Page 39 of Bright Dark Curses

Following the same routine as the day before, we walked up to the same security guy and had no trouble passing through after he gave Key’s ID card a bored glance.

Clearly, there was a hungry market for security seminars waiting to be tapped in Olmeda.

Key led me deeper into the park, where a series of lighting contraptions were being tested around a clearing and some of the trees. Two stand-ins milled around in the center, waiting for instructions. A couple of paths away, folding tables had been set up next to a series of coolers, and Shane was restocking a tray holding bread rolls.

“Boss,” he acknowledged with a solemn nod, putting the empty box of bread away.

A member of the crew came by and picked a roll. “Good stuff,” she said before strolling away.

I studied the rolls closely. They were golden and deliciously puffed out under the set-up lights. Maybe I needed to introduce something like this to my muffin and cookies selection. Would Veva’s friend mind cooking savory?

A young man stopped by. “Do you have more of those garlic knots? Curtis loves them.”

Nate Curtis, aka producer, aka suspect number three. “Does he?” I asked in a friendly tone. “They’re good, right?”

The man studied me with some curiosity. “I haven’t tried them yet. You’re new?”

“She picked up a shift today,” Shane said curtly, dropping a few knots into a small takeout box and handing it over, along with a couple of paper napkins.

“Cool,” the man said. He was about my height, thin and wiry, wearing a faux leather jacket and a cap with the movie studio logo on it. “See you around.”

After he left, I turned to Key and Shane. “We should look into the PAs. They handle all the drinks and food and have access everywhere.”

“The other times it had nothing to do with food,” Shane pointed out. “And everyone has access everywhere here.”

He had a point. “Were any of our suspects around when Brett got the coffee?”

“Lydia Lee was in the monitor’s tent, I think,” Key said, “so close by.”

“And Curtis had just walked by shouting at someone on the phone,” Shane added. “Oh, we got word from the creepy fan hanging around. He got arrested yesterday for trespassing.”

“So that’s one less suspect. What about Lisa Woodward, the show’s writer?”

“I don’t think she came to set today,” Key said.

“Sanders?”

“Saw him earlier, but not sure where he was when the coffee arrived. It’s been a little chaotic today.”

“Did you look up that name I send you? Craig Turner?” I asked.

“Yeah. I asked around, but nobody’s heard of him,” she said.

“Same,” Shane said.

Well, it’d been worth a try.

“Three suspects out, three remaining,” I murmured to myself. Then, louder, “We need to figure out a way to talk to Lee, Curtis, and Sanders. See if they let anything slip.”

“But how?” Key asked.

“I was thinking they’ll probably go to Guiles and Romary at some point, right? Maybe even tonight.”

She picked up on my line of reasoning. “We could follow them and strike up a conversation?”

I checked the time on my phone. It was getting late but wasn’t quite nighttime yet. When did hospital visiting hours end? “I should go to the hospital and see if I can talk to Brett. Maybe he remembers who handed him the cup.”

Shane shook his head. “No point. If he’s being treated, they’ll make you wait for hours. Plus, you’re not family. They’re not going to let you see him.”

---