Duchess (2 page)

Katie shook her head, but her mother touched her chin, and Katie opened her eyes. The proof of her mother’s argument was right in front of her. The thin woman standing before her couldn’t be her mother. The drawn, sagging face looked tired and worn. The green eyes had lost the glimmer that used to be there. Once, Shirley’s hair had been thick, cascading waves of brown like Katie’s, but now brown wisps clung tenaciously to a balding scalp. Katie knew her mother wanted to give up, but Katie couldn’t. They could beat cancer. People did it all the time, and they didn’t have all the money and resources she had.

Katie raised her chin and stood up taller, “No, Mom. We just haven’t found the right doctor or the right treatment yet, that’s all. You taught me not to quit, and I won’t let you quit either!” She knew she sounded more optimistic than she felt, but someone had to be. They would find a cure.

Her mom pulled Katie into a hug and heaved another big sigh, hanging on like Katie was holding her up. “Okay, Katie Bug. We’ll keep fighting. But at some point, you’ll have to realize that you’ve done everything you can.”

“Something can always be done, Mother.”

Her mom just stared at her silently for a minute and then sat back down on the couch. Katie refused to let doubts creep into her mind. Her mother would not die.

Chapter Two

The ringing of her phone pulled Katie out of her thoughts. She took another swipe at her face with the makeup remover before putting the phone to her ear. “This is Katie.”

“Kate? This is Amber.”

She tensed at hearing the voice call her “Kate.” That’s what David had called her.

“It’s good to hear from you, Amber.” She paused awkwardly, scrambling for something to say. “Mom says your charity for veterans is going really well.”

“Yes, it is. Of course, she’s a big reason. Everyone loves it when she comes by to volunteer. She’s cheerful, and, well, you know your mom. She can see right through people and get to the heart of the matter. That’s what these veterans need—someone who can cut through the crap and tell it like it is.”

“That’s my mom, all right.” Katie glanced over at the topic of conversation, who just smiled at her as if she knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Listen, I’m calling about the charity, actually.” Amber cleared her throat, and then words tumbled out in a rush. “We have the opportunity to lease a bigger building downtown, one that would allow us to help a lot more veterans. But we only have three months to raise the money for it or they’ll give it to someone else.”

The sound of Amber’s voice evoked an image of the last time they had seen each other. Katie could see Amber dressed in black standing next to David’s graveside. Sniffing back the tears, she pushed the memory out of her mind.

“How much do you need? I can get you a check tomorrow.” Katie hoped her mother didn’t see the tears beginning to form.

“That’s generous of you, but I’m thinking along the lines of a benefit concert. Maybe if we could book Duchess for it, we could raise more than enough money for the new building?” Amber stumbled over her words, and the last part came out as a question.

“How many other artists do you have lined up for it?” Katie reached for a notebook and pen she had nearby.

“Um, none,” was Amber’s squeaky reply.

“None?” Katie couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

“I’m sorry, Kate. I’m really in over my head here. I thought maybe you could help us figure it all out.” Amber’s voice was full of hope, and Katie didn’t want to be the one to dash it all away.

“So you need to put together a benefit concert in three months?” she clarified.

“Um, yes.” Amber laughed quickly before adding, “It’s crazy, right?”

“I don’t suppose you have a venue yet.” Katie was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

“No, not yet,” Amber said timidly. “Is it impossible?” The desperation in her voice reminded Katie of her own desperation two years ago, and desperate people didn’t always make wise choices. Not to mention that desperate people were perfect prey for predators, especially predators in the music business. She had learned that lesson the hard way. Katie paused for a moment, trying to clear her mind of the unwanted memories. “There’s so much to consider besides just the artists who could perform. We would need to find a venue, and then there are the security concerns.”

Amber interrupted her. “Oh, I have just the person to help with all that. Could we arrange a time for you to meet with him, maybe next week?”

Katie didn’t answer. Putting a benefit concert together in three months wasn’t entirely impossible, but it would take a lot of time. Pretending to be a pop diva and her manager simultaneously didn’t leave room for anything else. She should just say no.

