The Darkness Knows Read Free Page A

notice of his admirers, but Vivian didn’t doubt for one second that he knew he’d attracted their attention. She just hoped they wouldn’t come over and ask for his autograph.
    â€œI want Harvey to be a full-fledged human being with a dark side as a counterpoint to his inherent goodness,” Graham continued.
    â€œI think that’s admirable,” Vivian said, raising her voice slightly for benefit of the eavesdroppers. “Few radio actors truly care about character development.”
    Graham looked at her thoughtfully, then flicked the end of his cigarette in the general direction of the ashtray. “Do you think Mr. Hart has any influence on the writers?”
    â€œWell, of course he does,” Vivian said. “He’s the head of the station.”
    â€œYes, I know that,” Graham said impatiently. “But can he pressure the writers to write about certain things?”
    Vivian smiled at Graham’s naïveté. Mr. Hart was The Boss. If he wanted a serial drama about pigeon racing in Pocatello, Idaho, he’d get it. She’d seen plenty of evidence of his influence when she’d been his secretary: sponsors being worked into lines of dialogue, his wife’s name used as a minor character in a women’s serial on their anniversary, even allowing an unprofitable opera review to remain on the air just because he liked watching the star soprano’s bosom heave as she hit the high notes.
    â€œWell…I don’t think ‘pressure’ is the right word,” she said, attempting to tread lightly on the topic.
    â€œSo what is the right word?”
    Vivian stuck her lower lip out and exhaled, ruffling the wave of hair lying over her forehead.. “‘Influence,’ perhaps…?”
    It was a cop-out, but Graham seemed to consider it thoughtfully, staring off into middle distance.
    Mr. Hart had certainly influenced the producer of The Darkness Knows to give Vivian a try as the new Lorna Lafferty after Edie quit. Vivian knew her previous minor acting credits at the station wouldn’t have won her the job alone. Vivian had heard whispers around the station speculating about the true nature of her relationship with Mr. Hart, and she knew Graham had too. Was that the reason for Graham’s sudden interest in her? Did he think she had any influence with Mr. Hart because of her previous position as his secretary? Vivian braced herself for Graham’s next question. He’d certainly ask whether she could put a bug in Mr. Hart’s ear for him about Harvey’s character arc.
    â€œHarvey Diamond is merely a stepping-stone for me, of course,” Graham said instead, speaking as smoothly as if he were giving an interview to a reporter for a glossy magazine. He leaned back into the padded red vinyl of the booth. “I have greater ambitions.”
    â€œYou do?” Vivian tried to sound surprised. After all, who didn’t have greater ambitions? She looked at Graham expectantly: no doubt Hollywood, the pictures. He’d probably already signed a contract with Paramount.
    â€œI’ve written a play,” he said solemnly.
    â€œA play?” Of all the career ambitions she’d imagined for Graham Yarborough, playwright was not among them. Perhaps he had hidden depths after all. “That’s marvelous, Graham. What’s it about?”
    â€œIt’s about communism.”
    â€œCommunism,” she repeated doubtfully.
    â€œIt is, but it’s not,” he said, lowering his chin and glancing about him. His face grew flushed, and he lowered his voice. “You can’t write about communism outright these days, of course.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œIt’s sort of a veiled allegory about communism.”
    A veiled allegory about communism . Vivian repeated the phrase in her head several times, and the repetition only served to make the idea less interesting to her.
    â€œI see,” she managed