by Maisy Morgan
“Isn’t your trailer kept locked, though?” Preston asked.
“No, actually,” Matthew said. “I haven’t been keeping it locked because we only have one key for the thing, and Lilly had been using it this week to warm up. It’s been chilly out in the mornings. So both Lilly and sometimes Donnie have been hanging out in my trailer when I wasn’t using it.”
“So anyone could have followed Donnie into the trailer, then,” Preston said.
“I suppose so,” Matthew agreed. “Anyone could have gotten in there because I hadn’t bothered locking it up. I didn’t exactly keep a lot of valuables lying around or anything. Just my phone and some food for snacking a bit between scenes. That’s it. Change of clothes, maybe.”
“Walk me through that morning,” Preston said. “From the time you got to set.”
“Um… okay,” Matthew said, concentrating. “We got there around seven. Lilly, Donnie, and I did, I mean. We took an Uber together and then headed to the main set where they had breakfast sitting out. Lilly and I made ourselves some coffee, and Donnie headed to mingle with some producers who had shown up. I reminded Donnie what time you guys were supposed to be getting there because he was going to meet you all, and then Lilly and I headed to my trailer. I changed into the costume, and we waited for the makeup artist to—”
The door to the interrogation room opened. Mary glanced back and was surprised to see Officer Paul, looking very smug. “I thought chief told you to bail,” Preston snapped over his shoulder.
Paul nodded. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, waving Preston off a bit. “I’m about to head out, but I told chief I had this in my car, so I went to grab it for you.” He shoved a file into Preston’s hands. “Let me know if you still think I was jumping the gun, Preston.” And with that final note, Paul headed out.
Preston rolled his eyes and opened up the file. Mary watched Preston a bit nervously as his face contorted uncomfortably. Preston closed the file and cleared his throat. “Matthew, can you tell me about last December?”
“December?” Matthew questioned.
“In a dive bar in LA,” Preston said, and Matthew’s cheeks went red.
“Oh, that.”
“What?” Mary demanded.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” Matthew tried to say, but Preston cut him off.
“You and Donnie were arrested,” Preston said. “You were slapped with an assault charge that Donnie eventually had dropped—after you broke his nose.”
Mary stared at Matthew with disbelief. “You and Donnie got into a fight a few months ago?”
“According to the file, you two got into it over a girl?” Preston asked.
Matthew stared blankly back at them. He shook his head. “It’s not like it sounds.”
“You going to tell me what it was about?” Preston asked, and Mary noticed Matthew cut his eyes in her direction before looking back down at his hands.
“No,” Matthew said flatly. “It’s not my story to tell.”
“Well, I think you ought to,” Preston said. “Because right now we’ve got a crime scene with your fingerprints all over it, your personal belt as the murder weapon, and now come to find out you and Donnie had a recent altercation that landed you both a night in jail. So, why don’t you tell me what this was about?”
“It was about Lilly,” Matthew said, still not looking either of them in the eye. “The way Donnie was treating her. I showed up at the bar. He had been drinking. I yelled at him over some stuff that had gone down, and we wound up throwing fists. It was put behind us. Neither of us decided to press charges.”
“How was he treating Lilly?” Preston asked. Matthew didn’t answer. Preston stood up abruptly, and Matthew flinched a bit. “Look, Matthew, I’m trying to help you. But if you’re not going to tell me the whole story, I might as well let Paul take over this case—and he is pretty convinced you’re the one who killed your friend.”
“I didn’t kill Donnie!”
“Then help me out,” Preston said, but Matthew didn’t move to say a word.
Preston left the room, gesturing to Mary to follow. “Whatever it is he’s not wanting to tell us, it has to do with Lilly,” Mary said. “Maybe I should just go talk to Lilly?” She could tell that he wanted to protect Lilly but now was not the place and this would be too much of a cost, no matter what he knew.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Preston said.
“Preston, let me talk to her,” Mary insisted. “I need to find out what’s going on and find out if my daughter is involved. She will talk to me. She trusts me. I’m her mother.”
