16 Millimeters

by Larissa Reinhart

  "Let's shelve your shoe fetish." I patted his cheek. "And to be clear, I put them on so I wouldn't leave footprints. Dirt path. Bare feet. You know?"

  "What are we looking for?"

  "Anything film related. I saw professional camera equipment. Lights, the whole shebang. Cam-Cam's always got her phone with her, but she might have a laptop or a tablet here. Of course, it's probably password protected."

  "I am excited," whispered Giulio. "I'm finally doing a Julia Pinkerton scene."

  "Go be excited while you search."

  I scanned the kitchen. The fridge revealed power shakes, water, and a stash of Snickers in the freezer. Likely, the only illegal substance in the house.

  Moving from the galley kitchen, I entered the living area. Roomy and comfy with a pile rug, wood floors, and Craftsman-styled leather furniture. "I could totally live here," I said.

  "The villas are very comfortable," Giulio answered from the bedroom. "Vicki suggested I buy a home, but why? I am a man of few needs. Most of my needs are served in the villa and at the Cove. You and those platforms could complete me."

  "Also, I guess the show comps your hotel stay?" I paused in my search of the bookcase. "Buy a home? How long does Vicki plan to film All is Albright here? When I didn't sign for this season, I thought she'd fly everyone back. Did you say she hired more actors?"

  No answer.

  I entered the bedroom, looking for Giulio and my unanswered questions. For a beat, I stared at the floor where I'd seen the lookalike. I'd dreaded this moment, unsure of how it'd make me feel. Cocking my head, I tried to picture the body in its fallen position. Then tried to imagine what happened. Flopped to my stomach to check under the bed. Found nothing. I crawled to the spot on the floor and laid like the body. Got the willies and jumped to my feet. Then fell several times, trying to mimic her splay.

  The fourth time, I figured she had fallen off the bed, also remembering the slide of the duvet. That's when I noticed there was no Giulio and called for him

  He popped his head from a door next to the bathroom. "She has the new Fontana Milano 1915."

  "OMG. That's a two thousand dollar purse." I followed him to the little walk-in closet and checked out the small, brown leather satchel in Giulio's hand. "I miss Barney's so much."

  Giulio hugged me. "You are so brave, my darling."

  I ran a finger across the gold-stamped logo. "God, I'm jealous she has this. What is wrong with me?"

  "Let me comfort you, my Maizie." His hand ran over my hip and up my side.

  I batted it away. "Nice try. Did you look for anything besides designer items?"

  "No camera equipment." He unzipped the top of the bag and rooted around, pulling out a small card and a lipstick. He handed me the card, pulled the top off the lipstick, and smelled it. "Buon profumo."

  I glanced at Giulio. "Don't do that. It's bad enough we're going through her stuff."

  "I like the color." Giulio paused from testing the lipstick on his wrist and looked at the card I examined. "Is it important?"

  I sucked in a breath. "The card's from the couture shop in Palm Beach. Someone wrote, 'You'll always be my favorite Lady M.' I bet Ed Farmer bought this for Cams."

  Giulio turned toward a Givenchy hobo bag. "It's not so difficult finding the clues. I could easily do this role."

  "This is a better clue for tabloid news, than for me." I gripped Giulio's hand. The lipstick hung in the air between us. "Did you hear that? Was that a door?"

  Giulio's eyes widened. He opened the closet door. "Get in."

  "No." I spun in a circle, searching for a better hiding spot. "I can't do closets."

  "Darling, I know well your closet-stra-phobia. Close-tro-phobia?" Giulio grabbed my hand, yanking me inside. "There is no time."

  He inched the door shut. "Who do you think it is? Cambria? Housekeeping? This is thrilling."

  "No, it's not," I whispered, cringing as I bumped into a garment bag. "In real life, it's called breaking and entering, and it's illegal. Stop talking. We'll use up all the oxygen."

  I bit down hard on my lip to stop my talking, then placed my free hand over Giulio's mouth.

  In the living room, someone paced.

  Giulio's rapid breaths struck my hand, chugging like a steam train as I strained to hear. Every hair on my body stood on end.

