Free The Last Story by Christopher Pike Page A

a glorious view of Beverly Hills and Westwood, gold plaques on the walls, and leather furniture.
    The smell of success. He was talking on the phone and gestured for me to have a seat in front of his imposing desk.

    Settling myself, I recalled how I had described him in my book.

    He was a man on his way down in life. In his midforties, he had on a frumpy green sports coat and a wrinkled white shirt with a loosely knotted purple tie caught beneath his oversize belt.
    He needed a

    good meal. His thin brown hair was going gray, and his red wizened face had seen either too much sun or too much life. He looked burned out. He was lifting a pint of whiskey to his lips when I tapped on his window.

    Garrett had found a new chef and tailor. Besides having gained weight and improved his wardrobe, I believed he must have had a facelift. He looked five years younger than when I met him the night I died.

    He showed no signs of being an alcoholic now.

    Finally he set down the phone and glanced over at me.

    "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he said. "I have a few rather intense clients. They call at all hours and want to know that everything's going to be all right."

    "I imagine that it would take an intense person to come see you."

    He chuckled. "Let's just say I haven't met many normal people lately. Except perhaps you. What can I do for you?"

    "I need background information on a certain young man." I handed him Roger's picture and resume. "I work for a production company and this actor has recently been hired to star in a new film. A few members of the company feel uncomfortable about comments he's made about his past. There's a lot of money riding on this film"—I shrugged

    "so you can understand why we're curious about the guy."

    "What is the name of the production company?"

    Garrett asked, studying Roger's picture.

    I paused. "Cooper Productions."

    "What is your position in the company?"

    Damn, I thought. He'd know I was the Shari Cooper before the week was out. God, what if he read Remember Me? I had changed his name to Garrison in the book, but that would stop him for maybe two seconds. Maybe Jimmy was right, I thought. I shouldn't have published the book, not and made it so close to actual events. I thought of my mother then and wondered if she had already read the story.

    I had been naive, however, to think Garrett wouldn't question me about why I wanted the information. Obviously he had to be careful to protect himself. I took too long to answer his question.

    "I'm the president," I said. He would quickly learn the truth if I lied. He sat up in surprise.

    "Forgive me for saying this, Ms. Rodrigues, but you look kind of young to be president of a company."

    "Thank you," I said, hoping my wit could deflect his curiosity.

    He smiled again. "What is the title of the film you're producing?"

    "It's called First to Die. It's a thriller."

    He frowned. "That sounds familiar. I think my daughter may have read that book."

    "It's a popular title." I didn't want to get into a discussion about the author, so I continued hastily.

    "Our production company would be happy to pay you double your normal salary to research this guy.

    We are about to start shooting so you can understand our need for haste."

    Garrett was blunt. "Not really. What has the guy said that makes you suspicious of him?"

    "He's been vague about his past."

    "So? Forgive me, Ms. Rodrigues, but if he can act and stay sober throughout the shoot, why do you care about his history?"

    I spoke carefully. "We have learned from past experience that it's risky to have an actor who is, say, addicted to drugs, on the set of a film." I added, "I'm sure you can understand how volatile that would make our working relationship."

    My indirect reference to his daughter's past behavior had a settling effect on Garrett, but he remained wary. "What do you want to know about the guy?"

    "Anything you can find out. Where he was born.

    Who his family is. Does he have