Chapter 12 chapter Ten

An unexpected phone call came Monday morning. "Dana Evans?" "yes." "I'm Dr. Joel Heitzberger. I'm from UNICEF." Dana listened, confused: "Oh?" "Eliot Cromwell mentioned to me that you told him that your son had trouble with his prosthetics." Dana thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so." "Mr. Cromwell told me everything. This foundation was established to help children from war-torn countries. From what Mr. Cromwell told me, your son Obviously meets the above requirements. I want to ask if you would like to bring him to see me?"

"Oh, I—oh, yes, of course." They agreed to meet later that day. After Kenmore came home from school, Dana said excitedly, "You and I are going to see a doctor put a new arm on you. Do you like it?" Kenmore considered it. "I don't know. It wouldn't be a real arm." "It's going to be as close to a real arm as we can get. Will you, buddy?" "cool." Dr. Joel Heitzberger was in his late fifties, a warm, charming, hard-edged man. After Dana and Heitzberger exchanged greetings, Dana said, "Doctor, I want to start by explaining that we have to work out a financial plan, because I heard that a new arm is going to happen every few days since Kenmore is growing. indivual--"

Mr. Heitzberger interrupted her. "I told you on the phone, Miss Evans, that the Children's Fund is set up to help children from war-torn countries. We pay for it." Dana breathed a sigh of relief: "That would be great." She said a silent prayer.God bless Eliot Cromwell. Dr. Heitzberger turned to Kenmore again. "Now let me see you, young man." Thirty minutes later, Dr. Heitzberger said to Dana, "I think we can cure him almost completely." He pulled down a diagram hanging on the wall: "We have two kinds of prosthetics, the myoelectric Yes, this is the newest type, and there's also a cable-like operating arm. From here you can see that the myoelectric arm is made of plastic, with a hand-like sheath." He smiled at Kenmore: " It looks the same as the original."

"Can it move?" asked Kenmore. Dr. Heitzberger said, "Kenmore, have you ever thought about moving your hand? I mean the hand that no longer exists." "Yes," said Kenmore. Dr. Heitzberger leaned forward: "Well, now, whenever you think about that artificial hand, the muscles that used to work there will contract and automatically generate an EMG signal. In other words, you can just think about it. Open or close your hand." Kenmore's face lit up. "Can I? How—how do I put it on and take it off?" "It's really easy, Kenmore. You just put your new arm on. It's a suction device. There will be a thin nylon sheath over the arm. You can't swim in it, and pretty much nothing else. Anything goes. It's like a pair of shoes. You take it off at night and put it back on in the morning."

"How much does it weigh?" Dana asked. "Between six ounces and a pound." Dana turned to Kenmore. "What do you think, athlete? Let's try it?" Kenmore tried to hide his excitement. "Is it going to look real?" "It's going to look real," Dr. Heitzberger said. "Sounds great!" "You've become left-handed, so you're going to learn to unlearn it. It's going to take time, Kenmore. We'll fit you in right away, but you'll have to see a therapist for a while and learn to make it part of you And control myoelectric signals."

Kenmore took a deep breath: "Cool." Dana hugged Kenmore tightly. "It's going to be very good," she said.She is trying to hold back tears. For a moment Mr. Heitzberger watched them, then smiled: "Let's work." Dana went to see Elliott Cromwell as soon as she got back to her office. "Eliott, we just left Dr. Heitzberger." "Good. I hope he can help Kenmore." "Looks like he can. I really can't tell you how grateful I am." "Dana, nothing to be grateful for. I'm glad I could help. Just let me know how it goes."

