by Nigel May
The two young criminals had escaped, got away with murder. Until now, that is. As they stood in the alcove underneath the stairs, a horrified Andy instructing a coked-up Jack that they should leave right now, what they didn’t know was that someone was listening to their every word. Having heard his name mentioned as he searched for the toilet, he’d listened to the conversation unfold.
Devon Bellamy had stood on the stairs and listened to it all, hatred polluting his veins once again. And as he watched the two men rush back into the main hall of the event, he knew what he had to do. There was punishment to dish out. An equation to balance.
Seventy-Three
A gathered hush descended as Evie took to the stage erected at the top end of the main hall. The evening was in full flow and, as far as she could gather, everyone was digging deep into their pockets for a good cause. It felt great to be doing something worthwhile. In her cinematic world it was often easy to become lost in a labyrinth of vanity, congratulatory backslapping and narcissism. For every Angelina with her humanitarian ways and mother to a brood of six – it was no wonder she was cited as the most admired woman in the world – there was a sea of actors who seemed to thrive on who wore what, who won what and who outshone whom. Evie was determined not to become like that. Another grinning bimbo, no more than a clothes horse for an army of fame-hungry fashion designers. She would always try to use her stardom for good. And tonight that ‘good’ was as in ‘Bidgood’. She needed to remind people about poor Mitzi.
‘Ladies and gentleman, my name is Evie Merchant and I’d like to thank you for all coming here tonight. I can see many familiar faces here this evening and for many of us, we have a friend in common who cannot be here unfortunately. That person is Mitzi Bidgood.’
A ripple of applause snaked around the crowd as a photo of Mitzi was projected onto the wall behind Evie.
‘Mitzi and her boyfriend Foster Hampton went missing on a road trip across America and as we all know, Foster’s body was tragically found dead. Nobody knows why or how this happened. As yet, there has been no sighting of Mitzi. What has happened to her is unknown. Despite the best efforts of the police both here, in America and in Mexico all paths of enquiry have so far led to a dead end. There are people here tonight who I understand have done their own investigating …’ Evie glanced over to Georgia and Charlie as she spoke, a gesture acknowledged by a tearful Nova, who had started crying at the first photo of Mitzi, even though she didn’t even know the poor girl. Nova squeezed her son and his girlfriend together with pride at what they had tried to achieve with their actions.
‘They have discovered things about what has happened to Mitzi that are as yet unexplained,’ continued Evie. ‘I am sure that given time the truth will out and we will discover poor Mitzi’s fate. I don’t know what happened, as yet nobody does, but I am willing to say, between us here tonight, and this is something that I also said to the press on the red carpet, that I refuse to believe that Mitzi had anything to do with Foster’s death. I don’t have a crystal ball but I am sure that when the truth comes out we will find that Mitzi is a victim too. I just hope that she has not suffered the same tragic end as poor Foster and that whoever is responsible for Foster’s death is brought to justice.’
Another burst of applause covered the hall as the crowd echoed Evie’s words.
‘I knew Mitzi when she was my Zumba teacher, way before she become famous as the TV dancer we all know and love today. It was a few years ago and in some ways it seems like a lifetime ago but I remember those days with fond memories.’ A photo of a group of young women appeared behind Evie, and a flutter of squeals and giggles came from the audience. The photo was obviously taken at the end of a class and each of the ladies, dressed in a wealth of Vegas-bright stretch fabrics, looked sweaty yet euphoric at the workout they had just endured.
‘You may recognise a few faces in this photo,’ smiled Evie. ‘In fact a few of them are here tonight. My good, sweet friend, Victoria is here, as is TV weather girl Georgia Bellamy. Mitzi, of course. And yes, that is me, pre-styling.’
