A “Common”
Mistake?
By
J.G. Massey
©October
2000
Dedicated to Anny, chief
Piranha, because she made me write it, and to Amelia, for introducing me to the
gang at TWM and GRG. And of course to
Gerry Anderson, Ed Bishop and the entire cast of UFO. It would never have
been done without them. No copyright
infringement is intended.
Oh, and thanks to Angelina
College and Express Personnel Services for paying me to write this.
Comments are always welcome. email me!
Please forgive any errors in
judicial process or protocol, or any errors in my psychological ramblings. I did the best I could, but didn’t have an
opportunity to research these procedures right now. If you see something wrong, let me know how it should be and I’ll
correct it. J
Tuesday,
November 22, Two Thirty pm
“You
do understand, Ma’am, that these are very serious allegations?”
“Of
course I do!” The woman was very nearly
in tears. “This is very serious. He can’t get away with this!”
“Right,
then. We’ll check out your claims and
get back to you.” The young officer
made a few more notes on the paper before him and then rose as if to walk her
to the door. The woman was sitting
quietly, staring at him; her eyes now reflected something more akin to
anger. “Do you need a ride home,
Ma’am?”
“You
don’t believe me, do you?” Her voice was filled with scorn. “You think I’m making this up?” Fury flashed in her deep green eyes and her
cheeks began to color. “You want to
protect him!”
The
young man, new to the job and not quite certain how to handle the woman,
glanced nervously around the room.
“Ma’am, please, calm down. Of
course I believe you. “
She
cut him off, screaming. “No, you want
to protect him. Just because he is an
important man and I’m a nobody, you . . . “ She collapsed back into her chair,
sobbing, as the officer’s superior came to see what all the fuss was about.
“Ma’am,
please, that’s not true. We’ll treat
this incident just the same as we would any other.”
***
***
After
she’d gone, the young man looked at his superior and frowned. “She’s a real nutcase, isn’t she? Do you suppose there’s any truth to her
story, Sir?”
“Why
don’t you find out, Hopson?”
***
***
Tuesday,
November 22, Nine Thirty pm
. . . and in local news: London authorities are investigating charges
filed this morning against the CEO of Harlington-Straker film studios.
Sources at police headquarters today confirmed that a local actress has filed sexual harassment charges as well as a paternity suit against Ed Straker, CEO of Harlington-Straker film studios. The actress, whose name has not been released, alleges that Straker recently promised her a lucrative contract at the studio in return for sexual favors. The young actress initially agreed to the proposition, but says that she was fired from the studio when she became pregnant with Straker’s child.
Straker, an
American, has been CEO at Harlington-Straker for fourteen years. Our station tried to contact Mr. Straker for
his comments on the situation, but was told he was out of town. The studio’s press department declined to
make any comment at this time.
***
***
Wednesday,
November 23,
Seven Fifty Seven am
Alec
Freeman walked into Ms. Ealand’s office frowning. She was on the phone and he nodded to her as he continued toward
Straker’s upstairs office. He stopped
when he heard her say “Yes, Sir. Mr.
Freeman just walked in. I’ll transfer
you,” she pushed a button on her phone and the phone on Straker’s desk began
ringing. Alec raised a questioning
eyebrow. “Mr. Henderson for you, Sir.”
Alec
sighed as he picked up the receiver.
“Freeman.” He listened for a
moment then nodded. “Yes, Sir, the
whole thing is ridiculous.” After another pause, he continued. “No, Straker’s been on the moon for the last
three days. I don’t know if he’s heard
yet. I was just going to contact him.”
A
few moments later, Freeman walked through Control without a word to
anyone. Entering Straker’s office, he
shut the door and sat in Straker’s chair.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed a button and asked Keith Ford to get
Moonbase. Within seconds, the screen on
the console at the left of the desk filled with the image of Gay Ellis. Freeman smiled briefly, then asked her to
transfer him to the Commander’s quarters.
