| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted October 21, 2021 | Chapters: |
...5 6 -7- 8... 
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So many secrets in this game....
A chapter in the book Revenge
Revenge - Chap 7
by Begin Again
| Background A member of the crime team is drawn into a diabolical scheme by an ex-con, Vito Moretti, who spent eight years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Upon his release, he set out to get revenge. |
James leaned against the railing on the East Wing balcony and watched as the sun rose above the treetops. His thoughts were on today’s filming. He heard the expected knock on his office door, but he waited for someone to call out to him.
“James. James, are you in here?” He recognized Cheryl’s voice; smiling, he remained at the railing. “Oh, James, there you are. I know it’s rather early to be bothering you, but I’ve got a problem.”
Turning to face the woman, he gasped, “Not with Marian, I hope.”
“Oh no, she’s still sleeping like a baby.” Cheryl stepped onto the balcony and gazed for a moment at the well-manicured lawn and gardens. “It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” He expected Cheryl to continue but she appeared enthralled with the sunrise, so clearing his throat, he added, “I believe you said you had a problem, Cheryl.”
“Oh—I’m sorry.” A slight pink crept across her cheeks as she tore herself away from the glorious view. “Yes, yes, I do. I tried to give your little darling in the Red Room a wake-up call, but she’s not responding.”
“Did you check if she’s breathing?” James knew she was, but he enjoyed playing this game. “She’s not dead, is she?”
“Dead?” Cheryl gulped, and her eyes widened. “You don’t think—”
With impeccable thought-out timing, Charles entered the office as Cheryl slumped into the chair. “Hey, boss, I just dropped off today’s lines to the girl in the Red Room—” Stopping mid-sentence, the butler rushed to Cheryl’s side. “What’s wrong? You look like you are about to faint.”
Cheryl lifted her terrified eyes to look at Charles. “You were in the Red Room? Is the girl—is she alive?”
“Alive? Of course, she’s alive.” Charles glanced at James before he continued, “Sleeping Beauty swallowed an extra melatonin or two, I think.”
“Melatonin? Why would she do that? She knows she’s filming today, right?”
“It might be my fault. The girl was having difficulty sleeping last night, and I offered her the sleep aid. Except for two pills, the bottle was empty. I assume I accidentally left it there.” Charles scowled and turned to James. “I’m sorry, boss. Do you want me to cancel the shoot?”
James kicked the lounge chair he was standing beside and then turned his back on the duo. “Our production schedule is already behind. How could you have been so stupid, Charles? Maybe I should take the money out of your paycheck or, better yet, fire you for your incompetence.”
Charles wailed, “Fire me? Please, sir, I’m sure we can do something.”
“Of course we can.” Feeling sorry for the butler, Cheryl added, “Can’t we use another actress?”
James spun around, allowing anger to flood his face. “And how do you suppose we make the new actress look like our current beauty? And where do we get someone on such short notice?”
“Lady Marian. She practices the lines as if she was starring in the role.”
“Lady Marian?” James scowled and then turned away in deep thought. “Yes, I’ve heard her, and yesterday, she performed the scene for me. It surprised me by how well she did.” James grimaced. “But she doesn’t look like our girl.”
“How about using a makeup specialist? They can make Lady Marian look exactly like the girl.” Cheryl smiled, pleased with her suggestion.
“I think you might have something there, Cheryl.” James laughed. “Charles, I believe she’s saved your job.”
Charles grabbed Cheryl, lifted her from the chair, and hugged her. “Thank you.”
Flustered by Charles’ reaction, Cheryl stammered, “You—rrr wel—come.”
Charles’ eyes darted toward James. “Maybe we should ask Lady Marian before we get too excited.”
“Oh, she’ll jump at the chance.” Cheryl edged away from Charles in case he might hug her again. “You know how much she loves to act.”
“Great idea, Cheryl. Hurry and ask Marian.” James stared at Charles. “Please shut the door. I want a word with you before you go.”
Cheryl tossed a sympathetic glance at Charles and hurried out of the room, pulling the door behind her.
For a moment, it was eerily silent on the balcony. James looked sternly at Charles, and then the two men bent over, squeezing their sides in uncontrollable laughter.
Gasping for air, James finally spoke. “You should have been in Hollywood, my friend. It was perfect!”
“Thanks.” Beaming with pride, Charles patted his shoulder. “Neither woman will ever realize it was our idea, not theirs. You sure know how to cover your tracks.”
“You sure can act! I almost believed you myself.” James grinned. “It’s fun leading the sheep to the slaughter, isn’t it?” He sighed, adding, “One step toward the grand finale. I haven’t decided on the grand finale yet, but I know it will be spectacular.”
“It’s quite the stage production just to pay back a young woman for her mistake, but—”
James spat his words. “She accepted someone else’s words and confidently wrote them in the newspaper article. I spent eight years in prison because of it. Lack of evidence didn’t matter to the jury. They believed what she wrote.”
“What about all the other crimes, though? Maybe your past swayed the jury more than her article.”
“It doesn’t matter. Miss Shelton needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Hob-nobbing with the FBI and thinking she’s a crime investigator. I intend to see how smart she really is.” James grinned a big toothy smile. “Destroying her as she watches her sister suffer is going to be the crowning jewel.”
“My source tells me she’s been to the morgue. She knows that the body isn’t her sister.”
“Great! I’m sure the tattoo gave it away.” James walked into the office. “How about some coffee before we get to work? It’s going to be quite a busy day.”
