Cutting Room

by T. S. Worthington

  They were almost to Jay’s room and could plainly make out what was being said. Max held his breath as he tried to listen.

  “You bastards are going to pay! You think you can just take what doesn’t belong to you and get away with it scot free? Is that it?” Emily growled.

  “No. I didn’t mean to… I was going to help Henry. When he died I just thought that the world should see his vision. That’s all,” Jay said, his voice whimpering and cracking over the loud sobs.

  Max’s heart broke in half just then. He wanted to help his friend so badly. When would it be enough?

  “Save it! Your time has come. I’ve had fun torturing you both, but now I’m bored and I want to go home. It is time to face your final punishment like a man.”

  Gellar moved right then around the corner into the room, her gun held high.

  “Freeze!” Gellar yelled.

  Max walked in behind her at a safe distance. He could see the whole scene right then.

  Emily was standing over Jay with a huge knife in her hands. Jay was already bleeding from the nose and a gash on his forehead. Max could see that Emily was wearing heavy, steel toed work boots with some blood stains on the front of them so he was able to put two and two together.

  Jay was handcuffed to his bed, which had been moved over away from the corner so that Emily could work on him. Max imagined that Jay had been sleeping and Emily handcuffed him and started to beat him down and terrorize him. They had arrived just in time. She was ready to end his life right then. That thought was terrifying on so many levels and Max just could not believe how close they’d come. Gellar was right on the money with it, but she just as easily could have been a little bit off and it would have been a different story. His friend could have been dead.

  “Oh, isn’t this nice?” Emily snarled.

  “Drop the knife and step away from him,” Gellar said. Her tone was loud and commanding.

  Emily smiled that cold, evil smile of hers. “Congratulations. You figured me out. You think you are so clever?”

  “We were clever enough to outsmart you,” Max said.

  Emily looked like she’d been slapped. She apparently had not expected that kind of quip from him. That just showed how much she didn’t really know him.

  “Funny guy. And a thief.”

  “I didn’t even know that Jay took that script. I never heard of Henry until a few days ago,” Max said.

  “Well, isn’t that convenient. Do you think I’d believe anything you say?” Emily asked.

  “It doesn’t matter; put down the knife and step away. This is your last warning. I will shoot!” Gellar said.

  Emily didn’t move. She stood there with that same wicked smiled, holding the knife close to Jay’s face while he quivered and sobbed.

  “Do you even care what they’ve done? Henry was my soulmate. He was everything to me and they piss on his legacy like this!”

  “It isn’t their fault that Henry died,” Gellar said.

  “It might not be their fault he died, but it is their fault that he can’t rest. He comes to me at night screaming at me to take revenge on them. He can’t rest. They’ve stolen his work and become famous off his sweat and blood. That is an outrage and I won’t let it continue!”

  “You are deranged. Henry is dead. He can’t visit you. He can’t think or feel anything.”

  “NO! Don’t say another word!” Emily screamed. She was losing her mind completely and coming unhinged. It was truly frightening to see.

  “Look what you’ve done. You have killed innocent people. Jay is the one who stole the script and he told no one about it. You have been terrorizing and murdering people for no reason. What they did was wrong, but they want to make it right,” Gellar said.

  “Yes, we do,” Max offered. “We want to recut the credits to say written by Henry Moran. We want the world to know what he did and that this film is his story.”

  Emily seem to be conflicted right then. What they were saying might have been making an impact in her disordered mind. Max could see the gears turning inside as she tried to make up her mind on what to do. He glanced down at Jay who was still whimpering at her feet. He looked so helpless and petrified. This was not right what was happening in any universe. That damn girl should have been shot and put out of her misery. Max wished he had a gun in his hand.

  “It won’t be enough. It’s too late. I’m going to finish what I started,” Emily said.

  “Why did you want to torture us? Why did you kill my friends instead of just coming at us directly from the start?” Max asked. The question had been burning in his brain for days. What was it?

  Emily smiled. “Because this way was more fun. You took something from Henry, so I started by taking something valuable from you. And I was hoping you would get the message and realize what you’d done and why you were being punished. Of course I didn’t know that it was all Jay’s doing and the rest of you didn’t know about it.”

  “Would that have made a difference to you?” Max asked.

  “Not really. Henry wanted all of you to suffer. Most of the planning was his. He would whisper in my ears when I dreamt. It all started after I saw that Facebook post of one of his friends about the film festival and the fact that some local West Virginia filmmakers were going to be making a big splash at the festival. The more I read about the film the more I realized that the plot was the same as Henry’s masterpiece.”

  “I thought you said he was too shy to let anyone read his stuff?” Max asked.

  “Oh, he was. But I eventually wore him down and he relented. He emailed me a copy and I couldn’t put it down. I urged him to turn it in for his class and share it with the world. But he never got that chance.”

  “Well, whose fault is that?” Max retorted.

  “What? What happened to Henry was not my fault!” Emily said.

  “Sure it was. You bailed on him when you were supposed to meet. You left him hanging and then decided to take a nap when you knew what a fragile state he was in. What happened to him is directly your fault!” Max shouted.

