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The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in California, and sits across the road from Paramount Studios. Presumably, if you drop dead on set, they’ll just wheel you across. Dead movie stars continue to draw attention, which is doubtless satisfying for them, and as Mason leaned against the mausoleum for both Douglas Fairbanks AND Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., she watched a steady stream of moviegoers pause to pay their respects. She looked at the inscription, Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest , and wondered if either of these dudes were getting any rest, what with all the foot traffic.

Julia was on the other side of the cemetery, “backstage” near the big screen. A podium was set up in front of it, and Jason was going to introduce Julia, Jade and the movie, in that order. Mason was watching the door, so to speak, with Will, Archie and Ben scattered across the cemetery, each tasked with keeping an eye on a different suspect. Will was watching Jade Solomon (he’d been very quick to volunteer for that job), and Archie was keeping an eye on Jason Reed. Ben had tabs on Helen.

“What about Christine?” Mason had asked. “Isn’t she the main event? Who’s watching her?”

Julia had shrugged. “I’m going to be right next to her, and she’s not very fast-moving.” As she’d slid into the original catsuit from the movie, the ex-actress had tried—and failed—to conceal her satisfaction at still fitting into it. She’d muttered that if Jade Solomon had the balls to show up in the same outfit she was going to stab her with something. Sadly for her, the catsuit was iconic enough that Mason had seen maybe two dozen people wearing it, male and female. Dressing up for the summer movie showings was traditional; she’d also seen plenty of guys in the classic white linen suit David Paul wore, and even a few dressed in the tangerine bikini Julia wore in the opening title sequence. Claudia was waiting nearby to take Julia home once she’d finished speaking. The scene was set, and Mason could feel a buzz of excitement from her boss and the assembled team. Hopefully, something would happen, but she wasn’t sure what that might look like. She was glad she’d made a meeting that afternoon, and spent time talking with her sponsor. She felt ready, and even, she was forced to admit, pretty animated herself. She still had a lump under her hair, but she could live with it.

It was the golden hour, when Los Angeles gets gilded by nature herself. People with blankets and baskets had been lining up for a while, waiting for the doors to open so they could politely but efficiently compete for the best spots. Food trucks and souvenir stalls lined the pathways, and the smell of tacos and pot hung over the patchwork of people and picnics.

Her phone buzzed with a text. Archie. I’ve got Jason in my sights. I can also see Christine right now and she looks angry, which doesn’t mean she is, so no change there. Her new assistant looks worried, so no change there, either.

Mason thumbs-upped.

Next to the Fairbanks mausoleum was a shallow reflecting pool, long and narrow, very beautiful, but also a breeding ground for mosquitoes that were making life difficult for Mason. As the sun went down, the shadows of nearby cypress trees lengthened and stretched across, sectioning the reflections of passing moviegoers like figures on a zoetrope, which was at least consistent with the theme.

Another buzz. Ben. (eyes emoji) Helen and (multiple dog emojis). She’s tied them up to the little statue of Toto. Why does that seem appropriate?

Mason thumbs-upped again.

Will’s turn. I see Jade. Not wearing the catsuit, so she may live the night. He attached a picture of Jade, who had gone for the bikini, with a long crochet coat she was already wrapping herself in. This is the trouble with building a city in the desert and then irrigating the shit out of it, thought Mason. Everyone forgets that the minute the sun goes down, the heat goes with it.

Julia: Take me off this fucking group chat. Jesus Christ, if my phone doesn’t stop tinging every two seconds I’m going to drop it on the floor and stomp it.

Mason grinned.

Archie sent a screen grab of how to turn off notifications, to which Julia merely responded with a middle-finger emoji.

Claudia checked in. Parked on a side street just off Larchmont Boulevard. Going to get coffee and check out the bookstore. Let me know when you’re ready for pickup.

The crackling of an audio system, then an unknown voice started talking. Mason stretched a little and leaned back against the marble.

“Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the summer showing of The Codex , always a sold-out choice, and good to see so many people embracing the catsuit this evening.” There was good-natured applause, and Mason felt Julia’s eyes rolling even if she couldn’t see it.

“We’re lucky to be joined this evening by Julia Mann, original star and national treasure”—Mason giggled, glad she couldn’t see Julia’s reaction to that—“and Jason Reed and Jade Solomon, the director and star of the upcoming remake, which—I can confirm here and now—will begin shooting in the spring, right here in Los Angeles.”

The crowd seemed to find this delightful. Whooping and cheering erupted.

Mason pushed herself upright and started to move around the mausoleum, wanting to see Julia having her moment. There she was, the movie’s title sequence playing on a loop behind her. She looked amazing. Mason hadn’t ever seen her smile as broadly as she did for her fans, who were reacting to her appearance as if this was the one moment their lives had been building toward. Julia reached for the microphone, consummate professional that she was.

“Hi, everyone. Long time no see.”

Roar of the crowd. Even broader smile.

“Making this movie was some of the best fun of my life, and also some of my darkest days. Bella Horton died accidentally on set, and I want to make sure we never forget her name. I’ll say it one more time: Bella Horton. If she hadn’t died, she would have been in her sixties now, and probably as pissed about it as I am.”

Laughter.

