Page 39 of Silent Home

"Three people are dead," Sheila cut in.Her voice was quiet but hard."Three people who shared one thing in common: they lost roles someone thought they should have had.Roles they understood deeply.And now they'll never perform again."She leaned closer."So I'll ask one more time: who argued for keeping them?"

Blackwood signaled the bartender for another scotch, though it wasn't yet noon.His hands weren't quite steady.

"Bradley Greenwald fought hard for Jessica Gregory," he said finally."Said she had a quality the role needed.But he was just the director—he didn't have final say."He laughed bitterly."That's the thing about independent film.Directors think they're artists, but really, they're just another line item in the budget."

"What about 'Southwestern Gothic'?"Finn asked.

"That was...messier."Blackwood accepted his fresh scotch but just stared into it."Marcus Harlow pushed for Sarah.Said her take on Elena was revolutionary.Paul Wilson too—kept showing her audition tape to anyone who'd watch.But the money people wanted Kent."

"Paul Wilson advocated for her?"Sheila asked, exchanging looks with Finn."The technical director?"

"Wilson's more than just a tech guy.He's been in theater his whole life, knows talent when he sees it.He and Marcus presented this whole argument about Sarah's interpretation, how she'd found layers in the character..."Blackwood took a shaky sip."But the investors had already decided."

"Tell us more about Wilson's involvement," Sheila said, keeping her voice neutral despite her growing interest.

"He was...passionate about it.Said we were making a huge mistake.Started talking about the history of method acting, about authentic performance."Blackwood's face clouded with memory."Actually got pretty intense about it.Said we were destroying pure talent in favor of commercial success."

"When was this?"Finn asked.

"About two months ago, right after final casting.He confronted me right here, at this bar."Blackwood gestured with his glass."Said I was everything wrong with modern cinema.That true artists were being silenced by people like me."

Sheila felt her exhaustion lifting slightly as new possibilities emerged."Did he have similar reactions to other casting decisions?Like Jessica Gregory losing her role?"

"Now that you mention it..."Blackwood set down his scotch."He was involved in both productions.Always watching the auditions, saying he was adjusting sound levels or whatever.But thinking back, he paid unusual attention to the actors.Took notes.Made recordings beyond the official ones."

"His own private collection," Finn murmured.

"There was this one time," Blackwood continued, warming to the conversation, "when I found him in the editing bay late at night.He was watching audition tapes—not just from our productions, but from years of festival submissions.Said he was 'studying performance evolution' or something artsy like that."

Sheila leaned forward."Mr.Blackwood, this is important.Did Wilson have any personal connection to theater?Acting experience?"

"I heard he tried acting years ago.Never got any significant roles."Blackwood's eyes widened slightly."Wait, you don't think...I mean, Paul's eccentric, sure, but he's been with the festival for years."

"Where would he keep his personal recordings?"Sheila asked."Beyond what we found in the Revival Cinema?"

"He has a home studio.Used to invite people over to watch classic films, talk about performance theory."Blackwood shook his head."Though now that I think about it, no one's been there in years.He got...intense about it.Started talking about how modern actors were destroying the craft, how someone needed to preserve true performance art."

Finn was already pulling out his phone, presumably to look up Wilson's address.But Sheila had one more question.

"The scenes where the victims were posed," she said carefully."Would Wilson have had access to the films?Known the blocking, the costume details?"

"He worked on both productions.Knew every scene inside and out."Blackwood took another drink, his hand shaking more noticeably now."Shit.Do you really think he...I mean, I knew he was passionate about performance, but..."

"One more thing," Sheila said."Is there anyone else?Anyone whose audition particularly impressed Wilson, who didn't get the role they wanted?"

Blackwood thought for a moment."There's a showcase screening tonight at the Art House—or was supposed to be, before everything got canceled.Local talent, emerging artists.Wilson was especially interested in one performer, Anna Martin.Said her monologue was 'transcendent.'"He checked his watch."She was supposed to open the showcase at eight."

Sheila stood, her exhaustion forgotten.They had a possible suspect, a potential next victim, and a timeline.Now they just had to find Anna, make sure she was safe, and prove Wilson was their killer before he could stage his next performance.

"Do you happen to know where she's staying?"Sheila asked.

"Yeah, she's staying at a place over on Woodridge, right across from the laundromat.Can't miss it."

"Well, we appreciate your help.You should probably book a different flight out of town."

"Already done," he said quietly."First flight tomorrow morning."He stared into his scotch."You know what the worst part is?Wilson was right about some things.Sarah Martinez, Jessica Gregory—they were special talents.Real artists."He looked up at Sheila."We just never thought someone would kill for art."

But as Sheila and Finn hurried out of the bar, headed to Anna's apartment, she wondered if that was really what this was about.Or maybe, like everything else in this case, they were just seeing what the killer wanted them to see.

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