  “Hey, knock it off!” Gellar said.

  Max was enjoying getting this bitch riled up. She wanted to point the finger and blame them for using a dead man’s movie script. What the hell? She was the one who killed him.

  “I will kill him!” Emily yelled.

  “You keep saying that, but I don’t think you have the guts anymore. You know that everything you’ve done is wrong and stupid. It isn’t helping Henry or anyone else. He is dead and it is all your damn fault. You went on this stupid spree all because you feel guilty over what you’ve done. Now you are going to jail for the rest of your miserable life.”

  “You are so wrong. I’m going to kill all of you!” Emily said. She raised the knife higher.

  “Drop the knife or I will fire!” Gellar yelled.

  “Fuck you!” Emily shouted. “I will make you all pay so dearly for this. My Henry will be avenged. You think you can lock me away in some damn metal box? Bullshit! It won’t happen.”

  “This is your last warning! You will drop the knife or I will shoot to kill you. Do you understand?” Gellar said.

  Emily lowered the knife slowly just then, her eyes steady on Gellar. Max could tell that she was trying to test Gellar and see how serious she really was here. She had lowered the knife but she was still clutching it in her hand tightly.

  Max could see that neither his nor Gellar’s eyes left that knife as Emily stood there watching them. He had never seen someone so confused and full of absolute rage before. It was like watching someone possessed by a demonic force. It was easy to see how some of these superstitions had got started in the past. There were people this crazy in the world and they were walking amongst us. That was the scariest thing that he could ever think of.

  “Thought you were going to shoot me?” Emily asked. “You try to play big time cop, but you are small potatoes girly. You dress up in your fancy suit and thin
k that you are the female Sherlock Holmes or something. Please. I know your type. You grew up some pour inbred country girl who has done everything in her power her whole life to try to be seen as something better, but it hasn’t amounted to a row of shit. You are a waste.”

  “That would be you. You have wrecked your life over a guy you never even met in real life and then set about killing people you didn’t know to avenge him over something as silly as a story.”

  “I don’t expect you to even begin to understand someone like me. I’m way out of your depth girl,” Emily spouted.

  Max was somewhat amused and shocked by the way that Emily was speaking to Gellar. He was surprised that she had not shot the wacko, but she was poised and ready. All Emily had to do was make that wrong move. He had entered the house wanting nothing more than this woman dead, but the more he listened to her and her psychoses in full swing the sorrier he felt for her. He would never be someone without compassion in his heart. This girl was sick. She was crazy as crazy could be and she needed help. She needed to be put away somewhere where she could never hurt anyone else.

  “Keep talking. I’ve heard enough though. You can talk to the padded cell downtown until your heart’s content. You have to the count of three to drop the weapon and put your hands on the top of your head, your fingers laced interlocking. One,” Gellar said.

  Max waited with baited breath. What was going to happen now?

  “Have you ever shot anyone? Have you ever really taken that leap to take a life? It isn’t as easy for most as you might think. It requires guts that you’ve only read about. I’ve done it and I enjoyed it. You think you can be like me?”

  “I’m ten times better than you will ever be,” Gellar replied. “Two.”

  “Drop the damn weapon unless you want to die. Do you really want this?” Max pleaded.

  “It doesn’t matter what I want anymore. I’m never getting out of this; not now. I slipped up somewhere and now I’ll pay for it. But I’m not going away without a fight. You will have to kill me bitch. I’m not going to some damn cell to be punished for something that I was justified in doing. There is no crime in justification.”

  “Drop the knife!” Gellar shouted.

  “Drop this!” Emily yelled as she raised the knife and leapt forward.

  Gellar opened fire, pelting Emily in the chest at point blank range with six shots, sending her body spiraling backwards against the corner where her dead and bloody body came to rest right beside Jay who was trying desperately to get away from it. His hands were still stuck to the bed with the handcuffs.

  “Ahh! Help! Get her away!” Jay yelled loudly.

  The noise of the gun firing in the room bounced off the walls and elicited a loud ringing in Max’s ears. He felt the whole world spinning around him as he felt dizziness taking hold. He was in trouble. He knew it. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but it was bad.

  It was the combination of so much pain and so much turmoil happening in his life all at once. He was still weak from being poisoned the day before and then the realization that his best friend was about to die to now seeing this deranged woman who had just tried to kill them all coming at them and being blown away just a few feet from him.

  The sound of the gun ringing in his ears and bouncing off the walls like some sort of demented Bugs Bunny cartoon was just the final straw. He felt his legs buckle moments before his body began to go down to the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his best friend Jay hanging on by the handcuffs with a shocked expression on his face as he tried to get away from the bloody corpse that was lying right beside him.

  The last thing that Max remembered was seeing Gellar reaching for him trying to stop his fall.

  And the darkness was finally peaceful.

  Chapter 11

  “Encore”

  “That sounds great Rick!” Max said as he grabbed another beer from the bucket and twisted off the top. He let the cap fall back down in the bucket and leaned back placing his phone on his chest.

