Fade To Black

He turned briefly, making a pretense of studying a painting above the bar.

“We’ll talk later,” he said.

Right now, he was trying to watch anyone who spent too much time with the four remaining actors from Dark Harbor.

Golden boy Malcolm Dangerfield seemed very interested in Marnie and her friends. But then again, the photographers where milling around them that day. It was the center of the action.

He also noted another man.

“That’s Vince Carlton,” Cara said. “He’s the one who wants to revamp Dark Harbor. I was so thrilled. I mean, that would have been a whole new life for all of us! On the top again. Okay, so not all shows make it. But we would have had a pilot and at least a season, I’m sure of it. Vince is a nice guy. But, of course, I’m dead now. So...”

Vince Carlton appeared to be in his early forties. He was known for having produced a number of successful fantasy and sci-fi projects. He appeared sympathetic and respectful as he spoke with the group.

And Malcolm Dangerfield, who had determinedly remained with them throughout the afternoon. Maybe that was natural; he had been standing close to Cara when she was killed.

He had watched her be cut down in cold blood.

“What does a comic creature like Blood-bone have to do with a show like Dark Harbor?” Bryan wondered softly aloud.

“Nothing—nothing that I know of, anyway. And the thing is, Blood-bone is like Darth Vader—that kind of a costume. Just about anyone could be in it. Well, it works best with a certain height and size, but...it could be anyone.”

There had to be some kind of a relationship. Either that or the killer had chosen the costume because there would be so many people dressed up the same, making a getaway easy.

Which it had apparently been, according to Detective Vining. Dozens of Blood-bones had been stopped and searched and questioned. And each had been the wrong Blood-bone.

“Anonymous,” he murmured.

“What?” Cara asked.

Bryan pulled a set of earbuds out of his pocket and inserted them into his ears. While he found it incredibly rude that people seemed to be talking on the phone everywhere and through any occasion these days, the cell-phone-earbuds craze was a good thing—for a man who talked to the dead.

“Anonymous,” he repeated softly. “Such a costume means that it could be anyone inside. Do you remember anything about the killer, a scent, the way he moved, the size of his hands...anything that felt familiar?”

“I’ve racked my brain,” Cara replied, “but I can’t imagine who it was in that costume.”

“So not necessarily someone you knew. If there was a specific target, the murder could have been perpetrated by the person who wanted them dead, or because of the costume, a killer could have even been hired.”

Cara gasped. “You mean the bastard who did this to me might not have even had the balls to do it him—or her—self?”

“I’m thinking aloud, Cara. Give me a break. I just got out here.”

“You got out here yesterday.”

“Doing my best,” he said.

She harrumphed.

Loudly.

Bryan noted that Marnie had heard the sound. And she turned. At her side, Roberta Alan turned to see what Marnie was looking at, and both of them stared at him.

Maybe it was time.

He pocketed his earbuds and walked up to the group, extending a hand to introduce himself.

Marnie looked at his hand as if he had offered up a snake.

But Roberta Alan took it, staring at him curiously, a smile on her lips. “Well, hello, gorgeous!” she said, her voice and tone an excellent mimic of that used by Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.

He grinned. He could play the game.

“Hello, gorgeous, yourself,” he told her. “My name is Bryan McFadden. My parents—”

“Oh!” Roberta exclaimed. “I know—yes, you’re so like your father. And your mother, really, and they both were truly gorgeous. Well, your dad, of course, was very manly. You’re manly, too, naturally, and I...I’m just making a fool out of myself here. Mr. McFadden, may I introduce you to my costars? Grayson Adair, our brother. Jeremy Highsmith, good old dad. And Marnie Davante—”

“Scarlet Zeta, Madam Zeta,” he said.

Marnie forced a stiff smile. “How do you do, Mr. McFadden?”

“Nice to meet you, son. I knew your parents. I was so sorry when they...died,” Jeremy Highsmith told him, wincing a little.

