Page 112 of Out of the Gold

Melody

I pass Charlesthe mask and give him one last go-over. Adjusting his gloves, I say, “Perfect. You’re ready for your close-up, Mr. Wright.”

He puts the mask over his face and becomes the superhero. “The only up close and personal I want is with you. Between the sheets. Or on the dining room table. Or on the balcony. In the shower.”

“You!” I swat his hands away and finish cleaning up from the two-hour process. Even though he hasn’t said the words, I’m sure he loves me. I can be patient.

Our banter is cut off when the trailer door swings open. My best friend walks in, lugging one of her cameras. She appears confused.

I approach her. “Sophia?”

She starts, “After you left last night, I got to thinking. I’ve been doing some extra camerawork unrelated to the movie while we’ve been here.”

I nod, but Charles takes off the mask and cocks his head. “She’s been refining her camera skills with an online course, specializing in night-time shots,” I clarify.

Sophia waves her hand. “Right. Anyway, once I got over the shock of what Lindsay told us last night, I went back to my room and was playing around with what I’ve shot over the past week. And I think I found something interesting.”

Did she uncover who ruined the costume? I can’t control my excitement. “What?”

With a small smile, she sets up her monitor and presses play. “Watch this right here.”

The camera’s pointed at the entire trailer area, not only to Charles’s. The time stamp shows it’s 10:00 p.m., and several people mill around. I focus on his trailer as people wander about, but no one enters. A couple minutes pass and still this trailer remains empty.

I turn to my bestie. “Sophia, I don’t think there’s anything.”

Next to me, Charles stills. He bends and gets closer to the monitor. “Shit. Rewind that part, Sophia, please.”

With a satisfied smirk, she does. “I stopped watching right here and ran over to show you.”

I direct my attention to what’s captivated my boyfriend and best friend. A shadowy figure wearing dark clothes and a beanie lurks around the area. He bypasses several other trailers and goes right to Charles’s, careful not to get caught in any light. His head swivels as if to confirm no one saw him, and the figure pulls something out of his pocket.

My breathing accelerates. “It’s a key!”

“It is,” Sophia confirms.

He slips into the trailer and doesn’t reappear for ten minutes, during which time none of us move an inch. When the door reopens, the figure slips out and walks away from the camera. I’m about to say something when he stops and turns around, a light catching on his face for a split second.

Charles commands, “Freeze it right there.”

Sophia rewinds the video and stops it. Even with the light, it’s still hard to discern facial features.

The height and build are hard to discern without something to compare them to. I say who I think it is, ready to be disproven. “You can’t think it was Thomas.”

Charles’s brows form a V. “I’m praying it isn’t.”

Was I right?

A knock sounds and we all jump back as if we were doing something wrong. The man himself enters. “Are you ready? Noble’s getting antsy.”

Sophia turns off the screen.

Charles’s cheek twitches. “I’ll be right there. Just doing a final test of the suit.”

Thomas crosses his arms over his chest. Next to me, Charles walks toward the back of the trailer and returns. “It feels fine.”

“Great.” I force my voice to remain steady. “You’re ready for your last outing as Doctor Manipul8.”

Without giving away his feelings, Charles passes by us and leads the way toward the set. Leaving her equipment in the trailer, Sophia and I follow. Walking with us, Thomas asks, “Did he seem funny to you?”

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