×
No bloodstains on the pillows and sheets. No signs of struggle. No ligature marks on the young victim's neck or wrists.
The girl didn't look older than 25.
No surprise there. Darren didn't fancy older women.
No pulse.
Motionless.
Dead.
The girl was already dead. Perhaps for about an hour now. Her pallid skin wasn't cold to the touch yet.
Jenson got up from the floor and looked away from the corpse on the fairly messy bed. The hotel room looked clean and orderly, but not too clean or suspiciously organized. Hastily, he took off the surgical glove and curbed the strong urge to swear out loud and kick the nightstand.
Darren was watching his every move despite the dimness. Covered up by a dark robe, Darren stood against the wall with his hands on his head, clutching his tousled hair that partly hid his shadowed face and panic-stricken eyes. "What? What should we do?" he muttered while he blankly stared at the stiff on the bed.
"What'd you give her?" Jenson squinted at the guy's reaction, gauging whether this was sheer accident or if Darren purposely gave the girl some drugs to kill her. "Did you step out of the room before I got here?"
"No." Darren shook his head faintly and palmed his stubbled cheeks. He usually wore a thick, dark beard for the show during taping days, but now he appeared to have shaved just recently. "I-It was just coke. I swear."
Just cocaine. Right. Was Darren bullshitting him or what? "How much?" Jenson stepped away from the hotel bed but kept his eyes on the cadaver.
She didn't look like she died a gruesome, violent death. Her hair was straight and long, her breasts still exposed. Partly open blood-red lips now turning somewhat purple. Pretty brown eyes void of life.
"I dunno, man. We were just, tryna have fun and I fell asleep after we..." Darren rubbed his palm onto his tan forehead and sat on the floor now, his legs splayed. Then he started to get teary-eyed, his cheeks now flushed. "I didn't mean to. I didn't know she would..."
Fucking amateur hour.
If only he wasn't Magnus' beloved brother-in-law, Jenson would have punched him in the face the second he got here. Their kind didn't need any more trouble with the law.
Yet here they were...about to cover up another senseless crime. Stuck with another dead body to get rid of.
Shit. Another sleepless night. "That's all you gave her? Some blow?" Jenson gainsaid.
"Yeah. Yeah." Darren covered his mouth and remained sitting on the floor. "I don't know what else she took. Some pills? I dunno. I just woke up and...found her like that."
"Right," Jenson muttered with a scoff.
The reality stayed the same. If someone else were to find out, Darren's career would be over. In a heartbeat. He would be investigated and would end up in jail, charged with involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, and possession of illegal drugs.
As an immediate result, the show would be compromised. No more season three. No more show. Meaning: they could kiss their careers and seven-figures-a-year incomes goodbye as soon as tomorrow.
Jenson swore inwardly at the thought. He propped his hands on his hips, then checked the curtains another time.
They still fully covered the windows, and only one bedside lamp had been left on. The blankets covered the girl's left leg, but her lacy underwear remained visible. Her light blonde hair covered half of her small, pale face while her slim arm stayed draped over her tiny waist.
Petite build. Not taller than 5'6". They could fit her in a large suitcase. They could get the corpse out of this room easily, but not without being seen by the cameras in the hallway.
As the what-ifs kept him busy, Jenson heaved a sigh. Maybe he should call Magnus now. Maybe some of his connections could help. "Where did you meet her?"
Darren grunted and kept his hands on his face, seeming genuinely bewildered by the situation they were in. "At the party," he replied in a mumble, his breathing fairly louder than normal. "Few hours ago."
"She came alone?" Jenson stood closer to the guy.
Darren nodded slightly. "She was talking to Zach before midnight. And some girl with pink hair."
"Zach? As in Zach, head of makeup?" Jenson pulled a face. "He knows her personally?"
"She said they used to work together. But when I asked Zach, he said he didn't invite her."
"How old is she?" Jenson regarded the wrinkled sheets on the hotel bed.
"Twenty-four." Darren sighed. "Her name's Ramona."
"Last name?"
"I don't remember."
"Dude, come on..." Jenson scoffed. "From where?"
"Phoenix. I-I really don't know her last name. She doesn't have any IDs in her purse," Darren muttered with a scowl that creased his thick brows and forehead. His exposed upper chest looked heaving, still. Then he massaged his temples with his eyes shut closed.
"I told you not to touch her stuff." Jenson mumbled another swearword.
"Sorry," Darren replied in a hushed voice. "She told me she just dropped out of college. Moved here a month ago, she said."
