I really love Eddie Archer, she began. He gave me my life. I want to go in, I dont know if itll help, but maybe
I think its a mistake, he said. He might be a legend, but she sensed that to him she was just the guide. No real help, just the guide.
Eddie asked me to be here. I feel I should go in, she said stubbornly.
He knew she resented him at that moment and maybe he resented her back. He was the man in charge, so she understood.
All right, he said. I just wanted to know what we were doing before I challenged the buzzard.
The buzzard?
Detective Knox, he said, rolling his eyes toward the entranceand the man in question.
He didnt say any more as he headed toward the Black Box. Benny Knox had already been standing in a ramrod-stiff position, but his whole body seemed to straighten further as they approached.
You going in now? Knox asked.
Yes, Sean said.
You wait here, miss, Knox ordered.
Shes working with me, Detective, Sean said. Shell be with my people on this. He kept speaking even though Knoxs frown made it apparent that he planned to argue. This case is looking more and more like an in-house situation, Detective. Madison knows all the players on the stage now, and I may not. She probably knows the killer, and I would say fairly well.
In-house, Knox muttered. The Archer kid was the only one here, Agent Cameron. Yeah, I guess youd call that in-house.
Come on, Knox, Sean said. Youre a good detective or you wouldnt be on this. And you know as well as I do that whats most obvious isnt always the truth.
In this case? I dont know. I really dont. Knox wasnt being a wiseass, Madison thought; he was serious. The subdued way he spoke scared her for Eddie more than anything else.
Sean said, Were not going with obvious. Were investigating. Madison is familiar with the working of this studio and the cinema, inside and out. Shes with me. The last was quiet and firm.
Madison watched Knoxs inner struggle. His longing to argue was clearly there, but he didnt persist. She wondered what kind of power Sean and his people hadexactly who they were, she wasnt sure.
Knox nodded. Hands gloved, feet bagged, he said.
Of course, Sean agreed.
At the entry there was a box of supplies. Madison followed suit as Sean put plastic covers over his shoes and pulled latex gloves on his hands. She fumbled awkwardly as she tried to get the gloves on, perhaps because Knox was behind them, watching her every move.
The three of them went inside.
A tech in a jumpsuit was leaving, a plastic box filled with vials in his arms. He nodded. As they headed through the theater, she saw that Sean looked at everything, from the Art Deco popcorn stand to the rugs, the cinema itselfand the office. As they reached the tunnel, she heard two of the techs talking.
Hazmat will have fun with this one, someone said.
This is nothing! You shouldve seen that murder site up on the hill. The killer wrote in blood everywhere. Wonder if that place will ever sell, another voice responded.
This is Hollywoodyou can sell anything, the first man said. Lets finish up here. Im ready for a drink.
The techs nodded as they passed Knox, Sean and Madison.
Your teams covered everything? Knox asked.
Sir, if we covered any more, wed have to take the walls, the man said.
Good.
As they made their way down, Madison felt as if the place was closing in on them. It was actually a broad throughway, maybe fifty feet in width and a hundred and fifty in length.
When they reached the tunnel, she felt dizzy. The smell of blood was overwhelming.
The museum in the tunnel had always been fascinating. It was an homage to a bygone era of film, one that played an important role in the evolution of movies. Although Madison preferred romantic comedy, fantasy, adventure and horror, she loved the feel of the little museum. Shed learned new respect for film noir because of it, and she was impressed by the accuracy and detail of the old tableaux.
Today, it was different. The artistry seemed to be gone; it was merely a tunnel with props and policemen. There were little plastic clips with numbers, a photographer was still snapping photos and tape outlined the place where the body had fallen. The last tableau at the rear, the Sam Stone movie scene, was out of kilter. It had been photographed, fingerprinted and invaded.
Madison focused on that tableau, not wanting to see the blood on the floor.
It wasnt prop blood. It wasnt chocolate, as Hitchcock had used for the black-and-white murder scene in Psycho. It was real blood, and the person whod shed that blood was now dead.