"I will." Bless you. "Flowers!" Olivia walked into the office holding a large bouquet of flowers. "They're beautiful!" exclaimed Dana. She opened the envelope and read the card.My dear Miss Evans, our friend's clamor is stronger than his bite.Hope you like these flowers.Jack Stone. Dana studied the card for a moment.How interesting, she thought.Jeff said his bite was stronger than his yelling.Which is right?Dana senses that Jack Stone loathes his job.And hates his boss.I need to remember this. Dana calls FRA Jack Stone. "Mr. Stone? I just wanted to thank you for your beautiful—"

"Are you in the office?" "yes, I--" "I'll call you back." In a businesslike tone. Three minutes later Jack Stone called back. "Miss Evans, it's best that our mutual friend doesn't know what we're talking about. I try to change his attitude, but he's a stubborn man. If you need me—I mean really need me—I'll take my I will tell you my private mobile phone number. That way I can be found anytime.” "Thank you." Dana wrote down the number. "Miss Evans—" "yes." "It's all right. Just be careful."

General Booth was waiting for Jack Stone when he walked in that morning. "Jack, I feel like that bitch Evans is a troublemaker. I want you to start documenting her. And keep me in control." "I'll arrange it." Only nothing will happen.And he had already sent Dana flowers. Dana and Jeff are talking about Kenmore's prosthetics in the TV executive's cafeteria. Dana said: "I'm so excited, honey. It's going to change everything in the world. He's been aggressive because he feels inferior. It's going to change everything." "He must be excited," Jeff said, "I know I am."

"And it's a miracle that UNICEF will pay for everything. If we can—" Jeff's cell phone rings: "Sorry honey." He presses a button and speaks into the phone: "Hello?... oh..." He glances at Dana: "No...it's okay... Go on..." Dana sat where she was, trying not to listen. "Yeah... I see... well... it's probably not serious, but maybe you should see a doctor. Where are you now? Brazil? There are some good doctors there. Of course... I understand... no... "The conversation seemed to go on and on.Jeff finally said, "Be careful. Goodbye." He put the phone down.

