blaine. Money isn’t always an issue.”

  Sal grins acerbically and says, “Easy to say if you have money. Sometimes, rich people are, well…” he thinks better of finishing the sentence. “Sorry, I didn’t mean you. You’ve never been a snob. And I’m not ashamed to be a working-class guy. Beth is a working-class girl. Maybe that’s why she’s better-suited to me than she was to you.”

  Mark tries to reassure his friend. “Hey, Mom likes you, and you’re...” and his voice trails off.

  Sal finishes the sentence for him. “Dana likes me and I’m a working stiff?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way—”

  “It’s okay. I’m not ashamed.”

  They reach the deli and head inside, jangling the bell on the front door.

  “You know, I’m not sure class has anything to do with it,” Mark says. “Beth is better-suited to you because your stepfather isn’t hanging around ogling Beth’s camisole, causing your mom to drown in pills and martinis.”

  Sal smiles at this roundabout offer of reassurance. “I thought Dana was past all that. She seems so much better after rehab,” he says.

  “She is,” Mark says. “I’m not even sure she needed rehab. I think she just wanted a break from acting, and her advisors cooked up the idea to add to her ‘bad girl’ image. You know my mother. Does she strike you as a woman who ever allows anything to get out of her control?”

  “Nope.”

  “She can control everything, except Blaine. Maybe some things aren’t meant to be. Like Beth and me. We were doomed. Even my mom couldn’t control Beth’s lust for Blaine.”

  “As strange as it sounds, I’m actually grateful for that.”

  Mark shoots him a confused look, and Sal tries to explain. “I know, it’s backw
ards, but if Beth’s crush on Blaine is what finally broke you two up, then I can’t help but see that as a good thing for me. You know I’ve loved Beth since grade school. I’ll take her any way I can get her. It’s not like I can compete with your potential ten-figure bank account.”

  Mark smiles self-consciously at this, unsure what to say.

  Sal laughs, “No offense, buddy. It’s just a little easier to put up with Beth having wanted you if I can pin it on your impending inheritance of a few billion dollars. Softens the blow.”

  Mark looks at his friend reassuringly. “That was a lifetime ago. Besides, I’d give up the money my dad left Mom and me to have him alive again. Daniel Lathem was a good man, a great actor and a greater father.”

  “I bet he never fooled around on your mom like Blaine does. Why do you think she puts up with it?” asks Sal.

  Mark grimaces. “I don’t know. Stepdads two and three weren’t around long enough to learn my name. This third reboot has been no charm, even though their fans are convinced it’s true romance.”

  Sal pivots, and asks, “How are things with Susana?”

  “Fine,” Mark says, unconvincingly. “Good. Things are good.”

  Sal eyes Mark and says, “Good.”

  Mark stares at his friend in silence until Sal steps into the breach. “Susana checks a lot of boxes, doesn’t she? I can see why your mom is accepting her into the family. She’s beautiful, refined and rich. And did I mention beautiful?”

  “Yep. Yep, you did. And I’ve got no argument there. She may be Brazil’s most gorgeous export. I don’t know who could disagree with that.”

  “Other than Beth, you mean? Probably nobody.”

  Mark laughs again and says, “We’re both very lucky. Let’s just say that.”

  “We’re lucky, but I have a question for you,” Sal says, obviously unsure how to put his thoughts into words.

  Mark picks up on his friend’s discomfort and folds his hands in front of him. “Ask away.”

  “Okay. Don’t hate me, but … Are you and Susana really happy?”