“Thank you, sir.”

“And they say that Hollywood is murder. Well, in this case... Oh, hell, I can’t get out of this one.”

Malcolm Dangerfield suddenly cut between Jeremy and Marnie, offering his hand. “Malcolm Dangerfield,” he said. “Are you looking for work out here? Acting?”

“No. I’m not an actor. I’m actually a private investigator,” Bryan replied curtly.

“Hey, let me tell you—bodyguards are in high demand right now. You know, after what I witnessed, I’d take on another. Call me if you’re interested in anything like that.”

“Actually, I’m out here to work the case of Cara Barton’s murder,” Bryan said.

Marnie stared at him, startled.

And wary.

Very wary. She obviously didn’t trust him. At the moment, he was sure, she didn’t trust herself. Why should she trust a man claiming that he could see a dead woman, too?

“Well, nice to meet you,” Malcolm said.

“You sure you’re not trying to get into the movies?” Jeremy asked him. “Names and nepotism have been known to open doors. Are you...looking for a role?”

“I assure you—I’m not looking for a role,” Bryan told him.

They all continued to stare at him suspiciously. Except for Roberta. She remained curious and intrigued. “You’re here because your family knew Cara, I imagine. But...the cops are trying everything. They’re looking at every angle,” Roberta told him.

Jeremy Highsmith cleared his throat. “Every angle. They’ve told all of us to keep special care, to keep our doors locked and to watch out for strangers. Oh, yeah. They’ve suggested we all avoid comic cons for the time being, and any place that a man or woman could dress up in a costume that would make them totally anonymous. Just in case Cara isn’t the only target.”

“They do say that it could have just been random,” Malcolm said. “That the guy—or woman, but the dude was pretty big, so I think it was a man—was just out to kill. Someone, anyone, a guest or a celebrity.”

“You know, like it might have been some kind of an exhibitionist,” Roberta supplied.

“Marnie was going along with the show,” Jeremy said. “And Cara—Cara was never to be outdone. She hopped up and got right into it.”

“Miss Davante,” a male voice said softly, interrupting them.

They all swiveled around to see who had spoken.

Bryan had seen the man before—in the cell phone footage of the killing that had gone viral around the world. Most of the news stations had shown the footage with some respect. Many social media sites had posted it in all its graphic detail—until the pure horror of it had been caught and taken down by whatever powers that be, those with some common decency.

The man had been standing at the booth when it had happened. He’d been speaking with Marnie, or so it appeared. A fan?

“Miss Davante, David Neal. I was there... I just wanted to say I’m so sorry. I... We...we have an appointment tomorrow. I wasn’t sure... Anyway, I wish you luck with your future,” he said. He backed away awkwardly, looking at all of them. “I’m truly sorry—all of you. She was a great talent. She was...a talent. Yes. I’m sorry. Miss Davante, I hope that... I hope that you won’t hold this against me when...when you’re looking to hire again.”

He nodded uncomfortably to all of them and then moved on.

“Rude,” Malcolm said. “We’re at a funeral, and he’s worried about a job.”

“He was just apologizing,” Marnie said in the man’s defense.

“As he should have been,” Roberta murmured.

“We’re here for you,” Jeremy said. “We’re all here for each other. Oh, look, there’s Vince Carlton. I’m sure he’s hurting, too. He’d been in talks with Cara for a while,” he said to Bryan. “I’m going to say hello again. Excuse me.”

“And excuse me,” Marnie said. She stared straight at Bryan, and he knew that he was the reason she wanted to be excused.

But he couldn’t stop her. And he wasn’t sure that he should, not at that moment.

“Miss Davante,” he said, lowering his head as she stepped by.

“So,” Roberta said as Marnie walked away, “may I get you a drink? I suppose you used your family connection to get in here today. Because though we had help from a few others, we were Cara’s family, and we pretty much put the guest list together. Naughty, naughty, Mr. McFadden—you weren’t on it! Then again, neither was that young man, David Neal. You have a connection. How did he manage it, do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Bryan told her. “But it would be interesting to find out.”

