“. . . Seth Hightower, Oscar-winning special effects–makeup artist for blockbuster films such as Maritime.” The clip altered to him in a tuxedo accepting one of his Oscars along with several members of his team. “Why would the discovery of the identity of Gia’s handsome boyfriend be worrisome to Harrington and her team of attorneys?” The video behind the host changed to separate clips of both Seth and Gia. “Hot Topics has been working overtime to bring that stunning answer to our watchers,” the host said with a seriousness Seth would have found comical in any other situation. “Previously, Seth Hightower was also involved with this woman Dharma Jana—”
“Fuck me,” Seth muttered viciously when he saw the photo of the young actress he’d told Gia about, the one who had made him extra wary of pseudoreligious organizations that took advantage of the vulnerable. Joy spun around at his cursing. Everett had stood as the salacious news story unfolded, and now he turned to Seth as well.
“Seth! I didn’t realize you were back. This is awful,” Joy said in a choked voice, but Seth waved her into silence as he stepped into the room, his attention on the television.
“Jana was found dead of exposure in a local park in 2011. Although police saw no evidence whatsoever of foul play, Hightower insisted it was nothing less than murder by the God’s Chosen Few Church, a religious organization founded by Vladimir Tomoriv. Hightower reputedly harassed Tomoriv ruthlessly in the months following Dharma Jana’s death. According to the minister, Hightower was, quote, ‘intimidating and physically threatening.’ Only when Tomoriv threatened to go to the police to get a restraining order did Hightower finally stop his relentless harassment.”
“Harrassment my ass,” Seth said scathingly, his incredulity mounting to unforeseen levels as Tomoriv’s handsome face appeared on the screen. Could this fiction possibly grow any more ludicrous? he wondered in shocked outrage. He’d known the Hollywood entertainment shows thrived on lurid gossip that usually was only loosely based on fact. But this was downright lie-mongering.
And all to a purpose, he realized, a chill going through him.
“I didn’t put two and two together until I saw the clips earlier today about Gia Harris and Seth Hightower being involved,” Tomoriv was telling the camera in his Russian-accented voice, the liquid dark eyes that had mesmerized thousands now holding the attention of millions of viewers. “I’m familiar with Hightower because he was involved with one of the members of my church, God’s Chosen Few. When Sister Dharma Jana died under tragic, but accidental circumstances, Hightower irrationally blamed the church that had nurtured and cared for Dharma as one of its own children. He harassed me repeatedly. Seth Hightower has an ax to grind against nontraditional religious organizations. I hadn’t really been thinking much about the Sterling McClarin trial—my involvement with my flock and daily solitary meditations in nature keep me away from the clamor and taint of the everyday world—but once I heard Seth Hightower is involved with Gia Harris, I had to consider my obligation to speak out the truth. People like Seth Hightower are enemies against our right to worship as we choose. If he’s been involved with Gia Harris, sharing his ideas with her, then . . . who’s to say?” Tomoriv arched one sleek black brow. “Maybe there’s more to Gia Harris’s grudge against the leader of another nontraditional religious group—Sterling McClarin—than any of us had considered before?”
“Holy shit,” Everett muttered, looking at the screen with a vaguely sick expression on his face.
“Nontraditional religious group,” Seth growled, suddenly feeling like he could spit fire. “This is the biggest ocean of crap I’ve ever heard in my life!”
“I know,” Joy said, turning to Seth. Her face was tight with worry. “I remember you telling me about Dharma Jana. You met with the police after she was found dead, right? And didn’t a reporter question you about Dharma’s death? That article must have been the kernel of truth from where they sprang all these lies. When the police were no help, you did go to Tomoriv and confront him with your suspicions, didn’t you? I remember how frustrated you were when he fed you a bunch of new-age mumbo jumbo when you asked about Dharma’s extreme weight loss and the circumstances leading up to her death,” Joy recalled anxiously.
