Chow Down (A Melanie Travis Mystery)

were staring wide-eyed at the set, I took a moment to reconnect with Faith. I scratched under her chin and rubbed her ears and let her know that everything was all right. That was the problem with having a dog who was so attuned to my every mood; I knew she was picking up on my nervousness and wondering what was up.
    As we waited, a couple of sound technicians scurried in and out among us, affixing small microphones to our clothing and asking each of us to speak in turn. One by one, we giggled and mumbled our way through the sound check. Then came Ben’s turn.
    He sighed and rolled his eyes, letting everyone know that he found the whole exercise incredibly boring and said, clearly and distinctly, “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York.”
    Richard the Third , I realized. What a show-off.
    “I’m guessing you’ve done that before,” Darlene Minnick said with a smile. She’d come over to introduce herself and been stopped in her tracks by Ben’s minisoliloquy.
    “Many, many times.” The actor inclined his head with studied grace as he reached out and took her hand in his. Up close, Darlene was smaller than she appeared on television, almost tiny, in fact. Ben leaned down to minimize the distance between them. “I’m Ben O’Donnell.”
    “I knew that name sounded familiar when I saw it in my notes,” Darlene replied. “You were on that soap opera Moments in the Sun , weren’t you?”
    “Yes, I was. Thank you for remembering.”
    “You were very good, and I was really hooked. I tried never to miss an episode. I used to run home from high school every afternoon to watch it.”
    Ouch, I thought. That had to have hurt.
    But Ben didn’t let it faze him. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan,” he said. His voice had dropped to a deeper octave and I realized that he hadn’t released the woman’s hand. “Especially one who’s in the business and understands the rigors of our profession.”
    “Have I seen you in anything lately?” asked Darlene. “Please don’t tell me you’ve retired. Talent like yours shouldn’t go to waste.”
    “At the moment, you might say that I’m between opportunities. I’m reading scripts and looking for that next important role. In the meantime, I’m amusing myself by letting my champion Boxer, Brando, participate in this worthwhile endeavor.”
    Really, it was hard not to laugh. Listening to Ben’s version, it sounded as though Brando had submitted his own contest entry and that all of us were engaged in doing some sort of charity work.
    Darlene, however, was nodding in agreement. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that Ben was still holding her hand. On only a minute’s acquaintance, the two of them looked pretty chummy.
    Chris stepped aside as Cindy elbowed her way through the group to stand beside the pair. She didn’t bother to mask her annoyance. I wondered if it had ever occurred to her that Ben looked like the kind of man who would flirt with a lamppost if he thought it would advance his opportunities.
    “Darlene,” she said sharply. “Maybe you’d like to move on and meet our other finalists?”
    “Of course.” With one last look at Ben, the show’s cohost slowly withdrew her hand. When Darlene turned to the rest of us, her professional demeanor was firmly in place. “Welcome to This Is Your Morning Show . I can’t tell you how pleased Rob and I are that all of you have dragged yourselves out of bed so early in the morning to come and join us.”
    We all smiled appreciatively, as we were meant to. It was easy to see why the show was so popular with viewers. Darlene exuded a warmth and sincerity that came across as well in person as it did on television.
    “Segments with dogs are my favorites,” she said. “I always say it’s no fair that Darren gets to be the one who has all the fun. Have you met Darren yet?” She turned around and scanned the room. “I’m sure he’ll be here any minute. He likes to have a few words with the dog owners before they’re on the air. Everyone feeling okay?”
    Dutifully, we all nodded.
    “Anyone nervous?”
    Most of us nodded again.
    Darlene laughed. “Don’t worry about that. Trust me, you’ll all look great on camera and most of the focus will be on your dogs anyway. Take a few deep breaths and remember to just act natural. Once it starts, the segment will be over before you know it. Oh good, here comes our pet expert now.”
    Once again,