Dana said, "Rachel?" "Yeah. There's something wrong with her body. She canceled a shoot in Rio. She's never done anything like this before." "Why is she calling you, Jeff?" "She has no one else, darling, she's only one." "Goodbye, Jeff." Rachel hangs up reluctantly, not wanting to let go.She looked at Suganov in the distance outside the window and the beach of Ipanima below. She went into the bedroom and lay down, exhausted, with today's events swirling drowsily in her mind.off to a good start.She had been posing on the beach that morning for a commercial for American Express. At noon, the director said, "It was good last time, Rachel. But let's do it one more time." She was about to say yes when she found herself saying, "No. Sorry. I can't." He stared at her in surprise: "Why?" "I'm very tired. You'll have to forgive me." She turned and fled back to the hotel, across the lobby and into the safe room.She was shaking and feeling sick.What's wrong with me?Her forehead was hot. She picked up the phone and called Jeff.Just hearing his voice made her feel better.bless him.He was always there for me, my lifeline.After the conversation, Rachel lay on the bed, thinking.We had a good time.He is always a joy.We love doing the same, and we love to share everything.How can I let him go away?She forced herself to recall how that marriage had ended. It started with a phone call. "Rachel Stevens?" "yes." "Roderick Marshall called." One of Hollywood's most established directors. A moment later his voice came over the phone: "Miss Stevens?" "yes." "Roderick Marshall. Do you know who I am?" She has seen several of his films: "Of course I know, Mr. Marshall." "I've been looking at your pictures. We need you on Fox. Would you like to come to Hollywood and audition?" Rachel hesitated for a moment. "I don't know. I mean I don't know if I can act, I never—" "Don't worry. I'll arrange it. We'll pay for everything for you, of course. I'll direct the audition myself. How soon will you be here?" Rachel considered the schedule. "In three weeks." "Okay. The studio will take care of everything." It wasn't until Rachel hung up that she realized she hadn't asked Jeff for advice.He won't mind, she thought.Anyway, we are rarely together. "Hollywood?" Jeff repeated. "Just kidding, Jeff." He nodded: "Okay, give it a try. You may be very good." "Can you come with me?" "Honey, we're playing Cleveland on Monday, then we're going to Washington, then Chicago. We've got loads of games on the schedule. I think if a starting pitcher is missing, the team will notice it." .” "Too bad." She tried to sound casual. "Our lives never seem to come together, do they, Jeff?" "seldom." Rachel still wanted to say something, but then she thought again, now is not the time. Rachel was greeted by a studio employee at the Los Angeles airport in a stretch limousine. "My name is Henry Ford," he "giggled." "It's okay. They call me Hank." A limousine pulls into traffic.Along the way he makes gushing comments about Rachel. "First time in Hollywood, Miss Stevens?" "No. I've been here many times. The last time was two years ago." "Oh, it's all changed now. It's bigger and better than ever. If you're a star, you love it." If I become a star. "The studio booked you a room at Chateau Marmont. All the famous people live there." Rachel pretended to be impressed: "Really?" "Oh, yes. John Belushi died there, you know, from an overdose." "Yo." "Gable used to live here, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe." The names came out one after another.Rachel hadn't listened. Just north of the Sunset Strip, Chateau Marmont looks like a castle from a movie set. Henry Ford said, "I'll take you to the studio at two o'clock. You'll meet Roderick Marshall there." "I'll be ready." Two hours later, Rachel was in Roderick Marshall's office.He was in his late fifties, short and stocky, with the energy of a dynamo. "You'll be glad you're here," he said. "I'm going to make you a big star. We'll do a test shoot for you tomorrow. I'll arrange for an assistant to take you to the costume department to pick out some clothes that will suit you. You'll have a test shoot Snippets from one of our blockbuster films, The End of the Dream. Makeup and hair at 7am tomorrow. Guess it's nothing new to you, ah!" Rachel said flatly, "Yes." "Are you here alone, Rachel?" "yes." "Why don't we have dinner together tonight?" Rachel thought for a while: "Okay." "I'll pick you up at eight o'clock." In this small town, a grand dinner was held that evening. "If you know where to go—and you dare go in," Roderick Marshall told Rachel, "Los Angeles has some of the hottest clubs in the world." The evening sequence begins at The Stand, a trendy bar on Sunset Boulevard.Hotel and hotel.As they passed the front desk, Rachel stopped, dumbfounded.Behind the frosted glass window on one side of the front desk is a life-size portrait of a nude model. "Isn't that great?" "Unbelievable," Rachel said. A montage of loud and crowded clubs ensued, and by the end, Rachel was exhausted. Roderick Marshall sent her back to the hotel: "Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will change your whole life." At seven o'clock in the morning, Rachel was already in the dressing room.Makeup artist Bob Van Dusen looked at her appreciatively and said, "Are they going to pay me for this?" She laughed out loud. "You don't need much make-up. You're naturally beautiful." "Thank you." When Rachel got ready, a woman from the clothing department helped her into the clothes she had chosen the previous afternoon.An assistant director took her to the huge sound stage. Roderick Marshall and the camera crew are waiting.The director looks at Rachel for a moment and says, "Perfect. We're going to do a two-part test, Rachel. You sit in this chair, and I'll ask you some questions off-camera. Be natural." "Okay. What