“Rebecca Sanzone said she was unaware of Hattie Kavanaugh’s family history,” Jada went on. “Antonio, we’ll be following this story as it develops.”
“There is no story,” Mo growled. He looked down to see that his dinner, a rare cheeseburger and garlic-sprinkled pommes frites, had materialized while he was engrossed in watching Headline Hollywood. He pushed the plate away and summoned for his check.
63
Kiss and Tell
Hattie was dozing when Ribsy began barking. She’d arrived home shortly after nine, sweaty and exhausted, and after showering and dining on a bag of microwaved popcorn, she’d stretched out on the sofa, intending to continue reading Void Moon.
But now Ribsy was barking, so she staggered to the door and snapped on the front porch light. She saw Mo Lopez bounding up the front steps.
She unlocked and opened the door, poking her head out. “Mo? Is something wrong? Did something else happen at the house?”
“Not at the house,” he said. “Can I come in for a minute?”
Hattie glanced down at herself. She was dressed in a tank top and a loose-fitting pair of shorty pajama bottoms, and her hair was knotted on top of her head.
“Uh, yeah. Let me just grab a bathrobe.”
Ribsy followed Mo to the armchair opposite the sofa, and when Mo sat down, he thrust his snout into Mo’s crotch.
“Ribsy, no!” Hattie said, tying the belt of her robe as she emerged from the bedroom.
Mo gently pushed the dog’s nose away, distracting him with an ear scratch.
Hattie sank down onto the sofa, her legs curled beneath her. “What’s up? It’s kind of late for a social call, isn’t it?”
“Sorry,” Mo said. “It’s, uh, kind of important. Did you watch television tonight?”
“God, no. I only got home about an hour ago. Why? What was on?”
Mo cleared his throat. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just going to say it. Remember that reporter from Headline Hollywood?”
“Jada whatever? What about her? Did she run another story about us?”
“Yeah, but Hattie, it was a hit piece. She talked about how there are all kinds of problems on Homewreckers, about the murder, of course, and the code violations and the fire—all of that—plus what she called tension between you and Trae, and me and Trae. I can’t believe you didn’t see it—or that nobody called to tell you about it. Not even Cass?”
“My phone,” Hattie said, feeling around on the sofa cushions. “I don’t know where it is.” She got up and lifted the cushion she’d been sitting on. “It’s not here.”
“I’ll call you,” Mo said, pulling his own cell from his pocket. He tapped her name on his contact list and they heard a faint buzzing coming from the direction of the bedroom.
Hattie followed the buzzing and emerged from the bedroom holding the phone. “I left it in the pocket of my jeans, on the bathroom floor.” She studied the call log.
“Uh-oh. Four calls from Cass, one from Zenobia.” She looked up at Mo. “And one from my father, who never, ever calls me. What the hell?”
“Someone told Jada about your father. About the embezzlement thing, and how he went to prison.”
Hattie’s face crumpled. “She brought up my dad? On television? What’s that got to do with anything? And how did she find out about it?”
He got up and sat beside her on the sofa. “I’m sorry. If I’d known she was going to do a piece like that, I never would have allowed her on the set. Honest to God, I thought she was working on a puff piece, about you and Trae.…”
“What else? What else did she say about me?”
She looked back down at her phone. “Wait. Cass sent me the link to the show.”
“You don’t want to watch it,” Mo said quickly. “I’ll give you the nitty-gritty. Jada Watkins apparently called Rebecca and asked for her reaction to the thing about your dad. Because of the morals clause you signed in your contract.”
“My morals are just fine,” Hattie said. “I was fifteen when he stole that money. I had nothing to do with any of that. Why, Mo? Why would someone deliberately trash me like this?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Have you talked to Rebecca?”
“I called her on my way over here and left a message.”
“Is it true? Can the network fire me? Can they enforce that morals thing?”
“No,” Mo said quickly. “I’m the only one who can fire you, and that’s not happening.”