11

Zander finished the last of the wiping up. He and Paul had actually had a decent chat as they cleaned. He grabbed the whiteboard and wrote quickly not wanting this question overheard. Are there cameras everywhere or is it possible to sneak around without being seen?

Paul grinned as he wiped it clean and scribbled a response. Yeah. The crew passage, although they don’t know we found that one. A person can gain access everywhere on set via the back emergency doors. We’ve all done it at one point or another. Easiest access point atm is behind the gazebo where Kate stacked the chairs after the game since we can’t access the boot room.

Zander wiped the board clean and nodded. He’d try that later once everyone was asleep. Alarms went off in his mind. The boot room was where Silas had apparently killed himself. He needed to get in there. Again, that would have to wait.

An hour later, he lay on his bed, listening to the snores of the other men. All except Warren, who hadn’t reappeared. Tossing aside the covers, Zander reached for his cane and the Bible he’d found in the bedside cabinet. He’d originally planned to bring his own, but then realised it had his name in it. That wouldn’t be the brightest move of his career.

He’d sneak around a little, and then find some place quiet to read. His first port of call would be the boot room. He tucked the Bible under his arm, grabbed his cane, and light-footed it to the door as best he could.

Glancing up at the camera, he noticed it turn a little to follow him. Must have an infrared setting.

A crack of light shone around the doorway. The hallway beyond was lit, albeit dimly. Least that would make this slightly easier than creeping around in the pitch black.

OK, Zander. Put that police mind of yours to work. Why would anyone want Silas dead? Not liking him isn’t enough. What had he discovered that no one wanted anyone to find out about?

He limped silently towards the garden room. The boot room was to the left of it, down a small passageway. He set his Bible on a chair and headed down the passageway. Crime scene tape crossed the boot room door. Reaching through it, he tried the knob. Locked. He’d guessed as much, but he had to try.

Zander headed back to the garden room. Rain still pounded on the roof. He did a slow three sixty, wondering where the access door in here was. The picture on the wall beside him was crooked. Tilting his head, Zander studied it, as he reached out a hand to straighten it.

It was a much creepier vision of the Jack’s House painting, with skulls and skeletons in place of all the people and animals. Even the inanimate objects were bones. He shuddered.

Lightning flashed, and all the lights went out. The storm must have hit a transformer somewhere.

Clunk.

He spun around. A door stood open on the wall behind him, light streaming from behind it. Zander ducked behind a chair and peered around the edge. A dark figure eased through the gap and moved quickly across the room.

Why was there still light there and none here? Maybe it was simply a blown fuse rather than anything else.

Not wanting to lose the opportunity, Zander strode quickly though the doorway. This must be the crew passage. He blinked a few times in the bright light, and then turned right. If it went all the way around the set, then he ought to be able to find his way back. In the left-hand wall at various intervals were windows with a camera attached to the glass and doors. It must be a one way mirror. Why hadn’t that occurred to him when he’d seen the huge mirrors in each room? It was a setup cops used often enough.

He peered through the first one. That was the room he’d just left.

Farther down the hallway was a window on the bathroom. So there were cameras there after all, angled where he hadn’t expected. Other windows showed him the two bedrooms. He noticed that Warren and Erin’s beds were empty. Where had they got to?

A door to the left stood ajar. Zander pushed it open a few inches. The sounds of chatter and laughing came from the far end. He held his breath for a second or two. Thank goodness, no one appeared to hear him. He crept through and glanced into the room on his right. A bank of TV monitors filled one wall. This must be the control room.

A quick glance over the screen confirmed his initial assumption. Every single room, including the boot room, had at least one camera.

DC Jason August sat in one of the chairs, watching the screens.

“Hello.” Zander crossed over to him.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Jason asked, a twinkle in his eye. “The Guv said you had to play by the rules.”

“I’m doing my job and sneaking around. What else would I be doing?”

“There’s a good set up here.” Jason pointed out some of the controls.

Zander let his gaze wander over the bank of screens. “None of this is going out, right?”

“No. I’m making sure of that, and the D notice was issued at eleven this morning. And don’t worry, none of this footage is being kept, unless it’s relevant to the investigation and possible court case.”

Zander pointed to the bathroom. “Any chance you can lose these?”

“’Fraid not, mate. The Guv wants every angle covered.”

“Worth a try.” Zander watched as Kate rolled over, then tossed the covers to the floor and stood. She stretched, before reaching for a jumper to pull over her pj’s.

Bubbling laughter from the hallway drew closer.

“Better go.” He slid from the room, back into the crew passage. He ought to get back before they noticed him gone.

When he reached the door he’d come through, it was closed. No amount of tugging would open it. His first reaction was panic, but then sense prevailed. He was a cop, undercover and doing his job. There were other doors; maybe one of them would be open. He tried several, before managing to open the garden door.

Rain poured down still, and lightning flashed. If he went that way he’d drown, and besides, the outer door would be locked. Closing that one, he headed back to retrieve the Bible from the garden room.

The main lights flicked back on in the hallway. Well, at least he wouldn’t need to find a torch.

Now he needed to go and read, hand everything over to the Lord in prayer, whilst he figured out his next move.

He’d worked out the how. How it was possible to creep around and kill someone. Now he just needed the why.