Thankfully, the body had been taken to the morgue. Despite what Madison had said, and despite all the time she spent creating creatures that were sometimes heroic and most often terrible, she felt somewhat squeamish about being down here. She wondered if shed ever be able to come to the museum again without thinking about what had happened last night.
Shed come for a reason! she reminded herself. She had to be here.
She stood several feet from the tape that marked the position of the body and tried not to see the remaining techs or pay attention to Sean Cameron as he moved about the room. Eventually he came to the marked-out tape line.
She realized that he was standing as still as she was, as if he felt the air and was waiting for some kind of message that would speak to him in silence from the tunnel.
The photographer packed up his equipment and told Knox he was done. Soon the other techs left, too, and then there were just the three of them. For a moment, the silence around them seemedunnatural.
Sam Stone and the Curious Case of the Egyptian Museum. Sean was looking at the tableau. And Alistair Archer swears that someonesomethingcame out of that tableau and attacked Jenny Henderson.
The priestAmun Mopat, I understand, Madison said.
Indeed, the priest. And hes still wearing his robe.
Theres something missingsomething off in the scene, Madison said as she studied the tableau.
I have that feeling, too. But what? Sean asked. He stared at it, frowning.
Madison continued to study it, as well. Mannequins, snakes and the items in the Egyptian Museum had been moved by the police and put back, but they werent experts on how the display had been set up. There was something wrong, but she couldnt pin it down.
Sam Stone was entering, ready to wrest the priest, Amun Mopat, away from Dianna Breen. The sarcophagus, the mummy fallen to the floor, the stand with the canopic jarsall still there. So was the statue of the ancient Egyptian warrior, tilted to the wrong side, and the jackal and the sphinx.
I wish I knew this place as well as Alistair does, Sean said.
Madison watched in silence as Sean noted where the body had been and he walked to the tableau, not touching the velvet cord that separated the scene from the hall passage. He stepped over the cord. There wasnt much he could do to mess up what had been a perfect recreation, since the police and the techs had already been through the entire place. She found it oddly disturbing, as if the characters were now out of focus, and far more haunting than the ferocious and bloody scenes in the studio.
Madison tried to shut herself off, tried to focus on the victim.
Jenny?
But she didnt feel the presence of anyone near her. She stood there alone in her little world, frozen. She could envision Alistair and Jenny coming here, Alistair walking ahead, Jenny sensing someone at her back, crying out desperately for help.
And then feeling a knife cut through her throat.
Madison gave herself a furious mental shake. She was in the tunnel; the murder had happened only a few feet from where she was standing.
But there was nothing here that wasnt solid and real.
Jenny Hendersons body was at the morgue. If she was hanging around the place shed been murdered, hoping to communicate, Madison could feel no impression of her.
She walked a step closer to the blood, hoping that didnt make her ghoulish. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the scene. Jenny must have coerced Alistair into bringing her to the studio. Jenny was an actress, a budding actress who needed every possible opportunity. No casting was done at the studio, but she probably believed she could learn something that might give her an edge when they were casting bit parts.
Had Jenny and Alistair paused to look at the tableaux? Or had Jennys mind been on her agendaand Alistairs mind on Jenny?
She took note of where the body had lain. There was a distance of perhaps twenty feet to the door. Alistair had walked ahead.
All right, Sean said, startling her. Heres how I heard the story from Eddiehow it was told to him by Alistair. Jenny convinced him to bring her overshe wanted to get into the studio, see the costumes and the Egyptian creatures. Or the mythical creatures the Egyptian priest, Amun Mopat, brought to life. And according to Alistair Sean paused, approaching the door that separated the tunnel from the studio he came this way, and turned.
And saw a monsteror the priest, Madison said.
Which means Sean paused again, walking to the display that the killer was in the tableau. As soon as Alistair passed by, the killer came down. Sean moved up to the display, then got down, his movements silent. The robed figure left his position and crawled over the velvet cord and attacked Jenny Henderson. Hed left Sam Stone and his femme fatale where they belonged as he stepped down to seize Jenny, and cut her throat.
Sean was suddenly standing behind Madison.
For a moment, she could feel the fear, feel as if the killers breath touched her.
