Page 45 of The Timeless Vigilante

“Doesn’t this feel like someone’s home to you?” Rudolf asked, holding out his hands.

Sherlock drew in a breath. “I don’t operate based on feelings.”

“Well, what about the fact that up there in those rafters, there’s a cot, blankets and a pillow?” Rudolf pointed up to the ceiling where there indeed looked to be a makeshift bed.

Sherlock narrowed his eyes, combing his fingers over his chin. “That’s very interesting. Good find, King Rudolf.”

He bowed. “Thank you. I believe I’ve earned myself another drink.” Rudolf pulled the flask out of his pocket and opened it, taking a swig.

“Let’s go and question the cast and crew.” Sherlock led them off toward two men standing by a strange piece of black equipment with lenses and lots of knobs and buttons.

They turned at the sight of the unlikely group, giving them quizzical glares.

“I’m the investigator for these string of murders,” Sherlock said, a commanding tone to his voice. “Which one of you is the director for Sunset Cove?”

“That would be me,” a short man with dark hair said. “I’ve told the police everything I know. I’m not sure what else you want me to tell you. This set is simply cursed. Everyone knows it. There’s sufficient evidence to prove that.”

“And what evidence is that?” Rudolf asked.

“Well, the murders for starters,” the director answered. “Then before each one, the actor is erased from the footage that we recorded the day of.”

Sherlock gave the director a scrutinizing expression, seeming to see through him. “Why did the original director leave and end his life?”

“Oh, because he and the actress who plays our main character, Alexus, were in a relationship,” the director answered. “But he found love letters from her costar, the romantic lead, in her trash.”

“So he quit and killed himself?” Gen asked. “That seems a bit extreme.”

“It was the curse,” the other man next to the director said.

“And you are?” Rudolf asked him.

“I’m the camera guy,” he replied.

“The old director was the one who cursed the show, though,” Sherlock stated.

The camera man shook his head. “This show has been cursed since the beginning. Every director always loses his mind, going crazy.”

“Doesn’t that worry you?” Rudolf asked, looking at the director.

“Yes, of course,” the man replied, honestly. “But this show is a blockbuster and I would have been a fool not to take the job.”

“What were you doing before this?” Sherlock questioned.

The man frowned. “Well, I was the assistant director.”

“For all the other directors who went crazy?” Rudolfus asked, suspicion in his tone.

“Well, yeah…” the director answered, diverting his eyes to the side.

Sherlock gave his assistant a pointed look before glancing back at the director. “Why do you think they lost their minds?”

“It’s a stressful job,” the man answered. “There’s a lot of pressure to get it right. Like I said, this is a money maker show.”

“And you said that when the three actors had been murdered, that right before, footage from the day’s shooting disappears?” Rudolf asked, taking a drink from his flask. He pointed at the camera guy. “Wouldn’t that be your territory?”

“Well, yeah,” the guy replied. “But how do you think I feel? I lock it up in the vault at night and then show up the next day and find out that it’s missing a character. That’s a whole day of shooting. Then we get the news that the actor is dead. It’s very jarring. I’m telling you that this place is cursed.”

“And who has access to this vault?” Gen asked, the wheels in her brain starting to spin fast.

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