Free La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower by Ruthe Ogilvie Page A

appointment with Jay Stuart, and what happened. “Greg told Jay he wrote it. He never mentioned me. When Greg found out I had talked to Jay, he threatened me. He said he’d see me dead before he’d let me expose him.”
    Peter was quiet for several moments before speaking. Then he leaned forward in his chair. “I believe you! Your style of composing is all through ‘The Pepper Pot!’ That’s one of the reasons I was so taken with ‘La Fleur Rouge’ - - it has the same quality!” He turned to Jenny. “You knew about this?”
    “I sure did. Greg has had Hildy followed everywhere she went. He’s seen to it that she couldn’t hold down a job, he’s had her kicked out of every apartment she lived in, and she saw him at the airport just before we took off for Paris.”
    “I’m sure he didn’t recognize me,” Hildy interrupted. “I’ve disguised myself pretty well, but my real name was in the computer. He knew I’d be on that plane, and he was looking for me.”
    Peter’s eyes widened. “That’s why you were so anxious to keep your real name quiet! Have you reported this to the police?”
    Hildy shrugged. “I have no proof.”
    “Well, I think you should tell them so they can follow it up. This might give them the very lead they need.”
    “Peter, we might all be in danger because of this. If Greg never gave a thought to all the innocent people on board our plane, I’m sure he wouldn’t care about anyone else that might get hurt, as long as he gets rid of me,” Hildy told him. “If you want to back out of this project, I’ll understand.”
    “Certainly not!” Peter was vehement. “I’ll have guards placed around the sets and the crew. I’ll even assign a personal bodyguard for you. This is the musical I’ve been looking for. I wouldn’t think of canceling our plans because of this. I’d be cheated, too. Have you thought of that? We’d be playing right into Gregory Wilcox’s hands, wouldn’t we?”
    Hildy’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude and relief. “Oh, I was hoping you’d say that, but I was afraid Greg had managed to ruin things for me again.”
    “No way!”
    Hildy looked pensive. “I wish Jay Stuart had believed me, but he didn’t. I was in Greg’s home when he phoned. Greg told him that my asking to be named as a collaborator was just my way of trying to break into the business. And Jay bought it.”
    “You never met Jay?”
    Hildy grimaced. “Oh, I met him all right!” she replied, wishing she could erase the memory. “After I left Greg, I went to the hotel where Mr. Stuart was staying and confronted him. He was very nice until I told him who I was. Then he said we had nothing further to talk about.”
    Peter was surprised. “That doesn’t sound like him. He’s really a nice guy. I guess he’s worked with Greg for so many years that he found it hard to believe, coming from a stranger.”
    “Jay told me that new writers are constantly trying to get their foot in the door by claiming well known writers have stolen from them. He said maybe I was one of them. It made me wonder if Greg had stolen from others.”
    Peter frowned, then turned to her. “Someone else came to me months ago claiming that Gregory Wilcox stole a musical from him. I didn’t know whether to believe him or not, but now that you’ve told me this - well, he may have been telling the truth. As soon as this film is finished I’m going to help you prove what you just told me. And we’ll have this film as concrete evidence.”
    Hildy dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “Thank you for believing me.”
    Peter reached out and patted her hand. “We’ll make ‘La Fleur Rouge’ the best film ever, and prove that you’re the real author and composer of ‘The Pepper Pot!’”
    “I’ll second that!” Jenny cheered.
    Suddenly Paris seemed filled with joy. The waiter stood by their table ready to take their orders, and Hildy realized that her appetite had returned as she hastily scanned the