Simply To Die For

Chapter 9

C AS Studio

Next Day

Jimmy pushed open the door and stood back as everyone marched by. The afternoon sun filtered through the window blinds, deceptively bathing the room in warmth. Movie posters were splattered across a stark white wall behind the reception desk where the cold stare of Evie met them.

“How did I get so lucky?” Evie asked, a smirk on her plain face. “I gave you my statement already, so what do you want now?”

“Where are the cameras used on the day of the attack?” Cameron demanded leaning forward, his hands flat on the desk in front of him. The detective use of those old intimidation practices clearly weren’t working at the moment. Evie Dagmyer wasn’t the type of woman who wimped out when a man got in her face. She was the type who laughed loud and long.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. All the equipment was put into storage after your people ransacked through everything like it was yesterday’s trash, and then gave us permission to clean up the mess they left behind.” Evie grinned like the Joker with an evil secret she didn’t want to share. “If you want it, you’ll have to contact Mr. DeLuca. He might give you permission to rummage through things, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Are you a betting man, Detective Cameron?”

DeLuca? Jimmy stopped his pacing the instant his heart slammed to the pit of his stomach. What the hell does DeLuca have to do with the studio? What’s the connection between it and the Chicago crime boss? Other than Evie, that is.

“Ah come on now, Ms. Dagmyer. We both know who runs the show around here and it isn’t Mr. DeLuca, is it?” Cameron winked, the corner of his mouth curling up smugly. Thank goodness he wasn’t buying Evie’s coy act Jimmy saw right through. She’d honed her skills to perfection since arriving in California a few years ago.

“Mr. DeLuca has a financial interest in this company, Detective Cameron. Are you willing to upset the apple cart before it goes anywhere? Bite the hand that feeds you so to speak?” Evie batted her doe eyes to no avail. That little flirtation wasn’t going to work on Cameron or any of them. Jimmy gave her an A for effort though. If she were truly the crime boss’s illegitimate daughter, why would he put her in the lowly position of receptionist at an adult film studio? Maybe he doesn’t know she’s working here. Not a chance, DeLuca would know what his children were up to, legitimate or otherwise.

If DeLuca financially backs Cum Again Studio, then he’s known where Clar’s been since her parents’ accident. Jimmy’s blood ran ice cold with the realization. All this time he thought Clar safe from the monsters who may have killed her parents, when all along they were keeping her in their sights. Was Sal DeLuca and his family responsible for murdering Dylan Cameron as well? Cold rage went through him at the betrayal, the lack of respect. Did the mob boss’s influence reach all the way to the West Coast, killing the innocent film crew and leaving Levi beaten to a pulp? If so, what did he have to gain? More so, why murder a porn star?

Damn it! Jimmy shook off the dread creeping up his spine. This was getting deeper into organized crime than any of them may have thought. As much as he hated to think of the possibility, they’d might have to bring Cameron in on their plans to go undercover, he was the expert in the crime boss area. LA couldn’t be much different than Chicago where that was concerned and keeping the enemy close was the only option

“Ms. Dagmyer, we can do this the hard way and wait until I get a court order, which could uncover other unsavory items in the studio’s possession. Or you can let me into that storeroom now. Unless of course you have something to hide,” Cameron taunted, a menacing smirk creasing his mouth. “Do you, Ms. Dagmyer, have something to hide?”

“We all have our secrets, detective.” Evie pushed away from the desk, then slid open the middle drawer. Her hand slipped inside and Cameron reached simultaneously for his shoulder harness.

“The keys, Evie, just give him the keys. We don’t have time for your dramatics today.” Jimmy perched on the corner of the desk, giving her his best smile. “You know me and what I’ve done for this company. I wouldn’t do anything to harm its reputation in the business—would you?”

Evie slid her hand out, fingers linked around a set of keys. “You do like to play dirty after all, Jimmy. Now, get the hell off my desk and follow me.”

***

C LAR LAGGED BEHIND everyone as they headed out of the reception area toward the studio. Dread slowed her step as everyone else marched down the hallway to Studio B. The knot in her stomach grew, intensifying the fear struggling to grip her soul.

Please powers that be, help me to keep it together. She prayed Evie had had enough good sense to have the studio professionally cleaned by now. Clar didn’t know if she could stand the sight of blood echoing the spot where a soul became lost. Mostly she didn’t know if she were brave enough to witness the blemish where Levi received his near fatal beating.

She sucked in a breath, releasing it slow and easy. I won’t let it get to me. I will get through this. I will survive. I will not cry.

“Are you okay?” Jimmy’s voice fluttered around her ear.

Clar didn’t dare look at him. She’d certainly lose any semblance of control she fought to maintain, and being seen as weak didn’t sit well with her. She nodded then grabbed tightly onto Jimmy’s hand. It was enough of a sense of security to make the monsters reeling through her mind fade to black.

If only real life were that easy.

