The Dollhouse(79)

Rose sat back, stunned.

“Don’t you dare project your own fears onto me.” Her nostrils flared. “I reject them. If you’re lonely and scared, you better deal with it now, because life only gets lonelier and scarier, no matter how many people fill your home or your heart.

“It’s up to you, sweetheart. Ultimately, you’re on your own.”




Jason was in the office kitchen when Rose finally made it to work. As he reached up to get a mug from the cabinet, his T-shirt rose slightly, showing off his flat stomach, pale and smooth.

He gave her a catlike grin. “Hey. I saw you left messages; it’s been crazy here. Some big announcement coming down the pike.”

“A new infusion of capital?”

“Don’t know. Tyler’s been in his office talking with men in suits all morning.”

Rose filled him in on the strange turn of events, including the letter from Sam and her conversation with Stanley Jr.

Jason gave a low whistle. “Darby is really Esme? Could she pull off that kind of stunt for so many years?”

“I wondered the same thing. When I mentioned the theory to Stella, she vehemently denied it. Maybe too much so.” Rose didn’t go into further details, as she was still recovering from the woman’s verbal onslaught. Which was well deserved, she had to admit.

“Wait a minute.” Jason held up a finger. “Our conversation with Malcolm. Do you remember what he said when you asked about Esme?”

“Not exactly. That he knew she’d died, something along those lines.”

“Follow me.” He hurried to one of the editing suites and pulled up Malcolm’s interview. He hit a button and Malcolm’s face appeared on the screen.

“Who, Darby?”

“No, Esme.”

“Right. They say she fell off a building and died. But I don’t know much else.”

He sat back and crossed his arms. “Malcolm mixes them up. And why use the qualifier words they say?”

“He also looks away from me when he answers.” Rose took a deep breath. “Do you think he knows the truth?”

“He might, if he and Sam have been in touch.”

Rose picked up her phone and tried Malcolm. Once again, it went straight to voice mail.

She left another message and hung up. “Darby’s coming back into town soon, so maybe we’ll get our answer.”

Jason nodded. “We’ll have to save it for the camera, though. Imagine the reaction shot. This could make this piece really sing.”

“But if we can’t see her eyes, how will we know?”

“She’ll stiffen, pause, something. We’ll be able to tell. As long as you get her to sit down and talk.” Jason moved closer and placed a hand lightly on Rose’s arm. “How’s your dad doing?”

“I’m heading back to the hospital as soon as work is over. I need to be there as much as possible. Even if he doesn’t know who I am.”

“I’m sure he senses something.”

She sighed. “Between the dementia and the sedatives, I’m hoping he doesn’t sense much at all right now.”

A coworker dashed into the room. “Tyler wants all of us together.”

Outside his office, Tyler shook hands with the men in suits and then headed into the conference room. WordMerge employees popped up from their cubicles like meerkats, shuffling in behind him, amid whispers and stifled laughter. Rose and Jason hovered near the back.

Tyler rubbed his hands together. His pants were fashionably short and tight.

“I’m happy to announce we’re exploring a new paradigm here at WordMerge.” He enunciated the company name carefully, the only way to say it without sounding like you hailed from the sticks. “Our audience has made it clear what they want: short, sharp pieces that can be shared on social media. You’ll be getting more details in the next couple of days, but for now I want everyone to start thinking in snappy visuals. Lists, photos, funny, smart, you know the type of thing I’m talking about, because it’s what you seek out every day.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” murmured Rose.

Jason shook his head. “I don’t do snappy.”

Rose raised her hand. Tyler looked annoyed. “Yes?”

“Does that mean we’re no longer doing in-depth pieces? I thought that was supposed to be WordMerge’s brand.”

He sighed. “The financials are difficult right now. We need to take a detour, get the page views and get the advertising.”

Another editor raised his hand. “What about the stories we’re currently working on?”

“Keep on working.”

He answered several more questions in a manner that was more vague than comforting, and closed the meeting. As Rose and Jason headed back to her desk, Tyler called them both into his office.

“Sit, sit.” He motioned to the chairs opposite his desk. “I’m killing the Barbizon story.”

Rose took a deep breath. “Why?”

“Too complex. So many story lines. It’s not for us.”

Jason spoke up. “I wish you’d let me walk you through it. There’s a narrative arc you might have missed, a compelling one.”

“The key source is returning to town in a few days,” added Rose. “And I have reams of notes. There’s a lot of gold in there.”