  "I'm on probation." I couldn't breathe in the vinyl tube. My pulse felt erratic. "I'm so going to jail for this."

  Footsteps moved from the living room to the bedroom, growing muffled as they passed from wood to carpet.

  My bladder tightened, and my stomach loosened. I drew my hand off Giulio's mouth to place it on my chest. The rise and fall quickened. I pulled on the Lycra, trying to draw air into my lungs.

  Giulio placed an arm around my waist and drew me closer. I clutched his hand and the Lycra in the other.

  The closet door swung open. I shrieked. The lipstick shot out of Giulio's hand and landed on the floor in front of a pair of dusty brown boots.

  Fourteen

  #WhereForeArtThouOrlando #ClimbOfShame

  "What in the Sam Hill are you doing with Giulio in Cambria's closet?" said Nash.

  I shoved Giulio off and exited the closet, inhaling oxygen. This was not good. First, I was supposed to be watching Cam-Cam. Second, Nash didn't know I'd been kicked off the resort, so explaining my costume might be difficult. Third, I did not want Nash to think I was consorting with Giulio. In the closet of the woman I was supposed to be watching. He knew I hated closets. It'd seem extra suspicious.

  Panting, I babbled, pointing at the places I had seen film equipment. Then I demonstrated the body's positioning by throwing myself on the floor. Which was not flattering in an extreme bandage dress.

  Nash's fierce glare did not help matters.

  Nor did Giulio, who applauded the scene and asked for an encore. Then drew attention to the lipstick that had somehow become smudged on his neck. He made a show of wiping it off.

  "That is not my lipstick—" I stopped my next round of explanation as Nash's hand, which had been tucked tightly under his arms, rose in the air.

  "I don't want to know. What are you doing here?"

  "Snooping," said Giulio. "Isn't her costume fantastic?"

  "You're dressed like that at a resort like this? You're going to get arrested.”

  "Why should they care if I have the escort?" said Giulio. "The guests will look the other way."

  "No, they won't. They'll report you. This is Georgia, not Hollyweird."

  "I wish you'd stop calling it that," I said.

  "It's unprofessional," said Nash.

  I stared at my plastic glitter platforms, then tilted my chin up. "Wait a minute. Why are you here?"

  Nash cut his eyes toward Giulio.

  "You believe me, and you're checking for evidence of the body, too." I grinned. "But how did you get in?"

  "I have an in with maintenance."

  "That would have been nice to know before I had to dress like this."

  Nash rolled his eyes. "Did you find anything?"

  "Only evidence of Ed Farmer's admiration." I waved the tiny gift card.

  "Has she said anything more today?"

  "No. I left her with Tiffany and Rhonda." At the widening of Nash's eyes, I sped up my words. "She wasn't planning on leaving her trailer, and I trust Tiff and Rhonda to follow her if she does. Leonard wanted me on this. I told him about the body. I was hoping he would talk to Cam-Cam, but I don't think he will. Ed wants her calm and focused on the movie, not on whatever happened here. Leonard doesn't want to upset Ed. But Leonard wants me to figure out what's going on."

  Giulio whistled. "You did not tell me any of this. You do Leonard Shackleton's dirty work for him. I thought we are doing Cambria's dirty work. This is much more intriguing. And you did not mention a body."

  I spun around to face him. "You need to keep your mouth shut. If this gets out, I'll tell Leonard you were helping me."

  "Baby." Giulio ran his hands up my arm
s. "I'd never give you up."

  "Stop it," I hissed.

  "Both of you stop it." Nash had knelt on the floor. "Y'all drive me nuts."

  My heart flopped. "I already checked under the bed."

  He sniffed the carpet, then turned to look at me. "I'm checking for evidence of your body."

  "It's not really my body…"

  "This is, once again, exciting," said Giulio.

  "You are welcome to leave, Mr. Belloni," said Nash. "Miss Albright, turn off the lights and draw the shades as best you can. I need it dark as possible."

  After a spirited golf clap, Giulio darted to close the bathroom door. Nash rummaged in a utility case he had left in the corner and pulled out a flashlight. I hit the lights and drew the curtains. The room grayed to twilight. A purplish-blue beam shone on the floor.

