That ‘but,’ and way he suddenly trailed off, made Austen’s eyes narrow with suspicion.
“But what, Johnny? What else did you tell him?”
“Well, er, I told him that DeHardt wasn’t even ready for the shoot when we showed up, and how he let you into his house but not us. So, technically, youmighthave talked about things that we didn’t catch on tape.”
She slapped her forehead. “Great. Just soyouknow, I didn’t ask him about Campbell. But now Thayer probablythinksI did.”
“I only told him the truth.” Johnny raised a mystified palm into the air. “And I don’t see why it’s such a big deal in the first place?”
Neither do I,she thought, but she wasn’t about to get into that again.
“I just can’t believe you’d let him take the tape,” she blurted out.
The cameraman blinked at her. “What was I supposed to do? Tell my boss ‘no?’ ”
“He’s going to be mad when he sees what DeHardt had to say about him, you know.”
“So what? Won’t be any love lost between them. Nothing that dude said is your fault, anyway.”
“I shouldn’t have let him say it in the first place, though.”
Johnny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he said some shit, but you always got him back on track eventually. Whatever, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
But Austenwasworried. “I don’t see why he’d want the tape in the first place.”
Johnny shrugged. “Because it’s Dane DeHardt, y’know? Kind of a big deal. The biggest player we’ve had on your show by far. I’m sure Thayer wants to make sure it’s done right, that’s all.”
“I guess you’re right,” she said. But she couldn’t deny the uneasiness in her stomach. “I’m going to go check in with him and make sure everything’s alright.”
Johnny gave a wave. “Knock yourself out.”
***
Thayer wasn’t answering his phone, so she knocked on his office door instead. She heard a commotion, things being moved around, whispers, and then finally the sound of a body approaching the door.
Thayer cracked the door open to greet her. “Morning, Austen!”
The room behind him was dark, lit only by the bluish glow of monitors. Austen tried to peek over Thayer’s shoulder, but he stood tall to block her view.
“Um. Hi,” she muttered. “Sorry I’m late. Just wanted to let you know that I’m here.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. Since youwerelate, though, I just had to take a look at your footage—I simply couldn’t wait any longer.”
Austen gulped. “So … can I come in and watch it with you?”
And maybe do some damage control?she thought.
“First, I’d like to continue reviewing it alone, if you don’t mind.”
Then there was a girl’s voice coming from behind Thayer. “Um, excuse me. I’m so sorry but I have to use the restroom and I can’t wait any longer.”
It was Heather, one of the media interns. She ducked under Thayer’s arm and scurried out of the office.
Why is Heather allowed in there but not me? I thought you wanted to review the footage alone.
Thayer was caught in a lie. Smiling through gritted teeth, he tried to hide his guilt. “Well, I suppose I should get back to work, then,” he said, trying to shut the door.
Austen stuck her foot in the doorway. “Wait!”