* * *

There was someone in her house. But that wasn’t unexpected.

Marnie had driven herself to the service, though she could have gone to the funeral and the reception in the cast limo.

She had chosen not to, explaining that she might not want to stay long at the reception, and she’d really like to have her own car available.

She pulled up to her duplex. Her home was in a perfect location—close to Universal Studios, a hop on the I-5 to either Hollywood or to places up north. She wasn’t far from Burbank and the airport there.

Also, she had just loved the home when she had first seen it. The yard was surrounded by a white picket fence. There were three gates—one at the walkway from the sidewalk, and one on each side for her and Bridget to bring their cars into their parking spaces. Really, for the location, her duplex had been an amazing deal.

The charm of the duplex was, in a way, odd. There were dozens of skyscrapers nearby, but her place looked like it might have come out of Home and Garden for the rural crowd. But it was that kind of a neighborhood—houses for the median-income crowd along with businesses and skyscrapers. She’d loved where she lived since she’d bought it, at the height of Dark Harbor’s popularity.

She kept the place whitewashed with green trim. It had been built right when Art Nouveau had been giving way to Art Deco. There were window boxes and arches and all kinds of charming little details in the architecture.

Using her remote control, she opened her driveway gate and pulled her little Honda into place.

As she exited the car, Bridget came flying out from her front door.

“Marnie! You’re back so early. Are you all right? I knew I should have gone with you. Oh, they weren’t rude or mean or anything, were they?”

“No, I’m fine, really,” Marnie said, and she really hoped that she was a good actress, good enough to pull off that kind of a lie to her cousin. “I just... I just needed to leave. To come home.”

“I’ll make tea. My side? Your side?”

“My side. I know it’s just getting toward evening, but I’m thinking about to going to bed really early.”

“Right after tea,” Bridget said. “Oh, and food. You’ll need food.”

“I just left a reception,” Marnie argued. “There was food.”

“And I know you. You didn’t eat any of it.”

Marnie hadn’t eaten. Neither had she had anything to drink.

Nope, not a drop of alcohol, and still she had seen and heard a dead woman.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. I’m really not hungry,” Marnie said. “Honestly.”

“Yeah, but you have to eat something. This is terrible, tragic—but you have to go on living. If you’re going to get that children’s theater up and running on schedule, you’re going to have to start functioning again. That real estate agent, Seth Smith, called. I told him that you were a bit preoccupied right now, and he’s being understanding, but doing up a budget and taking care of all the details will take time—you have to start moving. He told me he has other offers. Of course, that could be a come-on, but...”

“I’ll go see the accountant tomorrow,” Marnie promised. She smiled at Bridget. Neither of them had siblings, but their dads were brothers and had become the proud parents of baby girls the same year. Marnie and Bridget were as close as siblings—maybe closer. They had never had to fight over anything since they’d grown up in different homes.

They weren’t, however, much alike in appearance. Bridget had very wild red hair and soft amber eyes in contrast to Marnie’s blue-green eyes and dark chestnut hair color.

At the moment, however, Bridget was sporting some swatches in aqua and pink—very in the now. So far, Marnie had chosen to retain her own hair color. Her future was still uncertain; she made a lot of her current income from commercials she’d garnered here or there, and she was afraid of doing anything a bit off—even if hair did fix easily—when needing that money was still a major part of life.

For Bridget, of course, it was different. She didn’t act—in fact, she hated acting. She also hated crowds, which was one of the reasons Marnie had talked her out of attending the funeral. Bridget was a writer; she had a great job as full-time writer for several shows on the new Sci-tastic cable channel, an outlet that specialized in sci-fi and fantasy themes.

Bridget followed her cousin into her side of the duplex and headed straight for the kitchen. Marnie loved her kitchen. It was painted yellow, with herbs and flowers growing in the huge tiled bay window that overlooked the yard.

