Coldheart Canyon: A Hollywood Ghost Story

'Well. I guess there's a pathway which runs down the side of the house, which takes you to the beach. But it's much easier—'

'Thank you,' Katya said, catching hold of the man's gaze and smiling at him. 'I'd just like to get away from the crowd.'

If the man had any objections they faded away on the spot. He blushed at the directness of Katya's look, and stood aside. 'It's all yours,' he said.

TEN

On the beach Todd looked up toward the house. The patio was now so crowded with spectators that people had gone into the kitchen and up to the bedrooms so they could look out at the beach and watch the exchange between himself and Maxine. A few of the partyers had wandered down the patio, and were watching intently from there. The general level of hubbub from inside had also dropped considerably. Word had got around that a war of words was being fought on the sand, and if everyone would just shut up for a minute or two, it would be more audible.

'You wish you'd never started this, now, don't you?' Maxine said.

'All I want is some answers.'

'No, you don't. You want to embarrass me in front of my friends because I let you go. Well, Todd, I'd had enough of you. It's as simple as that. I was tired. I wanted to be free of you and your endless demands.' Maxine closed her eyes as she spoke, and for the first time in her life Tammy had a morsel of sympathy for the woman. Despite her makeup and her immaculate coiffure, nothing could disguise her genuine exhaustion. When she said she wanted to be free of Todd, Tammy believed her.

'When I arranged for you to move into that house it was because it seemed to serve your comforts. That was all I cared about. Now, you come here yelling and swearing, and I think, to hell with your comforts. It's about time they all heard the truth.'

'Don't go there, Maxine.'

'Why not? Why the hell not? You came here to cause trouble. Well you're going to get trouble.' She had raised her voice, so that she was now plainly audible to the audience assembled on the patio and gathered at the windows.

Todd had nowhere to run. The closer she got to him, the more he was forced to retreat toward the house, and the more audible her words became.

'Just tell the damn woman you're sorry, Todd,' Tammy said. 'And let's get the hell out of here. This isn't the time or the place.'

Maxine glanced at Tammy, conceding her existence here with them for the first time. 'You think he's going to apologize? To me? He doesn't understand the word sorry. You know why? He's never been wrong. At least the way he tells it.'

'Well, he can make an exception, right, Todd?'

'Keep out of this,' Todd snapped.

'I hid you away in that house because you asked me to hide you away—' Maxine went on, her recollections delivered in the direction of the spectators. 'You needed time to heal.'

'I'm warning you,' Todd said.

Maxine went on, unintimidated. 'As I recall,' she said, 'your face looked like a piece of hammered steak, thanks to Doctor Burrows.'

'All right, you win,' Todd said. 'Just stop right there.'

'Why? They already know the truth, Todd. The whole town's been gossiping about your Phantom of the Opera act for weeks.'

'Shut up, Maxine.'

'No, Todd, I will not shut up. I've kept your fucking secrets for years, and I'm not going to do it any longer.'

'Perhaps we should just go, Todd,' Tammy said.

'Don't waste your breath on him,' Maxine said. 'He's not going to sleep with you. That's what you're hoping for, isn't it?'

'God,' Tammy said. 'You people.'

'Don't deny it,' Maxine snapped.

'Well, I am denying it. You think the world revolves around sex. It's pathetic.'

'Anyway, I didn't,' Todd said, as though he wanted to be sure that Maxine was not misled on the subject.

Something about his eagerness to have this particular fact set straight distressed Tammy. She knew why. He was ashamed of her. Damn him! Still concerned about his stupid reputation.

Maxine must have seen the anger and disappointment on Tammy's face, because the rage in her own voice mellowed. 'Don't let him hurt you,' she said. 'He's not worth it. Really he's not. It's just that he doesn't want them up there'—she jabbed her finger in the direction of the house— 'thinking he'd ever sink so low as to sleep with the likes of you. Isn't that right, Todd? You don't want people thinking you fucked the fat girl?'

The knife turned a second time in Tammy. She wished the beach would just open up beneath her and swallow her, so she'd never have to see any of these people ever again.

But there was still enough self-esteem left in her to challenge the sonofabitch. What had she got to lose?

'Is that right, Todd?' she said. 'Are you ashamed of me?'

'Oh Jesus . . .' Todd shook his head, then cast a furtive glance at the house. There were probably sixty people on the patio and balconies now, enjoying the spectacle below.

'You know what?' he said. 'Fuck both of you.'

With that he turned his back on Tammy and Maxine and started to walk off down the beach. But Maxine wasn't going to let him get away so easily. 'We didn't finish talking about your healing, Todd.'

'Leave it, Maxine—'

'The operation? The one to make you look a few years younger? The face-lift ?'

He swung around at her. 'I said: leave it or I will sue your fucking ass.'

'On what grounds? I'm just telling the truth. You're an arrogant, spoiled, talentless—'

Todd stopped his retreat. His face looked blotchy in the light thrown from the house; there was a tic beneath the left side of his mouth. The expression of empty despair on his mis-made face silenced Maxine. Todd looked past both the women at the crowd that was watching all this unfold.

Then he started to yell.

'Have you had enough? Well? Have you? She's right! It's all true! I did get a fucking face-lift. You know why? That cunt! Eppstadt! Yes, you, you fucking Quasimodo! You!'

Eppstadt had found a prime grandstand position to watch the encounter between Todd and Maxine, so there were plenty of eyes turned in his direction now. He didn't like the scrutiny any more than Todd had. He shook his head and waved Todd's accusations away, then turned his back and tried to disappear into the crowd.

But Todd kept on haranguing him. 'You're the freak here, you know that?' Todd yelled. 'You fuck with our lives, you fuck with our heads. Well, you're not going to fuck with me anymore, because I'm not playing your game anymore. Hear me? I'm not playing!'

Todd suddenly ran at the patio and reached up through the railing to catch hold of Eppstadt's pants leg. Eppstadt turned on him.

'Get your hands off me!' he shouted, kicking at Todd as though he were a crazed dog.

Todd simply pulled harder on his leg, so that Eppstadt had to grab hold of somebody beside him to stop himself falling over. His face was white with fury. The assault went to the very heart of his dignity; this was a living nightmare for him, the mad-dog actor, the audience of people who despised him, all drinking his embarrassment