He got up, his expression hardening. “I’ve been getting the run-around too much.” He stalked to a path leading down along the side of the hotel to the street, followed the boardwalk a short distance, then came back unobtrusively to a position on the outside of the stone wall, near the point where it ended against the creek flume, and close to where, on the inside, stood the table of the couple.
He sank back on his haunches and heard Christine Forbes’s voice full of pride and happiness:
“Let’s drink to the Central City Festival, darling.”
“No,” her escort said emphatically. “To you, Christine. To your career — gloriously launched tonight.”
Their glasses clinked and there was a pause. Then Christine teased, “You sound so solemn, Joe — as if it was all over but the shouting.”
“It is. You’re off to the races, sweet.” Joe’s voice was low and emphatic. “Everything dates from tonight, and don’t you forget it. You know how good you were in that role.”
“Tonight was a miracle,” Christine said dreamily. She sighed deeply, but her tone hardened as she went on, “But it doesn’t mean anything, Joe. It was just for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll be Nora’s understudy again.”
“After the performance you turned in tonight?”
“Let’s not kid ourselves. Tonight was a lucky break. I’m still an unknown actress with talent. Nora has the connections and the name.”
Shayne discerned a sneer in Joe’s voice when he said, “That shows how much you know about what’s going on. Think I was going to wait forever to get you a lucky break? I’ve told you before — in this business you’ve got to make your own luck.” His voice roughened. “It’s a tough racket, but I promised you we would go up together. You climbed the first rungs tonight, and don’t forget who held the ladder for you.”