CHAPTER 17 (3.5pp, double spaced, Times New Roman)

On June 23, 2011, I began writing a novel about a woman who starts a film company to trick actors into killing the man responsible for the deaths of her husband and children.


CHAPTER 17


With coffee in their hands, Laura looked at him. He kept his eyes down.

She couldn't imagine what he was feeling, never having lost someone. A part of her wanted to push him to talk, but she knew he'd resent it. She also wanted to hold him, but this wasn't the time; he'd just pull away.

When her cell rang, she widened her eyes. Fuck! she thought when it rang again and she was still hunting for it, What'd I do with it?

His hand and her cell appeared on the periphery of her vision. She shakily took it, peeking at him to find him staring at her; it unnerved her when he did that. Grabbing it she turned away from him.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Laura? This is Mrs. H. We need to talk about your future at FlyRize. Does 2p work?"

"I-"

"Great, see you then."

Biting her lip, Laura took a breath and turned around. He wasn't there anymore, or in the kitchen or upstairs. When she looked outside and saw his car gone, she let out and "Uh!" and crossed her arms; he hadn't given her a key yet.

After an hour she returned to the living room, fidgeting. At almost 2p she gave up. Calling a taxi, she left, hoping that no one broke in before she returned; more, that he wouldn't be back before her.

Sitting in front of Mrs. H, Laura wondered why she'd been called in. Did I do something wrong? she wondered.

"I want you to know that I think you have a lot of potential," Mrs. H said.

Laura startled at that, looking up at Mrs. H, her eyes bright. Hold it together, she told herself.

"But I don't think the role of Elitsa is right for you."

"I-"

"It's not that I don't think you'd make a great Elitsa, but it's a very demanding role. It requires great commitment," Mrs. H said, taking a breath, "I'm not sure you can handle it."

"No, I can," Laura insisted, "I'll do anything. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Be honest, do you think you can erase everything in your life and just be Elitsa? Because I've noticed that in some of your prep work you've been losing focus. I need you 100%."

"It's just there's been a lot of big stresses, you know?"

"I suspected as much, but, at FlyRize, I expect my actors to rise above. That's what separates the greats from everyone: they aren't afraid to commit. Do you understand what I mean by commit?"

"I think so," Laura responded, her brows furrowed.

"Then you need to show me. I'll give you one more week to prove to me that you can be Elitsa."

Laura tried the door first, but found it locked. When he didn't answer her knocking, she rang the doorbell.

He scared her when he showed up at the door. Splotchy in face and with his hair spiked in the front, he stared at her for several minutes, not moving from where he stood.

Finally, he croaked, "Where did you go?"

She took a step closer, but still he wouldn't move. Reaching her hand out to him, she stopped when he turned his head away from her.

"I had to go to work."

"You should have left a note."

"I'm sorry."

"I thought you were dead."

 "Oh, baby," she said, pushing past hesitation to hold him to her.

At first he just creased his brows. Then he pulled her in and closed the door, holding her but with his head away from her.

When the top of her head touched his neck, he looked down at her as if she were a specimen. Smelling her perfume he leaned closer, soaking her in, a tear sliding from his cheek to her shoulder.

CHAPTER 16 (5+pp, double spaced, Times New Roman)

On June 23, 2011, I began writing a novel about a woman who starts a film company to trick actors into killing the man responsible for the deaths of her husband and children.

CHAPTER 16

Jeremy rushed into the FlyRize office with a big grin. Winking at Marise, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, had to cover a shift that ran late," Jeremy said, "Did I miss Mrs. H?"

"No, but she's in a meeting right now. It might be half an hour or more. Are you okay waiting?"

"Yeah, of course. Hey, how's that husband of yours?"

"He's doing great! Right now he's out with the boys camping."

 "Sweet. Think I can grab a bite to eat and come back?"

"Sure."

Running to McDonald's just a few blocks up, he ordered a burger and fries and, when his order was ready, took a seat and checked his instructions. They seemed simple enough, he just needed to get the prop knife required for the murder scene. It read:

Main character: John

Motivation: Stab Angie for breaking up with him.

Address: 1234 Hillside

Props: Knife

He tapped his fingers trying to think of a time he felt angry enough to want to kill someone. Giving up he called his best friend.

"Chris, what's up?"

"Nothing more than usual, but all the same. What you want?"

"You ever want to kill a girl?"

"You crazy?" Chris answered, his voice higher pitched.

"Nah, it's for this scene, man. I'm supposed to want to kill a girl, only I can't think of anything that'd make me angry enough. With all your psycho chics, I figured you could fill me in."

"Hah hah. Yeah, I know some girls I could kill, but nothing you'd know."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like this one bitch, she scratched up my ride because I didn't call her back or some shit."

