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“So am I,” Madison said. “But making me stay at the police station while you’re at the studio is just…worthless. Last night, I felt pretty good—surrounded by six FBI agents. I’m still with FBI agents, so I’m still protected. And thinking you can get the word out that I’m not involved…please! Even I know that would be a useless effort. ”
“She’s right, Sean,” Kat said. “And she can help us at the studio. I honestly don’t think anyone will try anything with all of us around. ” She turned and smiled back at Madison. “You don’t mind hanging with us, do you? You slept okay last night?”
“Yes, I was fine, but I feel guilty, making someone give up a room. ”
“You didn’t, not really,” Kat said.
“Yes, I did,” Madison said, smiling ruefully.
“My cousin and Logan have been a twosome since we began as a team,” Sean explained.
“Kelsey and Logan,” Kat put in.
“Kelsey is your cousin?”
“Yes,” Sean said simply.
“Do family members usually work together?” she asked.
“No. Our teams are different, Madison. Because we’re…different,” Kat told her. “Anyway, you really didn’t put anyone out. Kelsey and Logan were in the king on one side of the suite’s work area. Tyler had a room, Sean had his room on the other side of the work area, and it was no big deal for Jane and me to bunk together. We always did when we were in training. ” She turned to Sean. “But you never know…we may want to spend some time at Madison’s bungalow. See what we can shake up. ”
Sean didn’t reply. He still didn’t like the idea that Madison was being used or could be in danger of any kind.
“We’ll see,” he murmured.
As he neared the studio and the Black Box Cinema, he saw that patrol cars were still standing guard. He parked his borrowed car just outside the yellow crime scene tape. As he did, he heard soft sobbing, and remembered that the spirit of Jenny Henderson was with them.
Then he heard Bogie reassuring her.
Dear God, the rest of the world would think they were totally insane. Officers, today we have the victim with us. Painful, yes, but she’s going to reenact what happened to her. It’s okay. She has a damned decent guy to hold her hand. Bogie, you know him, right? Humphrey Bogart, legend of the silver screen.
“Agent Cameron!” Duffy said, hailing him.
“Officer Duffy,” Sean responded as he stepped out of the car. “We’re going into the Black Box Cinema. The rest of the team will be along shortly. ”
“Yes, sir. We’ve been expecting you. ”
“Have you heard from Detective Knox?”
“Yes, sir. He’s at the station, sir. I believe he’ll be coming here with your people. ”
The others exited the car, as well.
Duffy frowned, as if perplexed, and suddenly shivered as Bogie and Jenny passed by. He looked sheepishly at Sean. “California,” he said. “Los Angeles. You’re burning up one minute and freezing the next. ”
“Right. ” Sean nodded as he walked on.
They neared the door to the Black Box Cinema.
Jenny stopped suddenly and burst into tears.
“I was murdered here!” she cried. “Murdered…and you want me to go inside and relive what happened…and walk through pools of my own blood?”
Officer Duffy was watching them, Sean knew. They couldn’t appear to be a pack of lunatics; dealing with the local police was difficult enough as it was.
“Please, Jenny!” Madison whispered.
“We need you, kid,” Bogie said. He had an arm around Jenny’s shoulders, strong and supportive.
No good.
Jenny was still sobbing.
Sean could see the strained expressions on the faces of his living companions.
Madison walked up to him, took his arm and whispered, “Oh, God, Sean, should we be doing this to her?”
“Do you want to help the living?” he asked.
“Yes, but…”
He wasn’t happy about what they were doing himself. He just knew they had to use any method they could to find the truth. Duffy kept staring at them; thankfully, Bogie had managed to move Jenny along.
As they approached the front door to the cinema, Jenny again tried to hang back. Her tears were coming in a geyser, despite Bogie’s attempts to calm her down.
Sean waited until they were inside. To the best of his knowledge, the only camera running was the one that scanned anyone trying to enter.
Torn, he tried to touch Jenny, but of course, he couldn’t. He could only feel the cold where his hand stirred the air. Lamely he said, “Jenny, I’m so sorry. I am so, so sorry. But you did care about Alistair. Jenny, you said you felt guilty about using him. Maybe you can redeem yourself by helping us. We really need you to do that. It would be such a good thing for Alistair and Eddie and all of us—and God knows, you must want to catch this bastard. ”
She wiped her cheeks and tried to square her shoulders. “Do you think I can…make up for the bad things I did?” she asked hopefully.