  "I feel like I'm experiencing CSI as the cop and not the victim this time," said Giulio. "Do you look for blood stains?"

  "UV can't detect blood. You need to spray it with luminol or something like that," I said. "But other fluids will show up. If we find a big pee stain, we might have evidence of a body."

  The light shone on my face. I squinted, and the light dropped to the ground. "Miss Albright, I'm impressed with your crime scene investigation knowledge."

  "I keep telling you the criminal justice professors did teach us some useful things at Long Beach. But I need you to train me as well."

  The UV light made a circle eight on the floor.

  "You are too cute," said Giulio. "But I want to see the body stain."

  The light highlighted a multitude of marks. Most I tried not to think about. But the large one on the floor told us something had been there. Realizing the proximity to my previous flops on the floor, I wanted nothing more than to peel off the tube, dash into the bathroom, and shower.

  "It's still not proof she was dead. Only there's a large stain. Someone could have had a drunken accident. Or it could even be some type of cleaner. Housekeeping's been in since and probably soaked it with something." Nash switched the light back on. "I can pass this on to Mowry, but he can't use it for a warrant. We need something else."

  "We need to find Orlando Feelzen."

  Giulio burst out laughing.

  "Seriously, that's the name of Cam-Cam's alleged boyfriend." I made air quotes. "He does stunts."

  "You haven't talked to Feelzen yet?" said Nash.

  "He wasn't in his room, and they haven't seen him today."

  Nash checked his watch, then handed me the key card. "I'm supposed to be back at Cambria's in a minute. If he's still not around, check his room. See if he's got the tape. Maybe it'll show what really happened."

  "Tiff and Rhonda are watching Cam-Cam. You didn't want to go near her."

  "I got a call, explaining that you've been bumped and I'm on duty. She's ready to leave the set." The weight of his look caused me to shiver. "I also had a call from the resort, letting me know my employee had been forcibly removed and wasn't allowed back."

  "About that…"

  "Which is why you're disguised as a stripper. Makes total sense."

  "Escort," said Giulio.

  "I don't know what service you're using, but your 'escort' looks like a low rent stripper," said Nash.

  "Hey," I said. "No way could I strip in this dress. I'm going to have to cut it off as it is."

  "Do not worry," said Giulio. "I have already thought about how to get it off of you."

  "Miss Albright," Nash said quietly. "Let me summarize this mess. You've taken a case I didn't want. You've gotten yourself ejected from the client's current premises, and rejected by the client herself."

  "Technically, Leonard Shackleton is the client and Cam-Cam is just—"

  "You are zero for three, Miss Albright. And you wonder why I'm not training you in the field? You're lucky you can do the books or I wouldn't have use for you at all. Find out what the boyfriend knows."

  Nash picked up his bag and stalked from the room. A moment later, we heard the front door bang shut.

  Giulio winced. "I think you're making another career disaster. Is that the right phrase in English?"

  I sighed. "I really need to find Orlando."

  * * *

  It was one thing to sneak through the villa area wearing a pink wig, sausage casing, and stripper shoes. It was another to sneak into the hotel where Robin Coxon and her goons patrolled.

  Or as some may call them, resort management.

  We hurried to Giulio's cottage and called Orlando's room. No answer. I borrowed a coat — Burberry, if nothing else Giulio had style — to wear over the Lycra tube, completing my look as a strip-o-gram. It also made me sweat like the church-going-two-dollar-whore whom I resembled. Giulio grabbed a flat cap, aviator glasses, and flipped the collar up on his Polo.

  "It is my American businessman who rents a stripper look."

  I shook my head but followed him onto the golf cart to return to the hotel.

  "I've heard Pine Hollow is a very expensive movie." Giulio glanced at me. "If you don't find this body, it can be disastrous."

  "How did you know the title?"

  "Everyone knows the title." Giulio shrugged. "They should drop Cambria."

  I remembered the card and Dahlia's earlier innuendo. "Ed Farmer may be emotionally invested."

  "Maybe they should get another director."

  "Leonard's emotionally invested in Ed. Besides, it's probably Ed's script." I bit down on my lip, tasting Urban Decay's "Frenemy." A day of ironies, it seemed. "If what I saw was real, Cam-Cam's going to screw it up. Man, I hope I can find Orlando and clear this up."