It had taken years for the monsters resulting from her parents’ fatal car accident to disappear. Clar didn’t know if she had the strength to battle them again.

“Here we are.” Evie’s voice crackled as she tugged open the door. The room bathed in darkness sparked to life with the flip of a switch. “Everything, except the cameras, are stored over in the storage closet at the back of the room. I don’t think you’ll find anything though. Your fellow experts at the precinct didn’t so why should you? All the furniture and props were removed and professionally cleaned.”

“Have to know what you’re looking for,” Cameron stated, heading over to a toppled camera. “The bozos that were here before didn’t have all the information.”

He bent over grabbing a leg of a fallen camera tripod, then dropped it just as quickly. “Damn, that’s heavier than it looks! Why in the hell not use something more modern, like digital?”

Evie snickered loudly until Clint came up behind her. She turned, looked straight into his chest, then coughed and turned back to Cameron struggling with the weight of the camera. Clar smiled bright inside at the sweep of agitation in Evie’s eyes.

Serves her right. There’s not a damn thing funny about this at all.

“Levi would only perform for reel to reel. One of his conditions.” Jimmy sauntered over, grabbing one side while Cameron lifted the other. “Here, let me help with that.” In a matter of moments, the discarded filming apparatus was righted as if it never left its station.

“Anyone know how to work this thing?” Cameron fingered every inch of the camera looking for something to start things rolling.

“There must be a screen somewhere.” Clar walked over to the closet, every circuit of her nervous system felt on fire as she yanked open the door. Please no hidden bloody bodies. She scoured the items finding nothing...including film. “There’s no film canisters in here. And no screen.”

Jimmy flipped. “Is there any reason we can’t use a wall? People use the side of the garage, we should be able to use one of the walls, right?”

“Great idea, O’Brien, if we had the film!” Cameron scowled at each of them as if they’d missed the obvious—which of course they had been putting the cart before the horse.

“I think we do.” Jimmy pulled the cassettes out Clar had missed, holding them in the air. “We just need a film projector.”

“I think I saw one in the closet.” Clar squeaked out, trying to swallow the lump wedged in her throat.

“I can get it.” Jimmy stood behind her, his body wrapped loosely around hers. Clar melted into the security, breathing deeply with relief. She nodded her head, slipping her hand from under his and watched as Jimmy retrieved the projector.

“Here we go.” The projector purred to life and Jimmy flipped the light switch.

They sat in groups. Jimmy, Jacki, and Clint huddled protectively around Clar. Evie perched herself on a stool near a table, while Cameron stood within feet of her.

The film sputtered for a moment, then rolled smoothly giving away the secret it had kept hidden. They watched the horror of what happened the day blood flowed on the white enamel floor. She grabbed onto Jimmy’s hand, squeezing it tightly as the images appeared on the wall.

Cameras and sound equipment sentinels in the room stood unmanned in their appointed positions. Soft music mingled with the sounds of sex throughout the set.

No one paid attention to them anymore.

Like a row of dominos one by one the film crew fell silently to the floor. No one cared they lay in their own fluids seeping onto the tiles.

Levi Andres thrust one last time then opened his eyes giving the performance of his life. He focused on his co-star. Fear swam in the blue orbs of the actress beneath him. Oh shit! He froze then flew into the air. His shoulder jammed onto the floor hard landing between two cameras, knocking one over.

Levi scooted deep into a dark corner away from the gurgling cries of his co-star echoing through the room. Bloody hands covered his ears as he detached himself from reality. Clar knew he was going to the safe place in his head.

Death had entered the room like a demon in the night.

A large dark mass hovered over him like a junkyard dog ready to pounce on a piece of meat. Levi curled into a fetal position as a boot made contact with his ribs and abdomen. His screams bounced around the soundproof studio as repeated kicks hit his body one right after the other.

Weak and on his knees, they heard the crack of his jaw as the pain of repeated blows seared on. Clar sucked in a sob, but couldn’t shake the fear icing over her heart. Why was this happening? Who would want to harm him or his movie family? They were all dead—everyone in the studio had died, and for what?

The blows kept coming, one right after another. Then it was over and Levi’s face said it all—he thought he would die. Blood trickled onto his lips, and he dropped to the floor like a bag of dirty laundry. The last thing they all heard as he fell into unconsciousness ...

“I’ll have a bag of candy kisses, please.”

Large pink candy wrappers from a pink striped box with KK printed across it fluttered to the floor, and the screen went black.

“I haven’t used those boxes in months!” Clar quivered inside like a hummingbird gathering nectar, only the sweet taste was bitter. The tears fell and she kept swiping them away. “I changed my packaging once I decided to open the store inventory to mail order. There was a limited number of those pink boxes and wrappers.”

“Then how could a person get one without...” Jimmy whispered.

Clar sunk to the floor, one hand on her chest. Tears streamed freely down flushed cheeks to the corner of her mouth. “They would have had to come into the store.”