Page 37 of Romance Is Dead

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.”

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