Kissing in Action

by Camilla Chafer

  "Rehearsals for the video. I'm with Joe now. He told me the management company got pretty angry at the band, but they're going ahead with the video and calling the band a trio. They've tweaked it so it's also serving as some sort of goodbye montage to Katya."

  "Sounds grim."

  "Schmaltzy is a better word."

  "How about crass? I can count the days since her death on one hand."

  "I'll see your 'crass' and throw in 'capitalism.' B4U are the hottest band in the States right now, and all these leaks are just making them even more interesting to the fans. Sales are up. They'd be fools to miss out on such an opportunity. Apparently, they stand to make big bucks."

  "So Amelia and Joe's wedding didn't derail anything?"

  "Apparently not. They're really happy and the press coverage swiftly moved from a dirty, little secret to an amazing, against-the-odds love story. Plus, it's keeping B4U in the press right now, so it's more positive than the Katya-getting-stabbed-in-the-back story."

  I took a deep breath, thankful for never choosing the media career route. My worst career decisions began as a brief stint in the Army and extended to several years of temping. They both seemed better than running personal stories about public figures. "Okay. Am I on the list to get into the warehouse?"

  "I'll check with Joe..." The phone went silent and I gave Lily an I dunno shrug while we waited. Solomon rejoined the line, saying, "You're on the list. If anyone gives you a problem, call Joe and he'll fix it."

  "Thanks."

  "Stay in the background, Lexi. It doesn't matter if Lauren spots you. She expects to see you, but don't approach her. Just watch what she does when she thinks no one is observing her."

  "Got it." I hung up. "We're in."

  "Yay!"

  "My name's on the list," I told the clipboard-carrying security guard. "Lexi Graves."

  "Me too," said Lily.

  "You are?"

  "Lily Shuler-Graves."

  "You're not on the list."

  "I am. I'm right there," said Lily, tapping the underside of the clipboard. It popped out of the guard's hands and flipped upside down, landing in a puddle. "Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed, sounding as insincere as she looked.

  "She's my assistant," I said, giving him my don't give me any trouble look.

  The security guard fished the clipboard from the puddle and wafted it in the air, sending dirty droplets flying at us. "Get a better one," he suggested.

  "Great thinking!" I grabbed Lily's arm and propelled her inside.

  "I've never not been on a list before," she pouted.

  "And I'm rarely ever on one. Today is a good day."

  "And what was with the duck face back there?"

  "That was my don't mess with me face!"

  Lily paused. "I definitely wouldn't mess with that face."

  We stopped a few feet into the warehouse, looking at the scene in front of us. There was activity every way we turned. Cameras were set up around stage sets at the far end of the warehouse, and camera operators and other black-clad people stood in small groups, talking and pointing. Off to one side I spotted the dance troupe, practicing hard. We watched one guy throw a petite woman into the air. She spun several times and dropped gracefully into his arms before being placed upright and tipping into a vertical split. Several other dancers moved in front of them, breaking into a routine as the choreographer called out instructions.

  "Do you see Lauren?" I asked, looking away from them.

  "Yeah, she's over there talking to... is that Shelley? Oh wow!" I followed the direction of Lily's pointing forefinger.

  "Yeah, that's Shelley."

  The two women were talking to Annabelle, the wardrobe mistress, but as I looked around, Amelia was nowhere in sight.

  "Can you get her autograph?"

  "What do you want an autograph for?"

  "I have no idea, but that's what famous people are for... to sign autographs."

  "Yeah, but what would you do with it if I got you one?"

  "I have no idea. Frame it?"

  "I'll see what I can do. Let's sit over there and try and look like we're not spying on everyone."

  "We should have brought disguises. You want me to grab something from the wardrobe rack? We could blend in with the dancers."

  "Can you do that?" I asked, pointing to half of the dancers doing splits on the floor. Meanwhile, the other half somersaulted over the tops of them before grabbing their partners and spinning them into a frenzied routine.

  "Let's just sit."

  We found plastic chairs at the periphery of the warehouse. They were partly shaded by the columns that stretched to the ceiling, and perfect for spying on Lauren as we camouflaged ourselves amidst a few other people. She spent some time with Shelley and Annabelle before they all walked over to the wardrobe racks and browsed through the clothing. Just as they finished, Amelia appeared amid a burst of applause from the dancers, shouting, "Congratulations!" She beamed at them, waving and blowing kisses.