“Please, Kate?” Amber’s voice sounded vulnerable. “I can’t let these people down. Each time a new veteran comes in, I see David. I see the person he could have been if he had come home. Most of them are broken spiritually and physically. I don’t know if David would have had the same problems, but I would have loved the chance to help him through it. Help me make a difference, Kate.”

Katie thought of her brother—she could see his face in her mind. He had inherited their mother’s green eyes and their father’s blond hair. He was such a contrast to Katie’s brown hair and blue eyes. Oh, how she’d loved her big brother. She’d been so proud of him in his military uniform. She hadn’t truly understood the price of war. Katie had only been thirteen years old when the men had shown up on her family’s doorstep. Her world had changed that day.

Katie blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. Amber was right—if David had come home broken, she would have done everything she could to help him. These soldiers were willing to die for their country like her brother had. She sighed.

“Sure. How about next Friday? That will give me time to look into what we’re up against here.” She tried to sound excited about it.

“That’s perfect! Thank you so much, Kate!”

“No problem.” Katie set up a time for next week and told Amber goodbye, wondering how in the world she was going to work a miracle and organize a benefit concert in three months.

Katie turned around and saw that her mom still sat on the couch, but now she was putting on Duchess’s wig.

“Are you sure you feel up to this tonight? We can just wait till the crowds are gone and leave then.” Katie hated using her mother as the decoy after a concert, but it had been Shirley’s idea.

“I’m fine. Besides, I want to get home and take advantage of the nice expensive bed you bought me. Don’t want that money to go to waste.” She picked up a cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was getting ready to put on the big sunglasses when Katie’s phone rang again.

She glanced down at the Caller ID and almost didn’t answer it. Phone calls from the record label usually left her in a bad mood. “Hi, Kyle.”

“Katie? Is that you? Are you where you can talk?”

“Yes, I can talk.” She rolled her eyes at her mom. As an executive at the record label, Kyle was a bit on the dramatic side. Every time he called, he acted as if the world were ending, though his charm and rugged good looks usually helped her excuse his dramatics.

“Have you watched the news? Channel 10 has a piece about the concert. You’d better watch it—they have an expert coming on to analyze Duchess’s accent. They want to know if it’s fake.”

Katie couldn’t help her deep intake of breath. “What? What if they figure it out?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle answered. “Though I’m sure our response will be ‘no comment,’ no matter what they say.”

She found the remote to the flat screen TV on the wall and flipped to the channel.

“What’s going on?” Shirley asked impatiently.

“Watch.” Katie pointed to the news anchors on the television.

“Duchess performed in concert tonight at the Staples Center,” a female
anchor was saying to a man like they were having a polite dinner conversation or something.

“Yes, she was, Heather,” the man answered. “Critics are already complaining about her performance of ‘Fish ’n Chips’ on the Fourth of July. The words make fun of Americans and the Revolutionary War. What a statement to make on the day we Americans celebrate our independence from England. But on top of all that, people want to know who she really is.”

Katie rolled her eyes. They needed to lighten up. Besides, most people couldn’t hear the lyrics through all the music and the synthesizers.

“That’s right, Bob. She rocketed to fame in a short amount of time, about a year and a half, but she remains a mystery. The rumor is that she’s another popular musician in disguise because she wanted to go with a different record label and didn’t want to break her contract.”

“That is one rumor, Heather. Yet another rumor is that Duchess is really British royalty and has to keep her identity a secret so as not to bring shame to her family name.”

“Yes, Bob. And to help us to shed light on these rumors is Mark Williams, audio expert. As I understand it, you often provide expert testimony about voice analysis in court?”

“Yes, I most certainly do. I have helped with several cases as of late.”

Katie cringed when she heard his British accent. There was no way he was going to think her accent was real.

“And have you had a chance to listen to the voice clips we delivered to your office?”

“Yes, I did, thank you. Though I must say, there really were not many audio clips to listen to.”

“This is all part of the mystery, Mr. Williams. She doesn’t do many interviews except for over the phone, and even those are with a synthesized voice. But do you have some thoughts about her accent?”

