“You got any ideas?” Corrigan asked.
“No, but—” he stopped, a quick frown appeared.
“But what?” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. My coffee cup was suspended in front of me.
“I heard a rumor.” He looked to Bryce.
“About me?”
“No, about that model you were dating.” Denton cast me an apologetic look.
I rolled my eyes, but the mere mention of her brought a nice little stabbing pain to me. Lovely.
Bryce looked at me, too. “I swear, Sheldon, I slept with her once. The rest of the time was just making sure she never went off the deep end. That’s all over now. She’s got nothing on me anymore.”
“No.” Denton cut in, stopping anything I might’ve said. “That’s the rumor I heard, not about you or Sheldon, well, not really. I heard her assistant was the one who cut Sheldon’s brakes. The reason why,” he looked at Corrigan, “you had that accident.”
“Wait. What?” Corrigan jerked forward in his seat.
“Where’d you hear that?”
Denton turned to me. “My agent told me. She heard it from one of her clients. You know how that stuff gets around.”
Her assistant cut my brakes? I glanced at Corrigan. She’d been the reason he got in an accident? His gaze was clouded. I couldn’t decipher the emotion, but when he met my gaze and looked away with a cringe, it left a sour taste in my mouth. It also set our next step in stone.
I wanted public. I wanted a confrontation. I wanted to ruffle some feathers, and maybe the real killer would make a mistake.
“What are you thinking?” Bryce had been waiting. He leaned forward. “I recognize that look.”
Denton frowned. “Is it sad I recognize it, too?”
Corrigan turned back, a half grin on his face. He shook his head, a sad laugh coming softly from him. “It’s that look that always gets us in trouble.”
They were right.
We’d probably get in trouble.
I didn’t care, and thirty minutes later after I relayed the plan, they didn’t care either.
“Right.” Denton clapped his hands together. “Now for the best thing. Disguises.”
*
Sneaking out of the house was the first part of the plan. Bryce announced his excuse first. He was going to call his agent and then take a nap. Corrigan was second. His excuse was a movie. He would be in the theater watching a movie. Then Denton, who had the real excuse. He let everyone know he was going to have dinner with a movie producer. That much was true, but he didn’t give the details that the dinner was at the same hotel where Bryce’s ex Guada-whore was staying at too. And me—I gave no excuse. At this point, Beth and Neil seemed relieved if I wasn’t in a room with them. There was no tension, so when they went to the pool for a relaxing afternoon, I snuck into the garage first. I climbed into the trunk, leaving it open, and a moment later, Corrigan crawled in with me. Then we waited, but it wasn’t long before a driver came over and got behind the wheel. We could hear him saying to someone else, “Yeah, boss needs a ride to the city. No, Car One. It’s what he wants. Yeah. Yeah.”
After that, everything worked like clockwork.
The car started and pulled around to the front. The back door opened, and we heard Denton say, “Mr. Scout needs a ride as well. He has to meet with his agent.”
I felt Corrigan laughing behind me, and I elbowed him in the gut. “Hush.”
He wrapped his arm farther around me, pressing behind me. He whispered back to me, “Stop worrying. I’m just thinking of your dad and Beth, what they’ll think having the entire house in peace for the whole afternoon. I bet they won’t even know until we get home.”
“Or until the paparazzi finds us. I’m sure my dad will get a call right away. He’ll be pissed.”
Corrigan’s laughter was comforting next to my ear. “Same old Sheldon. That’s what he’ll think. It’s nice to have you back, have all three of us back together.”
I laughed, but the chuckle died in my throat a second later. It was nice, but it wouldn’t last. The three of us were done after this, after I picked. Suddenly, I couldn’t see one reason why he was laughing now. “Shut up, okay? Get ready. It won’t take long.”
“Got it.”
The car ride was bumpy. I knew when we arrived at the hotel, as the car slowed, voices and shouts sounded right above us. It was a constant murmur of noise, but then Bryce’s name was shouted, and everything went up three notches.