"For real?"

"Yeah, yeah. Look, man, I gotta go. Holler at you later."

Looking at his watch, Jeremy gulped the last of his Coke and rushed back. Smiling laconically again, Marise just laughed at him.

"She's waiting for you. Go right in."

"Thanks, babe," he said, winking at her.

"What are we going to do with you, Jeremy?" Mrs. H asked when she saw him enter, smiling all the while.

"What can I say? I'm in high demand."

Laughing, Mrs. H motioned for him to sit. He sat with an ankle on his thigh, pushing back his hair with his hand.

"So what we need to do today is you get the headgear and the prop knife. I'll walk you through each piece until you're comfortable using them. But if you have questions later, don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

"You know it, Mrs. H!" he said, finally noticing the objects on her desk.

It had felt weird for him to practice stabbing Mrs. H, and he wondered how the other actor felt being on the receiving end. But Mrs. H assured him it wasn't painful: just push in and out, the blood packets would spill and it would look like he'd actually "stabbed" her on film.

Mrs. H then showed him the digital footage of their practice. He jumped the first time he saw himself "stabbing" her, then started getting into it. By the time he stuffed his pack with the headgear and prop knife, he was feeling confident. He knew, too, that "Angie" had just gone through the same prep work.

When he got to his apartment, a man stopped him. Showing Jeremy his card, Jeremy suggested they go to the bar around the corner.

"What's this about, Mr. Rick James?" Jeremy asked, taking a gulp of the malt and whiskey he'd ordered.

"There's been some rumors that FlyRize may not be on the up and up. What do you know about Mrs. H?"

"I don't know much, just that she started FlyRize with a concept that's sick. I'm just glad to be part of this first big project, but she's done a lot of other work and stuff. It's on her website. You should check it out."

"I have. I'm just trying to understand why she pays her actors in cash."

"Because she didn't want us having to hassle with bank holds and shit. Are we done here?"

"Yeah, okay."

Jeremy couldn't shake the blood from his hands. When he arrived to Mrs. H's house, he parked in the garage like she'd instructed.

When he got out of the car, he turned to meet her hitting him on the head with a tire iron. He blacked out immediately.

Mrs. H didn't have time to put on anything more than a wig, moustache and fake bifocals. Quickly stripping Jeremy of his tee shirt and jeans, she put them on, took his keys and unlocked the trunk.

Straining under his weight, she finally got him into the small space. Then she shot him with a tranquilizer to keep him knocked out until she could get him to the river. She waited an hour in case neighbors might've seen him drive in.

Before she let his body float in the water, she drowned him. Jeremy struggled unknowingly, for a moment opening his eyes, but the drugs and the water overcame his resistance.

Removing his clothes and her costume accessories, she burned them and started the ignition until the water swallowed his car. Jogging a distance she finally found the train station and rode into Seattle, where she took a cab to her home.

CHAPTER 15 (4+pp, double spaced, Times New Roman)

On June 23, 2011, I began writing a novel about a woman who starts a film company to trick actors into killing the man responsible for the deaths of her husband and children.

CHAPTER 15


"See?" Lina said, "You forgot about Lina!"

"I didn't forget."

"You only wanted to get married without her!" she said, laughing, "But if she loves you like I do, she'll forgive you just as easily."

"Yes," he answered, grinning; but, as he reached to kiss her, he noticed movement on the side of his house.

Scrunching his brows, he pressed 22 on his cell, getting out of the car. Laura turned to do the same on her side when she heard a scream - the same one that just jarred his ear.

Dropping his cell he ran to where he thought he saw a man in a black shirt cross. Laura grabbed her cell and punched in 911, but, before she put the call through, felt panicked that something might happen to him.

When she caught up to him, she, just, stood, there. She couldn't make out who he was holding in his arms, but from the way he was crying, she guessed it was Lina.

Laura wanted to move, but her heart beat so fast she could hear it. Trying to breathe, she fought against the dizziness. Closing her eyes she took several deep breaths, then pushed everything out of her head but him.

Shaking inside, she walked toward him; but, when she touched him, she knew only resolve. She didn't try to keep him from holding on to Lina, instead reaching for her cell which she'd forgotten was still in her hand.

Expressing momentary surprise, she turned on the screen and pushed the green button. Her eyes watered at the blood on Lina's clothes, but she didn't notice.

"Is anyone there?" the dispatcher asked.

Remembering to raise the receiver to her ear, Laura said, "Yes, I'm sorry. I think my fiancée's sister is hurt. Oh god, there's so much blood."

"What's your name, ma'am?"

"Laura. She's Lina, very sweet and-"

"Laura, I need you to tell me your location."

