The Dancer

By Roman St. John

Katherine Lancaster was once one of the most famous dancers on Broadway. Flashy, flamboyant, and stunningly beautiful, her enormous talent propelled her to legendary success. After falling ill with a mysterious illness, she flees New York City for California, where she now spends her days confined to her rambling, beachside Malibu mansion. Her sole caregiver is her live-in lover, Howard, a man she met on an online dating site.

Katherine’s eccentric best friend and life-long hanger-on, Dwayne, lives rent-free in the guesthouse. The only outsider who comes and goes from the property is Katherine’s loyal assistant, Susan, who is helping her pen her memoirs.

Although day to day life at the Malibu mansion seems calm and tranquil, it soon becomes evident that all is not as it seems. Flashing back and forth between 1990s Chicago and present-day Los Angeles, The Dancer is a story of greed, addiction, and ruthless ambition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roman St. John
• Release date: Feb 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463695579

Roman St. John

Roman St. John is a writer of mystery, suspense and romance fiction. His works consist of novels, novellas, and short stories. St. John, who also goes by the name Jonathan Ross, lives in Los Angeles.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Katherine Lancaster was perched in her magnificent bed smoking a cigarette and dictating her memoir to her personal assistant, Susan. Susan was typing furiously, trying to keep up with everything Katherine was saying.

I’ve lived the most fabulous life, Katherine said for at least the tenth time. Absolutely amazing. I’ve worked with all the greats. She was rambling and talking in circles as usual.

Katherine then went into a long discourse on all the great Broadway dancers she’d worked with. She spoke about the many celebrities she’d befriended and the amazing performances she’d been a part of.

Katherine and Susan worked for a few more minutes and then Katherine decided to call it a day. That’s enough for today, Susan, she said. Let’s meet again tomorrow at noon to hack out a few more pages.

Sounds like a plan, Susan said. If it’s OK with you, I’m going to head home for the day.

Oh, it’s perfectly fine, darling, Katherine said. You need to get home to that sexy husband of yours.

Susan blushed and giggled. Her boss never ceased to surprise her with the shocking comments. She adored working for Katherine. She was hired by Katherine five years ago, and it had been the best five years of her life. Katherine also adored Susan and treated her like a friend.

Once Susan left the house, Katherine reached to her nightstand and grabbed the bottle of whiskey that she’d been sipping on throughout the day. As she gulped down the rest of the bottle, she lay in her bed and enjoyed the sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean from the big picture window in front of her. Her mansion was beachfront in Malibu, so the view was stunning.

Katherine felt that she was the luckiest woman alive. She’d lived such a blessed life. Although she was now retired at forty-five-years-old, at one time she was once one of the most successful dancers on Broadway. She’d moved to New York City from Chicago with big dreams, and she achieved them all. She later transitioned from dancing on Broadway to dancing in music videos. At that point, she’d moved across the country to LA.

In Katherine’s heyday, she was a workaholic who didn’t take no for an answer. Once an idea for a musical performance popped into her head, she worked tirelessly until she made it a reality. Over the years, she got to know all the right people, and her inner circle was Hollywood and New York City’s most elite. People in the music industry had profound respect for her and would rather work with her than any other dancer.

Everyone in the industry knew that Katherine’s only flaw was her alcoholism. She rarely let her alcohol problems interfere with her work, however. She was a functioning alcoholic and she often thought her drinks were the key to her success. Katherine loved alcohol because it took the edge off and allowed her to work without inhibitions.

After Susan left to go home, Katherine lay in bed and watched TV while she waited for her lover, Howard, to return home. She and Howard had been dating for six years now. They’d been living together for three. He was a retired businessman from Tampa, Florida, who she met on an online dating site. Katherine and Howard quickly established a phone relationship, but it wasn’t long before Howard flew out to LA to see her in person. Their meeting was perfect, and the rest was history. Howard never even went back to Tampa. He had one of his friends send him all his clothing and the rest of his possessions were still inside the house he used to live in. He still hadn’t sold the Tampa house yet. He occasionally rented it out to travelers so that he could make a little extra income.

Since arriving in LA, Howard had worked at a small bookstore in Malibu. He greatly enjoyed this work. He’d always had a fascination with reading and writing, so this line of work was the perfect fit for him. He enjoyed it so much, in fact, that he didn’t mind getting up early during his retirement. Working a few days each week got him out of the house and gave him something to do. Most of the time he was taking care of Katherine, who wasn’t in the best health, so the distraction was welcome.

Howard finally arrived home a little after eleven o’clock.

How was your day? Katherine asked him as he got into