“BRYCE!”
“Where’s Sheldon?”
“Are you here to get back together with Guadalupe? How does Sheldon feel about this?”
“Is it true you’ve been hiding out with Sheldon? What about Corrigan? He’s been missing, too.”
“If you’re here with Denton, does this mean the rumors that the two of you hate each other are false?”
“Bryce! Tell us something?”
They were all shouting at him, right above where we were in the trunk. Some touched the car, then we heard a different shout, right before the car sped up a hill. “Back away from the car. I said, GET BACK!”
Then it was silent. The car came to a complete stop, and the trunk opened, blinding both of us from the sudden light. Bryce smirked down at us, holding the top of the trunk so it wouldn’t fall back onto us. “Come on. Hurry up. The hotel security’s been alerted we’re here so they’re expecting us around the front. They’ll get curious and come looking if we don’t show up in the next thirty seconds.”
Corrigan rolled out first. I started right after him, but hands picked me up under my arms. Bryce lifted me clear from the trunk, and murmured in my ear, “Be safe. I mean it.” Then he let me go and shut the trunk.
“Sheldon,” Corrigan hissed from the side. He had dashed behind some foliage, and I took off after him the same instant Bryce hurried back to his seat. As I reached Corrigan and he pulled me down, the car sped forward and went around to the front of the hotel.
That was when I poked my head out and surveyed where we were. It wasn’t the same hotel as before, where his ex had been staying while I was at the same hotel. This was a different hotel.
Corrigan told me, “It’s the Palloy.”
That made sense. The hotel was known for its privacy for celebrities. It was almost a fortress. A thirty-foot wall surrounded the hotel, and the only way in and out was a gate, which was situated around the back of the hotel. Guests arrived and drove around to the front. They could unload and enter the hotel, knowing no one was taking their pictures. I looked up to the top of the wall. There were no trees for paparazzi to climb. It was completely bare.
“No, but—” he stopped, a quick frown appeared.
“But what?” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. My coffee cup was suspended in front of me.
“I heard a rumor.” He looked to Bryce.
“About me?”
“No, about that model you were dating.” Denton cast me an apologetic look.
I rolled my eyes, but the mere mention of her brought a nice little stabbing pain to me. Lovely.
Bryce looked at me, too. “I swear, Sheldon, I slept with her once. The rest of the time was just making sure she never went off the deep end. That’s all over now. She’s got nothing on me anymore.”
“No.” Denton cut in, stopping anything I might’ve said. “That’s the rumor I heard, not about you or Sheldon, well, not really. I heard her assistant was the one who cut Sheldon’s brakes. The reason why,” he looked at Corrigan, “you had that accident.”
“Wait. What?” Corrigan jerked forward in his seat.
“Where’d you hear that?”
Denton turned to me. “My agent told me. She heard it from one of her clients. You know how that stuff gets around.”
Her assistant cut my brakes? I glanced at Corrigan. She’d been the reason he got in an accident? His gaze was clouded. I couldn’t decipher the emotion, but when he met my gaze and looked away with a cringe, it left a sour taste in my mouth. It also set our next step in stone.
I wanted public. I wanted a confrontation. I wanted to ruffle some feathers, and maybe the real killer would make a mistake.
“What are you thinking?” Bryce had been waiting. He leaned forward. “I recognize that look.”
Denton frowned. “Is it sad I recognize it, too?”
Corrigan turned back, a half grin on his face. He shook his head, a sad laugh coming softly from him. “It’s that look that always gets us in trouble.”
They were right.
We’d probably get in trouble.
I didn’t care, and thirty minutes later after I relayed the plan, they didn’t care either.
“Right.” Denton clapped his hands together. “Now for the best thing. Disguises.”