Victoria and Georgia glanced at each other and smiled. They had already talked, Victoria determined to explain her actions and her regret at what had happened with Charlie and the poolside photo. Georgia wasn’t convinced that she trusted Victoria just yet – would any woman who had been delivered a photo of her boyfriend being pounced upon by another woman not be inclined to put said woman on a par with a praying mantis? She had to admit though that having talked to Victoria, she was more inclined to believe her apology. And she was obviously very fond of Mitzi too, and wasn’t that what tonight was all about?
‘Mitzi was a good person.’ Evie stopped, paused and corrected herself. ‘Is a good person. I believe she is alive. I have to as I can’t imagine for one second that her effervescent burning flame of enthusiasm has been put out. What I would like every one of you here tonight to take away is the joy and delight that Mitzi brings to our lives, whether you know her in person or have simply seen her shimmying her sequins on the television. We must keep striving to find out the truth, because whatever has happened to Mitzi, I refuse to believe that she has given her last dance. She must never be forgotten. Thank you very much.’
The photo behind Evie was replaced by the opening titles of the TV show Mitzi worked on. The lights dimmed. It was followed by a montage of some of her most famous dances, many of them with Foster. American Smooth pirouetted into Foxtrot, segued into Viennese Waltz and then boogied into a Rumba. It was Mitzi at her best and the audience was captivated.
Seventy-Four
The photographer employed by Evie that evening had taken many magazine-worthy snaps of those there to show their support for the hopeful quest to find Mitzi Bidgood, but if he had taken some photos as people watched the montage of Mitzi in action, not even the sharpest of lenses would have been able to capture the range of emotions of those gathered. As it was, he was entranced by Mitzi’s moves too.
Nova Chevalier watched on through misty, tear-stained eyes. For her it was the thought that Mitzi may be dead that she found so upsetting, such a young life taken too early. Nova had grown up in a world where not everything turned out to have a perfect ending. People died. Hadn’t she already lost many of those dear to her? Yet death at a certain age was a natural progression. Her tears were for Georgia, for Evie, even for that dreadful Victoria who may have lost a friend at such a tender age. As she watched Mitzi in action, her arm linked with Jacob’s, sadness and despair also etched across his face as he watched the screen, horrified at the thought of her fate. Nova pulled him close to her, grateful that she had him in her life. Things could be taken away so quickly.
Victoria was bandaged in a cloak of insecurity as she watched Mitzi and Foster in action. The thought that she may be dead made her reflect on her own life. Yes, this evening had been hard for Victoria but at least she still had breath in her body, and while there is breath, there is always a hope for change and that is what she intended to do. She had confronted Chloe, telling her that she intended to fight to save her marriage. Chloe has been surprisingly pleasant. Maybe she’d lost her fighting edge, perhaps less confident since Scott had failed to turn up this evening. Victoria didn’t know. She’d questioned Chloe about Scott’s whereabouts. Was it her imagination or had she been remarkably skittish? He was probably stuck at work. Same old story. She’d deal with Scott tomorrow. Tonight was about building bridges. She’d tried with Georgia and their shared smile over the Zumba photo made her think that maybe, even though they would never be bosom buddies, just maybe Georgia could understand her and believe in her regret. As for apologising to Nova for her actions, well, she had just had to suck up Nova’s words of ‘wisdom’ about her kiss with her son and move on. What had she said? ‘You were abroad and drunk. Common sense goes out of the window as soon as you open your suitcase. But you will never be with my son, so never take advantage of him again or I will track you down.’ A mother’s words of protection, but words she could u
nderstand. She would always fight to the death for Leo and Lexi. Yes, Victoria was insecure about the future but she knew that she had to try and build one that put her family first.
Chloe was desperate to leave but knew that if she did so before Evie’s speech it would look incredibly rude. If someone had said to her years ago as she stood outside the fish and chip shop meeting Jack for the first time that one day they would be in the same room, at a swanky party surrounded by some of the biggest names in showbusiness, she would never have believed it. And if she had, she would have assumed that the evening would be sheer perfection. It had been horrific. A no-show from Scott, the man she thought loved her, and then finding out from Jack the reason for his absence. How had she become so deeply involved again with Jack? Was she that shallow to fall for the bad boy image yet again? Well, not any more. And what was he planning to do to Victoria? Chloe was almost scared to leave, in case she logged onto the internet the next morning to read that Victoria had been gunned down. Should she warn her? Something was stopping her. As she watched Mitzi spin around on the screen she wished that her own life was no more complicated than working out which choreographed step came next. But then, perhaps Mitzi didn’t have a life at all anymore.