  "Look at the big star," muttered the guy closest to us. "Bye-bye, Katya, it's time for Amelia to shine." His friend simply nodded.

  Lily leaned in, her voice soft enough for only me to hear. "If you hadn't told me Amelia was clean, I would say she was our biggest suspect right now. Katya would have hated all this attention centering on Amelia. I read that in a magazine. She hated anyone who she thought was more talented than her."

  "Everything I hear about her says she wasn't a team player."

  "Not even a little bit. I read she got into it with one of the backup singers at the start of the tour."

  I glanced away from Lauren, towards Lily. "Where did you read that?"

  "Same magazine."

  "What else did the magazine say?"

  "That Katya thought the backup singer was angling for her spot in the group, so she made sure to put her in her place. Her name was Clarissa. That's a pretty name, isn't it? I don't think I'd call a baby... oh wait, that's her! That's Clarissa! I recognize her from..."

  "...The magazine?" I concluded.

  "How did you know?" Lily frowned.

  I shook my head. "Never mind. Let's talk to her. Maybe she's got something to say about Katya and the way she abused most people."

  Sometimes, it's hard to start talking to a total stranger. Sometimes, however, they let you skip all the hard work and seem happy to let loose. Clarissa was the latter sort, I found out as we approached.

  "Let me tell you," she started, after we introduced ourselves. "If I were a cop, I'd look closely at me too, but I have an alibi. The other singers and I all went for lunch the day Katya was killed; and it was a long, boozy one, if you know what I mean."

  "Where did you go?" I asked.

  "A place downtown called Lily's Bar. Great cocktails."

  "That's my bar!"

  "Get out!" squealed Clarissa.

  "Get in! It really is. Oh wow! I am so excited. Stars drink at my bar," Lily mouthed at me, her jaw dropping. "Also I have cameras everywhere, so I can probably prove that Clarissa is telling the truth."

  "So there you have it. I wish I could say I killed her because it would have given me a lot of personal satisfaction, you know, but I didn't." Clarissa shrugged, like it was no big deal for her to have that desire or a good alibi.

  "That's nice to know. Was it a regular occurrence for Katya to get nasty with crew members?"

  Clarissa raised an eyebrow and gave me a you really just asked me that? look. "Regular? More like a daily occurrence. The bitch had attitude, ya know? There was nobody off limits that she didn't mind getting into it with."

  "Why did she get into it with you?"

  "She overheard me practicing with the band. I have a similar vocal range to Katya, so when she didn't show up for rehearsal, I stepped in to sing her part. She eventually arrived late and hit me with her purse, accusing me of trying to steal her part."

  "What happened after that?"

  "After that, she pulled a chunk of hair from the side of my head. Jo
e spoke to me privately, and apologized on Katya's behalf. Then he gave me a thousand bucks in cash to ‘cheer myself up’ he said, before reminding me of the ‘no talk clause’ in my contract."

  "No talk clause?"

  "Standard policy on a tour like this. No one wants a crew member selling stories, but I figure the band hired you, so I'm not breaking the rule by talking to you."

  "You're exactly right. Wasn't a thousand bucks an insulting figure for suffering like that?" asked Lily.

  "Not when Joe promised to put my demo in front of management after the tour was done. It's my big chance. I like working as a backup singer, but I've always wanted to record my own material. Amelia even wrote me a song."

  "So all you have to do is stay on the tour, keeping mum about Katya's attack, and you can get your shot at stardom?"

  "That's right, and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that."

  "Like what?" I pressed.

  Clarissa rolled her eyes. "Like killing Katya and ending the tour."

  "Is the tour over?" I asked.

  "Not so far as I know. I thought it might be, but we're about to start shooting the video; and no one told me it was canceled, so it looks like it's going ahead."

  "Killing Katya doesn't really fit in with your desire to not jeopardize anything," Lily said.

  "Pretty big gamble to take," Clarissa agreed as someone yelled her name. She spun around, raising her hand. "Wardrobe. I need to get fitted for the shoot. Is there anything more?"

  "Yes. Did anyone else get into it with Katya?" I asked.