“Yes, I believe I do. Most Americans are a bit nasal when trying to speak with a British accent. It is a dead giveaway because Brits speak through their throats, emitting a softer tone.”

“Does Duchess have a nasally sound?”

Katie held her breath.

“No, she does not
.”
Mr. Williams answer grimaced at the admission. “But that can be falsified. So can Received Pronunciation English, also known as ‘Queen’s English.’ Duchess appears to use this accent.”

“What does that mean?”

“Received Pronunciation was once considered the intonation of the highly educated and affluent, though over the years, this has changed. It used to be heard mostly in southern England, but now one can come across it in several regions, making it difficult to pinpoint a country of origin for the speaker. Meaning, based on her accent, that she could be from anywhere.”

“Including America?”

Katie’s mom was now standing next to her. She reached out for Katie’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Yes, including America.”

“Are you saying Duchess’s accent could be fake?”
The anchorwoman smiled like she could already see herself winning journalist of the year.

“It could be, but there are other factors to consider. For instance, when most Americans falsify an accent, they try to mimic the British sayings, but they tend to overemphasize them and use only the well-known terms. Many of their American terms slip into their speech reflexively. As far as I can tell from Duchess’s short interviews, she uses British vocabulary in a flawless manner. This leads me to say tentatively that her accent is most probably not false.”

Katie let the air out of her lungs in one large sigh. The anchorwoman suddenly looked like she had eaten a sour gummy worm.

“Probably? Could you be wrong?”

“It would help if there was video footage of her. Body language is also a good way to tell a true Brit from an imposter, but just based on the voice analysis, Duchess is more than likely from England.”

The news anchors continued to pepper the poor man with more questions, but Katie wasn’t watching anymore.

“You did it, Katie!” She forgot she was holding the phone to her ear until Kyle’s voice boomed over the receiver.

“What?” She couldn’t seem to grasp what had happened. She knew she’d worked hard on her accent. Having a friend from England had helped a lot as well, but fooling an expert? That had gone beyond her wildest dreams.

“You did it! We dodged another bullet! Life with Duchess is never dull, I must say that. Katie, when you first came to me with this outrageous idea, I have to admit, I didn’t think it would amount to anything, but look at you! You’re doing it, kid. What a rush!” Kyle’s voice continued to drone on, but Katie didn’t want to hear any more.

“Umm, yeah, thanks. I gotta go, Kyle. Bye.” She hung up, not caring that he was in mid-sentence. He would go on forever if she let him.

Katie clicked off the phone and turned to look at her mother. The tall white wig tilted to the side like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the large cloak hung off one shoulder. Her mother clutched the sunglasses in her hand as she continued to stare at the TV.

“Mom?”

Katie’s mom jumped a little at her name. The look was in her eyes again, the one that said, “You can’t keep doing this.” Katie’s heart was still pounding in her chest and she knew her mother was right, but she didn’t see any other options. Despite what her mother said, they still needed the money. Besides, her mother didn’t know the details of the contract Katie had signed two years ago. She planned to keep it that way.

“Let’s go home.” Katie straightened the wig on her mother’s head and wrapped the cloak snugly around her. The sunglasses went on last. She smiled at the woman before her. The disguise wouldn’t hold up in the light, but in the dark and from the door to the open car waiting outside, it would be enough.

“Oh, yes,” her mother said, coming back to herself. She stood a little taller and put on her best British accent. “Come, dahling. Let us go.”

Katie laughed and felt all the previous tension melt away. Her mother was still with her, and that’s all that mattered.

Chapter Three

Looking out the window, Carter Chase watched as the bus snaked through the Santa Monica streets. He could see the ocean glittering on the horizon and hear the honking cars all around him. It was amazing how quickly this place had become his home. As the bus came to a stop, he stood and waited for the older woman in front of him to make her way down the aisle to the door. Taking a deep breath, he smelled the unique combination of sea salt and car exhaust. The smell reminded him of the first time he’d made this bus ride almost two years ago. He hadn’t known at the time what a big step he was taking to his recovery.