Jess
On the way to work the next day, I messaged Jago.
Did you get the same creepy pep talk from the police?
That the murderer might be after us? Yes.
Michael’s assessment that Jago was an unlikely killer had settled my fears somewhat that I might be texting the attacker. And?
Let’s just say I’m not going very wild with my swimming this week. I’m making a start on research for my running book instead. I won’t be in college today.
I guessed that was better but I would’ve thought that places to jog could also be isolated.
Be careful, OK?
And you. How’s the new job?
I sent a string of emojis.
That good, huh? Us little old book writers won’t impress after you’ve met the movie stars.
It’s OK, my star is already taken. Why was I telling Jago this? It felt very much like flirting. Gotta go – my stop. It wasn’t but I was worried what I’d do on impulse if I carried this on.
Instead, I opened a message to Drew. Hey, there’s been some developments. I quickly summarised the case I’d taken on – Drew would know Amy from the cul-de-sac – and concluded with the news from the police that the killer might be shadowing me.
There was a little ellipsis as Drew contemplated his answer. I was rather pleased by the tack he chose. Who’s Jago?
I smiled a little smugly. The author of Wild Swim. He was with me when I discovered the first body. We’ve become friends.
The smugness was knocked back a bit by his next message. Cool. Are you being careful?
I presumed he meant about my personal safety, not the sex talk. What do you think? It’s really not in my life plan to get murdered.
You, Jessica Chaos-is-my-natural-element Bridges, have a plan?
Cheeky bastard. How are you?
All good. Missing you.
Why did he do this? Send the mixed messages? When are you coming back?
I have an assessment at the end of the month, then we’ll see.
So this is like a proper qualification?
Yeah, duh!
Well, how was I expected to know? I wasn’t exactly an expert in yogic practices. Good luck with that.
Nel says I’ll walk it. I’ll then have to decide about staying on for Part Two. That will really improve my professional qualifications.
My heart sank. And how long is part two going to take?
Another few months.
I didn’t have anything to say to that. He wasn’t asking me if I thought he should do it but taking the decision entirely on his own shoulders. It was what you did that revealed the truth, not what you said. I closed down the message so he didn’t see the ellipsis of me thinking. I’d prefer him to believe I’d just shelved him for my far more interesting life in Oxford.
And then impulse struck. I reopened the chain to Jago
Feeling spooked here. Do you want to meet up tonight? And I could dig a bit deeper to find out if he was hiding anything.
Yes! Great idea. At mine at 8?
Sounds good.
There was a problem with one of the sets – police were still examining the boathouse – so Jonah was left twiddling his thumbs. He’d had an interview with a magazine, answered his emails (here my typing skills proved an asset), and read through some scripts he’d been sent. That meant he was bored and wanted to shoehorn himself into my investigation.
I grabbed my bag. ‘OK, I’m off. Cigarette break.’
He got up with me and picked up his tobacco tin. ‘I’m coming with you.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, really.’
It was an overcast day but the rain was holding off. I’d noticed that Roman was fairly regular with his breaks – every two hours – so I was hoping he’d show up while we were outside. Would having Jonah here help or hinder?
I grabbed Jonah’s elbow. ‘Don’t mention Amy, OK?’
Jonah patted my hand. ‘This ain’t my first rodeo, Miss Jessica.’
I groaned. ‘That’s a truly terrible American accent, Mr Box-Office Hit.’
We huddled together out of the wind in the forecourt. The sound lady and the lighting guys must’ve been caught up with the problems on the set as we didn’t see them even though it was the usual time for a coffee break.
‘How did the sex go yesterday?’ I asked.
‘It was phenomenal – oh, you mean the filming?’
I buttoned up my jacket, feeling a chill breeze from the river. ‘And you don’t find it awkward, being naked in front of a camera crew?’
He shrugged. ‘Nah. I’m nothing special. It’s a job.’
‘But don’t you worry that what you think is sexy might be laughable to other people?’ That would be my hangup.
