Page 2 of Lady and the Camp
“Am I required to confirm my identity?”
A barely audible sigh stretched across the line. “Yes.”
“Okay. It’s me.” I swallowed past the hurt building in my throat. This sucked. All of it. “And you’re not supposed to talk to me without my lawyer present.”
“Hudson, it’s me,” the steel-edged voice of my attorney, Kelly Q. Pierce, cut in. I was dying to know what the Q stood for, but unsurprisingly, we’d had more pressing matters to cover. “I was on mute. I had a school program to attend. The nerve of these elementary schools to plan their programs during working hours.”
“Ah, I remember those days,” Agent Mulder said. “Had three little ones myself, each two years apart. Only saving grace was my middle child had stage fright. Refused to perform.”
“Excuse me,” I interrupted. “You bothcalled me. What is going on?”
Not-Actually-Mulder cleared his throat. “It’s a spot of bright news. You’ve cooperated and answered all of our questions. We’ve confirmed you are not linked to Kristoff Krom’s embezzlement charges. We had to do our due diligence since he made those claims.”
Claims Kristoff made in a video he posted to the masses. The one time I truly went viral and it involved being blamed for the financial downfall of someone I dated less than six months.
“We reserve the right to contact you for further questioning,” the agent continued. “But for now, you’re clear.”
My breath caught. “So I can post online again?”
“Not so fast,” said my attorney. “We’re releasing a statement that you’ve been cleared of involvement in the embezzlement. You can post the statement, but given the pending investigation, no other comments should come from you about the case. Understood?”
I pressed my lips together, nodding to agree. But obviously neither of them could see me. Video was so ingrained in my routine, I had to remind myself to speak. “Okay.” Okay,but. “I need to at least be able to defend myself. Kristoff’s…fansare attacking my posts with nasty comments.” One thing my manager had right—those fans were scary. “Regardless of the statement, they’re going to keep blaming me. Threatening me.”
“We’re monitoring chatter online, but until we get a plausible threat, it’s all hot air.” Mulder’s throat made a noise like knives in a garbage disposal. “We’re going to need you to take it easy with the internet stuff for now. Lay low. A break can be a good thing. Think about it like a, what do you health nuts call it?”
“A detox?” Kelly Q. offered.
“Yeah, that’s it. Detox. You young folk are online too much. Take a break. Go outside. Get a dog. Log off and tune in—to life.” He chuckled at his own quip.
The turning in my stomach intensified. Waves of hot and cold took turns pulsing through my body. Panic. This was pure, helpless panic.
I’d built my Beauty Butterfly brand the past five years and that brand was me. I had no idea how to pluck that identity out and simply stick it somewhere else. Let alone this idea of logging off. Like, out ofeverything? Even email? For how long?
“Your online presence is an area of concern,” Kelly Q stated, since I obviously could not form a response. “To maintain the integrity of the case, we need your outward persona to align with the statement that you’ve been cleared of financial scandal. Videos and social posts can be taken out of context. The media is eager to scrutinize your every move, especially if they see you spending money or promoting big brands. They will pick you apart, even if just for enticing headlines.”
“In other words,” Mulder said. “No living it up and hobnobbing with celebs. It makes us—er, our case—look bad.”
Oh, so as long as thefedsdidn’t look bad.
I peeked out my bedroom window. A man stood on the sidewalk two stories below with a hefty camera strapped around his neck, checking his phone. He’d been there all day. Waiting.
My small apartment, my homey little sanctuary, felt like a ticking time bomb. Kristoff’s bro base knew I lived in Los Angeles. If they were harassing my manager, what might they do to me? Would they snap photos of me out in public and claim I was a heartless partier as poor Kristoff suffered?
Despite my name being cleared in the investigation, I didn’t feel safe. Relieved, sure, but not safe. “You suggested I lay low. Where should I go?”
“Where’s your family?” Agent Mulder asked.
“Michigan, but that’s not going to work.”
“Ah, the mitten state.” he mused. “You ever been to the thumb? Could be a good place to hide out. The thumb.”
I could imagine it now. Curfews, required family dinners with detailed lectures about my choice of career. In my parents’ mind, I didn’t have a career. And now after all this, maybe I didn’t.
Agent Mulder went on with what I assumed were essential details, only the buzzing in my ears drowned out his words. It was the oddest thing, hearing words I knew were English, but having no understanding of their meaning.
“My job is to represent your best interests,” Kelly Q said. “I agree it’s a good idea to find somewhere, even if temporary, to disappear.”
Disappear. The absolute opposite of every goal I had. My entire existence was driven by the desire to leave a mark on the world.
