Kill You Last by Todd Strasser Read Free Book Online Page A

professional.”
    “What happened next?”
    “She said that she was part of a team from New York that was in town for the weekend scouting for talent, and that if I was interested, I should talk to my parents and then come to this hotel for head shots and to sign with the agency.”
    “Which you did?”
    The girl nodded. “I got my mom to take me later that afternoon. They had a whole suite, and there was all this photography equipment and a stylist and a photographer’s assistant. They had me dress up in different outfits and they took my picture. And then the agent gave me a contract, and my mom read it. She said it sounded okay and I could sign it.”
    “What did the contract say?”
    “My mom read it, so I don’t really know. All she told me was that if the modeling agency got me any jobs, they would get a percentage of what I earned. Which sounded fair.”
    “Only they never got you any jobs?” the anchorwoman said.
    The girl shook her head. “None. We waited for a while, and then called the agency a couple of times, and they said that business was slow and they would be in touch as soon as anything came up that they thought I was right for.”
    “Did they ever call?”
    “No.”
    “Okay,” said the anchorwoman. “Let’s go back to the day you were discovered, so to speak. How much did you have to pay for those head shots?”
    “About seven hundred dollars.”
    “Were there any other fees?”
    “Yes. Three hundred and fifty for the stylist to do my hair and makeup. And two hundred dollars for the contract processing fee and my credentials.”
    “What did they mean by credentials?”
    “Like all the information about me that went on the back of the head shots, and a business card with my photo and contact information and the agency name on it.”
    “A business card that it turns out you could have ordered yourself for under twenty-five dollars?” the anchorwoman said.
    The girl nodded.
    “In fact, you and your mom did some research to figure out what all this would have cost had you done it on your own?”
    “Yes,” the girl said. “We figured out that we could have done it all for about four hundred dollars.”
    “And yet, you were charged well over a thousand?”
    “Uh-huh,” said the girl.
    The image on my computer screen swiveled around as Roman aimed her webcam back at herself. “Seen enough?”
    I was stunned. A scam? A modeling agent stopping girls in malls? A photographer and his crew from New York taking over a hotel suite?
    “It has to be a mistake. It doesn’t sound like Dad. He doesn’t go around renting hotel suites. He’s got his own studio here in town.”
    “Didn’t you once tell me he goes away a lot on the weekends?”
    “But that’s to shoot weddings and parties.”
    “You’re sure?”
    Was I sure? The question hovered invisibly between us.
    No, I wasn’t.
    Not anymore.

Chapter 12
    I TOLD ROMAN I’d talk to her later. For a second I wanted to run downstairs and ask Dad about the story, but my brain was still fuzzy from lack of sleep, and I decided to shower and dress first. Before I went downstairs, I peeked out at the street. The crowd of media people was back. There may even have been a few more reporters than the day before. And a police car had showed up to keep the street clear.
    When I entered the kitchen, Mom was standing at the counter with a mug of coffee, gazing out the window at the backyard. The leaves had started to turn, and a few yellow ones were already lying on the grass. The kitchen TV was off. I poured myself some coffee.
    “There was something on TV this—”
    “I know,” she said tersely.
    The kitchen grew quiet. Mom stared out, unmoving. I’d seen her get like this before when she was really upset. Like everything had shut down except the gears churning in her brain.
    “Where’s Dad?” I finally asked.
    “He left early.”
    I had to assume he’d done that to avoid the media circus outside.
    “Is it true?” I asked. “I mean,