Noting the expression on his face, Gay asked if anything was wrong. “I’d say that’s an understatement,” he
replied grimly.
A
moment later, Straker’s face replaced Gay’s on the small screen. “Hello, Alec. How’s everything back home?”
Straker asked cheerfully. He
also noted Alec’s expression and knew there was trouble.
“Ed,
we’ve got trouble at the Studio. I
think you’d better get back here. The
next lunar flight is in two hours. “
Straker
frowned. “What kind of trouble?”
“I’ll
fill you in when you get here.”
***
***
Wednesday,
November 23,
Four Fifty Seven pm
Arriving
at Harlington-Straker Film Studios, Ed groaned aloud when he saw the press at
the gate. If there was one thing he
hated, it was dealing with the press.
Some days he thought he might rather face a few hundred aliens alone
than deal with a single reporter. He
thought about Alec’s call to Moonbase and his reluctance to give details, and
wondered just what was going on. The
security team at the gate waved him through as reporters rushed forward
shouting questions he ignored. Straker
sighed, wondering again why a film studio had been chosen as cover for SHADO –
being Commander of SHADO was stressful enough without having to deal with the
headaches involved with day-to-day studio business.
Alec met him in Miss Ealand’s office, handing him a copy of the morning paper. Straker glanced over the headline as the lift descended. Frowning, he leaned against the desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. Suddenly he felt another migraine coming on.
***
***
Wednesday,
November 23, Nine Forty Five pm
She
waited outside the studio for him to come out.
She knew he worked long hours but she had been patient until now; she
would wait a few more hours if she had to.
Those ridiculous guards at the gate had refused to let her in today,
even as the press had recorded her tears for the nightly news. After giving another grief-filled account of
her story to the press, she had retreated to her car to wait for him, more
determined than ever to see him. Now it
was nearly ten pm, and she was beginning to wonder if he had slipped out
another gate.
Her
thoughts drifted to their third date, back in September:
He had strolled casually across the set a little after nine
am, greeting cast and crew warmly, as he always did. She had watched him cross the set, and had deliberately put
herself out of hearing range of the others as he approached her. She had smiled at him, resisting the urge to
run into his arms.
“Good Morning, Eddie!” she had said, her eyes twinkling.
He had smiled that
gorgeous smile and said “Good morning, Love.
Dinner tonight?” When she
nodded, he smiled again. “I’ve got to
run. I’ll meet you at Café Rayon d’Or
at seven?”
She grinned. “I’ll
see you there.”
She
had arrived at the restaurant at six forty-five and glanced around the parking
lot for his car. Not seeing it, and
used to his being delayed at the studio, she went inside to see if he had left
a message for her. The maitre'de told
her he had called, was running late, and would meet her at eight. With a sigh, she thanked the man and
returned to her car to wait for him.
He
had arrived at a quarter of eight and they walked into the restaurant
together. Several of the restaurants
patrons turned to stare as they entered.
Mandy beamed. She was so pleased
to be escorted by such a wonderful, handsome man. She’d never been so happy in her life.
They had quickly been seated at their usual table and he
ordered for both of them – tiger prawns and tagine of monkfish cooked with
mussels. After they had eaten, Mandy
suggested they take a walk at Covent Garden.
Her oldest and best friend Nancy was working there and she wanted Eddie
to meet her. He had smiled and kissed
her hand. “Whatever you want, my dear.”
Watching Eddie with Nancy, Mandy had
been a little jealous. He was so damn
sexy, and so good at charming women!
His lovely voice and those beautiful blue eyes were bad enough, but when
he combined them with that breathtaking white jumpsuit he had been wearing that
day, . . . She couldn’t wait to get him
home and into bed. Sometimes she
wondered if he even knew the effect he had on the opposite sex. But she knew he loved her, and tried to push
the jealousy out of her mind.
