Matt throws up both his hands. “Had to check,” he says before going back to vacuuming food into his stomach.
“So, you're asking out a man,andyou have a dog. That’s a lot of life-altering changes. You sure you don’t need a minute to think this through?”
“Nope,” I say confidently. Am I sure this will work? No. Do I think this is morally abhorrent? Absolutely. Am I going to do it anyway? Yup. Can’t cling to laws and morality when you work for a secret agency that does whatever it takes to keep humans safe and away from our secrets.
***
“Fuck. I haven’t slept a wink for the last two days. And we still have nothing?” Serena whines from the passenger seat.
I sigh. “Tyler drove to the set from his house early in the morning. Filmed two scenes. Drove back. Traffic cameras show he made it to his home on time. No one has seen him since,” I recite. To summarize, we’re fucked.
“He was abducted in broad daylight, and no one saw it happen? How can that be?”
“Maybe we’ll find something here?” I offer. I park in one ofthe parking lots of the studio that houses the set ofThe Pack. Strange choice of name considering werewolves haven’t lived in packs for decades now. “The evidence is not leading us anywhere. Let’s hope we at least find a motive.”
We meet one of the show’s producers, Laura Bryant, at her office.
“We sent an assistant to check on him when he didn't show up for the shoot on Friday, and his calls were going straight to voicemail. No one opened the door, so we were concerned. That’s why we asked the assistant to go in. Elena knew the code to his door lock. When the assistant found him, Tyler was dead. So, he called the police,” she tells us.
“Was he acting suspicious or scared recently?” Serena asks.
“I wouldn’t know much about his personal life, sorry. I only have a formal relationship with most of the cast and crew. They wouldn’t share these things with me,” Laura says.
“Did he have any disagreements with anyone on the set?” I ask.
Laura’s eyes go wide. “You think someone from the show could have done this?”
“We’re not ruling out anything at the moment,” Serena says curtly.
I smile at Laura. “Sometimes, we don’t really know people as well as we think we do.” I give her a pointed look. “We’re investigating this from every angle right now.”
She nods. “Look, so many creative heads coming together always creates some friction. Enough to kill? I really doubt it. Besides, Tyler was new to the industry. He knew not to ruffle feathers.”
“Anyone in particular he disagreed with often?” I tilt my head.
“Maybe the director? Hayden Holt. He’s old-school, and sometimes these young actors have their own ideas about what works. But the guy has been doing this for decades. I don’t see how Tyler could have annoyed him into murder.”
“And how was his relationship with other people on thecrew?” Serena asks.
“He was a friendly person. I’ve never heard of any rift. He was close to quite a few people, as far as I could tell. You should definitely talk to his hair and makeup team and to Elena, who plays Romila on the show. They’ll have more information for you,” she says.
“And where were you on the day Tyler was found?” Serena asks.
I look everywhere but at Laura. “We had an off-site shoot. Most of the crew, including me, was out of the city for a week. We got back a day after Tyler was found. You can check the hotel records,” she answers confidently.
“We will,” Serena says. “Thank you for talking to us, Laura. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” she adds.
Laura nods. “Feel free to talk to anyone on the set today,” she says as she walks us out of the office. Then she turns to me. “And I’ll be seeing you at dinner soon?”
I pout. “I canceledonetime.”
“Mm-hmm. Come prepared to expand on that flimsy excuse,” she says, holding my gaze.
I force down a shiver. Laura can make the most serious criminals confess. It’s a shame she didn’t go into the crime side of the Bureau. But from what I hear, showbiz isn’t for the weak of heart either. “Yes, ma’am,” I salute, walking backwards because Serena was getting antsy standing in one place.
Serena looks at me as we’re walking away. “I would never understand how the ME landed her. She’s so hot,” she says. Oh yeah, Laura is also married to one of my best friends and fellow Bureau Agent, Marcus.
“Shhhh.” I hush her. Laura does not need a bigger ego or a power trip.
