Celebrity in Death

covered it well. He sat across from her, a small table with pretty flowers between them, and one of his Oscars on display in the background.
    He sat back, hands on the wide arms of the chair, the picture of a man in charge under difficult circumstances.
    “I appreciate this, Joel. I know how busy you are, especially now. But because of especially now, it’s important—I’m sure you agree—to talk about what’s going on, how you feel, how you’re handling it. As head of the studio, everyone looks to you.”
    He lifted a hand off the arm of the chair in a what-can-you-do gesture. “We can’t put up walls between ourselves and the public.”
    “Exactly. Are you ready?”
    “Anytime.”
    “Good.” She glanced at her camera, gave him the nod.
    “And we’re rolling.”
    “This is Nadine Furst. I’m with acclaimed producer Joel Steinburger in his office at Big Bang Studios, New York. Joel, thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me today.”
    “It’s always a pleasure, Nadine, even under these circumstances.”
    “I know the murder of K.T. Harris has shaken to the core theindustry, and the cast and crew of what will tragically be her last vid. Joel, you’re well-known for your hands-on, involved approach to projects like
The Icove Agenda,
and I know you and K.T. worked closely together on her role. How are you holding up?”
    “It’s a raw wound, Nadine. A raw wound. To know that this talented actress, this fascinating, layered woman, this friend is gone, cut off from us in such a needless and tragic way. It’s incomprehensible.”
    He leaned forward then, eyes slightly damp but intense, and she wondered why he’d never tried his hand on the other side of the cameras.
    “K.T. was so invested in this role, the reality of it, the complexities of the character. She worked tirelessly to perfect her performance, to bring out the very best in the rest of the cast. I can’t begin to measure how much she’ll be missed.”
    “And the production continues.”
    “Of course. K.T. would have accepted no less. She was a consummate professional.”
    “With a reputation for being difficult.”
    He smiled now, with a hint of sorrow. “So many of the greatest stars earn that label because, in my opinion, they settle for no less than perfection. Yes, it can make for some fireworks on the set, but that light, that energy is what
makes
brilliance.”
    “Would you share one of your memories of her with us?”
    She let him go on, honestly believing he was making up the amusing anecdote as he went. But it served her purpose, relaxing him, lulling him. She’d soft-balled him, let him find that easy rhythm.
    “Your insight into her,” Nadine continued when he wound down, “as an actor, as a woman, is a tribute.”
    “It’s important, from my perspective, to understand all sides of the people I work with. We become, for a time, a family—and that meansintimacy, conflict, jokes, frustrations. I think of myself as the father figure—one who sets the tone, guides the wheel. I have to anticipate and understand the needs of my family in order to draw out the best in them.
    “We’ve lost one of our family now, suddenly and shockingly. We all feel it keenly.”
    “You’ve dealt with loss before. As that father figure, it must help you, and the others. The fact that you endured, survived, and coped. The tragic death of Sherri Wendall. You and she had been a Hollywood power couple during your marriage, and both dealt with the media microscope during your tumultuous divorce. You were no longer together when she died, but the loss must have been devastating nonetheless.”
    “Sherri was one of the most intriguing women I’ve ever known—and loved. And talent, again?” He shook his head. “Who knows what she would have accomplished had she lived.”
    “You were in Cannes—both of you—when she drowned. Had you and she made peace before her death?”
    He shifted, just an instant’s discomfort. “Oh, I think we had. Great love often equals great conflict. We had both.”
    “The accident, again, senseless, tragic. A slip, a fall, and a drowning death. It, in some ways, mirrors K.T.’s death. That must resonate with you.”
    “I … One an accident, the other murder. But yes, both brilliant stars, gone too soon.”
    “Another brilliant star you lost—we all lost, but a personal loss for you again. Angelica Caulfield. You were close, friends and colleagues. Some claim more than friends.”
    Nadine saw the