Page 29 of Silent Home

"You didn't need to be clever."She pressed closer to him."You just needed to be you."

Above them, the projector continued its steady rhythm, casting shadows and light across their faces.On screen, the story continued its dark exploration of redemption and revenge, but Sheila found herself focused on smaller things—the warmth of Finn's hand in hers, the soft sound of his breathing, the way their shoulders fit perfectly together.

"I've been thinking," she said after a while."About what Rider said.About people who see murder as performance."

"What about it?"

"This murderer isn't just killing.He's directing.Casting.Creating his own narrative."She straightened slightly but didn't let go of his hand."These scenes he's recreating—they're not random.They mean something to him."

"Like what?"

"I don't know yet.But watching this..."She gestured at the screen."The way the main character is presented, the themes of judgment and redemption...Someone chose these specific scenes for a reason.Plenty of actors are denied roles, sometimes unfairly.But what made the killer focus on these two actors?Or was it more about these two movies?"

Finn was quiet for a moment, thinking."We still need to watch 'The Winter Palace.'See how Jessica's scene fits into all this."

"Tomorrow," Sheila said."Rider will have the festival archive key in the morning."She settled back against him, suddenly aware of how exhausted she was."Right now, I just want to sit here with you.Pretend for a few minutes that we're just two people watching a movie together."

"Wearetwo people watching a movie together," Finn said softly.

"You know what I mean."

The film played on, its images washing over them in waves of light and shadow.Sheila knew they should be paying closer attention, looking for clues in every frame.But for now, she let herself exist in this moment—in the quiet darkness of an empty theater, holding hands with the man she loved, pretending that tomorrow wouldn't bring more death and darkness to their door.

Because tomorrow would come soon enough.And with it, all the horror and complexity of their investigation would resume.But for these few precious minutes, they could just be Sheila and Finn, watching a movie together on a cold October night.

Even if the movie was about a murderer.Even if somewhere out there, a killer was perhaps planning their next performance.

The projector hummed steadily overhead, marking time like a metronome.Sheila closed her eyes, just for a moment, and let herself remember what it felt like to be young and hopeful in this very theater, before she knew just how dark the world could be.

Before, she knew that sometimes the most dangerous people were the ones who saw life itself as nothing more than a performance to be directed.

***

The festival archives occupied a cramped basement room beneath the Coldwater Theater, the concrete walls lined with metal shelves holding decades of independent films.Sheila stifled a yawn as she and Finn sat before the ancient TV cart where they'd just finished watching "The Winter Palace."

Neither had slept much.After leaving the Art House Cinema around 2 AM, they'd gone back to the station to coordinate the festival shutdown, then crashed for a few hours on the break room couch.Sheila's neck still ached from the awkward angle.

"Well," Finn said, ejecting the DVD, "that confirms it.The scene where Jessica was posed—it's exactly like Claire Montgomery's death scene.The blue dress, the chair placement, even the angle of her head."He rubbed his tired eyes."Our killer has an eye for detail, I'll give them that."

"Almost like a director," Sheila said.She stood and stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her shoulders."Two films, two scenes, two victims posed to match roles they didn't get."

"But why these specific scenes?These specific actors?"

Before Sheila could respond, footsteps on the stairs announced Carl Rider's arrival.He looked as exhausted as they felt, his sweater wrinkled and his wire-rimmed glasses slightly askew.

"Any insights?"he asked, gesturing at the TV.

"We need to talk to the actors who got these roles," Sheila said."Claire Montgomery from 'The Winter Palace' and whoever played the lead in 'Ghost Light.'"

Rider pulled out his ever-present handkerchief, dabbing his forehead despite the basement's chill."Claire's impossible, I'm afraid.She's filming a streaming series in Prague—has been for months."

"What about the lead from 'Ghost Light'?"Finn asked."The role Thomas auditioned for?"

"Dylan Reeves."Rider replaced his handkerchief."Actually, he's here at the festival.Or was, before we started shutting down.He moved to Los Angeles a few months ago, but he came back specifically for the festival.Said he wanted to network, try to parlay his 'Ghost Light' performance into bigger roles."

Sheila and Finn exchanged looks."We need to find him," she said."Before he leaves town."

"He was staying at the Mountain View," Rider said."Though with everything that's happened, he might have checked out already."

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