The Once and Future Scream Queen: Marlene Ambrosia Mysteries Read online

  “Right.” Jill folded her arms. “Marlene, he’s in a difficult position right now. He has to be careful what he says because of the mayor. All his interviews from now till the day his political career ends will be safe and polished.”

  “If he wants to go any farther, one day he’ll have to cross the ma …”

  “Marlene, what is it?”

  She had an idea, one that might help both Artie and Jill. “Look. Artie will talk to you about his proposed budget.”

  “What?” Jill looked at her like she was crazy. “That’s the last thing he’ll talk to me about until he gets buy-in from the other council members and the mayor himself.”

  “Trust me,” Marlene said.

  Jill stood. “Uh, Marlene … I appreciate everything you’ve tried to do for me, but honestly I don’t think this is working out.”

  Marlene’s heart sank even farther. “Jill, I’m sorry you feel that way. But I really think this story could work. Let me talk to Artie.”

  Jill hesitated. “I don’t know, Marlene. Max is reluctant to go after the mayor right now, much more so than he was before. I think one of the conglomerates is circling and might buy him out. He wants news right now, but safe news.”

  “I’m not asking you to print it, just asking you to talk to Artie. Then you can decide. Okay?”

  Jill didn’t say anything.

  “I feel bad,” Marlene said. “Let’s forget about today’s payment. I’ve given you bad advice of late so let me make it up to you.”

  “No!” Jill reached into her pocket and pulled out a check. “I can’t let you do that. Please—”

  “No, no. This one’s on me. Okay, Jill?”

  Jill argued with her a little bit more, but Marlene eventually convinced her to keep the money. She couldn’t in good conscience take Jill’s check after she’d failed her on the diet and put her job at risk.

  “Let me talk to Artie. I’ll get back to you,” Marlene said.

  ***

  It was close to lunch time, but Marlene didn’t really have time to swing home since she’d gotten a late start. She wanted to see Artie, grab a quick bite, then get to her next appointment at one.

  She parked in front of Artie’s office. After she got out of her car, she looked across the street to her own building. The crime scene tape was still on the door and around the perimeter of her parking lot. An empty police cruiser was parked next to her building, inside the police tape. She wondered who was over there.

  As Marlene turned back around, Artie strode out of his building with his thousand-watt smile fixed firmly in place.

  “Marlene, great to see you.”

  He seemed so sincere. But he was a politician. They made everybody feel like the most important person in the world.

  “Hey, Artie.”

  He surprised her with a hug. “Sorry to hear they’ve still got your building roped off. But it’s important work they’re doing over there.”

  “Yes.” His arms were powerful, and his chest felt like one big slab of muscle. She felt herself tightening up, her stomach one big knot. “Though I don’t have a great deal of faith in our police department right now.”

  Artie let go, and she was a little dizzy. She wrote that off to the fatigue and stress of the last day, it couldn’t be anything more.

  “Why not?” Artie asked, sincerely interested in hearing what she had to say.

  “It’s obvious,” Marlene said. “They need to adopt a more modern approach to police work. Did you know they don’t measure key performance factors and don’t even bother to look at recidivism in the community?”

  Artie was quiet a moment, then laughed. “Oh, Marlene. You are always surprising! How do know what they measure?”

  She didn’t know how she knew. But yesterday, when she’d looked at Detective Bors she’d somehow gotten a sense of how the department operated.

  “That’s not important,” Marlene said. “And it’s also not why I’m here. We need to talk.”

  “You bet we do. I hope I didn’t disturb you last night with my voicemail.”

  “Oh no.” She froze, not wanting to tell him about all the crazy events of the prior evening. “No, I wasn’t busy at all.”

  He gave her a sly grin. “So why didn’t you pick up then?”

  She fumbled for an answer. She hated how nervous he made her.

  He laughed again. “Marlene, I’m just kidding. I’m sure a pretty, successful, single woman like you had a date or was meeting up with friends.”

  Did he just call her pretty?

  Actually, she’d spent her night talking to a misogynistic, ancient wizard and a condescending owl, when a strange, scary man wasn’t busy trying to kill her.

  “Something like that. Can we talk inside?”

  “Of course. Though if we keep running into each other, people are going to talk.”

  Marlene wondered whether Artie was actually flirting with her, or if this was just another facet of his politician self. Perhaps he treated all women like this, slyly trying to make them feel special.

  She followed him into his tiny office that consisted of a waiting area, bathroom, and his private office. He’d been sitting in the waiting area, reading the newspaper. A small, pitifully old TV was tuned to a twenty-four hour news channel. Marlene heard the attractive brunette anchor:

  “Craig Monte came home a changed man. This Army Ranger survived the absolute worst of the war, but his attitude remains remarkably optimistic.”

  The camera cut away to a man with two prosthetic legs exercising at a rehab center. His wife stood next to him, cradling an infant.

  Craig Monte smiled when he spoke. “I have no regrets. None. I was proud and honored to serve my country. I’m so blessed I was able to come home, to be with my wife again and start our family.”

