Page 19 of Beyond the Darkness (Basic Instincts #3)

The Past Catches Up

By the end of the day, Hudson was exhausted, but not in the way he’d imagined.

After his initial reservations about the podcasters and the argument with Rav, he’d put all the bullshit aside and focused on nothing but the story they were trying to tell.

The rest of the cast also seemed to share his newly found dedication to getting it right.

They were now working in honour of Julian, and they would continue the play in his memory.

Even Steve had been less cocky and had shown a degree of respect.

Luke had to go back to his office for a couple of hours and they made arrangements to meet up around eight-thirty for a late dinner at nine. The whole world seemed off kilter, but for today at least, most things had gone right.

Hudson had trouble arranging a car via the app and decided to head outside to see if he could get a lift from the taxi rank along the road.

As he exited the stage door, he was glad to see there were no reporters about.

Things had also seemed to settle down on that front.

No doubt it would ramp up again when they got closer to opening night.

He walked towards the front of the building.

“Hudson, hey. Wait up.”

He didn’t recognise the voice at first, but as he turned and saw the two podcasters hurrying behind him, his spirits sank.

Amber was in front, while Corman trailed behind, laden down with a large backpack and holdall of equipment. “That was awesome,” Amber said, catching up with him. “You smashed that today.”

“Absolutely,” Corman said, drawing level. “I got goosebumps just watching from the side. That was, like, stupendous.”

What kind of podcast do this pair run? They spoke like a couple of airheaded stoners.

“Thank you. It’s been a hell of a day. I just want to get home and relax.”

“Sure thing. We would, too, if we’d just been through all that.”

“I was exhausted just watching you.” Corman grinned.

Surely their eternal cheerfulness was the most exhausting aspect of their career.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, turning away.

Amber moved in front, blocking his path. Her expression shifted from joy to an approximation of solemnity. Hudson was getting a good idea of the dynamics of their podcast, and he had no desire to discover more.

“We got off on the wrong foot this morning,” she said.

Now Corman formed an impassable obstruction in front of him. “Yeah. We don’t want you to get the wrong idea about us.” He put both hands across his heart. “We’re totally sincere.”

Hudson resisted the urge to laugh. “Look, guys. I appreciate that you’re just doing a job.

I was angry this morning and apologise if I spoke out of turn.

But the truth is, I have a lot on my plate, and I don’t need this kind of distraction.

I meant what I said. I’m going to stay out of your way and appreciate you doing the same for me. ”

“But we really want to talk to you,” Amber said. “I don’t think you realise what a big deal this opportunity is for us. Not just sitting in on Darkest Blue, that’s awesome enough, but getting to meet you.”

“We’re big fans. Huge.” Corman grinned.

Hudson’s defences prickled. He was not going to like what came next.

“The biggest,” Amber added.

“We love you.”

“We really do.”

Hudson took a step back from them.

“Straight up,” Corman continued. “We’ve been fans for years. We bought tickets for the play as soon as you were announced to be playing the lead. Isn’t that right?”

“We absolutely did. We couldn’t believe Hudson Rhodes was coming to Blyham.”

“If you listen to episode two-hundred and seventeen of Beyond Blyham, you’ll hear us talk all about it and how hyped we were by the news.”

“It was really inappropriate, to be honest.” Amber giggled.

Hudson looked at her quizzically.

“We were doing a deep dive into the Blyham Cat Killer at the time. Very serious stuff, but we just had to share the awesome news about the play with our listeners.”

“We were hoping you would come on the show,” Corman said. “To talk about the play obviously, but we want to go further than that. We want to talk about you and your career.”

“All those great roles you’ve played,” Amber gushed.

“We’ve seen them all. We know everything about you. Ask us anything, we’ll know the answer.”

Hudson raised both hands. “Guys, enough. That’s never going to happen. If you do indeed know anything about me, then you’d know that I don’t give interviews about myself. I haven’t in years.”

“If you listened to our show and find out what we’re all about, you’ll change your mind.” Corman’s smile looked larger than his face.

“I can assure you, I absolutely won’t. Now, please, I have to go. I’ve got things to do.”

“You know my favourite movie is Red Hills Massacre,” Corman said. “Of all time.”

“Mine too,” Amber added with childlike glee.

Fuck my life. And that damned movie. Why is everyone I meet so obsessed with it? It was turning into a cult.

“I especially don’t like talking about that one. In fact, I hate it.”

Corman seemed astonished. “No way. That movie is a stone-cold classic.”

“The best horror film of the last twenty-five years,” Amber added. “Bar none.”

Hudson laughed. This pair were ridiculous.

“And it was the first time you worked with Singer Fry,” Corman said.

Hudson prickled further. “It was the only time I worked with him.”

“What about The Leopard? You worked together on that too, right?”

Hudson’s annoyance took a darker turn. “The Leopard? Did you two send me that picture this morning?”

They exchanged glances. Their inane smiles lost some enthusiasm.

“Er, what picture?” Amber said.

“We haven’t sent you anything.”

Were they lying? Was this jolly fan routine all an act? “The mail I’ve been receiving each day. Are you behind it?”

Corman’s bottom lip fluttered like a grounded fish.

“Why would we send you mail?” Amber asked. “We knew we were going to be working with you anyway. We’ll be seeing you every day.”