“We stay around for a reason, Jenny,” Bogie said. “This may be your reason. ”
“And I do want that bastard nailed to the wall and skinned alive!” she said.
“I’m not sure we can make that happen,” Sean told her, trying to smile.
It worked; she smiled back through her tears.
“Everything’s okay. We’re with you,” Madison assured her.
As they walked through the lobby, Jenny sniffed. “I…I can almost smell the popcorn,” she said.
“There is a nice scent of popcorn in the air,” Kat agreed.
They passed the cinema, and Sean paused. “Jenny, was the door really open when you arrived?”
Jenny shook her head. “No. ”
“I didn’t see you opening it on the security footage,” Sean said.
“I was really careful. I knew there was a camera so I hid my movements with my body,” Jenny admitted. “I had a key. ”
“How did you get the key?”
“I’d taken Alistair’s earlier in the week and had a copy made. Can you tell him that?” she asked. “I’m sure he feels horrible. He really loves and admires his dad. ”
“Of course we will!” Madison said. “What happened to your key?”
“I—I don’t know. I slid it back in my pocket, I think. ”
Sean made a mental note to ask Knox and the medical examiner about the key.
They walked through the office. The poster hiding the door had been moved aside, as it was whenever the museum was open to the public. They started down the stairs to the tunnel, Bogie holding on to Jenny, who clung to him as if she were going to a second execution.
She was, in a way.
They moved past the tableaux. Ahead, Sean could see the chalk marks and the blood still on the floor. He wondered if bringing Jenny here could really help.
“Hey,” he said to her. “You said Alistair didn’t do it. We believe that. In fact, we know it, thanks to you. You don’t want to see him go to prison for the rest of his life, do you? Or…worse?”
Jenny looked back at him. “No,” she said solemnly. “No. I’m sorry—I’m dead, and I’m still being a coward. What can happen to me in this place now? No, no, you’re right. I can fight back. I can help you. ”
She led the way.
They walked by The Maltese Falcon, Citizen Kane and The Glass Key. And then Laura, Casablanca and more.
Bogie, Sean noted, paused for a moment, a look on his face that was so poignant Sean felt his own heart skip a beat. But the horrible tinny smell of blood and death seemed to have become more intense since he’d entered the tunnel, and he knew that tomorrow, they’d have to bring in the hazmat clean-up crews. It was important that they get it right today, that they get whatever they could.
They reached the last tablea
u. Sam Stone and the Curious Case of the Egyptian Museum.
Jenny stood very still, staring at the chalk on the floor. And the blood.
Then she pointed to the tableau. “It’s like it’s just a touch off-kilter. ”
“I thought so, too,” Madison said. “But the cops were up there—they probably didn’t know how to put it back exactly right. ”
Jenny nodded distractedly. “We saw the tableau—it’s Alistair’s favorite film! Then he noticed that the door leading into the studio was already ajar. It should’ve been closed and locked. When he walked ahead, I heard a noise. I caught a glimpse of gold braid on a sleeve. I tried to turn, but then he had me. He came up behind me. I was so stunned and so scared…I screamed. Alistair came back—but even as he did, I felt the blade…. ” She touched her neck. “I don’t really remember the pain. I remember the spurt of blood and thinking, Wow, that’s so much blood. I’m going to die. And then…then I was cold, and the world seemed blank until…I knew I was dead. I could feel no pain, and I just wanted to sleep and pretend it wasn’t real. There was the morgue—so humiliating. And then…then I heard you speak to me!” she said, turning to Sean.
“Jenny, this is important,” Sean said. “Was there still a priest in the tableau when there was a robed guy with a blackout on his face behind you?”
She frowned. “I—I don’t know. I didn’t look at the tableau again. I remember falling—or being flung down. And I remember seeing Alistair’s face. I think he wanted to fight for me. He would have died for me. He never got the chance. ”
“Did the killer say anything, Jenny?” Sean asked.
She thought for a minute, then shook her head. “No. Alistair screamed at him, but he didn’t say anything at all. The last thing I recall was Alistair shouting and trying to reach me. He started to rush forward…and went down in the blood. My blood. ”
“Is that it?” Bogie asked. His voice was low, rough and raspy. Jenny seemed to be holding her own, but Bogie was torn by the pain of it. “Is it okay if we leave?”