Jeopardy in High Heels (High Heels #12) - Gemma Halliday Page 0,5

ken how yea bogtrotting poshies cannae afford some batteries. Yer all tighter than a duck's bum!"

This got a few more chuckles from the audience. The older man in the navy suit who I'd seen argue with Dog earlier reappeared.

"I wonder who he is," I mused out loud.

"Rupert Blick," Dana supplied. "He's one of the executives at the network. And he doesn't look very happy."

That was an understatement. Pure exasperation and frustration showed on his face. He drew Dog aside and said something to him. Dog just swayed unsteadily on his feet as he listened, then resumed his position behind the podium as Blick left the stage.

"Doggy's face looks awfully pale," Dana said thoughtfully.

"And his aura is all gunky," Mrs. R noted. "Not at all his usually snazzy blue."

I wasn't sure what a snazzy blue aura was, but I had to agree that Dog seemed to be struggling.

The taping resumed, and Dog managed to ring in once with a correct answer about a cooking show host who hailed from Upstate New York. "Who's that fitty of a lass Rachael Ray?" he said, and the audience clapped, cheering him on.

Final Jeopardy! arrived, and the category was Famous Actors. Faux Dad had a decent lead, but as a long-time fan, I knew anything could happen. Mom squeezed my hand so tightly that I yelped as Trebek read the answer.

"Born in Winterset, Iowa, Marion took Hollywood by storm and saddle."

"Who is Michael Landon," Mrs. Rosenblatt whispered.

Dana nudged her. "Michael Landon's name wasn't Marion. I think it's the Lone Ranger."

"Shush!" said Goatee Guy.

Mom squeezed my hand, eyes on the stage as she watched Faux Dad write down his answer. He didn't hesitate, which meant he was confident—though whether he was right or not was another matter.

Finally the theme music ended and Trebek told them their time was up. He went to Dog to reveal his answer first. It took Trebek a moment to read the almost illegible writing.

"Who is Nessie?"

The studio audience roared with laughter. Trebek almost smiled but not quite.

Dog had a score of $400, but he had bet $399.50.

"That leaves you with fifty cents," Trebek said.

"Oi, your bums oot the windae, mate," Dog replied with a scoff that turned into a giggle.

Trebek looked grateful to move on to Angela. She had a score of $8,200. Her guess was Who is John Wayne? Trebek told her she was correct. She had bet $2,000, bringing her total up to $10,200.

This left Faux Dad and his score of $10,100. If he was correct and had wagered more than $100, he would be the winner.

Mom's face was pale, and she sucked in some air.

Faux Dad smiled as Who is John Wayne? was revealed.

The crowd cheered, Alex Trebek praised Faux Dad, and my mom let out a long breath of air that ruffled Goatee Guy's hair in front of us.

"Let's see how much you risked," Trebek said. "If it's more than $100, you'll be a finalist."

Faux Dad had bet a total of $1,800 and wound up with $11,900 for a total.

"And we have our first finalist," Trebek announced while we all clapped and cheered.

Angela's frosty pink mouth formed a small pout, and she folded her arms over her chest as Trebek approached her. "You've still got a chance at the Wild Card, Angela. In the meantime, we'll see you tomorrow night, folks."

The music swelled—Trebek stood across from the contestants, chatting amicably. Angela seemed to be monopolizing the conversation, but Faux Dad was smiling, and Dog stared at them like they were spacemen.

As soon as one of the crew shouted, "That's a wrap," the network executive, Rupert Blick, appeared on the stage again, immediately descending on Dog with a scowl and escorting him offstage.

Announcements came on over the loudspeaker for people to clear the audience, and we all made our way backstage to find Faux Dad in the greenroom, downing a bottle of water. He stopped when Mom threw her arms around him.

"Honey, you did wonderful," she cried.

After Mom stepped back, I gave him a hug. "Great job. Were you nervous?"

He wiggled his hand back and forth. "At first. But the whole show moves so fast there really wasn't time. It was actually fun once I was able to just concentrate on the questions." He paused. "I did feel bad for Doggy Z."

"I think we all did," I added.

"Is he still here?" Mrs. Rosenblatt asked, eyes darting around as if hoping to catch a glimpse of her favorite rapper.

Faux Dad shook his head. "No. I saw him talking to