“Rick!” Mattie gasped. “You don’t really think—”
“I don’t know what to think,” he muttered with a shrug. “All I know is that we’re scheduled to be on the set in five minutes for dress rehearsal, and I haven’t got time for nonsense like this.” Rick turned toward the door. Jaw set, eyes ablaze, he was the picture of that perfect romantic rebel, Rory Danner. “See you on the set, Mattie. Oh, and nice meeting you, girls.”
He gave Bess and Nancy a cursory nod as he left the room. “What a hunk!” Bess whispered hoarsely. “Oh, Nancy, you’ve just got to take this case! Just think what might happen to Rick if you don’t.”
“Bess, sick as it might be, sending hate mail is not a felony.”
“Please,” Mattie said, breaking in. “Something’s very wrong here, I’m sure of it. I’d feel so much better if you’d at least stay and watch this morning’s dress rehearsal.”
Nancy looked from Mattie to Bess and back again. There was no way they would let her say no. Besides, she reasoned, watching a soap rehearsal was kind of like sightseeing, wasn’t it? “Okay, we’ll stay,” she agreed.
“Oh, Nancy!” Mattie cried happily. “You won’t regret this! I promise!”
Nancy hoped not. But she couldn’t get rid of the depressing feeling that for the hundredth time, a relaxing vacation was about to be ruined.
On their way to the set, Nancy filled Mattie in on what she and Bess had overheard outside Pappas’s office.
“Those two are really on the outs these days,” Mattie said. “Ever since Rick got that film deal and gave his notice, it’s as though a war has been declared between them. I can’t really blame Mr. Pappas, though. The show’s ratings depend on Rick. If he goes, ‘Danner’s Dream’ could be in big trouble, and that means trouble for all of us.”
“Hmmm.” Nancy thought for a moment. “So it’s not just Mr. Pappas who’s down on Rick.”
“Oh, no. In fact, lately it’s been Rick against the world.” She stopped. “Well, here we are.”
Mattie pushed against a vacuum-sealed door. With a whoosh, it opened, and the three of them walked onto the set.
Nancy and Bess gazed around the massive studio. In straight rows, rooms that had three walls but no ceilings were set up. Rows of klieg lights hung on suspended bars. Above the lights was a narrow catwalk, and above that, total darkness.
On the ground level, the activity was incredible. Hundreds of cables wound across the floor, and several huge cameras were mounted on dollies. Each one was surrounded by people. On the set of the Danner living room, where the first scene was about to be shot, set dressers were putting the final touches on the scenery. And in the middle of it all stood Rick Arlen. Kay was fussing over his makeup, and he was going over his lines with a script girl. But in case he or anyone forgot a line, a teleprompter stood in either corner of the room. All an actor had to do was cast a glance at one of them and read his lines from the screen.
Nancy and Bess were struck by the strangeness and complexity of it all. They looked dazed as Mattie motioned them to a spot on the floor where they could watch the rehearsal and still be out of the way. Then she disappeared behind the walls of a set.
“Can you believe this?” Bess whispered excitedly.
“Could somebody tell Rick to get on the set, please?” A beautiful black-haired woman barked impatiently into a small megaphone.
“I’m right here, Lillian, dear,” Rick purred sarcastically. “What would you like?”
“I hope you bothered to memorize your lines,” she snapped.
“Yes, love, I did,” he cooed.
“That’s what you always say,” she said, trying too hard to keep the anger out of her voice. “You shouldn’t need a teleprompter, Rick. You’re a big boy and a professional.”
“If you’re referring to that one small incident, Lillian, you’ll also recall that I received a death threat that morning. It wasn’t exactly my best day.”
Suddenly a voice boomed over the set’s sound system. “Lillian, back off, will you?”