002

February 1, 2014 (off camera)

The outside of the Keaney Gymnasium looked as generically bland as the name implied, even with the pretty backdrop of the giant snowflakes that just wouldn't stop falling from the sky. Despite the bounce in her step thanks to a giant can of red Monster energy drink, Kasey Summers lagged a half a step behind Carson Black as they made their way towards the entrance. Clearing her throat softly, she reached out and touched her agent's arm just before they passed through the doors. "Remember you promised to hold me back when we see her... I'm totally gonna hold you to that!"

Carson glanced down to her, nodding his head as they approached the entrance. No one was at the box office, which gave him a bad idea about all of this. They were already an hour late to the show, thanks to the winter mess that had enveloped the northeast United States in recent days. "I promised I would, and I will. I just hope she had a late match, the show started an hour ago." He glanced into the box office, seeing someone coming back in and taking a seat behind the window.

"Yo, dude. Show's already started. You're late." This was the obese ticket vendor as he looked up to Carson. But when he looked at Kasey, he looked as though he knew her. "What'd you do, kiddo? Leave something behind?"

Carson's attention turned to Kasey. "Well we know she appeared for her booking at least."

Kasey stared at the man, clearly surprised that her so-called 'double' was such a close match that he'd actually mistaken one for the other. "I uh..." for the first time in recent memory, she was actually rendered speechless, staring at the fat man like a deer caught in headlights.

Carson handed him the tickets he'd bought days ago, sliding them across to him as the vendor tore them in half and waved him inside. "This is going to sound like an odd question, but....has she wrestled tonight already?"

The vendor spun around in his seat. "She sure did, boss. Got her ass handed to her by some greenhorn too." Once more, his attention spun back to Kasey. "I've seen you in places like SCW and FFW, you really fell off the wagon, sweetheart. I can't remember the last time I saw someone lose to a powerslam from a girl that can't be no more than 140 lbs." The fat vendor shook his head. "You just get out of rehab or something?"

"Rehab?" Kasey sputtered, her hands balling into fists, "I'll have you know I beat Bryan Deas without even breaking a sweat! You want me to show you what I can do?! DO YOU?!"

Carson shook his head, looking back at her. "Let's not go that route, alright?" He hooked his arm with hers, just to be safe as he looked back to the vendor. "Listen, I called ahead and I'm supposed to have a meeting with the promoter here. He's expecting me. I think his name is Mike Thornton."

"Yeah, Mikey! He said he had a visitor. He's in the vending machine room, just walked by before you showed up. Head down the left hallway, second door on the right. Show is in intermission right now anyway." He gave Kasey a wink as Carson lead her towards the room as directed.

"Not all wrestling fans are that bright, Kasey. Clearly. And besides we'll get this--" Carson shut his mouth as they approached the room in question. The door was already open as a slender man somewhere in his late 40s was sat at a table, eating a Milky Way bar. "Are you..Mike Thornton?"

"Yeah, you Carson? Come on in, close the door behind you so no one will bother us." Mike replied. Carson did as he was asked, shutting the door to the room and responding.

"That's right, Carson Black. And this...is Kasey Summers." The agent replied.

"I know who she is. I just paid her about a half hour ago."

Kasey pulled off her winter hat, twisting it between her hands as though she needed something else to strangle other than the man sitting there devouring a chocolate bar. "I can assure you that you didn't pay me half an hour ago because we were still on the highway, trying to make our way to this backwater shithole!"

Mike leaned forward, narrowing his vision as he looked at Kasey. Carson pulled out a chair across the table from Mike for her and then removed his overcoat. "Actually Mr. Thornton, the woman you paid isn't Kasey Summers. That's why I asked to meet with you, because we are trying to find this girl you hired. She's been appearing in the area as my client. And we'd...like to meet her." Carson gave Kasey's arm a pat, hoping to calm her down.

Mike leaned forward and seemed to be studying Kasey. "Now that I look a little closer, they aren't totally alike. But I've seen you wrestle. She has almost the exact same ring gear, hair color. That's...why I hired her. That and she was extremely inexpensive to book. I was a little surprised by it. But I can see where you two differ, now that I've seen you up close. She has a tattoo, for one."

"A tattoo?" Kasey frowned, shrugging out of her own jacket and letting it fall over the back of her chair before sliding into it. Plopping her elbows on the table, she leaned forward and put her chin on her clasped hands. "Well... that's at least something. I don't have any. Does she sound like me too?"

The promoter shook his head. "No, her voice is a little more high pitched, kinda like she just had puberty."

"I assume she already left then?" Carson asked, already assuming the answer.

"Yeah, she had her match and came and got her money and left. You know, I pay in cash. She made about $80 and headed out." Mike replied.

"Just out of curiosity, how did you get in touch with her?" Carson asked.

"I try to keep up with the big leagues, and I check a lot of websites to see who might be available. Anyone who has been on television is usually a good draw, no matter how good or bad they are. I did a search for Kasey here after I saw her at the Tampa show. I saw a link to your Talent Agency where she was listed on your site. I also saw a website of hers. On the site I went to, it said she was a free agent again and taking bookings. So I figured she wasn't working for you now...and I sent her an email through her site at SummerLovesYou dot net. And we played email tag a bit till she called me from a Pizza Hut one night."

"A Pizza Hut?" Carson asked.

"Yeah, she said she was doing an autograph signing there and we worked out the details and boom! I had myself a recognizable wrestler for my show."

"Pizza Hut?" Kasey echoed it too, shaking her head as she grumbled, "yeah, she probably waitresses there-- botches pizza as bad as she does armbars." Sighing, she looked at the man, "so eighty bucks an appearance? That's all she's charging? I was making ten times that amount wrestling for RMP."

"That's all she asked, I thought it was a pretty good deal. Too good to be true. And...it was. She's really terrible." The promoted lamented.

"Did she give you a way to contact her?" Carson inquired.

"I still have her email. The phone number she gave...I don't think it's hers."

"Why do you say that?"

Mike produced his cell phone and tapped a picture of Kasey on his contact list before putting the phone on speaker phone. "Well you tell me."

"Hey there, sexy. You've reached the Arizona High Country Party Line. If you're looking for hot talk with one of our sexy coeds, press 1. If you're-"

Carson held up his hand with a nod as Mike disconnected the call. "I see your point."

"She knows where I'm from," Kasey said, sounding a little dismayed, "although I guess that wasn't much of a state secret, after all. It's on my bio..." looking at the promoter, she realized that she might be giving him the wrong impression, "not that I'm from that skeezy sex line, but she clearly had the right area code going on. I just... God, I feel so violated right now."

Carson sat silent for a moment before he spoke. "Do me a favor. See if you can book her again for another show. And if she shows up, let me know and we'll get here early next time. She didn't happen to say where she was going next, did she?"

"I'll see what I can do. And yeah, she said she had a show in Poughkeepsie on Monday. She was real excited about it. Said she was getting to challenge for some title."

Carson looked over to Kasey. "Poughkeepsie then?"

She nodded, "with bells and my asskicking boots on!"