*******************
Cheryl stopped to catch her breath after hurrying from the East Wing to the West. She tapped on Marian’s bedroom door and listened for a response. When she heard nothing, she tapped again.
“Lady Marian, are you awake? I have some exciting news for you.”
Not expecting the door to open, it startled Cheryl when it did. She gasped and then popped her head into the room. “Lady Marian?”
“Come in, my pretty.” Cackling, the Wicked Witch of the West jumped at Cheryl. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Cheryl squealed and recoiled away. “Oh, Marian, you scared me.” Cheryl laughed. “How did you do that makeup yourself? You did a wonderful job.”
“Thank you, my dear. I have many talents that remain a secret.” Marian giggled and squeezed Cheryl’s arm. “We can’t tell the men everything, now can we?”
“But—”
“No buts! You and I must stick together. James and Charles act like I am demented, and the thought suits me for now.”
“But Charles hired me because of your stroke. Didn’t James send Charles to care for you because of your dementia? And you were so happy to see James when he returned.”
“All that is true. My husband and I would always role play before he went to war. His fantasy was to have me surprise him with a different leading lady every day. Since his return, he now chooses the role I play and gives me the scripts.” Marian waltzed across the room, swishing her black dress back and forth, and disappeared into another room.
Inside, costumes of every kind lined one wall, and an entire wardrobe of dresses filled the adjacent wall. A professional makeup vanity with lighting and a table stacked with drawers and drawers of makeup and jewelry filled the other wall. Another tall shelving unit stood beside it with cleansers, brushes, capes, every other necessity one would need.
Standing in the doorway, Cheryl gaped in surprise. “Wow, I never knew this room existed. It’s like a dressing room in a film studio.”
“Exactly. My husband built it especially for me. That’s why I was surprised when James sent a woman to do my makeup.”
“That is strange. James was gone for a long time, wasn’t he? Maybe he thought you wouldn’t remember how to do it, or he just wanted to help.”
“Maybe. But now, I think this should be our secret, okay?” Marian flashed her beautiful smile at Cheryl. “I can play their game, and I will make it worth your while if you play along, too. Is it a deal?”
“Of course, it’s a deal. Charles always acts like he’s smarter than me. I would love to outsmart him. What do we do first?”
“I need to remove this wicked green face, and you need to tell me what you were so excited about when you knocked on my door.”
“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot. The girl who was scheduled to film today isn’t well. Charles said he’d left melatonin in her room, and she took too many. Given a chance to star in a film, I can’t imagine what woman would blow it by oversleeping.”
“Interesting. Do you know who this girl is and what room she was sleeping in?”
“It was the first time they allowed me in the East Wing. Charles sent me to the room with the red door to give her a wake-up call, but I couldn’t get her to wake up. I thought she might be dead, so I raced to find James. He didn't get too excited."
“We’ll talk more later, Cheryl, but for now, hurry back to James and tell him I would love to play the part. Ask him what I need to wear.”
“It’s whatever scene you were rehearsing for him last night.”
“A bedroom scene. I believe I am to murder my lover.” Marian stared into the mirror. “We’ll let the director be in charge, and he can tell me about the scene, okay? Can you do this?”
“Oh yes, Lady Marian. It sounds like a wonderful game. Do you need my help before I go find the director, I mean, James?”
“No, I can remove the makeup by myself. You find James, so we will let our cat-and-mouse game begin.”
“We’ll show them.” Cheryl laughed and left the room.
Marian checked to make sure the door was closed and moved to her bed. Reaching under her mattress, she retrieved a cell phone and placed a call. When a man answered, she spoke low, “The game has begun,” and then returned the phone to its original resting place.
 Recognized |
Characters:
Vito Moretti - a black-hearted ex-con with vengeance in his blood
Charles (Charlie) Dubois - a childhood friend who enjoys living luxuriously
Marian Carrington - a star in her own mind and suffers from dementia
Henry and Tina Pagani - an elderly couple living on St. Simon Island
Cheryl - Personal maid to Lady Marian
Angel Bearrows - a wanna-be actress in the wrong place at the wrong time
Alyssa Shelton (Allie)- Investigative Journalist and unofficial FBI Agent
Jasmine Shelton (Jaz) - wanna-be-movie star and living on the edge of life
Garth Woodman - FBI Agent and Allie's love interest
Hank and Emmy Armato - retired detectives and current Private Investigators
Sheriff Ortiz - Hayden - Napa Valley Police Department
Sheriff Welcher - Savannah, Georgia Police Department
Tango and Poppa - FBI agents who work closely with Garth
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Vito Moretti - a black-hearted ex-con with vengeance in his blood
Charles (Charlie) Dubois - a childhood friend who enjoys living luxuriously
Marian Carrington - a star in her own mind and suffers from dementia
Henry and Tina Pagani - an elderly couple living on St. Simon Island
Cheryl - Personal maid to Lady Marian
Angel Bearrows - a wanna-be actress in the wrong place at the wrong time
Alyssa Shelton (Allie)- Investigative Journalist and unofficial FBI Agent
Jasmine Shelton (Jaz) - wanna-be-movie star and living on the edge of life
Garth Woodman - FBI Agent and Allie's love interest
Hank and Emmy Armato - retired detectives and current Private Investigators
Sheriff Ortiz - Hayden - Napa Valley Police Department
Sheriff Welcher - Savannah, Georgia Police Department
Tango and Poppa - FBI agents who work closely with Garth
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