  He, Jay, and Gellar were sitting around talking to Rick Goran on the phone. Rick was telling them that their film had done so well at the West Virginia Film Festival that other festivals were interested and they had just received word that it was going to the Cannes Film Festival.

  “So, congratulations guys. You’ve earned it. I have a feeling this movie is going to be huge.”

  “Wow, that is great news. We are both ecstatic!” Max said.

  “Hell yea we are!” Jay let out as he hopped out of his chair and started doing a miniature victory dance in the middle of the floor.

  Gellar looked at Max with wide eyes and then burst out into laughter. It was such a rare day to see her just hanging out as a friend without all of the shackles of the job hanging over her.

  “Well, I’ll give you an update on scheduling and so forth,” Rick said.

  Max and Jay thanked him again and hung up.

  “Yes! Yes!” Jay said as he slapped Max several high fives. Max pulled his hand away stinging. He wrapped it around the cold bottle of his beer and felt the sting begin to disappear. Jay did not know his own strength when he got really excited.

  “That’s amazing guys. Congrats!” Gellar said as she held up her own beer and they toasted to each other.

  “It’s a dream come true. Cannes? That one of the biggies. Wow. I just can’t believe it,” Max said.

  “Well, you got to know that sometimes dreams come true, buddy,” Jay said.

  “I guess you are right,” Max said. “I’m glad we made the change in the credits. Especially, now.”

  Jay rolled his eyes. “I still think that was a waste of time. It makes us look less cool,” Jay said.

  “Yea, but it was the right thing to do.”

  “I just hope that sister of his doesn’t sue,” Jay said.

  “I spoke with her and explained the situation. She agreed that her brother would have wanted us to make his movie as long as he was given credit for his own work. Henry sounds like a good guy,” Max said.

  “Yea, he was. But how did he get mixed up with a crazy bitch like that?”

  “Maybe she wasn’t always so crazy. Love can make you do some messed up shit,” Max said.

  Jay looked at Gellar. “Would you talk some sense into your boyfriend, here?”

  Max looked at Gellar who smiled back at him. They had officially been a couple for a month and things were going great. It was hard to believe that it had been a month since all of that crazy stuff had happened. A month since Emily Holden was killed. That was crazy.

  Max knew that the events of that night were going to haunt him forever. He had actually been working on a script about it, but he had not told Jay much about it. He didn’t want Jay to get the wrong idea and reject it outright because he thought it might be sappy. He wanted to hand Jay a completed script to critique first. That was much more likely to get a green light.

  He was about halfway done with it and he’d shown it to Gellar. She was impressed with it and urged him to definitely continue. That was all the encouragement that he needed. There was something so amazing about their relationship that he just did not know how to describe it, even to himself. He didn’t know if it was too early to call it love, or if it might be totally acceptable to call it love after what they’d been through. It was something that was going to haunt him forever, he’d accepted that, but he was determined not to let it affect him and the way he lived his life. It was just another challenge that he had to get through.

  “This is between you all,” Gellar said as she swigged on her beer.

  “Oh, great. We need a mediator and if you don’t want the job then I don’t know what we are going to do,” Jay joked.

  “If that crazy bitch could see us now,” Jay said.

  “What? What if she could see us now?”

  “What? You telling me it wouldn’t be sweet to rub it in her face?”

  “I don’t think it would become us to
gloat and to rub it in her face. I think that is petty and childish.”

  Jay looked at him as if he’d just been tea bagged.

  “Are you out of your mind? You think that woman was justified in what she did?”

  “Of course not, but her motivation was somewhat pure at heart. She loved Henry and her grief caused her to tap into a mental illness that had been latent or undiagnosed and it blew it wide open.”

  “Man, are you reading those voodoo psychology books again?” Jay asked.

  “Maybe,” Max joked.

  “Well, that’s messed up,” Jay said.

  Gellar’s phone buzzed right then. She looked at it and rolled her eyes as she answered the vibrating ring.

  “Gellar.”

  Max watched as she finished up the short phone call and looked at him with that all too familiar look. “There’s been a domestic violence murder,” Gellar said. “I have to go. They are shorthanded with officers this weekend and they asked me if I’d do some back up.”

  “That sucks,” Max said.

  “That is the price for being a detective in West Virginia. There are never enough beat cops to cover it all.”

  Max kissed her goodbye and watched her ass as she walked out the door. He could never get enough of staring at that ass. It was perfect.

  It was just as well. Max wanted to go home and work on the script a bit before bed. It was getting late.

  “I’m going to take off too, man,” Max said to Jay as he stood up off the couch. And he suddenly realized he had to go somewhere else first. “But first, nature calls.”

  “Right on,” Jay said.

  After taking what may have been the biggest whiz of his life Max left the bathroom feeling several pounds lighter. As he walked down the hall he happened to glance at Jay’s room and remembered that Jay still had a jacket of his he’d let him borrow a while back. It was getting chilly out now as the days progressed towards fall.