  Artie had grabbed the remote and looked ready to turn off the TV.

  “No, wait!” Marlene said. She was immediately drawn to this story. “If you don’t mind.”

  Artie was quiet for a moment. “Uh, sure.”

  He looked ill-at-ease. It was a rare look for him. They hadn’t spoken of his time overseas much. Marlene didn’t feel right bringing it up herself. She was waiting for him to do so. Maybe this soldier’s story was hitting a little too close to home. On the TV, Craig Monte was still talking.

  “—just want to see him and thank him. His bravery and heroism …” Craig got choked up. His wife rubbed his shoulder. The baby made a few cute chirps. It took Craig a moment to collect himself.

  “Without him saving my life, little Aaron wouldn’t have been born. So I just wanted to say, to the Hero of Korangal Valley: thank you.”

  Craig got the words out, barely. Without asking if it was okay, Artie turned off the TV and sat down on the chair next to the couch.

  “What a story,” Marlene said.

  The anonymous hero of Korangal Valley had saved this guy and his team from certain death. His identity remained a mystery, however. It was widely speculated that he was in Special Forces.

  Artie turned the TV off. “Yes.”

  “Could you turn it back on?”

  “Uh, I’d rather not, Marlene. Sometimes hearing from soldiers brings up painful memories,” Artie said.

  It was the first sour note she’d heard in his voice … ever? She wondered what had happened to him overseas and was sorely tempted to ask him. But Artie did not seem to be in expansive mood and besides, she wanted him to focus on the future.

  “Artie, I’ve got a great idea. I think it could work.”

  “So you’ll be my campaign manager? These council positions only last two years, so before long I’ll have to start running again. Like they say, it’s always an election year.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “That’s what I wanted to ask you, over coffee this morning. I think you could help. You know this town better than anyone, I think. You were always observant and perceptive and you give great advice. I’ll bet that’s why you’re such a great li
fe coach.”

  She didn’t want to lie about being a good life coach, so Marlene said nothing.

  Artie went on. “We would make a great team. Together, I think we could do a lot of good. I really mean it. Would you be interested?”

  “Artie, there must be someone more qualified.”

  “Always humble.” He shook his head. “You would make a great campaign manager! And while I was overseas, you were here. I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of important things over the last fourteen years that you could help me out with. If I bring in some random campaign manager, they won’t know this town better than you.”

  She was about to say no, but remembered Merlin’s words from last night. She was supposed to help Artie fulfill his destiny. It sounded like important work, but Marlene still didn’t know if she believed what she’d heard.

  She was about to say yes, then thought of her recent performance. Bob Balin had fired her yesterday, after his life had fallen into ruin. Jill Lauer had nearly fired her this morning.

  And, truth be told, she’d been underperforming in general. With several of her clients, she’d felt like she’d just been keeping the proverbial plates spinning for a few months now.

  No. Longer than that.

  For the last six months, none of her clients had had a big win.

  She chuckled, thinking that was about the same time Artie returned home—

  Oh my God.

  It was around the same time Artie had gotten home when she’d lost her first client. Vanessa had been doing well, then Marlene had told her to quit her job and switch careers. She’d lasted two weeks in the new role, then her old company wouldn’t take her back.

  Could this all be related?

  Did it all come back to Artie?

  He had reached out to her not long after he’d come home, trying to get her perspective on the town since he’d been gone. This was during his blitz to fill the suddenly vacant Council seat. She had politely declined offering any information—she hadn’t wanted to get involved in politics.

  “I’ll help you,” she said, vaguely. “But I don’t know about campaign manager.”

  “Oh, that’s great news, Marlene. I’ll take whatever help you’re willing to give. And I’ll find a way to compensate you for—”

  “No thanks,” Marlene said. If there was money involved, it would obligate her in a different way. She wouldn’t be able to just end the engagement whenever she wanted.

  “You should get paid for your time.”

  She could tell he would not relent. “We’ll talk about that later. Now listen.”

  Artie sat on the edge of the seat and listened intently as she laid out her plans. The idea had come to her yesterday at the diner. Not only had she held back, she’d tried giving Artie bad advice, later playing it off like it was a joke.

  How petty was that?

  Even though she didn’t personally like Artie Ryan, his intentions for office seemed somewhat pure. Sure, he probably wanted the glory and local fame that came with office but at the same time he genuinely wanted to make things better.

  That was more than she could say for the mayor.

  When she was done, he sat back and thought for a moment.

  “If I do this, I’ll be crossing the proverbial Rubicon,” he said.

  Marlene nodded, understanding his reluctance. There was no middle ground with her plan. Either it would work and Artie would become Mayor, or it would fail and he could kiss his nascent career goodbye.

  She still didn’t understand where all her wisdom was coming from. “The longer you wait, Artie, the more the mayor’s son becomes a viable candidate. This might be the best opportunity anybody has to oust the incumbent, before his son gets the experience he needs under his belt.”

  Artie thought about it. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll be out of politics forever.”

  “Are you thinking about your career, or do you truly want to make a difference? If you’re worried too much about the former, you’ll sacrifice the latter.”

