Read Take Two (A psychological thriller) for Free Online Page B

egos.’
    ‘I heard some of the actors were hard to work with.’
    ‘Oh sure, they’ve got more than their fair share of prima donnas. But the production staff were great.’
    ‘So why did you leave?’
    Jeff rubbed the fingers and thumb of his right hand together. ‘Money,’ he said. ‘They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.’
    ‘They?’
    ‘The network. They had me in for two interviews. The first time with their head of drama, the second time with three of the drama department.’
    ‘So Paul didn’t hire you himself?’
    ‘They said they were getting more pro-active on the hiring side. I met Paul, but they’d offered me the job by then.’
    ‘And what are you working on at the moment?’
    ‘Bits and bobs,’ he said.  ‘Polishing the dialogue for this week’s scripts.’
    Carolyn blew smoke up at the sky. ‘They’re not working you hard, then?’
    He laughed. ‘Nah, there’s a big writers’ meeting on Wednesday the week after next. I’ll be given my plotlines and episodes then.’
    ‘I thought the story meetings were on Monday afternoon?’
    ‘This is different. The network is meeting with all the writers to outline where they want the show to go.  It’s over at the network.’
    ‘Sounds major.’
    Jeff nodded. ‘Yeah, they want to make some major changes. That’s what I was told. To be honest, I think they’re going to be getting rid of some of the older writers. Wednesday is when they bring in the new broom.’
    Carolyn’s heart began to race. ‘Do you know what they’ve got planned?’ she asked.
    Jeff took a long pull on his cigarette and then shook his head as he held the smoke deep in his lungs.
    ‘Interesting times,’ she said. Actually interesting wasn’t how she felt. A writers’ meeting at the network suggested something was going on behind the scenes and, after what Kelly had said about Andrea’s part being expanded, Carolyn was starting to get a very bad feeling about what was going on.
    ‘You know, I’m a big fan,’ said Jeff.
    Carolyn looked over at him, wondering if the writer was making a pass at her, but he was watching a pigeon sitting on the car park wall.
    ‘I bet you say that to all the actors,’ she said.
    ‘I’m serious,’ said Jeff. ‘You really come across well on screen. You seem real, even though I know you’re acting. I mean, I really believe in Diana Bourne. You totally bring her to life.’
    ‘I tend to get good dialogue,’ she said. ‘That makes it easier.’
    He grinned. ‘And I bet you say that to all the writers.’
    She chuckled. ‘Did you used to watch the show before you came here?’
    ‘I watch all the soaps and most of the dramas,’ he said. ‘You have to. You have to know what’s going on, where the plots are heading.  That’s what the network people don’t get.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘They don’t watch TV. I mean, they watch the shows that they make, but they don’t sit down and watch it. They don’t connect with the viewers. In fact, truth be told, they hate the viewers.’
    ‘Are you serious?’
    ‘Most of them hold the average viewer in complete contempt,’ he said. ‘In the evenings they’re in restaurants or wine bars or dinner parties. They’re not sitting down and watching Corrie or Holby City.’
    ‘They told you that?’
    ‘They didn’t have to,’ he said. ‘TV isn’t entertainment for them. It’s a way of making money. End of story. They don’t care about the craft. Or the characters. The only shows they care about are the ones that make money.’ He dropped what was left of his cigarette onto the ground and stamped on it.
    ‘You sound pretty fed up with it,’ said Carolyn.
    ‘It pays my rent,’ said Jeff. ‘So I can’t complain. I’m writing a couple of plays. That’s what I’m really interested in. I want to be able to sit at the back of a theatre and see how my work affects people, you know? See if I can make them laugh and move them, and be a part of that.’
    ‘I love