Page 27 of Beyond the Darkness
“I understood that anything relevant to the investigation was important,” Hudson said.
“I’m not sure a twenty-year-old B-movie qualifies on that front.”Coppola stood in the centre of the kitchen, taking it in with an owl-like one-eighty-degree turn of his head.“How come you’re here?I thought you were staying in the city.”
“I am, but I’ve been a prisoner in my apartment.Luke invited me over to clear my head.”
The detective eyes swivelled back to Luke.“Did he now?And why is that?”
“What has that got to do with anything?”Luke asked.
Coppola shrugged.“I know what reporters are like.How far you’re prepared to go for the sake of a story.”
“I could say the same thing about cops,” Luke shot back.“Or, in the case of Blyham police, how little they’re prepared to do to reach an easy conclusion.”
Hudson was shocked at how quickly the atmosphere had soured.“Do you want my statement or not?”
After a long beat, the detective nodded and pulled out a seat at the table.
“I’m going to shower and change,” Luke said.“I’ll leave you to it.”
He had barely left the room when Coppola asked, “How well do you know him?”
“As well as anyone around here.We met through work.”
His face was blank as he took out a pad of proforma sheets.“And he knew Julian King too?”
“Of course he did.He knows everyone involved in the play.”Hudson topped up his vodka and sat down.“Do you two know each other?You and Luke?I’m sensing an atmosphere.”
“I don’t have a lot of time for journalists.But yes, I know him.Now, what’s this all about?”
Coppola refused to confirm or deny what Luke had told him about the way Julian’s body had been placed in the alley, but his brow furrowed with interest when Hudson used Luke’s iPad to pull up a series of still images from the film, namely his death scene.Hudson went further and found a clip of the movie on YouTube.He passed the screen to DS Coppola.He had no interest in watching it ever again, as his character, dressed in nothing but skimpy white underwear, was stalked and murdered by the killer in a creepy baby mask.
“Actually, I have seen this film,” Coppola said, sounding surprised before hitting replay on the clip.“God, I’d forgotten all about it.That mask scared the shit out of me.I had nightmares about it afterwards.”
Hudson grimaced.Baby Face, as the killer had since been labelled by horror movie fans, was truly a fucked-up sight.The actor behind the mask, Steven Stone, was a pure sweetheart.Apart from some serious behind-the-scenes tensions with the director, the shoot had been unremarkable.Hudson had only been on set for three of the five weeks of production.It was everything that had happened afterwards, and how it had tainted his career, that left a sour taste.The Baby Face mask had become a staple of Halloween, and Hudson avoided social media even more than normal throughout October as his timeline became polluted with images of the movie killer.
When the clip finished a second time, Coppola put down the tablet.
“So, someone has been sending you mail relating to the movie?”
He nodded.“There’s one guy in particular who is obsessed with the film.Robbie Wiseman.When I was previously over here, I had to take out a Stalking Prevention Order against him when his behaviour got out of hand.He used to send me letters and images related to the film all the time.”
“And you think he’s at it again?”
“It seems likely.I can’t imagine there are too many people who are hung up on that old piece of shit.”
“And you think it might be connected to Julian’s death?”
“I have no idea.But from what Luke has told me about the way Julian’s body was staged, it sounds like a huge coincidence.”
Coppola tutted.“Your friend has a big mouth.”
“You haven’t denied that what he’s told me is true, though.”
Coppola ignored the remark.“Where is this fella Robbie Wiseman now?”
“Again, I have no idea.”
“Did Julian receive any of these weird letters?”