*
Sneaking out of the house was the first part of the plan. Bryce announced his excuse first. He was going to call his agent and then take a nap. Corrigan was second. His excuse was a movie. He would be in the theater watching a movie. Then Denton, who had the real excuse. He let everyone know he was going to have dinner with a movie producer. That much was true, but he didn’t give the details that the dinner was at the same hotel where Bryce’s ex Guada-whore was staying at too. And me—I gave no excuse. At this point, Beth and Neil seemed relieved if I wasn’t in a room with them. There was no tension, so when they went to the pool for a relaxing afternoon, I snuck into the garage first. I climbed into the trunk, leaving it open, and a moment later, Corrigan crawled in with me. Then we waited, but it wasn’t long before a driver came over and got behind the wheel. We could hear him saying to someone else, “Yeah, boss needs a ride to the city. No, Car One. It’s what he wants. Yeah. Yeah.”
After that, everything worked like clockwork.
The car started and pulled around to the front. The back door opened, and we heard Denton say, “Mr. Scout needs a ride as well. He has to meet with his agent.”
I felt Corrigan laughing behind me, and I elbowed him in the gut. “Hush.”
He wrapped his arm farther around me, pressing behind me. He whispered back to me, “Stop worrying. I’m just thinking of your dad and Beth, what they’ll think having the entire house in peace for the whole afternoon. I bet they won’t even know until we get home.”
“Or until the paparazzi finds us. I’m sure my dad will get a call right away. He’ll be pissed.”
Corrigan’s laughter was comforting next to my ear. “Same old Sheldon. That’s what he’ll think. It’s nice to have you back, have all three of us back together.”
I laughed, but the chuckle died in my throat a second later. It was nice, but it wouldn’t last. The three of us were done after this, after I picked. Suddenly, I couldn’t see one reason why he was laughing now. “Shut up, okay? Get ready. It won’t take long.”
“Got it.”
The car ride was bumpy. I knew when we arrived at the hotel, as the car slowed, voices and shouts sounded right above us. It was a constant murmur of noise, but then Bryce’s name was shouted, and everything went up three notches.
“BRYCE!”
“Where’s Sheldon?”
“Are you here to get back together with Guadalupe? How does Sheldon feel about this?”
“Is it true you’ve been hiding out with Sheldon? What about Corrigan? He’s been missing, too.”
“If you’re here with Denton, does this mean the rumors that the two of you hate each other are false?”
“Bryce! Tell us something?”
They were all shouting at him, right above where we were in the trunk. Some touched the car, then we heard a different shout, right before the car sped up a hill. “Back away from the car. I said, GET BACK!”
Then it was silent. The car came to a complete stop, and the trunk opened, blinding both of us from the sudden light. Bryce smirked down at us, holding the top of the trunk so it wouldn’t fall back onto us. “Come on. Hurry up. The hotel security’s been alerted we’re here so they’re expecting us around the front. They’ll get curious and come looking if we don’t show up in the next thirty seconds.”
Corrigan rolled out first. I started right after him, but hands picked me up under my arms. Bryce lifted me clear from the trunk, and murmured in my ear, “Be safe. I mean it.” Then he let me go and shut the trunk.
“Sheldon,” Corrigan hissed from the side. He had dashed behind some foliage, and I took off after him the same instant Bryce hurried back to his seat. As I reached Corrigan and he pulled me down, the car sped forward and went around to the front of the hotel.
That was when I poked my head out and surveyed where we were. It wasn’t the same hotel as before, where his ex had been staying while I was at the same hotel. This was a different hotel.
Corrigan told me, “It’s the Palloy.”
That made sense. The hotel was known for its privacy for celebrities. It was almost a fortress. A thirty-foot wall surrounded the hotel, and the only way in and out was a gate, which was situated around the back of the hotel. Guests arrived and drove around to the front. They could unload and enter the hotel, knowing no one was taking their pictures. I looked up to the top of the wall. There were no trees for paparazzi to climb. It was completely bare.
