Page 17 of Romance Is Dead

I waited for the feeling to dissipate, for the desire I’d felt the night before to somehow dissolve by the time I woke up.

It didn’t.

I caught myself replaying moments from the night before in my head as I showered and brushed my teeth — the way Teddy had called me fierce, like it was something he admired.

The way I felt comfortable enough to sing in front of him, even though I have a terrible voice.

The way a simple hand on the small of my back had almost driven me to yank him into my room, and how I couldn’t stop wondering what would have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted.

Driving to set, I imagined the whole thing — from Teddy stripping off my clothes and having his way with me over the arm of the sofa to us collapsing in a heap afterward. It was like I’d opened Pandora’s box, except the only thing escaping were horny thoughts and fantasies.

I chided myself as I parked and made my way through base camp.

Not only did he have supermodels in his DMs, but he was very much involved with other people.

Even if he wasn’t the type for a relationship, I didn’t want to be the one complicating things for other women.

It was for the best that nothing had happened.

If nothing ever happened.

Craft services was bustling when I arrived.

Our call time was too early to get breakfast at the hotel, so everyone was instead huddled around the long tables filled with bagels, cut fruit, and other breakfast essentials.

I made a beeline for the coffee, intent on getting caffeine in my bloodstream ASAP.

As I got closer, I noticed that Mara and Teddy were already there, which would have been fine if they hadn’t been bent close, whispering conspiratorially over their cheese Danishes near the coffee station.

My stomach plunged. I recognized that look on her face — it was the same expression she’d worn the time she tried to set up my dad with Jennifer Coolidge at a premiere once. I had to get out of here. Nothing good came from Mara being in matchmaker mode.

But before I could sneak away, she spotted me and waved enthusiastically, alerting Teddy to my presence. He shook hair damp from the shower out of his eyes as he glanced at me and smiled.

My face immediately tomato-ed.

Trying to pull myself together, I threw my shoulders back and walked over to them in a very poor attempt to look unbothered.

“Morning.” I gave a cursory wave to Teddy as I grabbed onto Mara’s arm like a life raft. “I just have to borrow her for a sec.”

“Wait, Teddy and I were — ”

“Just for a minute!” Tightening my grip on her arm, I steered us to the other end of the breakfast tables.

“Ouch!” She pried my fingers off her wrist. “Good morning to you, too.”

“What were you guys talking about?” I grabbed a plate and studied the spread. To my dismay, it was missing my favorite item — a giant blueberry muffin with deliciously buttery streusel on top. I grabbed one of the banana nut muffins instead, which didn’t even compare. Trash.

“Just the type of makeup I’d be doing for his scene later.” Mara raised an eyebrow as she grabbed a yogurt container. “Why are you all flushed, by the way?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I muttered as I finally succeeded in getting some coffee. “Let’s go over there.”

Mara glanced at Teddy. “But — ”

“I think we should sit over here.” I led us to a small table far away from where Teddy was now talking to Audrey. I’d never been able to get more than two words out of her, but she was already giggling at something Teddy had said, her hand pressed against his bicep.

“What’s going on?” Mara asked as we sat down.

“You look like you’ve run a marathon, which is something you would never do, and you’re acting weird.

” She looked at me pointedly. “Does this have to do with the fact that Teddy was outside your room last night, looking like he was about to devour you like a snack?”

“I — What do you mean?” I raised my mug to my lips, nearly burning myself as I took a long sip.

“Please. I went to your room earlier last night to gossip and drink wine, two of your favorite activities, but you weren’t there.

Thank God Chloe was bored, too.” Mara dipped her spoon into her bowl of yogurt and berries.

“And I don’t know what you and Teddy were up to when we found you in the hall, but nothing innocent happens at that hour. ”

My mouth dried. The downside of having a best friend that knew you better than you knew yourself was that you couldn’t get anything past them.

I used to consider this an asset, but now that I was hiding both a possible murder investigation and a crush on my co-star that I was desperately trying to squash, I wasn’t so sure.

“Um. Well.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone approaching our table, thankfully giving me an excuse not to respond. But my relief dissipated when I realized it was Teddy.

