| |
WHEN THEY’D ARRIVED at the empty venue fifteen minutes later, the main lights were all shut off. The area was a bit dark but Dana managed to turn on the small flashlight she kept in her purse at all times in case of blackouts. She’d been caught in one too many already and knew that was one of the essential things to carry in her handbag, next to her purse, cell phone, mini umbrella, small bottle of water, tissues, make-up—and a small pen-sized flash light. Detective Troy had told her once that it was a good idea and that he liked a woman who always thought of safety first.
Dana had the entry code to get into the area since she’d hosted many events there.
Both Dana and Katie walked slowly to the hall where the concert was supposed to have been held.
“What are we looking for, cuz?” Katie whispered.
“I don’t know yet, but I need to recreate the scene.”
Dana could feel Katie’s dramatic eye roll. “What on earth for, cuz?”
The place wasn’t completely dark, there were lights coming from outside and a few flood lights on.
“Because something doesn’t add up. Okay now.” Dana stood in the same area where she was when she spoke with Gigi and Carlos. “We were standing right here and Gigi gave Carlos a taste of her cupcake...”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“And then, Carlos went to the back stage around here.” Dana walked a few steps toward the back of the stage. “Do you remember how much time lapsed before the killer struck Carlos?” Dana whispered loudly.
“I’m not sure,” Katie said, her hands shoved in the pockets of her coat. It was as if the thermostat was turned down in the hall at night time to conserve energy. It felt as cold as it was outside on this February evening. “I don’t think it was too long.”
“So it means that the killer was already here waiting for Carlos,” Dana concluded.
“What makes you so sure?”
“It had to be,” Dana said pointing her flashlight in the area of the back changing rooms. Dana drew in a deep breath. Her heart pounded so loud in her chest, she could hear the heavy heartbeats.
She pointed her flashlight to the area where Carlos’s body was found. She then looked around and saw a few exit doors. “There’s door number one, two and three that leads to the outside. Only the stage crew would know which door leads where.”
“So you mean, you think it could have been Steve?”
“It looks that way. Terry must have come through this door. By that time, Steve had ample time to stab Carlos and make his getaway. You know something?”
“What is it, cuz?”
“Steve came from the left entrance of the stage, didn’t he?”
“He sure did. After Carlos was stabbed.”
“That’s right.” Dana followed the pathway to the first door and then walked outside. She saw that there was another door that lead to the inside of the hall right beside it. Dana then walked through the door and back into the hall. “Hmm,” Dana said. “Seemed like a perfect way to make a getaway to get rid of the weapon and then come back in as if nothing happened.”
Katie followed Dana. “You know something, you do have a point. This gives me the chills.”
“It should give you the chills. Whoever did this had icy cold water running through their veins.”
“Icy cold water running through their veins?” Katie echoed.
“Yep. There’s no good reason to murder someone. None at all. And as much as Carlos might have been a...a...well, let’s just say, a lady’s man, he didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“Being stabbed in the back—as he’d done to others?”
“Katie!” Dana said.
“Sorry, cuz. You know me already. I just couldn’t resist the obvious irony.” Katie grinned. Trust Katie to come up with a jibe at a time like that. She loved her cousin like creamy icing on a cake, but she really didn’t know how she could come up with these little one-liners sometimes in the most serious situations.
Dana then directed her flashlight again to the area where Carlos’s body was found and shivered.
“What is it? Are you all right?”
“I think so. I just felt a bit of a chill just now.”
“Maybe because we’re in the area where someone was killed. I mean, Carlos’s body was here, wasn’t it?”
Dana’s stomach did a somersault inside her. “Yep. That’s probably it. But there just seems to be a weird chill around here, too, like...”
Dana crouched down in the area where Carlos’s body was found. She noticed a scratch mark on the floor.
“What on earth is that?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know but it’s some sort of marking with a square.”
“What do you think it could be? Do you think it’s related to the murder?”
Dana’s spine tingled and not in a good way. She felt a massive headache coming on again. There was something about that scratch on the ground that bothered her royally.
She observed the scratch on the ground. “I’m not sure what it could be,” Dana said. She then reached into her handbag and pulled out her cell phone.
“Dana Sweet, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Taking some pictures.”
“Are you insane? Why?”
“Because I need to look over this area again.”
“But the police already did that, Dana. The forensic photographer might have already taken pictures of the crime scene when they’d sealed it off, remember?”