“Once,” Seth uttered with a harsh bark of laughter. “I saw Tomoriv once, for all of three minutes, before he put a locked door between us. That’s the extent of my harassment of that asshole.”
“Did you threaten him?” Joy asked, her eyes looking huge in her face.
“No. I don’t go around threatening people, you know that.”
“Tomoriv was likely threatened by the size of your biceps and your scowl,” Everett said under his breath, thinking. He blinked, noticing that scowl present now on Seth’s face. “What? That’s not a real shock, is it? Most men with half a brain are intimidated by you. I was when I first met you on the set of Maritime. Forget how much it amplified when I started seeing Joy,” Everett stated baldly. He saw Joy’s disbelieving look. “I just meant that it’s not Seth’s style to threaten physical violence, but to a weasel like Tomoriv, just his presence can be intimidating enough to prick his pride and put up his defenses . . . and eventually spawn this pile of horseshit,” Everett said scornfully, waving at the screen.
“McClarin and his crew are behind this, mark my words,” Seth said. “Tomoriv is just their tool. McClarin’s back was up against the wall with Gia about to testify soon. She’ll be a sincere and credible witness. Up until now, telling the truth is the only reason people could come up with as to why she would testify against McClarin. Now another reason has been planted in their minds, and it’ll be hard to make it disappear.”
“The jury will be isolated from this gossip, Seth,” Joy reasoned.
“Ideally,” Seth agreed. “But even if McClarin is found guilty, his lawyers will appeal. It’ll be impossible after this kind of exposure to find a jury that hasn’t been tainted by false rumors against Gia. They’ll linger, even after they’re inevitably disproved. And Gia is the linchpin of Madeline’s case against McClarin.”
“He’s right,” Everett said, looking unhappy about that fact.
“Somebody leaked that Gia has been here with me, and that was the fuel McClarin has been waiting for,” he said distractedly, his mind working. He fastened on possible candidates, ruling out this possibility and that one. When he came up with the likely answer, it didn’t help to reassure him much. He’d inform Charles immediately to see if they could contain the threat. “McClarin must have been thrilled when he realized he could link Gia—through me—to even the most bogus, trumped-up insinuation that Gia might have a grudge against nontraditional religious organizations,” Seth said, his mouth twisting bitterly.
“Where are you going?” Joy asked when he pulled his phone from his pocket and stalked across the room.
“I need to contact Charles,” Seth said, pausing and turning back. “I need to find out if this really is a threat to Madeline’s case.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Seth,” Joy said, stepping toward him. Everett grabbed the remote from her stiff hand and turned down the volume on a loud commercial. “This is all just an outrageous bid for ratings. It’ll die down when there’s no fuel to back it up. You know that.”
“But it’s because of me this is happening, even if it’s in an indirect sense. Maybe I should have mentioned Dharma Jana to Madeline—”
“Why would you?” Everett asked incredulously. “Only a whisper of what was said on that show was true. You had no reason to think this Tomoriv jerk would make your concerned visit about the death of a friend and coworker into a ‘harassment charge’ or a conspiracy theory,” Everett said using air quotes. “There’s no proof or witnesses to that supposed harassment charge, right?”
“I don’t know how there could be, since it never happened,” Seth said.
“One honest reporter is going to discover there’s no police report of the incident in about an hour flat. By that time, Madeline will have time to respond with the voice of reason,” Everett continued. “Trust me, these sensationalistic news stories that have no fuel to back them up flame out fast.”
“I know none of it is the truth, but I’ve still put Madeline in a bad place. And worse, Gia,” Seth added with a sinking feeling. What if all this made her hesitant while she testified? What if—God forbid—this whole crackpot incident really did end up spiraling out of control, and McClarin was somehow acquitted?
More than anything, he wanted reassurance that Gia was okay. He needed firsthand proof of that.
Fucking Hollywood, land of the vampires and soul suckers.
“What can we do to help?” Everett asked.