about the second part?" "That short audition I mentioned." Rachel sits down while the cameraman adjusts the focus.Roderick Marshall stands off camera: "Are you ready?" "yes." "Okay. Relax. You'll be great. Camera. Go. Good morning." "Good morning." "I heard you were a model." Rachel smiled, "Yes." "How did you get started?" "I was fifteen. The owner of a modeling agency saw me and my mother in a restaurant and approached her and within a few days I was a model." The interview ran smoothly for fifteen minutes, and Rachel's intelligence and poise were on display. "Stop! That's great!" Roderick Marshall handed her an audition clip. "Let's take a break. Read this. Let me know when you're ready and we'll get started. Sure you can, Rachel." Rachel read the script.It is about a wife asking her husband for a divorce.Rachel read it again. "I'm ready." Rachel was introduced to Kevin Webster, who played her opposite—a handsome young man in the Hollywood mold. "Okay," said Roderick Marshall, "let's shoot. Camera. Go." Rachel looked at Kevin Webster. "I spoke to a divorce attorney this morning, Cliff." "I've heard. Shouldn't you talk to me first?" "I told you, I've been telling you for the past year. We're not married anymore. You're not listening, Jeff." "Stop," said Roderick. "Rachel, his name is Cliff." "I'm so sorry," Rachel said in embarrassment. "Again. A second time." This episode is really about Jeff and me, Rachel thought.We no longer have a married life.how can that be possible?We live separate lives.We hardly see each other.We've all met attractive people, but we've been held back by a contract that no longer makes sense. "Rachel!" "Sorry." Filming started again. By the time Rachel came out of test shoots, she had made two decisions.She doesn't belong in Hollywood... And she wants a divorce... Right now, Rachel lay on Rio's bed sick and exhausted.I made a mistake, she thought.I should never have divorced Jeff. Dana took him to the therapist who helped him get used to his new arm after school in Kenmore on Tuesday.The prosthetic arm looked real and functioned well, but it was difficult for Kenmore to get used to it, both physically and psychologically. “It feels like he’s attached to something,” the therapist explained to Dana. “Our job is to get him to accept it as part of himself. He has to get used to using both hands again. Usually Said there was a study period of two to three months. I must warn you that could be a very difficult time." "We can handle it," Dana assured him. Things are not that easy.Early the next morning, Kenmore walked out of the study without his prosthetic. "I'm ready." Dana looked at him in surprise. "Where's your arm, Kenmore?" Kenmore raised his left hand defiantly. "here." "You know what I mean. Where's your prosthetic arm?" "It's a monster. I'll never wear it again." "You'll get used to it, honey. I promise. You'll have to give it a chance. I'll help you—" "Nobody can help me. I'm a cripple..." Dana went to see Detective Marcus Abms again, who was busy filling out a report at his desk when Dana walked in.He looked up, scowling. "You know what I hate about this goddamn job?" He pointed at the pile of papers. "Here. I could have gone out and shot in the street. Oh, I forgot, you're a reporter, aren't you? Don't quote my words." "Too late." "What can I do for you today, Miss Evans?" "Let me ask about the Sinneshin case. Has the autopsy been done?" "Proforma." He took out several documents from the desk drawer. "Is there anything suspicious in the report?" She watched Abms scan the papers. "No alcohol...no drugs...no." He raised his eyes. "It looks like this lady is desperate and has decided to end her life. That's it?" "That's it," Dana said. Dana's next stop is the office of Detective Phoenix Wilson. "Good morning. Detective Wilson." "What wind brought you to the humble office?" "I'd like to know what's new about the murder of Gary Winthrop." Wilson sighed, scratching his nose. "No damn thing. I thought one of those paintings would show up by now. We've been counting on it." Dana wanted to say, I wouldn't if I were you, but she kept her mouth shut. "No clues?" "Not at all. The bastards got away with it. We don't have a lot of art thefts, but the modus operandi is pretty much the same. That's the surprise." "An unexpected thing?" "Yes. This case is different." "It's different... how do you say it?" "Art thieves don't kill unarmed people, and there's no reason for these guys to brutally shoot Gary Winthrop." He paused. "Do you have a particular interest in this case?" "No." Dana lied. "Not at all. Just curious. I—" "Well," said Detective Wilson, "keep in touch." After the meeting in General Brewster's office at the isolated FRA headquarters, the general turned to Jack Stone and asked, "What about that Evans woman?" "She's poking around, but I don't see any harm in that. She's finding nothing." "I don't like her poking around. Bring it up to a three." "When do you want it to start?" "yesterday." While Dana was preparing for her next broadcast, Matt Baker walked into her office and sat in a chair. "I just got a call about you." Dana said briskly, "My admirers never get tired of me, do they?" "This one is tired of you." "Oh." "The call is from the FRA. They're asking you to stop investigating Tyler Winthrop. Not formal. Just what they call a friendly piece of advice. Looks like they want you to mind your own business." "It is, isn't it?" Dana said.She stared at Matt. "You want to know why, don't you? I'm not going to just walk away from an investigation just because some government agency wants me to. It's from Aspen, where Taylor and his wife were killed in a fire." I'm going there first. If there's something there, it's going to be a great opening to a crime scan." "How much time do you need?" "It shouldn't take more than a day or two." "Go and try."