Marnie walked into the living room and crashed onto one of her rich chocolate leather sofas.

“How was the reception?” Bridget asked. “I can imagine it was a zoo. Everyone who hadn’t had a second for Cara Barton in life probably was there—I mean, what self-respecting actor would miss out on an opportunity for exposure like that? There was a ton of press there, right?”

“Yep.”

“A zoo, I’m sure. Hey, did the police get anywhere yet?”

“No. I think they were at the funeral, but they all kept their distance. They were watching, I’m certain. I actually saw Detective Manning and her partner, Detective Vining, at the wake yesterday. They were...”

“Watching?”

“Yes, I guess so.”

“Well, someone killed Cara.”

“Yes, but those closest to her obviously didn’t do it. I mean, we were all there.”

“Water is on. Look, you have some little meat pies in the freezer. I’ll pop a few of those into the microwave. It’s not gourmet and maybe not even really too healthful, but it’s something.”

“Sure,” Marnie said, picking up one of the pillows on the sofa and holding it. She closed her eyes. Life was a nightmare. It was good to have Bridget in here, chattering away.

Someone had killed Cara. Why?

And why was she imagining that she saw Cara?

“Hey! Someone is here,” Bridget called from the kitchen. “And... Whoa. Be still, my heart! This guy gives new meaning to tall, dark and handsome. Are you hiring a hero type for the theater? Or did you get some kind of an offer? Did your agent send this guy? I mean... Wow. Wicked-wow!”

Marnie didn’t have to look out the window to see to know that Bryan McFadden had come to her house.

She groaned out loud, looking around her living room.

No. There was no dead woman there. Maybe it was him. Maybe he was somehow causing her to have some kind of a delusion.

“Don’t let him in!” Marnie said.

“Don’t let him in? Are you kidding? Who is he?”

“Bryan McFadden.”

“And who is Bryan McFadden?”

“He’s no one. His parents were actors. He thinks he’s some kind of a cop or something. Just make him go away.”

“Oh, Lord, I have done some things for you in my life, but make him go away? I’m not married, you know. I’m not engaged. I’m not even dating. And you want me to make this guy go away?”

“Yes. Do it, please.”

“McFadden, McFadden... Oh, he looks like that old matinee star Hamish McFadden. Is he—”

“Yes. Make him go away. Please... Oh. Never mind!”

She’d make him go away herself.

Marnie leaped to her feet and flew to the front door, opening it.

He was a solid six foot four, and in the dark suit he’d chosen for the funeral, he was definitely impressive in his size and stature. He had a way of looking at her so directly that it was unnerving.

He was attractive; that was certain. Very. In a land of attractive people, he had something else, as well. Maybe it was that very steady way he had of looking at a person. Rock-solid. More. She felt as if Bridget could create one of her sci-fi ray guns based on his gaze: a green ray of light that drew her to him while she wanted to run away—or at least slam the door on him.

Yes, his very stature was imposing.

He probably knew it. Maybe he even used it to bully people.

She didn’t let him speak.

“Mr. McFadden, I left the funeral reception to avoid you. I don’t appreciate you coming to my house to hound me. You may be working with the police, but if you harass me, I will get a restraining order against you.”

“You’re going to need me, Miss Davante,” he told her. He produced a card. “My cell number is there. Call me when you’ve figured out the fact that you can’t do this alone.”

“Oh, hello there!”

Bridget had come to stand behind her and was looking at him over Marnie’s shoulder.

“Hello,” he said pleasantly, lowering his head slightly to see her. “Bridget Davante, I presume. A pleasure to meet you. I watched Deadly Venom and Bloody Claws the other night. Very tongue-in-cheek. Absolutely ridiculous, but the writing was wonderful.”

“Thanks! I was head on that project,” Bridget said. “Would you like some tea?”

“Mr. McFadden was just leaving,” Marnie snapped.

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