Free Cast An Evil Eye by Ruthe Ogilvie Page A

news he had just received. He hailed the nearest taxi.
    “Take me to the Waldorf Astoria coffee shop,” he told the driver. One of their delicious sliced turkey sandwiches was just what he needed to fill the empty hole in the pit of his stomach, and with it a glass of vintage wine to calm his nerves, as he pondered how to solve the problem that had been so abruptly thrown at him.
    The cab arrived at the hotel just outside the coffee shop, and Glen wandered inside. Band members and singers from the orchestra appearing at the Starlight Roof were getting a last minute sandwich and coffee before the opening number that would start the display of revolving lights which played on the people as they dined and danced. Singers with the band—a quartet of two women and two men—were sitting at one of the tables practicing in close harmony one of the beautiful tunes from “Déjà Vu.”
    Glen, not wishing to be disturbed, found a dimly lit booth in a secluded corner. As he sat there sipping his wine he thought of Courtney. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. She was the first thing he thought of when he woke up in the morning, and the last thing when he retired for the night.
    The first time he met her was the first night she attended the performance. He had seen her picture many times, but seeing her in person was quite different. What a beautiful young lady, he mused, and his heart beat faster each time she entered his mind.
    As his thoughts returned to the problem that lay before him, an idea hit him! Why didn’t I think of this before? he muttered. She’d be perfect! He pulled his cellular phone from his pocket and dialed Jay in Scarsdale.
    Jay answered on the other end. “Yes, Glen. What can I do for you?”
    “I have a serious problem,” he told Jay. “I’m sure you’ve been faced with this once or twice, and I hope you can help me. I’d like to meet with you tomorrow morning. Is that possible?”
    “That will be fine. Name the time and place. Perhaps if you explain it to me now, I can be thinking about it.”
    Glen took a deep breath, then plunged in. “The leading lady in ‘Déjà Vu’ has given notice. She’s been offered a starring role in a movie. She’s leaving in two weeks to go to Hollywood. I’ve been auditioning all day for two days, but so far I’ve found no one. The ones who can act aren’t the right type. The ones who are the right type can’t act. And no one has a good enough singing voice to do the part justice. I’m desperate to find someone who can fill all these qualifications.”
    “Let me think about it, Glen. There has to be someone who’s just right.”
    Glen hesitated, a bit nervous about telling Jay the idea that had come to him. “Uh—I have an idea, but you’ll probably think it’s off the wall.”
    “Try me,” Jay said.
    “Did—” Glen paused, gathering his thoughts, pondering the best way to word this. Then he plunged in, not knowing what kind of reaction he would get from Jay. But he was desperate. This had to be taken care of immediately. “Did Courtney inherit any of her mother’s talent? She knows the script backward and forward. She’d be perfect for the part, and it would take no time at all for her to be ready to step into it in two weeks.”
    Jay was silent for a moment. Then he spoke cautiously, remembering the trance she was in, thanks to Manny. “She has a voice every bit as beautiful as Cammie,” he told Glen. “In fact, at one time we thought she might follow in Cammie’s footsteps and go on the stage, but she chose instead to compose like Hildy. When did you say you need someone?”
    “Yesterday! There are rehearsals, fittings, publicity—and she has to be ready to open in two weeks.”
    “Let me think about this, Glen. We’ll talk further when we meet tomorrow morning. Why don’t you drive out here and have breakfast with us? We can talk privately in my den. How about eight o’clock?”
    “Fine,” Glen agreed. “I’ll be