Later, at her place, they had shared a drink as they talked
about their day. Mandy had told him
about that horrid Mike Jenson, the director of the programe she was working
on. He had been so rude to Mandy of
late, telling her she could not act when she knew perfectly well that she was
the best actress working on the project.
Eddie had agreed with her on that, of course. Then he had promised to talk to Jenson in the morning, suggesting
that perhaps it was time Mandy moved on to a bigger role. Mandy, delighted by this suggestion, had
gone on to tell him all of the gossip going around the studio and her opinions
of each item. Eddie had listened
quietly, then kissed the top of her head and said “You see why I don’t want to
meet you at the studio. Then we would
be part of that rumor-mill.” Eddie was
such a gentleman. And it felt so good
to be sitting there with his arms wrapped around her. She never wanted the night to end.
They had been sitting on the couch, her back pressed against
his chest, his arms wrapped firmly around her.
He bent his head and kissed her neck, his breath tickling the sensitive
skin. When he nibbled lightly at her
earlobe, a jolt of electricity shot through her body, ending between her
legs. She leaned into him as his hands
caressed her arms, sliding around to unbutton her blouse. She moaned softly, overcome with desire. He smelled so wonderful and Mandy could not
think with his mouth still roaming across her neck. Pulling away slightly, she smiled at the frustrated growl that
escaped his throat. She turned to face
him as she slipped her shirt off. His
hands reached out to caress her nipples and another moan escaped her. “I want you, Eddie!”
Without a word, Eddie had risen, picking her up and carrying
her into the bedroom. He put her down
on the bed and slowly removed her skirt.
She wore nothing beneath it, and he quickly sat next to her. His hands began moving across her body,
knowing exactly where she wanted to be touched.
She had reached out to him, struggling to remove the clothing
that still hid his body. He chuckled
quietly as he helped her remove the white jumpsuit he wore. Then he lay down beside her, took her face
between his hands and kissed her, hard.
When they finally parted, both were breathing heavily. Her hands reached for and found his cock and
she heard him growl again, low in his throat.
He pulled her hands away; whispering “Not yet,” then began kissing
her. His mouth traveled from her mouth
to her neck, lingered a moment at each breast before continuing on to the heat
between her legs. God, where did he
learn to do that? She squirmed, anxious
to feel him inside her.
She
hadn’t been able to think; had barely been able to breathe. Nothing existed except the two of them and what his tongue was
doing to her. Just as she was about to
cum, he stopped. Sliding up beside her,
he entered her quickly and she gasped at the suddenness of it. He began thrusting hard and she cried out in
pleasure, urging him on. Their bodies
became one and they climaxed together.
Then he collapsed beside her, placing soft kisses on her shoulder until
they both fell asleep.
Sadness
crept over her as the memory faded. She
loved Eddie so much, and had thought he loved her as well. They had shared so many nights of passion,
and she remembered each in vivid detail.
The sound of his voice as he whispered her name. The feel of his hands and lips as they
trailed over her body. The ecstasy she
felt when he was inside her. Now,
because she had gotten pregnant, all that was lost. She felt like such a fool.
How could she have allowed herself to become pregnant? A tear slid down her cheek as she remembered
the day she had told him about the baby.
When
she realized she was pregnant, she decided to tell him right away, convinced
he’d be delighted. She had stopped him
in the studio lot one morning, and told him she needed to talk to him. She was only slightly surprised when he
pretended he didn’t know who she was.
She had quickly realized he was still trying to protect her from
gossip. He’s such a dear, sweet
man. He told her to come by his office
later but that stupid secretary wouldn’t let her in. Mandy had waited for over an hour before she finally got to see
him.
As
soon as those office doors were shut, she ran to him and kissed him. He put his arms around her and told her how
much he loved her, but reminded her they had to be careful while at the studio. Then she had made him sit down, saying she
had something important to tell him.
When she’d told him about the baby, he’d become very angry. He had said he could not possibly be the
father, at which point Mandy had started crying. Eddie had called two of those security men to escort her from his
office.
