Life Of Lies

“Why would she eat my lunch? Maybe she thought I’d never miss it. Who cares—she’s dead, Lucy! But if she was poisoned by my food, then... Oh my God! She died because someone tried to kill me! Why? Why?” Sahara cried, and then burst into tears.

Lucy ran to comfort her as the sound of sirens filled the air. By the time the police cars were on the lot and heading for Sahara’s trailer, most of the crew was already there.

Tom Mahan, the director, was in a panic, thinking something had happened to the star of his movie. He was relieved to see Sahara sitting at the table in tears, but that ended abruptly when he saw the body.

“Oh my God! Moira! What happened?”

“We don’t know. She was here to take measurements, and it looks like she ate some of Sahara’s catered meal and...died. Sahara thinks Moira was poisoned,” Lucy said.

“I don’t think it, I know it,” Sahara insisted. “Remember the movie I did with Rhett Coulter? The stalker used cyanide on Rhett’s character to get rid of him so he could get to me. It was the medical examiner who smelled bitter almonds and said he’d been poisoned.”

“Yes, I remember!” Tom said. “Wow, good call, Sahara.”

She looked up at him in disbelief. “Can we please not celebrate my memory right now? Moira is dead.”

“Right! Sorry!” he said, and darted out of the trailer. Moments later he was back with a half-dozen uniformed officers from the Hollywood division of the LAPD, followed by a couple of detectives from Homicide who began issuing orders. To the director’s dismay, shooting would have to be stopped and everyone would be on lockdown until statements were taken.

A couple of officers were unrolling crime scene tape around the trailer as everyone was sent back to the set. An interview site was set up near craft services by commandeering one of the long serving tables to use as a desk.

Because she found the body, Sahara was called up first. The video camera was on and once again she was being filmed, but this time she wasn’t going to have to fake emotions. She was sick to her stomach and scared to death.

The detective doing the interview sat down on the other side of the table and introduced himself.

“Miss Travis, I’m Detective Colin Shaw from the Homicide division. We’re going to be filming all of the interviews for our records.” He gestured toward the video camera set up on a tripod nearby. “I need you to tell me in your own words what happened, beginning with where you were the hour prior to the discovery of Moira Patrick’s body.”

Sahara was suddenly aware of how naked she was beneath the dressing gown and pulled it tighter around her neck.

“We were on set. The crew, the director, Bobby, the actor in the scene with me. We were all there filming a rather difficult scene. It was our third take, so I’d guess we’d been there at least an hour and a half? Then Tom called a lunch break. I was going to my trailer and met my assistant, Lucy, on the way. We found Moira Patrick’s body inside.”

“Why was Moira in your trailer?”

“She’s part of...was part of wardrobe, and I was told that the director wanted some changes made for tomorrow’s scenes. She was sent to my trailer to get measurements,” Sahara said.

“What did you do then?” Shaw asked.

Sahara started to shake as she described beginning CPR, then seeing the food lodged in Moira’s throat and smelling the scent of bitter almonds.

“How did you know about that scent being linked to cyanide poisoning? Most people don’t know that.”

She told him what she’d already explained to Tom and Lucy about her previous movie role, then tears began to spill.

“She ate food meant for me. I was the intended victim.”

Shaw frowned. “Who would want you dead?”

Sahara grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and wiped her eyes.

“I don’t know. Lots of people. You would have to ask my manager, Harold Warner. He keeps track of all my hate mail.”

Shaw shook his head. Considering this was Hollywood, hate mail was as common in their business as spam in email.

“Is there anything in particular you’ve received recently that gave you cause for concern?”

“Nothing that I know of. Harold doesn’t usually show me any of it. Why would I want to see those angry letters?”

“Okay, what about your lunch? Where does your food come from?” Shaw asked.

“I don’t know the name of the company. Lucy, my personal assistant, might know. She usually picks it up for me and brings it straight to my trailer to put in the refrigerator. Nothing stays fresh in this heat.”

“How do you get on with Lucy? Would she have any reason to want you dead?”

“Lucy? No, absolutely not. We get along fine. She’s been with me for almost a year, and I pay her very well. I can’t imagine a reason why she’d want to end a monthly income.”

Shaw continued with the questions he’d prepared, making sure he’d covered every detail with Sahara before finishing.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Shaw said once he’d gotten all the information he could.

Sahara was pale and trembling.

“Am I allowed to leave the set now?”

“Yes, ma’am. Where did you intend to go?”

“Home. I just want to go home. I don’t suppose my assistant is allowed to leave with me?”

“Not yet. We’ll need to question everyone before they can head out. I can have an officer take you home, though.”

She nodded. “Yes, please. Can I go back to my trailer to change clothes and get my purse?”

“I’m sorry, but no. Right now, everything in that trailer is part of the crime scene.”

“Lord have mercy,” Sahara muttered. “Then I guess I’ll clean up in wardrobe and borrow some clothes to wear home.”

“The officer will be waiting out front.”

“Am I still in danger?”

“Until we get confirmation from the lab that your food was actually poisoned, I can’t say.”

Sahara shoved a shaky hand through the tangles in her hair.

“Great. Hopefully I won’t have to die before someone makes up their mind.”

* * *

Harold Warner was a Mel Gibson look-alike and a Hollywood veteran. He’d started out as an actor but quickly tired of the casting calls and went to work on the other side of the business as an agent, then later moved to personal management.

He was just about to pull into valet parking for lunch with a friend when his cell phone rang. Still focused on getting into the proper turn lane, he hit the hands-free button to answer in his usual abrupt and impatient manner.