A wired Jack and a jittery Andy had returned to the hall just as Evie had begun her speech. Jack had stashed away a huge wad of stolen notes under one of the tables and wanted to grab it before leaving. Andy was right, having Devon and Georgia there was too close for comfort so they needed to quit and run. As Evie began to speak, Jack and Andy found themselves stood directly behind Nova and Jacob. For a split second Jack thought about how funny he found Nova when he watched her on the TV. He’d tuned in many times. He looked at her ginormous chest in appreciation. His mind snapped back to the here and now as he realised that Georgia Bellamy was standing next to them, her boyfriend Charlie with his hand draped over her shoulder. Now that was too close, but at least she’d never know the truth about her mother. ‘Listen to the speech, and then we’re out of here,’ whispered Jack to Andy. Andy’s face was full of horror as he realised who was directly behind them. Devon Bellamy had followed them in and the look on his face was one that Andy would never forget. It was as dark as the dead of night. Something was poisoning him from within, that was for sure. Andy just hoped he was wrong about what it might be.
Aaron Rose assumed that the look on Devon’s face was aimed at him. Why wouldn’t it be? He was the man who had stolen his wife away from him, fucked her behind his back. But as Aaron watched Mitzi on the screen he was struck with a sense of loss. The loss of a woman he had never known. Someone who would have been part of his life, for whatever length of time he was not sure. She would have partnered him, taught him new skills and shown him something else in life. As he watched her expertly work the dance floor on the screen, he was amazed at the fluid sway of her body. She was like the finest athlete using her body to its full potential. He looked down at Tanya, who was standing alongside him, and smiled. It was a smile of reflection. She was another woman that he knew he had now lost. Their love, not that you could have ever called it that, was based on the illicit bedroom activity of the mansion she had shared with Devon. Her husband. Her master. Tanya would always be someone who thrived on affairs. But also someone who needed money, who needed thrills and who needed a man who needed her. Maybe depended upon her. She needed a man to be her protector, not just for her, but for her mother too. Aaron would never be that man. Why had he tried to convince himself otherwise? Since she had moved in with him, their romance could not have been flatter had it been steamrollered. Tanya’s lust for life and sexual adventure had appeared to dry up the moment she was away from the financial comfort of Devon’s home. She had hardly looked at Aaron all night, he’d had more attention from Sarah, Nova and Jacob’s production assistant, who had been flirting with him since she arrived. Nova had even commented to him that Tanya didn’t exactly look happy to be in his company, a fact which seemed to thrill her. Nova was right. He had seen Tanya staring at Devon all night. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he was staring right back at her. Perhaps they were two well-suited peas from completely different pods. After all they’d been through, the highs and the plummeting lows, maybe there was an understanding of how each other worked. No, Aaron was sure that his time with Tanya was over. It was up to her to decide what she wanted to do next, but he knew it wouldn’t be with him.
Georgia and Charlie watched Mitzi’s Catherine Wheel of sequins spinning around on the screen. It was delightful. How could something so beautiful potentially not be there anymore? Georgia reflected on the activities of the past few weeks – her trip to Hell’s Canyon, to Tijuana and to her times in India and LA. She thought of poor Foster, dead in a cave; of Addison, her head smashed in during an attempted burglary; of the body that had perished in the road vehicle in Mexico. Why was life so cruel? So short for some who have still so much to give. Watching Mitzi, she refused to believe that Mitzi’s light had been snuffed out too. That would be the cruellest blow of all.