Preston thought for a moment before sighing. “Fine, but we go in together. Let’s see what she knows about this little incident.”
They headed back to the first interrogation room where Lilly had been sitting and stewing nervously for the past half hour. She looked positively sick from nerves. “Lilly, sweetheart,” Mary began, reaching across the table and taking her daughter by the hand. “We need to talk to you about something that happened in LA back in December.”
Lilly pulled her hand away. “What about December?” she questioned.
“About the night Donnie and Matthew spent in jail after getting into a fight at a dive bar,” Mary said. “Arrest records only tell us that they got into a fight over some girl, and Matthew seems to have suggested that it had something to do with the way Donnie was treating you. He doesn’t feel like he’s the one who should be telling us all what happened. So, can you please tell me how you were involved?”
“Mom, what does this have to do with what happened to Donnie?” Lilly asked.
“It might help us clear Matthew,” Preston said. “Or not. I don’t know. But until I have all the answers, I can’t move forward with this investigation. So please, cooperate.”
Lilly fidgeted in her seat for a moment. “I don’t want to say anything bad about Donnie.”
“But there is something bad you need to say?” Preston questioned.
Lilly looked down at her hands for a moment. When she looked up again, she looked ready to cry. “Donnie was my dealer.”
Preston and Mary both went silent for a moment as this bit of information sunk in. “Donnie was dealing drugs?” Mary asked, and she became instantly furious at Matthew. “How could Matthew—”
“Matthew didn’t know!” Lilly said quickly. “He had no idea it was going on. Donnie started dealing while they were in college. It was his way of making connections in LA. And, well, it worked. It’s how he got Matthew some of his earlier roles. And, that’s how we met. Donnie sold me the drugs that nearly caused me to overdose, and Matthew found me and saved me. I never told Matthew that his assistant was dealing. I thought I could handle it. Control myself. Then in December, I checked myself out of rehab because I knew Mom and Tripp were coming. Everything was fine. Then I found drugs at the house—Donnie’s stash. I stole some and I hid in Matthew’s room. Matthew found me before I could use them. He threw out the drugs and then demanded to know where I had gotten them.”
“And you told him,” Preston said in a questioning I-already-know-the-answer tone used by every cop in an interrogation room.
“Yes,” Lilly said. “I told him that Donnie was my dealer, and he threw out all the drugs in the house and went to find Donnie. Donnie was at the bar, and Matthew barged in. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly what was said, but Matthew told me that Donnie admitted to dealing on the side to celebrities and producers around LA.”
“And what happened after?” Preston questioned. “Obviously, Matthew didn’t fire Donnie because they were still working together.”
“Of course he didn’t fire Donnie,” Lilly said. “They had been friends their whole lives. Donnie showed Matthew where the rest of his stashes were, and Matthew pulled money out of his trust fund to pay back all of Donnie’s suppliers. They trashed the drugs, and Matthew got Donnie out of the game.”
“That’s quite a friend there,” Preston added, not seeming to
believe this story in its entirety. “And you’re telling me that Donnie hasn’t been dealing since the incident in December.”
“As far as I know,” Lilly said. “It would have been stupid for him to get back into it anyhow. Matthew paid off his debts. Donnie had only gotten into dealing because he thought he could use it to benefit his and Matthew’s careers. He knew with Matthew’s aunt’s history that Matthew would never approve of it, so he kept it a secret, but I don’t think Donnie would have gone back into it now. Not now that Matthew knew and it was all out in the open.”
“So, just to be clear,” Mary said. “The whole fight at the bar was because you found Donnie’s stash—because Donnie had been selling you drugs behind Matthew’s back?”
“Exactly,” Lilly said. “Matthew was furious with Donnie, and he drove all the way out to that bar to let him know it. Donnie was… Donnie wasn’t a bad guy, Mom.”
“He was selling drugs to his friend’s girlfriend,” Mary said. “Even knowing you were trying to get through rehab.”