“Sorry to interrupt. I thought you might want this.” In his hand was a plate, holding one perfect blueberry muffin.

I couldn’t help it. My eyes lit up.

“Oh my gosh, thank you.” I took the muffin gratefully, narrowly avoiding an impression of Gollum in Lord of the Rings . “How did you know?”

Teddy smirked. “Please. You almost grabbed one out of a PA’s hand the other day. Today there was only one left, so. . .”

“Thank you, that’s really thoughtful.” But inside, I was groaning. My fantasies were already out of control; I didn’t need him fetching my favorite foods and making them even worse.

“Anytime.” He winked. “Just wanted to give you that. I’ll leave you two alone.”

I watched as he crossed the room, a shimmering feeling in my chest.

Mara followed my gaze. “Teddy didn’t give me any details about what you two were up to last night, by the way.”

“Oh?” Relief poured through my body, although I wasn’t sure which I was happier about: that he hadn’t told her about us investigating Scott or that he hadn’t told her we’d almost slept together the night of the party.

“Nope. And I did ask.” She poked me with her foot, teasing.

I didn’t know how to respond, so I said nothing. Instead, I unwrapped the blueberry muffin and took a bite.

Studying my expression, Mara leaned back and took a sip of her tea, her face vaguely troubled. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on?”

“I told you, there’s — ”

“I don’t mean between you and Teddy.”

“Oh.”

“You’ve been weird ever since we got here. Avoiding me, not answering my texts. Being evasive.” She fiddled with the handle of her mug. “You don’t have to hide things from me. You can trust me. I thought you knew that.”

Guilt swirled in my stomach. Everything she said was true: I had been avoiding her and lying about what I was up to. And it felt awful — before now, the only time I’d lied to her was when I supported her decision to grow out her bangs. They just suited her so well.

“I promise, I’m not keeping anything from you. And you know I trust you.” I squeezed her wrist, hoping I looked genuine. “I’m just feeling off. I have no plan for what I’m doing once the film is done. It’s a little unsettling.”

In my defense, that was true.

Mara pursed her lips. “If you say so.” She dropped her gaze to her yogurt, pushing a blueberry around with her spoon.

“How’s the yogurt?”

“Fine.”

My chest ached. I wanted to tell her everything.

I wanted to tell her just how close Teddy and I had come to hooking up, and how badly I’d wanted it to happen.

I wanted to tell her that I was becoming more convinced by the hour that Trevor’s death hadn’t been an accident, and that I needed to find out who killed him.

I wanted to watch her listen and still tell me that everything was going to be ok.

But with a potentially dangerous person loose on set, I couldn’t risk getting her involved in the investigation. And as for my feelings for Teddy. . . I could barely admit them to myself, let alone out loud to another person. Even Mara.

“I should get going.” I balled up the now-empty muffin wrapper. “I’ll see you at hair and makeup?”

“Of course.” But she didn’t meet my eyes as she said it.

I retreated to my trailer, eager for a few minutes alone. The day was already going downhill quick and I needed to regroup. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, I nearly fell as my foot slid on an envelope lying on the floor.

Picking it up, I slipped my thumb under the flap and pulled out the paper inside. It was covered in red type:

While hid high in the attic above,

I watched until I could give you a shove.

Say nothing of which you know,

Or you’ll be the one in death’s throes.

Back in your very first role,

Did you know this would be the toll?

“Jigsaw, we can’t keep meeting like this.” A corner of Teddy’s mouth rose as he leaned against the door to the house’s attic. “Just admit you’re into me.”

“Haha, funny. No. I found something in my trailer you need to take a look at.”

After getting the note, I’d immediately texted Teddy, telling him we needed to talk.

A hectic shooting schedule meant we weren’t able to find time until lunch, and now that we were alone on the third floor of the house, I handed him the slip of paper.

He scanned the words, his usually confident expression slipping as he reached the end.

“Is this for real?”

“I think so. Everyone else still thinks Trevor’s death was an accident. It mentions the attic, where Scott said he saw someone hiding.” I stared at the door we were about to enter. “It has to be from the killer.”

He frowned. “It’s not even good. It’s like poetry I would have written for English class in high school.”