"It's, uh, I, I don't know!"

Laura felt the tears slip then. She tried to rub them away, but felt his arm as he reached to take her cell from her.

"It's 1234 Hillside. I think my sister's dead. I tried to stop the man who did this, but he was too fast. Please hurry."

When he hung up he put her cell in his pocket and grabbed her to him. Laura held him, seeing snatches of Lina from the corner of her eye.

When the police and paramedics arrived, he slowly put Lina on the ground, and, with Laura's help, got to his feet. His shirt was bloodied from where he'd held Lina, but he wouldn't let go of Laura during questioning.

"Good thing the ground was still muddy or we might not have recovered the other man's shoe prints," Detective Sam Anderson said, "Unfortunately, we can't find the murder weapon. But we'll keep you updated on any new developments. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. And, again, sorry for your loss."

When only he and Laura remained, the sex was fast, with even their underwear not removed. When it was done, he didn't remove himself from her, just lay his face into her neck as she held him, her lips hovering around his hair.

Several times, he whimpered, pushing his nails into her shoulders. Biting her lips in response, she kissed him until he needed to move against her, releasing her shoulders when he came.

Finally he turned his face to hers. She didn't look away from him.

"I love you," he said, his voice hoarse.

Laura traced the tear trail on his face with her thumb, stopping at the corner of his mouth. Leaning down he kissed her softly on her lips.

"I love you," he repeated, his eyes on hers.

"I love you, too," she said, deepening their kiss until they relaxed into lovemaking.

"Jeremy," Mrs. H said, "Slow down. I can't understand you."

"I think she's really dead, Mrs. H," Jeremy said, trying to keep his voice low and the sweat from getting in his eyes.

"Impossible," Mrs. H reassured, "You used the prop knife, right?"

"I thought I did. Only there's real blood and it won't press in like you showed me. I'm really scared, Mrs. H."

"Look, why don't you come over? We'll look at the footage together and see what happened. It's possible Angie had a knife in her hand and you grabbed it by mistake in the confusion of the scene. Just calm down, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right over."

CHAPTER 14 (4.5pp, double spaced, Times New Roman)

On June 23, 2011, I began writing a novel about a woman who starts a film company to trick actors into killing the man responsible for the deaths of her husband and children.


CHAPTER 14


When the gloved man was sure the other two had left, he said, "Listen, Lina, I'm Rick James, a private investigator. I'm sorry for the theatrics but I needed to talk to you. Alone."

As he anticipated, the moment he released her she ran out of the closet and to the front door. Then she stopped, looking behind her.

He slowly walked out of the closet, taking off his ski mask and gloves. Dropping them to the floor, he looked up at Lina, his hands and feet spread out.

The tears still wet on her face, she held her ground but shifted her body so she could see him more clearly. When he didn't move, she pressed her back against the wall, her hand still on the knob.

He waited until she crossed her arms under her breasts. Then he reached for his card and held it out to her.

She bit her lip, looked at his face, his card, his face again. With one push of air, she advanced, tremulously taking his card and reading the content.

Before raising her eyes to his, she curled his card in her hand, hiding it over her arm with her hand. Frowning, she walked past him toward the living room, turning her head only to see that he was following her lead.

When Rick sat down, Lina asked, "Do you want coffee? Tea?"

"No. Please, sit."

Her feet pushed under her butt, she placed one hand behind her neck. He, in turn, changed position so that he was at an angle to her.

Leaning forward, he said, "Look, I shouldn't be here. I'm just going on a hunch."

"But you went through all this trouble."

"Lady, I've been doing this for 30 years. It's not a question about your being in danger. I just don't have more to go on to convince the police to open an investigation."

Sitting cross legged now, she asked, "Did someone hire you to spy on us?"

Finger rubbing the side of his mouth, he said, "Not at first. This woman, she wanted to know about your brother. Told me there'd been an accident and that she'd wanted to set up some kind of scholarship."

"Accident? Our parents died in an accident my junior year of high school."

Before he could speak, she said, "Are you talking about my brother's accident?"

He nodded, but she continued, creasing her forehead, "This woman, is she the reason I got my scholarship?"

"Possibly, but rich types are usually harmless. And they always pay cash."

"So why are you here?"

"The woman came back and wanted to know more about you."

"Me?" she asked, pushing up her knees and holding her ankles, her chin on the space between her knees.

"It hasn't been a year, okay? So I checked her out. Turns out she changed her name and started a film company called FlyRize. Some of the actors have been reported missing around the time of some murders. Like your brother's girlfriend."

"Oh my god, he was devastated."

"I figured, but do you know his new girl is another actor at FlyRize?"

Lina's mouth popped at that. Scrambling for her cell on the table, Rick grabbed her wrists.

