Page 80 of Romance Is Dead

I muffled a grin. I could almost guarantee Teddy had not, in fact, noticed how quiet the balls were.

“The secret was using racquetballs—they’re soft and don’t clack around. Then we just had to paint ’em and apply a layer of gloss, and you can’t notice the difference until you pick them up.”

“That’s amazing! I never would have thought of that.”

I listened to them talk, amused and more than happy to let Teddy take the lead. He’d known just the right way to get Scott to open up, and had even coaxed an honest-to-God giggle out of him when he’d complimented his skills at mixing fake blood.

“. . . just going to be a shame if it’s all for nothing.” Scott’s face clouded. “Everyone’s too busy keeping secrets instead of making sure the production doesn’t get shut down.”

My ears perked up. “Who’s keeping secrets?”

“Everyone! Natasha’s lying about the studio reps.” He gestured to Teddy and me. “You two are sneaking around. Trevor knew something about Audrey, some big secret, but I don’t know what.”

Teddy and I locked eyes.

“What’s going on with the studio?” I pressed.

“Hell if I know. But I don’t think the visit is going well, despite what Natasha is saying.” He took a long draw of his drink. “I think they’re considering pulling the plug.”

Alarm flared through my body. They couldn’t cancel it—I wouldn’t get paid. And I hadn’t decided where I’d be living once I moved off Mara’s couch, let alone what my backup plan for employment would be. I couldn’t be broke on top of that.

“Why would they want to cancel the film?” Teddy asked.

“I don’t know, but I hope for Natasha’s sake they make a decision soon. The stress is bound to kill her. I thought she was having a stroke that first night, even before you two found Trevor.”

“You saw her that night? I thought you were driving around looking for a new lamp?”

“Exactly. I didn’t get back here until after midnight. She was at the bar, raving about how bad the day went. A member of the crew said she was here all night.”

The implication hit my body like a shock wave. If Natasha had spent the whole evening at the bar, that meant she’d been nowhere near the crime scene. We could cross her off our list. She wasn’t the killer.

“You said Trevor knew something about Audrey?” Teddy pressed, draining his glass.

“You two need to mind your own business.” But even though Scott side-eyed us, I could tell he was secretly pleased. “I don’t know what the big secret was. I just heard her on the phone, something about Trevor being onto her.”

Another secretive phone call.

“Did she say anything else?” Teddy hiccupped. “On the phone.”

“No.” Scott drained his glass and stretched his arms over his head. “And I need to go to bed. I’m too old for this.”

“One more?” Teddy teased.

“Hell no. If I feel like shit tomorrow, I’m coming after both of you.” He got up and placed a tip on the bar top, wavering slightly.

“He’s definitely going to feel awful when he wakes up,” I said as he disappeared into the lobby. “Did he really need the third one?”

Teddy shrugged as he reached for the bill. “I’ll make sure to bring ibuprofen for him.”

“And maybe some Gatorade.”

Teddy signed the bill and pushed it back toward the bartender. “At least we learned something. Worth it.”

Yes, we had. Just not enough. I was willing to bet that Trevor had also figured out that Audrey wasn’t being truthful about her identity.

Who was she? And was she willing to kill, to keep it a secret?

Chapter Twenty-six

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