“Yes, but there’s a very good chance they missed something very important. They often go by procedure.”
“And you don’t?”
“Nope.” Dana took some snaps on her phone’s camera. “I look at things differently. Detective Troy even told me once that I have an exceptional eye for picking up on small details.”
“Hmm-mmm. What else did he tell you?” Katie folded her arms across her chest with a sly grin on her lips.
“Nothing else. He was just talking about the way I can pick up on small things that even the pros can miss.”
Katie’s lips curved into a smile. “You know something. I think you’ve really got the hots for him.”
“I do not.”
“Yes, you do. I know you already have a thing for wanting to solve puzzles like an OCD princess. You just can’t resist it, but I also think you have a thing for Mr. Hot Detective there.”
“Katie, first of all, I do not have the hots for Troy. He’s just a good friend. Secondly, I do not have a thing for wanting to solve puzzles.”
“Ha. Now that’s a lie. Actually two lies. First of all, cuz, you remember when we were young, you wouldn’t go to bed at night until you fixed together all the pieces of that massive puzzle. You have an obsession, a compulsion to solve things.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t. Not all the time.”
“Ha. So you admit it. And remember that time at the school when the frog went missing from the lab. You stayed back till late in the early evening to find him. He’d escaped from the lab after a student left the container open.”
“Okay, so what? So I like to solve puzzles and riddles and...”
“Crimes.”
Dana then paused.
“What is it?” Katie asked.
Dana moved over to the wall and ran her fingers over it.
“Okay, now cuz, I love you to bits but you are really freaking me out here,” Katie said.
“Oh, nothing, I just...I’m just feeling the wall and how smooth it is in some areas but not in others.”
Dana sighed deeply. She shone the flashlight on the wall in front of the dressing room.
“Do you think there’s a secret passage there or something where the killer might have hidden himself, or hidden the knife?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know,” Dana said quietly.
Just then she heard a shuffling noise.
They both froze.
“What’s that sound?” Katie whispered.
Dana’s body tensed. Goosebumps sprung up on her arms.
“Who’s there?” Dana sounded her voice, trying to hide the fright in her tone.
Just then, they saw a shadow of a man move.
Dana’s body went cold.
“Come, let’s go in here.” Dana shone the flashlight toward Gigi’s dressing room door.
“Is it even opened?” Katie whispered.
Dana tried the lock. “Surprisingly, it is.” Her pulse leaped in her chest. Thank goodness the door was unlocked.
They both went into the room and closed the door behind them. Dana then turned on the light in the room.
It was surprisingly a very small room. But then Dana remembered this dressing room was only a makeshift room for Gigi for her concert. It was probably a storage area before. The town had redesigned that area to accommodate Gigi and her dancers. Complete with the fake wall outside to block her from the stage and provide her with some privacy.
Dana glanced around the room quickly, to make sure it was safe to be there. She saw a large poster of Gigi on the wall in a glamorous dress. There was a small leather loveseat with some dresses slung over it. There was a small dressing table with a plush Hollywood style chair, a mirror with the small round bulbs going all around it. The table had some sheet music on it and some make up containers.
“Well, this is cute. Never been inside a star’s make-up room or dressing room before.” Katie also glanced around.
“Me, neither.”
Just then they heard the sound of footsteps outside the door.
Dana and Katie looked at each other, terrified.
They both moved their bodies close to the door, pressed up against it in case the person tried to open it.
Just then they heard a clicking sound and a large object being moved in front of the door.
“What’s going on out there?” Katie whispered.
They heard the sound of a few shuffling noises outside the door, then silence.
Dana’s heart hammered against her ribs. Her pulse pumped hard and fast.
After a few minutes, they figured the person was gone and Dana unlocked the door and tried the handle.
“Oh, no.”
“What is it, cuz?” Katie said, panicked.
“We’re locked in. It looks as if the person jammed the doorknob.”
“Oh, no. That’s just great. I knew it was a bad idea to come here tonight.” Katie paced nervously in the room. “I could be home right now sitting by the fireplace doing a crossword puzzle with a warm mug of cocoa, but noooo you had to come back here tonight.”
“Okay, calm down, Katie. As Grandma Rae would say, you get yourself into a situation, you can get yourself out of it.
“Yes, cuz, but she also used to say, don’t do stupid things.”
Dana playfully rolled her eyes and grinned. “Not funny, cuz.”
Just then, they both heard more noise outside the door and Dana’s body tensed.
Oh, no. He’s back.