“It is really bad, but we have to focus.” I snatched the paper away and stuffed it in my pocket. “If the killer knows we’re investigating, we’re both in danger. You didn’t tell anyone about this, right?”

“No.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Did you?”

“No.”

“What about Mara?”

“No!” As if I needed another reminder of my secrecy. “Let’s go. We need to be back on set in less than half an hour.”

Light from the windows above streamed down as we climbed the steps, illuminating dust motes floating in the stuffy air.

Reaching the top, we took a second to survey the area.

It was huge — reaching from one end of the house all the way to the other.

It had bare, dusty floorboards with exposed beams running overhead in the eaves.

The entire space was filled with junk from previous occupants, save for a few paths that wound through the piles of stuff.

This was going to be harder than I had thought.

“Should we just. . . start looking?” Teddy swiped a hand across his forehead, looking as overwhelmed as I felt.

“I guess so.”

As we made our way down one side of the attic, I carefully studied all the belongings forgotten and left by previous occupants: a brightly colored tricycle sat next to a box of kids’ clothes from the eighties, which was next to a sewing machine that looked like it could be a priceless antique from the jazz era.

“Hey, look at this.” Teddy gestured to an old record player next to a stack of albums and handed me an old Fleetwood Mac LP. It looked like an original edition of the Rumours album.

“Oh my God.” I wiped some of the dust off Stevie Nicks. “I’ve always wanted one of these.”

“Well, now you’ve got it.”

I smiled wryly. “If I had more questionable ethics, I’d definitely be sneaking this back to my hotel room with me.”

“Lucky record.” His eyes twinkled as he gazed at me. I wanted to swim in that moment, enjoy the comfortable feeling of his eyes on me in the solitude of the attic. The energy between us crackled like something once again was brewing.

Whatever it was, it felt dangerous.

I looked away, breaking the spell so we could continue to sift through junk and peer into shadowy corners.

There was only about a quarter of the space left, and so far we’d found nothing useful.

We picked our way over old rakes and shovels and through old racks of clothing, but nothing stuck out as potential evidence.

I was about to suggest we admit defeat when I rounded a looming bookcase and stopped short.

Someone had been here. And by the looks of it, recently.

On the other side of the bookcase was a window tucked into a little alcove.

Empty beer cans lay on the floor, and an old sweatshirt had been draped over an old chaise lounge.

The cans looked clean and new, and the sweatshirt was free of dust, unlike everything else up here.

Had they been left by whoever had been up here the night of Trevor’s murder?

“Oh my God,” Teddy said, hurrying over.

“What?”

He picked up one of the cans. “Who still drinks Natty Light?” He shuddered. “Disgusting.”

“Is that what you’re focusing on right now?”

“I’m just saying, whoever was here had pretty terrible taste.”

“Insightful.” I walked over to the chaise and picked up the sweatshirt. Holding it by my fingertips, I shook it out so I could take a better look. It was maroon with giant gray letters on it: WSU.

Teddy squinted at it. “Washington State?”

I nodded, my mind whirring. The sweatshirt looked familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint from where. I closed my eyes, holding the image in my mind. I’d seen it several times before, but where? I closed my eyes and focused, the face I associated it with gradually coming into view. It was. . .

“Brent!” I remembered now. “It’s Brent’s. He’s had it forever. He wore it the first day before he took it off for last looks.”

“You watching Brent strip, Jigsaw?”

“I haven’t done that since 2017, actually.”

“You and Brent?” Teddy crossed his arms across his chest as his face lit up in delight. “And what was that like?”

“Not great.”

“Really? Because judging by his beer preference he seems like a really cultured, interesting guy.”

“Can we focus on what’s important, please? This is proof he was up here. He could have been the person Scott saw shortly before Trevor was murdered.”

I walked over to the window. The props trailer was obscured by some tree branches, but it would definitely be possible to see who was coming and going.

Chills crept up my spine. Brent could have been sitting up here, watching, until Trevor left — giving Brent the perfect opportunity to follow him and push him into the ditch, adrenaline spiking as he rushed after his victim. It was easy to imagine him forgetting his trash and belongings.

Suddenly, I didn’t want to be holding the hoodie anymore.