‘Jess, the first thing you have to know about sex is that it is funny, no matter what you do. And anyway, I just take direction. I don’t improvise. I’ve too much respect for my female partner for that – or male.’ He licked his cigarette paper to close it around the thin line of tobacco. ‘You seem very interested in the mechanics. You should’ve stuck around.’
‘Anyone would be interested – don’t believe them if they say they’re not. Maybe I will next time.’
‘But, seriously, Jess, it’s also about revealing character.’ Jonah lost some of the brash act which was his default mode. He was committed to his craft even if he joked about it. ‘Kev is the passive one in the relationship so takes more than he gives – the sex can show that.’
‘So that’s why he …’ I twirled my fingers in the air to indicate the sex act described in the script.
‘Yeah. It’s not gratuitous – not a porno.’
‘Oh.’ I took too deep a drag of my cigarette, then coughed.
‘Not used to sucking?’
I elbowed him in the ribs.
‘Help, Amy, I’m being beaten up by the horrible lady you sent to mind me this week!’ he exclaimed in a falsetto.
The little smoking delegation from set design emerged on the dot of eleven. They did a double-take to see Jonah had descended from his star to rub shoulders with them and weren’t sure at first how to react.
‘Don’t be such fucking pussies,’ Jonah crowed, which broke the ice.
Roman still hung back. He must’ve known who his ex-partner had been working for. Jonah pinched the end of this roll-up to extinguish it and tucked it in the tobacco tin. He pointed to his eye.
‘Hey, mate, this isn’t real, you know. No need to keep your distance from the scary dude.’
By making it a challenge about bravery, Roman, of course, had to come nearer. The chat continued for a bit, all general stuff, the up-coming football season, who was filming what, which productions they were scheduled to join.
I was beginning to think this would all pass smoothly until Jonah intervened. ‘Aren’t you Roman Wolnik?’
My target looked up, surprised. ‘Yeah. How do you know?’
Jonah got right in his face. ‘My assistant told me what a pile of piss you are.’
I tugged his arm to get him to stop. ‘Technically, piss can’t be in a pile. Let’s head back.’
He shook me off. ‘It can be a pile if you’re pissing on shit.’
‘Lovely image, Jonah. Thanks for that. I’m sure that’s brightened everyone’s morning. Oh, look at the time.’ I was really angry with him now. He was messing with my investigation – doing exactly what I’d asked him not to do. ‘I’m sorry, Roman. I didn’t mean to expose you to my prima donna here. They don’t let him out much. He’s forgotten his manners.’
Roman gave me a nod. ‘That’s OK, Jess. You aren’t responsible for who you work for.’
‘Come on, Mr Brigson.’ I dragged him away. ‘Sorry, everyone!’
We left to a muttered chorus of ‘fuckhead’ and calls of ‘that’s all right, Jess’.
Once back in the trailer, Jonah took out his roll-up and relit it. He grinned at me. I wished I could have slapped that expression right off his face.
‘Do you know what you’ve just done?’ I fumed.
‘Yeah. I’ve given you an in with the set design guys.’
That took the wind out of my very self-righteous sails that I’d reefed to be all billowy and speed me across the ocean of indignation. ‘You did that on purpose?’
‘You aren’t going to make any progress just being nice to them. They’d never trust that.’ He changed his T-shirt for the black shirt his character wore in his next scene. He had a sixth sense about when he was about to be called. ‘You showed them you were on the side of the working guy against the arrogant actors who waft around here like their shit smells of honeysuckle.’
He was right. I’d come away with a much better standing with the smokers than before. Yesterday I had been an annoyance; now I was their Captain Marvel, removing the asteroid before it hits earth.
OK, that was going a little far, but a star like Jonah could cause a lot of trouble for the ordinary workforce if he put his mind to it.
‘Say “Thank you, Jonah”.’ He did love playing dangerously, did Jonah.
I reached for the next fan letter for reply. ‘Go stick your head in your honeysuckle effluent, Mr Brigson.’