Page 37 of Jason
“I know what live tweets are.I mean, why are you saying that?”
“Because they will, and they will tweet things that are not the most complimentary things.It’s a game to them—they are looking for a “gotcha.”Remember during the final episodes ofGame of Throneshow all the online talk was about the misplaced coffee cups and water bottles?”
Jason nodded.
“My point is, why give viewers an opportunity to take others out of the story with that sort of thing if we don’t have to?”
He glanced at her, then looked straight ahead.“Interesting,” he said as they pulled into the quarry parking lot.
“What is this place?”Mallory asked.
“And old abandoned quarry.It sits empty now, collecting graffiti and beer bottles.Cass has the idea that we can use this as the place where the killer keeps his victims.”They got out of the car and walked to the edge of the quarry.“What do you think?”Jason asked her.
Mallory looked into the hole.It wasn’t particularly deep.“I think, are you kidding?”
“The idea is that they can’t get out, and what is more terrifying than to be stuck in a giant hole?”
Cass was crazy, that’s what Mallory thought.She looked down to where rainwater had collected at the bottom.This looked like a shooting nightmare, and frankly, the quarry itself didn’t look like it was inescapable.She looked around for a way into the pit.“What are the alternatives to this?”
“An old warehouse on the other side of King Harbor.”
Which was probably perfect, but of course Cass was going to go for either the laziest or most impossible shot.She walked around the edge of the quarry to where a small chasm ran up to the edge of the pit.There was an earthen ledge below.She crouched down, then hopped into it.
“Hey!”Jason shouted.A moment later, his head appeared above her.“You’re not exactly dressed for spelunking.”
“You know what is wrong with this location?It would require some manipulation to make it look really inescapable.And there is the problem of how the killer would get his victims out.I mean, presumably he’s not going to give them a ladder because they would take it and escape.Did you and Cass talk about that?”
Jason crouched down.“Rope.”
“And the killer is going to haul them up like sacks of flower.”She looked around.“I don’t know, Jason.Look at it.There are too many places someone desperate to escape could get a hand-hold.”She turned back and hiked up onto a rock that protruded from the side.Jason grabbed her hand and hauled her out, and she landed on a patch of earth right before him.
His gaze was on her mouth, and it had the effect of stirring her blood.“We could cover it with scenery.”
They were standing so close, their bodies were almost touching.“We could.But let’s go look at the warehouse.”
“Already scouted,” he said, and his gaze moved lower, to the vee or her blouse.
“Humor me.”
He slowly lifted his gaze.“Cass likes the pit, Mallory.He’s the director.”
“Does that mean you won’t even entertain any other ideas?”
He shifted closer.She lifted her chin.She wondered if he would kiss her, or if he would realize they were in the middle of a workday.“Of course I will.But I may not agree with the other ideas I hear.”
She smiled.“I just ask that you listen.”She stepped away from all that heat and possibility.“Can we go see that warehouse?”She started toward the car.
Jason caught up to her just as she reached the door of the Range Rover and opened it for her.But he didn’t move out of the way so she could get in.“I will show you the warehouse,” he said.“But on one condition.”
“Okay.What is it?”
He touched the back of his hand to her cheek.“You call the head writer on the way and let him know we need to cut the scene where the girl runs through the forest at night in episode eight.”
“What?Why?” Mallory protested.“That’s the best scene of this whole series!”
“Because we’ve got to cut seven minutes in that episode, and that’s the easiest place to cut.”
“Let me guess,” Mallory said.“Cass?He hates night shoots.He tells everyone who will listen how much he hates night shoots.”