Lilly nodded sadly. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“I know,” Mary said.
“This doesn’t make Matthew look any better, does it?” Lilly asked hesitantly. “I don’t want you to think that Matthew had some deep grudge for Donnie over me, because he didn’t. They were too close for that. I was the one buying the drugs. Donnie was just trying to help Matthew.”
“What sort of drugs was Donnie selling you, Lilly?” Preston asked.
“Mostly cocaine,” Lilly said. “I did a bit of heroin I got from him before too.”
“When was the last time you did drugs?” Preston asked.
“Last summer,” Lilly said. “I came close in December, but I didn’t take any.”
“You had been clean for months, and Donnie left a bunch of drugs lying around in the house for you to find?” Preston asked, and Lilly nodded. “Lilly, you’re clean. You stay clean, do you hear me? Don’t fall off the wagon. You’re doing good.”
Lilly nodded with a determined look in her eyes. “Yes, sir,” she said. “Believe me; I’m trying. I’m trying—for Tripp.”
“Good,” Mary said and then turned to Preston. “Now that the truth is out in the open, I think we need to follow up with Matthew.”
“Agreed.”
Chapter Twelve
Mary followed Preston into the second interrogation room once again where Matthew had been patiently waiting for their return. He still looked rather sick, and while Mary was nearly certain that it was because of grief and not guilt, she was still prepared to question him harshly to make sure they got everything straight. She and Preston sat down, and Matthew looked up at them nervously. “You spoke to Lilly?” he asked.
“We get why you didn’t want to tell us about Donnie and Lilly,” Preston said.
Matthew nodded slowly and glanced directly at Mary. “She’s your daughter,” he said. “I felt like she should probably be the one to tell you. I wasn’t trying to be uncooperative. It just wasn’t something I wanted to tell my girlfriend’s mom is all.”
Preston nodded. “That was my bad for brining Mary in here. She has been helping me out with my investigations, and it didn’t occur to me how personal this might be. Would you be more comfortable to continue if I asked Mary to leave?”
“No, it’s fine,” Matthew said. “I really wasn’t trying to be difficult. I wasn’t.”
“So, let’s talk about what we just discussed with Lilly now that it’s out in the open,” Preston said. “Donnie’s drug dealing. How long have you known about it?”
“Not until Lilly nearly relapsed in December,” Matthew said. “Donnie knew about my mom’s sister overdosing on that crap. He knew how I felt about drugs. I hate dealers. There is no way he would have told me he was doing that stuff behind my back.”
“Was Donnie on drugs?” Preston asked.
“Not that I know of—he was just dealing. He said it was because he was trying to help me. That it was a good way in with certain crowds out in LA. Which, I’ve got to be honest, is true, but that’s not how I wanted to get success. Not at all. I wanted to earn it. Which, I guess I still did, but Donnie’s dealings probably opened up a few opportunities. I don’t know who he was dealing to exactly. I know he sold stuff to Lilly back in the day before she and I started dating. Looking back, I guess the only reason Lilly and I even met was because of Donnie. I just didn’t know it at the time.”
“Do you have any reason to believe that he continued dealing after the incident at the bar in December?” Preston asked.
“No,” Matthew said in a firm tone. “He wouldn’t dare. I trashed all the drugs, and I paid off his debts to the suppliers. I called my dad in for a favor. He has a lot of pull in the area. I came clean with him about what Donnie had gotten himself into, and Dad made a few threats to the suppliers if they came at Donnie. It was enough to get them to back off, and they let Donnie off the hook since his debts were paid and they didn’t want a Hollywood producer bearing down on them.”
“And you’re certain there wasn’t anyone from his drug dealing days who might have had it in for him?” Preston asked.
“Not that I know of,” Matthew said. “Especially not all the way out here in Georgia. His clientele was local.” Matthew glanced towards the door for a moment. “Is… is Lilly okay? She was really shook up when Officer Paul came to the hotel.”
“I can let her in to see you for a minute,” Preston said, and Matthew’s face lit up.
