“No. I thought she was with you.” Olivia hadn’t worried when Lorna and Chase hadn’t returned to the beach house. She assumed that they might have other business to handle, and technically Chase was no longer committed to the program. Her time was her own. Still, this situation didn’t sit right with her. She wasn’t shocked that Chase had halted her audition, but it seemed odd that Lorna hadn’t known how the audition had gone down. “So Chase left the audition without you knowing?”

“No. She came out and acted pleased with herself. Said that it went fine, good, even. But Marshall said that the whole audition was a colossal failure. That Chase forgot her lines, struggled to remain focused, and imagined ill will coming from a production assistant. Chase tossed her script on the floor, grabbed her purse, and took off.”

Olivia frowned at the sauce starting to congeal in the pan. “But she acted like everything was fine?”

“Yes. And that’s the way she behaves when things are spinning out of control. She projects positive confidence, and then the next thing you know she has a belly full of pills and booze. I’m frightened because she seemed so changed. I thought you had fixed her.” Lorna’s words were accusatorial and angry, but she heard the fear lacing them.

“I’m not sure—”

“Acting is Chase’s life. It’s all she knows how to do. She had plans to climb back on top with this role. Oh God. What if she hurts herself? Would she do that? I read once that when people make up their minds to commit suicide that their family always thinks they’re better, and then . . .” Lorna had tears in her voice now.

Chase’s mother’s words felt like an arrow thunking through Olivia’s chest.

“Okay, you’re making really large, irrational assumptions, Lorna. Chase likely went to talk over what happened with a friend.” Olivia pressed a hand against her stomach. Lorna’s words had wriggled into her own head and gut. But Chase was fine. She probably needed some time to herself and would be waltzing through the door in a few minutes. “Let’s go over what happened when she came out of the audition.”