  “Anyway, I think Cambria will be outshone by Dahlia Pearson."

  "Dahlia's part is smaller. You don't believe Cam-Cam can carry the picture?"

  Giulio gave another Italian shrug. "Cambria's beautiful and talented, yes. But she lacks something."

  "What are you talking about? She was the smartest, most ambitious kid I ever met. Cam-Cam worked harder than me on Julia Pinkerton, and she was only a supporting role."

  "And how long was she on the show?"

  "One season."

  "Yet she worked harder than you. It is my point. You and Ed Farmer see the talent and drive. But on the screen, the producers see something else. She doesn't have the…un certo non-so-che, you know? She's an A-list actor but not a star." Giulio turned the golf cart from the woods onto the main path. "Even without the weight, Cambria is still the chubby friend. It is an unfortunate reality. She should do theater, not movies. Or go for the humor roles."

  "I can't believe you said that. Retract the claws, Shallow Man. I hate that about the industry. Everyone is so 'love yourself as you are' unless you're bigger than a size zero." I squirmed in my bandage dress. "At least Ed Farmer saw beyond body image. Cam-Cam has crazy talent."

  "You have never been a size zero," said Giulio. "And you're all the more delicious for it."

  "Yeah, right. It's not like we never tried to exercise off the double-Ds for better roles." My thoughts drifted back to Cambria and our child actor days. "I don't get it. Cam-Cam's got a great agent, a chance for a breakthrough role, and she almost blows it by making a home porno? And not even that. It'd been hard for me to believe all those tabloid rumors about her heavy-duty partying. I mean, I saw her in the clubs, but she and I are different creatures."

  "You are the more likely hot mess?"

  "It's too bad Cam-Cam and I didn't go to the same rehab programs. I'd be able to understand her a little better. Like why she doesn't want me to help her."

  "Maybe she doesn't like you." He turned to catch my eye. "Darling, don't look dejected. Everyone can't like you. But I like you. Very much."

  "Not as much as you like yourself."

  His sigh was more Latin than his lineage. "You wound me yet again. We are nearly there. I will park in the rear and try to sneak you in without much notice. But we need to play the part, so you don't get caught. Scoot close to me and put your hands in the appropriate places."


  "When you came up with this costume, did you consider that late afternoon is an odd time for a man to invite an escort dressed like a stripper to his room?"

  "We are in Black Pine, Georgia, darling. What do I know about escort etiquette here?" He draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.

  "And you don't have a room in the hotel."

  "Maybe I booked one for the day because I don't want you stealing my Gucci accessories."

  I looked up at him. "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

  Giulio slanted a look that dropped from my eyes to my bosom. "I've thought about many things."

  I shoved him. "Get over yourself."

  "It is unfair. You only have eyes for the private dick. You have the habit of falling for your costar. Like for me, at one time."

  I ignored the last bit. Giulio was hired by Vicki for me to fall for him. (Because, ratings.) And stupidly, I did anyway. For a minute. I was the kind of idiot who fell for their costars. "What are you talking about? Mr. Nash is my boss. We just work together. You heard him. He doesn't even like me."

  "Boss-director. What is the difference? I see the way you look at him."

  "What?" I forced a laugh, then stopped. "Really? Do you think he notices? Oh, my God, I was an actress. How could I be so obvious? Anyway, I'm sure I'll get over it. I always do."

  "You always do," echoed Giulio with the perfect twinge of sadness and defeat.

  I almost clapped.

  We parked behind the hotel. A couple in matching Arnold Palmer pinks half-halted climbing out of their cart to watch us.

  "Great costume party," I half-shouted to Giulio. "We'll just change in your room."

  We scurried from the carts to the back portico. Using Nash's key, we jerked open the door and slid inside.

  "You go first to make sure it's clear for me. I don't want to be caught by the staff. Ms. Coxon could call my probation officer." I shoved him toward the second set of doors.

  He turned to give me an appreciative grin. "I am excited again." A second later, he motioned me through, and we slipped into the stairwell.