She felt his hands on her shoulders, and the other girls fear seemed to fill her. She could practically seefeel, touch!what had happened.
Her throat closed; she could barely scream.
Alistair!
The sound didnt leave her lips. She managed to step forward before she began trembling noticeably.
She almost slipped on the blood.
Deep in his own thoughts, Sean hardly noticed her.
This place, the moviethey have everything to do with the murder, he said, repeating what hed told her before. Everything.
4
Madison stared at Sean Cameron, feeling frozen at first, and completely lost. There was nothing she could do here. Shed hoped there would be, but she felt nothing except cold and fear and dread. She could picture what had happened but she couldnt see a face. She imagined the mannequin of the priest moving, saw him walking swiftly.
Saw him kill.
Poor girl, poor Jenny Hendersonand poor Alistair, he murmured.
Alistair didnt do it, Madison said. Her voice was low, but her words were passionate. It happened just the way you reenacted it. He was ahead of her and then he got to the door. Someone was already in here, waiting. Someone who knew that Alistair came to see the noir movies on Sundays, and someone who also knew about Jenny. Yes, it was taking a chance that Jenny would show up and that Alistair would fall in with her plans, but it wasnt really that big a chance.
Someoneor the kid. The kid does tell it your way. But theres nothing to exonerate him.
Madison was startled by the voice of Benny Knox. Hed come in behind them. Shed been concentrating so hard, shed forgotten he was with them.
Yep, according to the kid, he walked to the doorand the thing came out of the tableau. I dont know what the kid was on, but temporary insanity or whatever is probably going to be his best defense, Knox went on.
If he says thats what happened, its what happened. Alistair isnt on drugs, and he doesnt drink. Hes a good kidwhich is pretty amazing when you realize the money he has access to and how everyone tries to suck up to him because of what his father might be able to do for them! Madison said angrily.
Whoa. Knox lifted a hand and took a step back in mock-horror. Well, when they need character witnesses, they can call you to the stand.
Madison tried to check her temper, but he continued quickly, Look, Im sorry. We are going to investigate. If the L.A. police werent determined on that, you can guarantee the FBI would be. But youve got to understandyoure looking at a locked-room mystery here, and the thing is, if a room is really locked, the people in that room are the suspects. Nine times out of ten what you see is what you get.
What you see is a kid in shock and a brutally murdered young woman, Sean Cameron said. And I wouldnt go counting on there being no other answer. For one thing, a costume is missing from the studio.
Missing? Knox asked sharply.
Its not on the mannequin, Madison said, where it should bewhere it was before I left the studio on Friday.
So it may just be somewhere else?
Its the robe the priest wears, Sean said. Thats definitely worth investigating.
Knox didnt dismiss his words, but he didnt seem too impressed, either. That studio is filled with shelves and desks and nooks and crannies andstuff. The robe may turn up easily. Yes, well investigateIm sure you will, too, Agent Cameron, he said to Sean. I intend to go through all the steps on my end. Im just telling you it isnt looking good for young Archer. When you show me another way in and out of this locked room, Ill be happy to reexamine the evidence. He pointed to the tableau. As you can see, those mannequins just stand therethey dont move around. They dont speak, argue or step down to commit murder. But youre right. We have all kinds of hairs and fibers and plenty of blood. In fact, weve got forensics up the wazoo. Weve checked the locks, weve gone over the security footageand nada. So when you find something, let me know.
As he finished speaking, they were all shocked by a noise from the tableau. Some piece of the little scenario had shifted. The three of them immediately looked over at the characters. There was Sam Stone, ready to race across the room to save his femme fatale. And there was the man in the robe, his fingers twined around the terrified womans neck. There was the sarcophagus and the snakescobras posed moving across the floor and in strike mode.
The scene had shifted, of course, because the crime scene techs had been up there, photographing, fingerprinting, moving things around. That obviously explained the odd, off-kilter look of the tableau. And yet
Madison swallowed uncomfortably. Dianna Breen seemed to be gazing not at the mysterious man in the robes about to strangle herbut at Madison. Huge blue glass eyes seemed to stare across time and space.