Two hours later, the director had told
her that she was no longer needed. She
knew her Eddie had sent word that she should be sacked. Why else would she be escorted off the studio
lot? Her dear Eddie, head of the
studio, father of her child, had betrayed her just like every other man in her
life.
Her
face burned with anger and her eyes filled with tears as she remembered that
day. She wiped the tears from her eyes
and glanced again at the studio gate.
She knew if she could just talk to Eddie, they could work things
out. They were in love, and their love
was strong enough to get them trough this.
Mandy forced herself to become calm.
She just had to wait for him.
Once she’d explained things, had a chance to talk quietly to him,
everything would be okay. They’d be
married and raise their child together.
She smiled at that thought and then focused her attention back on the
studio gate, waiting for her lover to appear.
***
***
Wednesday,
November 23,
Ten Twenty pm
Recognizing his car as it passed
through the gate, she sat up straight and started her car. She waited until he had driven past her then
pulled out to follow him. They had
driven only a few blocks from the studio when he pulled into a parking lot and
stopped. She saw him watching her as
she pulled in behind him. She thought
to herself that he had finally come to his senses and was ready to apologize
for his treatment of her. She became
very frightened when she realized two other cars had quickly pulled along side
her. She hurried out of the car and
started toward her Eddie but was stopped by two burly men in blue uniforms.
“Eddie,
I need to talk to you. Eddie, make
these people let me go.” She struggled
to free herself from their grasp as she watched his car pull out of the lot. “EDDIE!!!
EDDIE!!” Her screams turned to
sobs as the guards escorted her back to her car. She was still sobbing loudly when they drove her home. She barely heard them as they suggested she
not try following Mr. Straker again.
***
***
***
***
Wednesday,
November 23,
Five pm
“What do we know about her,
Alec?” Straker asked, once he and Alec
were safely locked in his office downstairs.
“Well, we know she has a thing for you,” Alec
grinned. The look Straker shot him
should have killed him. The grin faded
and he continued. “Amanda Rene Webster,
age thirty-one. Born in Hampstead. Her mother died of ovarian cancer when she
was nine. She has two brothers, Alan
and Harold. They left London a few
years ago when police wanted to question them in connection with a
robbery. We’re still trying to track
them down. Her father worked for
Heathrow as a custodian until last year, but was sacked when they caught him
drinking on the job. He died six months
ago: the coroner attributed his death to alcoholism”
Alec
paused long enough to drain his glass.
“Miss Webster has been working part-time at a local restaurant for the
last five years while studying acting.
Three and a half months ago, she landed a small role on that soap opera
we’re filming. The director had
problems with her from the start.
Apparently she has trouble getting along with her coworkers. He finally sacked her last week when she and
one of the stuntmen caused quite a disturbance on the set. The director wasn’t sure what it was about,
only that they were both yelling and slapping at each other. He had them both escorted off the lot and
hasn’t seen them since. As for this
ridiculous story of hers, she apparently took it to the press herself when she
thought the authorities were going to ignore her claims.”
“We’re
still checking everything out, but as far as we can tell, you’ve never even
spoken to the girl. “ Alec finished.
Straker had been flipping through the report Alec had handed him and
nodded absently.
“She
seems familiar.” He looked again at the
picture of Mandy, trying to recall where he’d seen her. “I must have seen her on the lot at some
point or another.”
Alec nodded. “Probably during one of her outbursts on the set. She’s difficult to miss. She’s very attractive. Stunning red hair, always wears very tight
outfits. She definitely turned heads
when she walked across the lot. But if
you upset her she became exceptionally foul-mouthed and increasingly loud. You could hear her shrieking two soundstages
away.”
Still
thinking, Straker stopped pacing and picked up his paperweight. After a moment, he looked up. “No, I remember her now. A few weeks ago as I was leaving, there was
a young woman in the lot crying. Her
car wouldn’t start. I had security give
her a hand. It was Miss Webster.”
