Page 126 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

The clip ends there.

“Blackmail videos.” Daniel squints at the papers in his hands. “And blackmail notes.”

I glance at the locker, where the wireless camera is sitting. “Anton must have stolen one of the on-set cameras and placed it strategicallyto get blackmail footage.”

We click on another video. In this one, there’s another camera shot of the floor, but the voices are unmistakable.

“No, not those. They have to be madeleines,” Peter Dixon says, sounding irritated.

“And how am I supposed to get madeleines in the middle of a storm?” Anton demands.

“Bake them if you have to. She needs to think that her stalker is here and he’s found her again. If that doesn’t convince her to quit, I don’t know what will.”

“Ohmygod.” I turn to Daniel. “Peter Dixon wasn’t trying to make up with Dawn. He was trying to scare her.”

I click on yet another video. This one is partially obscured by a spider plant. Bryan walks into frame, talking to Freya.

“—Peter said to hide them,” Bryan says. “Anton says she’s on a walk right now, so just go into Brittany’s room when she’s not there and take her meds. It’s not that hard.”

“Are you sure this is legal?” Freya asks.

Bryan snorts. “Of course it’s not legal, but Peter wants us to do it. Are you going to tell him no? Besides, we’ll give them back. It’s just for the week. She’s not going to die. Look, if you don’t want to do it, I’ll send Anton.”

I can’t stop watching. I click on the most recent video, and a clip opens of an overhead view of Peter and Anton at the back of the villa.

“—a stubborn old bitch, I’ll give her that,” Peter is saying quietly. “But she’s still got to go. I don’t care what we have to do.”

“What if we can’t scare her off?” Anton asks.

“If she doesn’t back down by the finale, then we’ll have another fireworks accident on set. A fatal one.” Peter Dixon chuckles. “And since you did such a good job with the fireworks last time, I’ll leave it to you.”

“What?” Anton looks around. “Jesus, you can’t be serious. I’m not committingmurder.I am not being paid enough to do that.”

“The time for backing out was a long time ago.”

“Hey. I’ve done enough of your dirty work that I could make things very difficult for you, if I had to,” Anton says. “I don’t want to, of course. I just want a little extra cash. Come on, you’ve got money to burn. I’m tired of living in a two-bedroom apartment with three roommates. After everything I’ve done for you, I should be renting beachfront in Malibu.”

“I’ve sunk everything I have into this show. And I didn’t get where I am by letting idiots like you blackmail me,” Peter Dixon snaps. Then his voice takes on a more menacing tone. “You’d better drop this line of thinking if you know what’s good for you.”

“Look, I’m just saying that this is escalating way beyond anything you’ve told me to do before. It’s impossible,” Anton says.

“All you have to do is make sure the fireworks are in place by the time Dawn Taylor announces the season winner, and Bryan will make sure it goes kaboom, got it?” Peter says. “If we pull this off, the ratings will be off the charts, and maybe there’ll be something extra in it for you. Are you with me?”

“Sure, fine,” Anton says. He cuts a look at the camera, and this time, Peter Dixon follows his gaze. But Peter Dixon doesn’t show any sign that he’s noticed something’s amiss. He’s smiling the same affable smile I’ve seen him wear when dealing with Dawn Taylor.

He slaps Anton’s shoulder. “Come on. Play your cards right, and we’ll have anexplosivefinale.”

I hit pause. Daniel and I exchange a look.

And then we run.

RAW FOOTAGE: “DAWN TAY’S INFERNO: LOVE IS HELL,” SEASON 1, FINALE (UNEDITED)

[Footage: Dawn Taylor and contestants Chase and Alice are at the volcano’s edge.]

DAWN TAYLOR:The first person to throw their partner into the volcano wins…and gets one million dollars!

CHASE DE LANCEY:Alice, I love you. I really screwed up with you, and I told myself that I’d make it up to you someday. It looks like that day has come. The money’s all yours, babe.

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