"Which college?"
"She said Arizona State," Darren mumbled.
A lengthy silence filled the room. Jenson stood still. Then Darren just broke down while his hands tugged at his dark brown hair.
"I didn't know she would..." He swore under his breath and crossed his legs on the floor. "I didn't kill her, man." Darren muffled his sobs with his clenched fist.
Jenson stared at the guy, subtly judging the sincerity of Darren's emotions and explanations. He knew Darren's tells. He knew whenever the guy tried to lie his way out of something.
They'd been working together almost every day for quite a while now. At this point, he knew Darren like the back of his hand. He could also smell the intense fear and utter confusion in Darren's scent.
It was almost pungent. Therefore, this was nothing but an accident. Then again, the cops wouldn't simply rule it out as one without taking Darren to the precinct to get his formal statement. They would surely charge him with possession of illegal narcotics at the very least.
Even with Magnus' high-priced lawyers involved, a news this big and controversial would still get leaked to the press in no time.Give it a couple hours. Darren's face would be plastered all over tomorrow's six o'clock news before he and Magnus could even try to figure out a way to sweep everything under the rug.
Fuck. What an absolute shitshow.
Jenson ignored his friend's muted sobs and glanced at the dead body on the hotel bed.
Another life gone. Just like that. Such a waste. All because Darren couldn't control his illicit hobbies and proclivity for young call girls.
If the media got their hands on this before Magnus got wind of everything, he would throw a colossal fit. The show would get dragged through the mud because of this.
Jenson sighed. Everything would be over for him and Darren. Career done. Bye-bye, comfortable Hollywood life. "Shit," he muttered.
He oughta teach his friend how to be less of a liability at this point, and how to deal with stupid decisions without getting caught. Among other things. If only Darren could sustain his vices while keeping their clan's dark secrets under the radar...
"Dammit, DJ." Jenson glanced to his friend. "We're about to start shooting next month. The heck were you thinkin', man?"
"Sorry." Darren sniveled and stayed on the floor, his back leaning against the wall, still teary-eyed. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mark her or anything. I swear."
"Good." You'd better not be lying to my face, was what he really wanted to say.
At least the guy didn't do something that could jeopardize the reputation of their entire clan.
Jenson turned to stare at the lifeless body on the hotel bed, weighing the pros and cons. "Cover up. Put her in the bathtub. Scrub her clean. I'll get the stuff." He threw the plastic bag containing surgical gloves and face masks on the floor beside Darren's leg.
"Okay," was all Darren said.
"Don't open the door for anyone." Jenson checked his phone and headed for the door.
They had to get rid of the stiff now.
No matter what it took.
Point of no return.
×
× "I hope you guys enjoyed your dinner and have a nice night." Jessi stirred awake from her nap when she heard the soft beep signaling the last part of another announcement from the pilot. Were they approaching the airport in Los Angeles?She blinked at the blurry beige shapes before her and glimpsed the time on her phone. 8:10PM. Nope. Few more hours to go. They'd been up in the air before six. Meaning: she had been napping for two hours straight. Good enough to recharge her. Refreshed and a little hungry, she sat up and muffled a yawn. It got rid of her airplane ears. Her left ear popped, relieving some pain. Her grogginess almost made her forget about her headache, but at least her skull no longer felt like it was going to split in half. She needed lots of rest tonight. Then she would have to buy some food for herself for the next couple of days. There was a small fridge in her new apartment but not much cooking utensils. She needed pots and pans, too. Mental note: do some sho
× 4:38AM × Formaldehyde. Water. Ten milligrams of wolfsbane. That should be enough. Jenson stood next to the door and made sure no one else would find the girl in here.He checked the big padlocks again. As utter silence filled the basement, he ran up the narrow stairs. He didn't have the right kind of embalming fluid for a deceased human body. For now he had to improvise. The situation called for it.Preserving the poor girl's corpse for at least half a day would give him more time to think. He needed to come up with the best plan of action. Darren was pretty much out of it. Shell-shocked. The idiot wouldn't be able to come up with a good plan to address their current conundrum. His current mental state might even cause another problem.But at least Darren sobered up enough to keep his piehole shut all night. "Pezzo di merda." Jenson sighed out loud as he trudged b
× Shooting was still weeks away, the bosses said.Her supervisor told her the first episodes of the show's next season would be shot outside of Hollywood, as originally planned by the showrunners. According to him, it would require some adjustment due to the location change, but Jessi could already feel the daily grind mentality kicking in as the day progressed. She had just met the entire cast of the famous TV series.They were funny, charismatic, fun to be around but also took their job seriously. The official photo shoot for the promotional materials and the cast interviews lasted only five and a half hours instead of eight hours, because the entire cast had been so adept and professional during the whole shoot. The photographers and the creative team did not have any trouble working with them at all.Except for her, because she had to take on the responsibilities of her co-w
× "Hey, Jess." "Hi. How's the vacay?" Jessi asked her newfound friend over the phone. A tiring day at work forced her into the bathtub, wherein she was about to treat her tired muscles to at least half an hour of warm bubble bath. Kel just called her out of the blue, and after they hung out the other day, Jessi wanted to catch up and ask about Kel's short vacation with her boyfriend here in Los Angeles. "Good so far," Kel replied, her tone pleasant as always. "Enzo's really, um, pulling out all the stops." "Sweet." Jessi smiled to herself. "Glad you're both enjoying the time off." She turned on the faucet and set the water temperature to warm. The unit she was renting lacked space, but at least the bathroom had a tub and a shower with hot water. Good enough for a single woman. "Yeah. Me too. He's been so...attentive and hands-on it's starting to drive me nuts." Kel forced a laugh.