“You mean, like, old-fashioned mail? Like, letters and stuff?” Corman laughed. “I don’t know when I last posted a letter. Not even a Christmas card. Who even does that?”

He couldn’t decide whether he believed their na?veté or not.

It was some coincidence that they should arrive on the very day he received an image relating to The Leopard.

What would they have to gain by provoking him with stupid mail anyway?

Trying to unsettle him in the hope he would confide in them? Come on their podcast?

But no, it couldn’t be them. Robbie Wiseman was behind the photographs. He had to be. He had form for that kind of behaviour and Hudson knew he was in Blyham. He’d seen him outside his building just the other night. He was on the wrong track suspecting Corman and Amber.

And yet, he didn’t trust them one bit. What kind of podcast did they put out anyway? It was time he found out before he had any further interaction with them.

“We love The Leopard,” Amber continued, as though his objection had not been raised. “But it would have been so cool if you’d actually got to star in it. Singer Fry directing and Hudson Rhodes in the lead. That’s the film I really want to see.”

“Absolutely,” Corman said. “Did you actually shoot any footage with Singer before leaving the project?”

“As you seem to be better informed than me, I think you know the answer to that question. And now, for the third time today—stay out of my way.”

He walked straight between them and away before they could block him again.

His breath came fast and shallow. If there was one film experience that had been worse than Red Hills, it was The Leopard.

At least the horror film had been completed and released.

While The Leopard had indeed come out and become a huge hit, it had not starred Hudson.

Why had it come back to haunt him today, after all these years?

His experience in Blyham was getting stranger day by day.

When he got back to the apartment, he would take a hot bath to relax and listen to an episode of Corman and Amber’s podcast to get a flavour of what they were really like.

What was the tone and content of the show?

The more he thought about them, the less he bought into their sweet, chummy routine.

They had an agenda. To protect himself, he needed to figure out exactly what it was.

Hudson had reached the waterfront when he realised he’d got so preoccupied with the podcasters, he was walking in the wrong direction to get a taxi.

Should he turn around, or keep going? He was practically upon the bridge.

It would take him another five minutes to double back.

Oh, what the hell. He would keep on going.

It was a fine night, and if he kept powering through, he would soon reach the gay triangle and be home.

It wasn’t even six-thirty and there were plenty of people out on the streets. If it was after dark, then things might have been different. He wouldn’t have taken the risk. But what harm could there be at this moment?

He continued onwards, his thoughts returning to Corman and Amber.

He’d have to keep his wits around those two.

They had only been on the production for one day and had managed to unsettle him.

He couldn’t afford that. There was too much at risk.

He’d have another go at Rav in the morning.

Maybe he could convince him that their presence was detrimental to the show.

Perhaps he could even convert some of the other actors to his side.

It was worth a try, and better than doing nothing.

He crossed the bridge to the other side of the city. It was great to be out in the open after spending the day holed up in a rehearsal studio. And yesterday he’d been confined to the apartment. He couldn’t continue like this. He needed fresh air and space.

At least he had dinner with Luke to look forward to later.

Nothing too fancy. Hopefully somewhere laid-back and relaxing.

Maybe tomorrow night they could go back to The Blue Pearl.

He hadn’t been there since the night they first met.

Live music and good food might be exactly what he needed, especially now the press wasn’t following him around.

In no time at all he reached the bottom of Salvin Road, and the path steepened on the route into the gay village.

He was almost there and feeling exhilarated after the negative exit from the concert hall.

His emotions were all over the place. Up one moment and way down the next.

Darkest Blue was turning into the most stressful experience of his entire career.

And he’d played in his fair share of jinxed productions before now.

He waited for a gap in the traffic to cross the road.

As he reached the other side, he caught sight of sudden movement behind him.

A figure, dressed in T-shirt and jeans, darted into a doorway, too fast for him to take much in, but odd enough to trigger a reaction.

He paused, waiting. Was it someone in a genuine hurry?

Trying to catch a store before it closed for the night?

Or was it, as he suspected, someone who didn’t want him to see them?

His pulse quickened while uneasy fingers skittered down his spine.

Years in the public eye had given him an instinct for when something wasn’t right, and this didn’t feel right at all.

Get a grip of yourself and get moving.

He was on a busy main road with lots of traffic about. People were still heading home from work while others were coming into the city for all the evening attractions. A bus went by that was packed with commuters.

Hudson continued on his way, quickening the pace. He was understandably jumpy, but there was nothing for him to worry about.

After another twenty yards, he whipped around suddenly.

The figure behind did not have time to react.

Robbie Wiseman. Even from the distance there was no doubt. The balding grey hair, the stout figure. Robbie came to a halt, realising he’d been seen. He glanced around, considering his options.

Hudson was torn between the choice of confronting him and getting the fuck away.

If Robbie was responsible for killing Julian, there was no telling what he would do now. He could be carrying a knife or a gun.

Hudson’s survival instinct kicked in and he broke into a run.

He still didn’t know this area well enough, and the apartment was a good five minutes away. Where the hell was he going to go?

When he risked a look over his shoulder, he saw Robbie in pursuit.

Whatever he decided, he’d have to make a decision fast.

Hudson kept running.