Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jake and Bethany finished their food and walked back to their trailer. They sat down to finish talking about their new job. They video chatted at length with Brandt about the new case. Their boss was unconcerned about them staying the day on the current case. Bethany explained that it was prudent to wait and make sure Dianne didn’t come right back to carry out one of her threats.

When Brandt signed out, Jake gave Bethany a little touch on the shoulder and smiled at her. “That went okay, didn’t it? In a way that’s true—she could be the type who wants to get back at someone and turns around to do damage. She isn’t of course.”

He looked at the time. “Are you going over to the set to see Seth? It’s quite late now.”

Bethany stood up. “Yes, I’m about to go. I want to go over to Seth’s trailer and remove all the panic buttons. Will you take down the webcams?”

Jake nodded. “Yes, I’ll do it later. I’m meeting with Sara Smythe to finalize everything. We’ll email her the final report from the office.”

Bethany slipped her jacket on. She put her cell phone in the inside pocket and picked up the key she had for Seth’s trailer from the table. She clipped the extended security pass on her lapel and looked at Jake. “I’ll pop back with Seth’s key. You will need to hand it in to Sara.”

Jake nodded.

Bethany walked over the short grassy space to Seth’s trailer and opened the door. A little note page fluttered behind the door in the breeze. She went in and wandered around Seth’s trailer, picking up the panic buttons. She piled them on the little table and swung the door to get the one that Jake had placed along the side of the hanging rail area.

She touched one of Seth’s jackets hanging there and let herself think about him for a few seconds. She would simply have to come right out and tell him how she felt. If he didn’t feel the same, she would leave with Jake the next day and throw herself into work to forget him. She knew it would hurt, but there it was.

The panic buttons on the walls were attached with sticky strips so that they left no damage. As Bethany slid the panic button off the wall of the little alcove, she saw a slip of paper in her peripheral vision. She picked it up to put in the waste paper bin under the table, where Seth’s laptop was set up next to a couple of stacks of letters. Bethany didn’t even read it until she was about to put it in the bin, when she checked to see if it might be something Seth would want.

She stared in disbelief at the words written in ordinary lead pencil on a page torn from a little spiral bound notebook.

Her first thought was Seth had another lover this person knew about but she didn’t. Then she shook herself. That’s a crazy thought, she realized.

She sighed and started putting the panic buttons back from where she took them.

Then she locked Seth’s trailer and went quickly back to her own.

* * * *

Bethany burst through the trailer door, throwing it wide open and leaping up the two low steps.

“Jake, check this out; it was in Seth’s trailer. Someone must have slipped this under his door while we went out to eat. Since the recording of movements around the place was stopped when we caught Dianne, we have no idea when exactly or who did this.”

Jake read the note and looked at Bethany with concern. “The threat is to you I take it? Does he have another lover tucked away? Who could know about you and Seth? The computer surveillance program was supposed to be on last night but…” He looked at her with a semi-amused expression. She was supposed to launch it.

“I spent the night with Seth so it wasn’t necessary. We wouldn’t have left it running this morning anyway. Come on, admit that we never expected Dianne to do anything other than leave.”

Jake nodded and his look was kind.

“True. She wouldn’t have sent this. Who could this be? It sounds like someone who might mean business. There’s a different feel about these words in comparison to the letters Dianne sent.”

“This changes things. We need to find out who this is. They may turn from threatening me to Seth. It may all be real this time. I have no idea how anyone would have known about us.”

Bethany wondered if someone might have seen her and Seth making love in the woods the previous day. She sighed and looked at Jake.

“Sorry.”

He shrugged. “Go find out for sure that you are Seth’s only lover and then we will consider what to do.”

She nodded. “Okay, here’s his trailer key. I put the panic buttons back. Set the surveillance program to watch his trailer.”

Jake nodded back at her. “Done.”

Bethany walked quickly to the buggy rank and caught a ride over to the set where she knew Seth was acting. They arrived just as the break started.

Bethany saw Seth among the group carrying swords and climbing down from various elevations around the castle walls. Her heart gave a little flip and she realized she had butterflies in her stomach. It made her smile.

He was looking for her, hoping that she had made it to take a break with him, He smiled as he strode over to her. When they stood in front of each other, she desperately wanted to hug him.

“I have something I need to talk with you about. Can we find a quiet spot? It needs to remain private.”

He looked puzzled for a second and then nodded.

“Yes, of course.” He led the way to a group of vacant chairs under some of the trees, away from the catering van that was parked there for the actors to take refreshments during this scene break.

He looked around, leaned in, and kissed her softly and quickly. Her stomach flipped again.

“What is it? You have a serious look.”

She took the evidence bag containing the little note from her pocket and gave it to him.

“I found it in your trailer, more than likely stuffed under the door as usual. I have to ask you this, so please know it’s a professional question. Do you have anyone else in your life? Is there anyone, other than me, who this note could refer to?”

Seth frowned. His eyes filled with an expression of concern as he read the little note. “This is awful. I promise you there’s no one else. I’m worried for you now.”

He put his hand on her arm as he gave her the note back. He was still frowning.

Bethany sighed. She slipped the note into her inside pocket.

“Okay, at least we know the threat is directed at me. We don’t have someone else to protect now. You don’t need to worry about this.”

Seth shook his head. “Yes, I do. You mean a lot to me and I don’t want you hurt by this new maniac.” He looked worried and sad.

She smiled weakly at him. “Jake and I need to get to the bottom of this. Whoever it is may turn on you. Can you think of anyone who might have a crush on you strong enough to do this?” She felt as if she questioned his integrity somehow and sighed as she sat down on one of the nearby chairs.

Seth sat alongside her.

“No. I have no bloody idea, but we need to worry about you. I need to know you will be safe.

“Are you still leaving tomorrow? That would throw them off perhaps. Not that I want you to leave, ever…”

He glanced around to check if anyone was watching. No one appeared interested in them. The queue at the catering van was still long. Everyone who had their snacks already were in small groups, drinking coffee and chatting.

Seth took Bethany’s hands. “I want you to know that I don’t want you gone, but you need to leave. I want you safe more than anything else.”

Bethany felt his hands around hers and gazed into his eyes. She desperately wanted to kiss him and leaned a little toward him.

“Jake is calling Brandt to fill him in. We will more than likely stay. This means someone unstable is still on the site.”

Seth looked at her mouth. He finally leaned closer to her.

His kiss was so loving, Bethany took her hands from his and held his face to hers. She lost herself in his kiss. Right then nothing was as important as kissing him.

He drew back from her with emotion in his eyes. “I’m only on set for another hour. Will you go back to Jake and wait for me? I’d feel better knowing you are with your brother.”

Bethany nodded. “I will. I need to talk with him, Brandt, and Sara Smythe. In my opinion we shouldn’t leave until we know who sent this. However, if Brandt thinks otherwise then I’ll have to abide by that.”

Seth nodded and sat back in the chair. He took her hand again and held it against his thigh, hopefully out of sight.

“I wonder how they know about us? I thought we were careful.”

“Maybe it was that episode in the woods. We were quite into each other and may not have noticed anyone watching.”

He laughed at that. “We were into each other for sure. I wish we could do the same right now. I’m longing to kiss you more.”

Bethany smiled. “Me too.”

Seth smiled and squeezed her hand.

They stared ahead, both wondering how things would turn out.