× The question was not one he was prepared for—nor did he have a proper alibi on hand for the man standing in front of him now. Jenson hesitated for a second, although he knew his uncle only wanted a straight answer from him. "Come on in." He opened the front door wider to let Magnus in before the man lost any more of his patience. When did Magnus find out about the girl? No one else but Darren knew about the incident. It would be fair to assume that Darren failed to keep his trap shut—again—and spilled the whole thing to Magnus and Evie. Darren just couldn't get his shit together. The idiot. "Welcome back." Jenson wore a warm smile for his unexpected guest. His nerves were acting up now that Magnus was right in front of him, but the situation was still under control. For now. He shouldn't bother covering up Darren's most recent shenanigan. Jenson gritted his teeth. He should just tell his uncle the whole truth. It wasn't like he could lie to Magnus, and definitely not to his
× "Thatbad, huh?" Jenson got up from the bed and shook his head in dismay, feeling like absolute crap after glancing at the naked woman under the covers. She looked as if she'd rather undergo a tooth extraction procedure than spend another waking moment with him. Now she was ignoring him and checking emails. Perfect. Great way to start off the day. He put on his sweatpants and let out a lengthy sigh, eager to show her his disappointment. Jenson glanced at his fiancée one more time while ignoring the torn pieces of clothing strewn all over the bedroom carpet. The huge carpet was a Persian rug, an engagement gift from his future in-laws: the van den Hovens. They came from a noble lineage with mostly purebloods in their family tree. That included Charmaine. He'd always thought she was beautiful and deserved the best in life, the best career opportunities, the best husband, and a grea
× "Why aren't you pickin' up? I called ten times." "Don't even start." Jenson ignored his co-star's frown and resumed studying his lines. With how Darren was acting lately—ignoring his advice and keeping secrets from him again—calling Darren his 'friend' would be a stretch. So yeah. They'd keep it just professional and not so friendly this time. That ought to teach the guy a lesson or two. "You're upset 'cause I called Evie?" Oh great. Now the idiot wanted to ruin his morning with a pointless argument, when they should be busy preparing for the hours of work they got on schedule this week. Jenson restrained a sigh as he pretended to read through the rest of his lines. The director and UM would be expecting them to be early on set this week. Yet instead of reading the script and rehearsing his lines, Darren was wasting his time with an issue they should've talked over days ago. "She's the only family I got, Joss. The only one who gives a shit about me." "Don't use that card." J
× "What d'you want?" Jenson ignored the grim look on his friend's face the moment he stepped into Darren's trailer. He glanced outside. Coast clear. He shut the door and locked it to make sure privacy wasn't going to be an issue. Perks of being one of the lead stars in a big-budget TV show: a personal trailer complete with amenities and a spacious bed for each of them. Darren sat on his trailer bed with his copy of today's script on his lap, his medium-length hair restrained by a neat man-bun. His dark beard appeared thicker than last time, while his fist on his thigh clenched. "Before we even begin this talk..." Jenson sighed and ignored his friend's deep scowl. They hadn't talked in days. Probably why the guy was still pissed. "Gotta be sure you're gonna tell me nothing but the complete honest truth." Darren scoffed and resumed reading the copy of the script,&nbs