Alec
watched him a moment before speaking again.
“I have to say, you’re taking this better than I thought you would.
” Alec knew his friend usually tried to
hide his emotions, but after so many years, Alec had gotten pretty good at judging
Straker’s reactions. Alec had expected
him to explode when he saw the headline.
Instead, Ed had simply asked for more information on the girl. Either Alec was slipping, or Straker really
wasn’t bothered much by this incident.
“What
do you want me to do, Alec?” Ed smiled
ruefully. “If I try to deny her
allegations, the press would only use that as proof that something did happen.”
“I
don’t think she’s going to go away if you just ignore her, Ed.”
“No,
no, of course not.” Ed picked up the
paperweight again. “But it would be
simple enough to prove the child isn’t mine.
I don’t really think she’s going to pursue this.”
Alec
couldn’t hide the confusion in his voice.
“You’re not angry that she’s included you in this little fantasy?”
“Angry? Yes, I am.
But the damage has been done now, Alec.
There’s nothing I can do except ride this out.”
***
***
Thursday,
November 24,
Nine Seventeen am
“The friend she says she introduced you to in
Covent Garden remembers her bringing a man round one night. She gave the police a description that
matches the stuntman who was sacked the same day she was. His name’s James O’Reilly. We did a little digging and found out she
had been seeing him since her third day working here. ” Alec poured himself a drink from the
dispenser in Straker’s office and sat in the chair opposite Ed. “No one at Café Rayon d’Or
remembers ever seeing her, even though she claims the two of you went there at
least once a week. She has no proof
that there was ever a relationship.”
Ed
simply looked at him.
“Crewmembers
remember her dating O’Reilly,” Alec continued. “Their relationship ended rather
abruptly when she discovered she was pregnant.
Apparently, he didn’t believe it was his. That’s what they were arguing about the day they were sacked. He picked up his last paycheck and hasn’t
been seen since. Looks like he left
town. The authorities are tracking him
down now, and paternity tests should prove that he is the father of her
child.” Alec drained his glass and
shook his head. “What I don’t get is
why she would involve you. Was it just
because she thought she could make some money?”
“Perhaps.” Ed put down his paperweight and stood. “But we have work to do, Colonel. Come on, we’re meeting Henderson in half an
hour.”
***
***
Monday,
November 28,
Eight Twelve am
“Well, it’s over. The charges have been officially dropped. The authorities agreed she has nothing to
back up her claim. The psychiatrists
say she’s delusional and needs therapy.
Apparently, she’s been badly treated or abandoned by every man in her
life – her father, her brothers, a whole string of lovers. She created a relationship with you because
you were nice to her. They say she actually
believes every detail of her story. She
really believes she slept with you and that you’re the father of her
baby.” He grinned sadly. “What kind of world is this that would drive
someone to that point?
Straker looked up at him. “Hard to imagine, isn’t it? What must be going on inside her head? Imagine being so desperate you could make up
a story like that and convince yourself it was true. “
“Now, if we can just convince the
press it was all a huge mistake.” Alec
swallowed his drink and refilled it.
“Are you going to make a statement to the press, tell them the whole story?”
Strake
shook his head. “No, they’ll forget
about it eventually. They won’t have
her to keep reminding them. There’s no
point in dragging it all out in public.
She has enough problems without having to deal with those reporters.”
“Some
of them have long memories. Not to
mention that your reputation is tainted,” Alec grinned.
“It’ll
soon be forgotten, Alec. No one
remembers the Mandy Websters of the world.
She’s just one more sad story in a world that’s already full of them. I just hope she finally gets the help she
needs.”
Final
Note: Mandy
Webster gave birth on June fourth to a healthy, happy baby girl. She named the baby China Rene Webster. Mandy has now been in therapy for seven
months, and her doctors say she is making progress toward recovery.
people have visited this page since October 19, 2000.