Chapter 9

© Copyright 2009 by Elizabeth Delayne



Everyone was settled on the bus before seven o’clock when their clue was supposed to arrive. Thessa checked her watch, even as Jamie looked at hers.

“We’re all here,” Felicity said, dropping down in front of the computer, as if to prod the message out.

Just then the computer beeped and the familiar flashing envelope appeared.

“Right on time,” said Tyler.

Felicity turned and clicked on the “CLICK” button as everyone gathered around.

“Read it, Felicity,” Tyler progged.

She cleared her throat.

Death and dying, fleeted, flying ... hurry up they’re on their way.

Don’t get weary, or sick of trying, tired of living, or scared of dying,

Just roll on, roll on, the Arizona way.

Just keep rolling along.

Soon you will step into the past

beware of those who’ve seen their last.

Just roll on, roll on, the Arizona way.

Just keep rolling along.

And as you go, forget not your pens, for it as written long ago,

west of the castle, south of the canyon, north of the capital, and east of here,

Just roll on, roll on, the Arizona way.

Just keep rolling along.”

Jamie turned and looked to her left at Cameron, who shrugged.

“Anyone have any ideas?” Tyler asked.

“Sounds like we’re supposed to head to Arizona,” Cameron said.

“And the other team’s going there too.”

“But it doesn’t say where in Arizona,” said Thessa.

“The ah–“ George started, and looked at Tyler, “The phrase there sounds an aweful like Ol’ Man River.”

“From Showboat,” Jamie recognized.

“Yes,” George nodded at Jamie. “It’s different, but similar enough. Ah gits weary, An' sick of tryin', Ah'm tired of livin', An' skeered of dyin', But ol' man river, He jes'keeps rolling' along.”

“So we look for a river?”

“It doesn’t say that,” Tyler murmured as he stepped back with an Arizona map. He spread it out over the table top. “Think you see anymore clues?”

Felicity scooted over so Jamie could share her chair. Jamie picked up a pad of paper and a pen and began to write out the words on a piece of paper. They all watched her hands as she did, making marks under different words as she wrote.

“Well, the north, south, east, west ... obviously. And the Grand Canyon ... Mentions fo death, and the writing. Is there a place where there are ... cave paintings, maybe?”

Thessa sat down in the chair on the other side of Felicity and moved the laptop over. She pulled up Arizona travel destinations.

“There’s more than one canyon in Arizona.”

Jamie tapped her pen, as George leaned over her and studied the clue. “It’s interesting about the writing. Is it referring to cave paintings as you say or ... what was written long ago?”

“Ol’ Man River.”

They looked at Tyler. “It was written long ago. George—who sang it?”

“Paul Robeson was probably the most famous,” he glanced down at the clue Jamie had written as Thessa began to type, then looked back up at Tyler. “But he didn’t write it.”

“Let’s see ...” At the computer, Thessa’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Ol’ Man River, written by a Jerome Kern and lyrics by ... Oscar Hammerstien.”

“Cross reference those names with Arizona,” Tyler said as he and Cameron studied the map.

“There’s a Kern county, a theater in Arizona ...” Thessa continued to type with Felicity and Jamie looking over her shoulder, pointing out possibilities.

“Wait,” Cameron said, after a few minutes. “What did you say his first name was?”

“Oscar?”

“No, the other?” Thessa shrugged as she typed it back in, “I don’t know ... Jerome.”

“Look—“ Cameron pointed to the map. “Try Jerome, Arizona.”

“Jerome?” Thessa typed it in. “I have an exboyfriend named Jerome.”

Jamie let out a gasp of laughter as the search completed. “Look at that.”

“It’s a ghost town. Death, dying, step into the past, but beware of those who have seen their last,” Jamie read from the clue. “Makes sense.”

Tyler leaned over the map and studied where Cameron pointed. “There’s a Montezuma castle to the east—“

”Making it to the west of the town,” said George.

“A Sedona canyon’s to the North.”

“So’s the Grand Canyon,” Cameron ran his finger down the map.

“And it’s north of the capital and east of here,” he looked up at his team. “Seems like a shot. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me,” George noted, and everyone seemed to agree with him.