“Really? That would be great,” Matthew said with a nervous smile. “She was so upset when I left with him. I was worried.”
“Give me a minute,” Preston said, standing upright. “I’ll go get her. I’d like to talk to the two of you together as well.” He slipped out of the room, leaving Matthew and Mary alone in the room together.
“Mary, I’m so sorry,” Matthew said. “I thought everything with Donnie was fine. I don’t know who would have wanted to hurt him—honest.”
“I know, Matthew,” Mary said, but her voice was rather cold. The tone did not go unnoticed by Matthew. He looked hurt, but before he could say anything about it, Preston arrived back with Lilly.
Lilly hurried over to Matthew, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his temple before sitting down herself. The two of them seemed to calm down more by each other’s side. “Chief stopped me in the hall,” Preston said, sitting down. “Looks like you made bail.”
“I made bail?” Matthew questioned.
“Lilly called your old man,” Preston said.
Matthew’s face went red. He turned to look at Lilly. “What did you tell him?” he asked.
“The truth,” she said. “He’s worried about you. I told him about Donnie and how the police think you might have done it. He wants to fly out, but I told him to wait until you called him.”
“Thank you,” he said, nodding. “I don’t want him to drop what he’s doing to come out here for this mess.”
“I’m going to have to start processing your release,” Preston began as he started to gather his things. “But before I do, is there anything more you can tell me about Donnie? Anything at all that might help?” He looked first at Matthew and then over at Lilly with a stern face, but they could see some understanding and cooperation in his eyes.
“Donnie, despite everything that went down around Christmas, he was a good man,” Matthew insisted. “I just have a hard time imagining that he had a bunch of enemies—especially out this way. He’s never really been to Georgia before, and he doesn’t know a lot of the people here we’ve been working with. Part of me wonders if it was just… I don’t know… random.”
“Thank you for that,” Preston started and finished gathering his papers and the file that Officer Paul had given him. “I’ll get going on processing your release then. Just wait here.” Preston again got up to leave, but Mary elected to stay.
Mary had a bad feeling in her stomach. “You’re not in the clear yet,” she muttered, wishing desperately th
at he had said something, anything that would be sure evidence eliminating him as a suspect.
“I know,” Matthew said. “I’m sure there will be a court date. I hope they find something more. You think I could go to prison for this? They don’t have any real evidence, do they?”
“Officer Paul seems to think so,” Mary said. “But we’ll see what happens.” Mary let out a loud sigh, her stomach in knots.
“What’s wrong?” Matthew asked her.
“I believe you—or rather, I want to believe you. Believe that you had nothing to do with this,” Mary said. “But until this is sorted out, I think you need to stay away from Tripp, Matthew.”
Matthew’s face went pale. “Mom!” Lilly exclaimed in surprise.
“No, no, it’s fine, Lilly,” Matthew said. “She’s just looking out for Tripp. It’s okay.”
“Tripp loves hanging out with Matthew,” Lilly blurted out. “You can’t just tell him that he has to stay away.”
“I can, actually,” Mary said. “Someone is dead, Lilly. I can’t just ignore that to make you comfortable. And, right now, the police’s only lead, and the only real suspect, is, well, Matthew. I want him to stay away for now.”
“But—” Lilly started, but Matthew touched her hand.
“Lilly, it’s fine,” Matthew insisted. There was a visible sadness but a sense of understanding submission about him. “Your mom is doing what’s best for Tripp. She doesn’t know me. You can’t blame her for wanting me to back off. Things will get straightened out, and then we can go back to normal, okay?”
Lilly sighed and nodded, but she wouldn’t look directly at Mary. As soon as Preston entered the room, opening up the door, Lilly excused herself and stormed out. “I’m sorry, Matthew,” Mary said to him.
“Don’t be,” he said. “I get it. Honest, I do.”
She nodded and thanked him. “I really don’t think you had anything to do with this, but I’m not risking Tripp’s safety over a gut instinct,” she said.
