Sierra lowered her magazine. “J-C-F-U. The code from the fortune teller’s room.F-Usounds like a message to the killer. The producers wouldn’t put something like that in.” She sank deeper into her beanbag. “And October third was Alicia’s birthday.”
Her words were met with silence. Even Jarius frowned thoughtfully. Beck remembered how Sierra had asked in the room whether the numbers meant a date.
She had known what this was about, even then.
“But how can someone be slipping these clues into the game without Louis knowing?” Nadia said finally.
“Maybe hedoesknow,” Sierra said. “Maybe he’s letting them do it so he can find the killer, too.”
“Or maybe it’s him,” said Emma. “Calling himself theRealGame Master on the forums to throw people off.”
“The Game Master doesn’t speak like that,” Adi said, waving his phone, which was open to the ribbon clue post.
“Right, and no one can fake a voice online,” Emma shot back.
Delphi curled her lip. “No matter who’s doing it, Ranielle will put a stop to it. Her preciousfamilyshow.”
A throat cleared in the doorway. An intern with a headset and clipboard was waiting. “They’re ready for you on set.” He turned away, then paused and looked back at the crowded room again. “A word of advice. Don’t let Ranielle Russell catch you talking about Alicia, or those messages that have been cropping up in the rooms. She’s ready to murder the next person who brings it up.”
24
Sierra
Sierra and the others followed the intern through the studio tothe show’s main set, with its steampunk vibe and five risers, one for each team.
After today, there would be only four.
Sierra gazed around, wondering who here had the guts to slip coded messages under Ranielle’s nose. The nerve to lock her team in a freezer. The stomach to kill her sister.
There was Fitzy in a tall director’s chair, an assistant holding a bottled water for him to drink through a straw while a makeup artist dabbed powder onto his brow.
Ranielle Russell and Vera, having a muttered conversation over a notebook. Ranielle looked as displeased as usual.
The Game Master, strutting across the front of the stage, high-fiving members of the Crown Jewels as he passed.
The intern scurrying through with a coffee. The woman with muscles to rival Jarius’s, adjusting massive lights on the side of the stage. How strong did a person have to be to suffocate someone? Alicia wasn’t muscular, but Sierra knew she would have fought with everything she had.
It was hot beneath the lights. Sweat dripped down the backs of her knees.
After the final mic check, Ranielle stood before them on the stage. She surveyed each contestant, then turned in a slow circle, her gaze carrying over the rest of the crew, until every person in the room was staring back at her, silent.
“As many of you know,” she said, “this show very nearly got canceled after the tragic events of last season. They say no publicity is bad publicity, but they’re full of shit. Our reputation is everything. We are a feel-good family show, featuring some of the most brilliant minds of the next generation. A little puzzle-solving, a little wholesome conversation . . . a littleteamwork. And yet.” Her gaze sharpened. “And yet, here we are. The show where a teenage contestant was brutally murdered. The killer never found. The media throwing around words like ‘corruption’ and ‘cheating.’” Her voice took on a new edge. “I have clawed our way back onto the air. I have fought to win over Hitflix, our sponsors, the media, the fans. And I will not have my efforts ruined by some smart-ass who thinks it’s funny to put thesemessages”—she punctuated the word with air quotes—“inside our escape rooms.”
Sierra glanced at Louis. He was standing to the side of the stage, nodding along with a serious—almost angry—expression. Sierra wished she could tell if it was an act.
“This nonsense ends today,” Ranielle continued. “My legal team is standing by, ready to destroy any one of you who eventhinksabout commenting on that perverse message. Remember: Family show. Puzzles and games. A million dollars at stake.” She finished this speech with a predatory smile. “And don’t forget to have fun.”
She stalked off the stage, flicking a hand to the cameras. “Carry on.”
“You heard the boss,” came the director’s voice. “Action!”
Sierra put on her game face as the cameras started rolling. TheEscape Gametheme music played through the studio as the crane camera swooped toward the hosts.
“Wow, Game Master,” said Fitzy. “You really outdid yourself with that fortune teller room.”
“Thanks, Fitzy. I wanted our contestants to feel like the fortune teller’s spirit was right there in the room with them.”
“I’d say you succeeded.” Fitzy looked fearfully over his shoulder. “In fact—I think I feel her presence now!”