“Then lets keep rolling along,” he said as he folded the map, leaving the spot on top. “But just in case, keep running names and cross reference things. Never know ... there might be more than one place with the same criteria.”

* * *

Just before they pulled into Jerome, Arizona, a tourist centered ghost town, they were able to spot the network trailers and the other bus.

Sitting on her knees to see out the window behind the sofa, Felicity frowned. “Looks like the other team got here first.”

“It wasn’t a race,” Tyler pointed out, sitting at the computer beside Jamie, reading up again on Jerome attractions. “We were coming from two different places.”

“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary,” Thessa said.

“At a ghost town?” George glanced up from his own laptop where he was reading up on Jerome. “Now, that’s disappointing.”

A network intern came aboard and helped them park. The team disembarked together and looked around.

“Man, it’s hot,” said Felicity.

“Tyler!”

They turned as a blond with a pony tail, in khaki’s and a thin-strapped Wheeled tank top, Blackberry in hand, jogged over to them. She threw her arms around Tyler and laughed into the spontaneous hug.

“Jess. Thought you’d be tagging with the other team this year.”

“Promoted, kind of balancing both worlds at the moment. You know, you could have gotten here by noon,” she said as they stepped apart, a grin on her face. “Ghost town, wild west, high noon, Gary Cooper-esque. Great moment for the camera.”

“We didn’t get the message until eight o’clock this morning. Aerodynamically impossible.”

“I guess that’s what our creative team is for,” she hooked a hand through his arm. “We’ll shoot something tomorrow. No one in TV land will know.”

“Got any intel for me?” Tyler asked and motioned for the rest of them to follow.

“Only what you’re due to find out in a matter of moments.” She smiled up at him. “How big of a kick are you ready for?”

“You know me.”

“I ratings cruncher for sure. It’s bound to be our best booster yet.”

As someone called her, Jess looked over then dashed off with the shortest of goodbyes.

“Who was that?”

“Jessica Dorman,” Tyler answered as he turned to the group. “Hung with me for two years, then last year she was with the other team. Used to be assistant producer, grunt runner. She’s moved up in the world.”

“What kind of booster you think it will be?” asked George.

Tyler shrugged. “Something to bring in viewers. The other team could be all professional athletes.”

“Or former competitors,” Cameron induced. “Hotshots, B level celebrities.”

“Or like that other show where they brought out everyone’s exes.”

The idea made both Cameron and Thessa pale. Jamie hoped her own sudden panic didn’t show. Besides, her worst case ex was married now.

George laughed and moved to pat the other two on the back. “You guys look very afraid.”

“Like you don’t have any ghosts in your closet,” Cameron asked. “What would your wife think if they pulled back one of your exes?”

“My wife was my first girlfriend. We dated all through high school.”

Jamie relieved that no one had pinpointed her, grinned. “No kidding.”

“She was the only one I ever wanted.”

Felicity sighed. “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“And on camera,” Cameron said pithily. “For the wife to see.”

George only nodded as he shrugged ever so slightly.

And then it was as if the world went silent, like someone had hit mute on the TV. Tension. Jamie looked to Tyler immediately. He was no longer laughing. He looked...

Angry.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tyler said under his breath. His face had lost its color, it’s natural ease.

He looked ... older.

Jamie followed Tyler’s gaze away from their group toward the production control center. She was suddenly aware of the cameras, artfully placed around them, trained on Tyler.

Ready for the kill.

It seemed the network’s golden boy had been set up.

For what ever booster shot they’d planned for the show.

Tyler moved then, as if the play button had been pushed on a scene that had been paused, and walked strait ahead toward the girl he’d introduced as Jessica. Most of the camera’s followed.

But not all. Some stayed trained right on them.

Jamie watched Tyler as it suddenly hit him—and her as well—the reality of the forth wall. He had been left dangling alone, set up for this one moment. Jessica lifted a brow. There was nothing she was going to do, nothing she would do. He couldn't talk to her now.

He turned around, disappeared onto the bus—still followed by the cameras.

“What’s going on?” asked George.

“Him—“ Felicity nodded her head toward the other group. Toward a tall blond haired adonis standing in the center. Tan and buff, even from the distance his look screamed arrogance. The look on his face was enough to make Jamie despise him. He laughed.

“It’s Zeke.”




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