Sure enough,just up a narrow, winding asphalt road, off an unmarked fork, is a squat little guard house that looks like the kind you’d see at a national park. A brown-on-brown sign humbly announcesHollister Ranchunder another terra cotta roof.
Haley pulls up and rolls the window down, and a guard leans out of the shack. He looks to be of Mexican descent, wearing a simple green t-shirt and ball cap.
“Hola. How can I help you two today?”
“I’m meeting my friend,” Haley says smoothly. “She said you’d be able to let me in?”
The guard glances between us. “Who’s your friend?”
“Christine Evansworth.”
“And your name?”
“Haley O’Hare.”
He leans down and takes a closer look at me.
“Mylo Rye,” I offer.
“Sorry, your names aren’t on the list.”
Haley looks wounded. “You didn’t even check.”
The guard shakes his head. “It’s not a long list.”
“You’resure? She didn’t call and leave a voicemail, maybe?”
“Nope. She could call down now, though, if you can get a hold of her.”
So Christine’s on the list, at least.
“That’s the thing; I can’t,” Haley sighs, with more frustration than ire. “Ugh, she always does this. Look, look at this.” She pulls out her phone and holds it out toward the guard. There’s a text chain that she and I just spoofed, with the last message from Christine reading:
See you soon, babe! Heading out for a run, just tell the guard you’re with me and he’ll let you in. Left mimosas on the porch for when you get here.
“I love her,” Haley says, putting her phone away before the guard can ask for more details. “But she is just… not the best with the details.”
“How do you know Ms. Evansworth?”
“Okay, I shouldn’t tell you this, but…” Haley bites her lip. “Wejustfinished shooting Electra Two.”
The guard’s face brightens. “Oh, I loved Electra! Is it good? Sequels are always… eh, hit or miss.”
“I mean, I think it’sreallygood.”
Haley takes it in stride, butdamn,people really just say casually brutal stuff like that, don’t they?
“Who’d you play?” he asks.
“A new character, her nemesis. If you read the comics, you’d know her. Melinoë.”
“Which one’s that?”
“Here…” Haley pulls up a crew photo that shows her and Christine smiling side by side, both in costume. “I’m the one in green.”
“Aaah, yeah, I remember that one! Right on. Enemies on the screen, but friends in real life?”
Haley nods bashfully. “Yeah. Even if Christine kind of drives me crazy sometimes…” She sighs. “It’s okay though. We can wait. Her runs are like three hours so I guess we might have to find somewhere to wait… Mylo, any ideas?”