“There’s a sequence in the movie where I apparently ride a horse down the steepest part of Mount Hollywood, just below the Griffith Observatory. You’ll be shocked to hear that wasn’t me. But it was her. She was the most fearless and wonderful woman, and this movie is a tribute to her.” She paused. “And speaking of fearless acts, it’s just been announced that Tony Eckenridge left a new will that leaves his entire studio and creative assets—including The Codex —to his assistant, Cody Malone, so one of the oldest studios in Los Angeles will be run by one of the youngest studio heads ever. Tony loved to take chances, and I’m sure he’s looking down on us now, hugely amused.” She grinned and waved at the crowd. “Enjoy the film!”

There was big applause from the crowd, but Mason could see Christine’s mouth moving. Jason was turning to Julia with a frown on his face.

Things were about to get heated. The only question was what Christine was going to do with this revelation. Would she blow her top and somehow trip herself up, or would she stay as in control as…

Suddenly, a sound split the air, making Mason duck involuntarily.

Then another. And another.

Gunfire.

After the first shot, everyone froze. These days, everyone’s quick to assume an active shooter and quicker to realize they didn’t make a good plan for this moment. The crowd was broadly split—those that were still saying Was that a shot? and the rest saying nothing as they got to their feet and started sprinting for the exit. By the time the echoes of the second shot had died away, the entire mass of people filling the lawn was on the move, the sound of screams and breaking glass rising up like smoke. The movie titles played across people’s bodies as they ran, images jumping from shirt to shirt. It was pandemonium, run through with panic, like a river filled with sharp objects.

Mason headed to where she’d last seen Julia but kept getting knocked sideways by the freaked-out crowd. A third shot…She stopped and tried desperately to work out where they were coming from. There was so much noise now, the music of the movie, the screams of the crowd, barking of dogs, distant sirens. The bullets were loud and clear, echoes bouncing off the surrounding hills. There was something weird about it, but in all the noise and chaos, Mason couldn’t put her finger on it.

She kept trying to make it to the stage. Julia had been right there . Suddenly, she saw Christine’s assistant Chelsea, crouched under a shrub, her legs folded like a clothes rack.

“Mason! Over here.”

Mason tacked through the fleeing crowd. The sirens were getting closer, police and fire. There had been plenty of police here anyway, and suddenly Mason noticed SWAT team members arriving, too.

A fourth shot. People around her were tripping and falling, gathering themselves up and launching themselves forward, heedless. Again, something poked Mason in the brain; something was wrong, or right, about the bullet noises. It wasn’t an AK47 or something like that, or there would have been a steady stream of sound. This seemed like a rifle or pistol or something more manual. And the shots were so regular…What did it say about the world that Mason was grateful it wasn’t an automatic weapon?

She reached Chelsea and crouched down. Chelsea was really under the shrub; it was actually an impressive amount of coverage for a no-warning situation. “Have you seen Julia?”

Chelsea shook her head. “She was right next to me, but when the shooting began she started running.” Chelsea pointed back the way Mason had come. “Mason, I lost Christine, but I had eyes on her when the shooting started, so it wasn’t her.”

Mason slowly turned and looked at Chelsea. “Wait, what…”

“Whoops, sorry…” Chelsea reached up and pulled off her hair. “I forgot you didn’t know.”

Becky Sharp.

“Julia suggested I hide in plain sight. That way we could keep an eye on Christine and I could avoid my grandmother.” She grinned. “I told you I was a good actress.”

Mason just stared. This whole evening was proving challenging. “Alright, we can talk about this later. Where’s Jason? Or Helen? I can’t see anyone in all this chaos.”

Becky shook her head. “No idea. Why haven’t they stopped the shooter yet?”

“No idea. But stay here, and stay down.”

Becky nodded, strangely calm. “Of course. This isn’t my first crowd scene.”

Mason stared at her and suddenly realized something. Shots, yes. Panic, yes. But as she stood, turned, and scanned the lawn, she realized what she wasn’t hearing and seeing.

No one was down.

No one was wounded.

No ricochet.

No sound of impact.

The sound of each shot was loud and clear, the reverberations even, no distortion. They weren’t shooting at anyone. Or anything. They were shooting into the air, like every starter pistol Mason had ever heard. They weren’t trying to kill anyone. They were creating panic. Creating a crowd scene.

And like every time she’d ever heard a starter pistol before, Mason started running.

As she crossed the lawn at a steady clip, Mason spotted the rest of the team also making their way to the Fairbanks grave, as planned.

But no Julia.

She got to the grave and looked around wildly. Archie was next. Then Ben. And finally Will, out of breath and the most panicked of all.

“I lost her,” he said, bending to catch his breath. “She was right there, she was right fucking there, and then the shooting started and she was gone.”

“Who?”

“Jade…”

Mason’s phone had been ringing and ringing, and finally she looked at the screen. Claudia.

She crouched down by the grave, the white marble providing some cover.

“What the ever-loving fuck is going on over there?” Claudia sounded angry. “Julia’s on the move, but the rest of you seem to be standing still.”

“What do you mean Julia’s on the move?”

“I have her location on my phone. Come here. I’m on Van Ness, two blocks down. Hurry up!”

Mason hung up. “Claudia’s down the street. Let’s go.”

Will and Ben shook their heads. “No room in the Shelby. We’ll meet you back at the house.” Archie nodded, too. “We’re right behind you. Run, Mason.”

And yet again, Mason started running.