  He got up to pace. “Of course I’m worried about my career. I’m just a man, after all, not some knight in shining armor, Marlene. It would be great if I didn’t have worry about paying the rent, but I don’t come from money. My parents were working class, just like yours.”

  She was about to respond, but he kept going.

  “And sure, I could get a job anywhere with my degrees and service record. But I don’t want to just work anywhere. I want to do something with my life. I want to make a difference. I want to leave this township a little better off than it was. I don’t want to be governor or a senator or a Congressman. I’m not cut out for that. All I want is to help this community. If I don’t get elected how can I effectuate change? This township has gotten more and more corrupt over the last twenty years. The only way I can make a difference around here is to get into office.”

  He spoke with such honesty and such passion, Marlene couldn’t help but feel impressed. “You just want to be mayor?”

  “I don’t want to be mayor. I want to make this township into a better place. And the best way to do that is by becoming mayor.”

  She nodded. “At some point you will have to cross the mayor. I think it should happen at your time of choosing, not his. And preferably before he suspects the challenge is coming. Right now you have the element of surprise, and through this plan you’ll garner public support.”

  “It’s a gamble.”

  “Who dares, wins,” she said, not knowing where she’d heard the quote before.

  He smiled. “Spoken like a true soldier.”

  “Speaking of soldier, it wouldn’t hurt to tie this back to your service record somehow.”

  He was shaking his head before she’d finished. “No. If I keep pushing that angle, it’ll look opportunistic and honestly, I don’t want to trade on that anymore.”

  “But you’re a hero,” Marlene said. “It sets you apart from the mayor. He’s a lifer politician who’s never sacrificed for his country one day in his life.”

  “No. End of story.” He sat back down. “Besides, I can’t think of any way to tie this back.”

  “But you’ll at least do a story with Jill Bauer, right?” Marlene asked.

  “Wait—what?”

  “On your service record.”

  “I can’t share most of the details,” Artie said.

  “Were you Special Forces?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Artie, even if you can’t share things publicly, I still need to know so I can help you.”

  He took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  Wow. All soldiers served and all were heroes (until proven otherwise, in her mind), but Artie had been Special Forces. He had probably gone on some incredibly dangerous, secretive missions, constantly risking his life.

  “Thank you for your service,” Marlene said.

  He nodded and got a faraway look in his eyes.

  Marlene stood. “Listen. Even if you can’t share details, you can still talk about being Special Forces. It will help. The public needs to know that. They need to know you served your country, unlike the mayor who has only ever been a political figure. You risked your life.”

  “Okay, okay, Marlene.” He didn’t seem too pleased with the idea. “I’ll do it. But I don’t want it to be a fluff piece and I can’t talk about most of what I did. Just the unclassified facts.”

  “That’s great! You won’t regret it.” Marlene still didn’t care for politics, but the more she talked to Artie, the more she thought he’d make a good mayor. He was genuine in his desire to make Medboro a better place. Sure, part of it sprung from personal ambition. But now that she thought more about it, he was obviously a man given to service. He had spent all those years overseas, risking his life.

  He flashed that smile that was all the talk of high school and gave her another hug. “Thank you, Marlene! I knew it was a good idea getting your help.”

  When he touched her, a shock wave went through her body. Her vision d
immed and tunneled, and Marlene felt herself being pulled out of Artie’s office and taken somewhere else.

  The sun was blinding. And fierce. For a moment, she heard sounds as if underwater. Then her hearing fine-tuned and the unmistakable snap of bullets being rapid-fired exploded in her ears followed by the concussive booms of bombs going off, seemingly everywhere.

  “Over here!” a man yelled from behind a dune. “Over here!”

  Marlene found herself racing toward the man. His face seemed familiar, but it was covered in camo paint and he had a helmet on. She couldn’t place him.

  “Where did you come from?” the man asked. “Who are you?”

  “Over here! Help!” somebody else yelled.

  “Who are you?” the man asked again …

  The scene dissolved and Marlene’s knees felt weak.

  “You okay, Marlene?” Artie asked.

  They were standing in his office. They had been hugging, but he must have let her go. She steadied herself, still trying to make sense of what she’d just seen.

  “Marlene?” He stepped forward as if to grab her, but Marlene waved him away.

  “I’m okay.” She smiled as the blood rush to her head subsided.

  “You sure?” He looked at her strangely.

  Marlene didn’t even know how to explain the vision she’d just had. And if she did, he’d likely think she was nuts.

  “Were you in … were you there?” she asked.

  He froze for a moment, then frowned. “Was I where?”

  “At that place …” She tried to remember the name of it, but her mind was not right. “Are you?”

  “Just take it easy,” Artie said. “You nearly fainted. Sit down and breathe. You’ll feel better.”

  “Okay.”

  Fifteen

  The day had warmed a little. Marlene was headed toward her car, but then she heard a commotion coming from the pizza shop. A man yelling.

  Her head whipped around.

  Bob Balin was in there, pounding the counter. On the other side, Andre stood with his arms folded behind the register. His face was flushed.