"Listen to me, if you try to warn him, he's not going to believe you. And it'll tip off Laura that you're on to her."

"But--" she started, one tear already rolling down her cheek.

Moving his hands down to squeeze her hands, he said, "You heard them. He wants to marry her. But this woman I'm talking about, I think she wants you dead first. Because you're here."

Lina bit her lip. Trying to rub her the wetness from her eye, she felt Rick's grip.

"Don't you see? She's trying to cut off all of your brother's lifelines," he said, moving closer to her face, "Laura's a decoy. If you leave, he dies."

Pulling back, she covered her mouth with one hand. Gurgling something incoherent, she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath she opened them and saw that Rick was back on the sofa.

"What are you asking me to do?" she whispered.

"Give them a day. Then call him and tell him you need him home. I can sleep on the couch tonight and tomorrow while my wife's out of town. But you need to get them back on Monday morning, okay?"

When she nodded, he said, "Next week I'm going out of town to find some more info on this woman. I promise you, I'll keep you people safe."

Outside, Jeremy waited. Not sure what to make of the detective, he figured he must be another actor. But he knew his instructions: Wait for her to be alone, then attack.

But at 2a, it was clear the detective wasn't leaving. Maybe they're lovers? he asked himself. He decided the scene could wait another day, and left.

CHAPTER 13 (3.75pp, double spaced, Times New Roman)

On June 23, 2011, I began writing a novel about a woman who starts a film company to trick actors into killing the man responsible for the deaths of her husband and children.

CHAPTER 13        

"Wait, what are we doing here?" Laura asked him, her grip on his hand stopping him.

Turning his head to her, he said, "We are going to Vegas where we will get married."

"What about my ring?"

He looked at her bent head, the blush still visible on her forehead. Taking one step foreward, he held her hand to his heart.

Startled she looked up at him, her eyes bright. Her lips unconsciously parted, her face reflected her desire to be closer to him.

Pressing his fingers in between hers, he said, "I love you. Please marry me."

She didn't hold back, and he didn't resist her tongue slipping past his lips. He could feel her heart beating which excited him, but the pulse of his made her cum. Pressing her pelvis against his groin, he came as they parted, their eyes locked.

"Not like this," she managed, her voice hoarse.

"Like how?"

"Well, first I want my ring, you on one knee, and our families together at our wedding. And," she said teasingly, "I want to fuck in the chapel."

Grinning, he held her to him, relaxing into the smell of her shampoo. For that moment, everything felt right, like he'd been giving a new beginning.

"Okay," he said. "Let's go find your engagement ring."

They went from store to store until they came to a little shop. The moment she saw it, she had to have it. He didn't hesitate to pay the $499,999 asking price.

"Tonight," he said, "At your place. If we go now I can make you dinner."

"Mmmm," she said, "I'm starving!"

While he prepared dinner, Laura called her mom. Her legs pressed against her chest, she took a breath when her mom answered.

"Laura, is that you, honey?" her mom asked, wondering at the silence.

"Oh my god, mom, I love him sooo much," she whispered, trilling, "We're getting married! Oh my god, oh my god, he's proposing tonight!"

"Oh, honey, you sound so happy. When do we get to meet him?"

"Tomorrow! I promise!" she answered, laughing, "Can you believe he wanted to take me to Vegas today? Was it like this for you and dad?"

"Not exactly," she said, smiling, "Your dad wanted to make such a big impression on my parents that he spilled the peas, dropped the fruit salad and stumbled through his words asking for their permission. But enough about me and dad, tell me about this man of yours."

By the time she got off of the phone, he was ready with dinner. Picking her up, he carried her to her chair, kissed her on the cheek, then smoothed out the front of his shirt. He gave her a moment to take things in.

She saw the champagne filled flutes and the ceasar's salads on the table, at the same time smelling the fresh bread and beef bourguignon. Smiling at him, she waited in anticipation as he got down on one knee, took her hand in his and showed her the open ring box.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I love you. Please marry me."

"Yes!" she shouted, grabbing the ring and putting it on her finger, then knocking him to the floor as she kissed him and undid his zipper, needing him more than the food.

The next day she rang her parents' door, arm in arm with her fiancée. She couldn't stop smiling the whole time.

When they returned to her apartment, nothing else mattered to them but each other. At 3a his cell rang.

"Yes?" he asked.

"When are you coming home?" Lina asked, "It's important."

"You woke me up," he said, "I was sleeping."

"Please, hurry," she said.

Before he could answer, she'd hung up the phone. Frowning, he turned his gaze on Laura. When he touched her shoulder, she curled into him. Deciding that Lina could wait, he held Laura closer to him and closed his eyes.