As everyone stood in awe, watching Mitzi light up the dance floor on the screen, nobody saw one of those gathered reaching into their outfit and pulling out a small gun. Nobody saw it take aim and fire. Was it one or two bullets? But what they did see as soon as the sound of the gun exploded, was two people fall to the floor.
As screams shredded the atmosphere in the dim light of the hall, three minds went into action. One mind realising that the blood on their arm was their own, one realising that their life was ebbing away for good and one realising that they had seen the person pulling the trigger.
Seventy-Five
Scott Palmer-Roberts had been admitted into hospital suffering from a severely broken nose and three broken ribs earlier that evening. He’d been found unconscious in the car park at his place of work by one of the nightly cleaners. She’d phoned an ambulance and prayed that he was okay.
His first visitor arrived after midnight on the very same evening. It was beyond visiting hours but Scott was in a private room and she was determined to see him, insisting to the nurse on duty that she would only be a few minutes. The visitor was Chloe Alexander. She had wanted to leave after the shooting at Evie’s and come to him straight away but after the police had been called to the event she had been forced to stay there until she, like everyone else, had been questioned. It was only then, when she was allowed to go, that she’d phoned the nearest hospital to Scott’s place of work to see if he had been admitted. He had. Her first thought was that at least he wasn’t dead. She’d never have forgiven herself if he had been. She may not have been the one putting the boot in but after what Jack had said to her that evening she might as well have been. And besides, one death in an evening was quite enough, thank you.
Everything had changed for Chloe in a few short hours. For the first time in what seemed like years she felt that she had to take control of her own destiny. She was still young, soon to be twenty-three, and if the last year had taught her anything it was that she was not as grown up as she had thought she was. What had she achieved over the past few months? Nothing, unless you counted an affair with a married man and using what was left of the money she’d accrued from the sale of her father’s house to buy illegal painkillers for somebody as achievements. And she knew that they never would be.
She assumed Scott had been pleased to see her. It was hard to tell underneath all of the bruising. His face was a patchwork of dark blotches ranging in colour from plum through to scarlet. His nose had been bandaged to hide the damage hidden beneath.
It was also difficult for Scott to talk, given the severe nature of his facial injuries. This suited Chloe. She didn’t want to be interrupted. Now that everything was out in the open, Evie having informed Scott about her supplying the painkillers, she knew that what she had with Scott, whatever it was, was no more than a childish fantasy.
‘You should drop the divorce proceedings. You need to keep your family together, Scott. Leo and Lexi need their mother. I lov
e those children but I can never love them like Victoria does. You have to forgive her for everything that has been going on. It was the painkillers and the anti-depressants doing that to her. Sending her brain into complete havoc.’
‘But …’ Scott attempted to talk but his swollen lips and the tightness of the stitches that had been applied around his mouth hindered him from doing so.
Chloe was quick to cut him off, placing a finger to her own lips to indicate that he should be quiet. ‘I spoke to Victoria tonight. She’s doing well. Her time away has done her good. She wants you. I can tell. Call it a woman’s intuition. Even a young naïve woman like me. She always has done. You just need to love her a little more. Show her why you married her in the first place. I will not be a home wrecker. I don’t think you want me to be. You love her, not me. I know that now. I’m not sure why I ever thought otherwise.’ A single tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.‘I thought she might die tonight. The man who supplied me with the painkillers was at the party. He told me that he’d get rid of her for me, so that I could be with you. How could I do that? How could I even wish it? It was him that did this to you.’
Chloe could see the disappointment in Scott’s eyes beyond the bruising. Nothing could disguise that. His eyes lost any semblance of shine as he listened to what Chloe had to tell him.
‘I didn’t know he’d do this to you. I didn’t know he was capable. I should have guessed. But I loved him. You never get over your first love, do you?’ The tears were free flowing now. ‘Victoria is yours and you are hers. Why would you even contemplate throwing that away? You are so lucky to have each other. Don’t let someone like me ruin it for you.