  Clarissa looked around. "Throw a rock, and you'll probably hit two or three people. All I know is: it wasn't me and I can prove it. Try talking to the dancers. They hung out with the band too."

  "She seems too happy to be our killer," said Lily as we watched Clarissa walk over to wardrobe where the other backup singer waited.

  "Should killers be miserable?"

  "It would help. Come to think of it, I don't recall you having to deal with any miserable killers. They all seemed pretty happy. The thieves too. I might just become suspicious of happy people. They have a lot to hide."

  I laughed and slipped my arm around Lily, giving her a quick squeeze. "Then you'll always be my number one suspect. Let's talk to the dancers. I spoke to them before and they seemed okay."

  The dancers were taking a break, sprawled across their corner of the warehouse, in the same mish-mash of clothing I'd seen them wearing previously. I wasn't sure I'd seen outfits put together like that before, but figured it was hard to be fashionable, sporty, and warm all at the same time. It certainly seemed hard to coordinate.

  "Isn't that your brother?" asked Lily as we crossed the warehouse towards the dancers. I paused mid-step when Garrett stepped inside the main doors and looked around.

  "Yep," I replied, grabbing Lily's elbow and propelling her forwards until we reached the far wall. Turning around, we watched Garrett approaching Lauren before taking her to one side. "Can you keep an eye on Lauren while I talk to these guys?"

  "I guess. What's up with your tracker?"

  "By the time it says she's moving, she could be gone before we even got into the car."

  "No problem. I could sidle closer and listen in."

  "I think Garrett might recognize you."

  "True. How will we ever know what they're talking about? A homicide detective interviewing your chief suspect sounds like something you might want to listen to."

  "I'll call him later."

  "You again," said Devon, looking past me. "Where's the hottie?"

  "Practicing his pirouettes in front of the mirror," I quipped and Devon pushed my arm and laughed.

  "You're a peach," he giggled. "What can I do for you? Anyone else been murdered? Did you make an arrest yet? Does your hot friend want to take me away in handcuffs?"

  "Me? Sure, but only because you need arresting for having an ass that looks that good in jeans," Lily replied.

  It was hard not to do an eye roll, but I just about managed it. "He means he wants to get arrested by Solomon," I explained.

  "Good choice," said Lily without missing a beat while giving Devon a knowing nod.

  "We're still looking into Katya's murder," I told him when they stopped giggling.

  "When you find them, can you tell me so I can send a gift basket?"

  "To Katya's family?" asked Lily.

  "To the murderer," said Devon.

  "Did you all spend much time at the hotel?" I asked, hoping the clear animosity between Devon and Katya might lead to something juicy.

  "Not really. We have another hotel away from the divas. We only go over for a meeting or the after-show party."

  "Are any of the dancers close to the band members?"

  "Are any of you close to the band?" Devon shouted as he addressed the troupe, enunciating slowly, as the dancers blinked at him. "It's an easy question, morons!"

  There were some shrugs and a couple of vaguely affirmative answers, while some said "kind of” and a few said "no."

  "Didn't think so," he said. "We all get on pretty well, but this tour... well, there's a hierarchy when we're off the clock."

  "Can you think of a reason why anyone would want to kill Katya?"

  "I thought you were here about the blackmail? Do you get confused when that hot hunk of man love is around? I'd find it hard to keep my questions straight too. I know what my answers would all be: yes, please!" He stuck a hand on his hip and nodded vigorously.

  "We came here about the blackmail, but now we're looking into the murder," I confirmed, glad that the outcome of the blackmail hadn't leaked to the crew. I figured it was only a matter of time.

  "Like I told you the other day, honey, we were all at The New Montgomery Dance School downtown when Katya popped off this mortal coil."

  "Except Don," said the closest dancer, sliding into splits.

  "Except Don," I echoed, looking for Don. He gave me a wave. "You were at the hospital with a knee injury?"

  "And I'm pretty sure I was on camera too," he said.

  "Did any of you ever have an altercation with Katya? Or did she ever shout at or threaten anyone?" I asked.

  Ten hands rose, including Don’s. Devon raised his hand too.

  "About anything in particular?" I asked and they all began to speak at once. "One at a time!" I called over the top of their indignant voices.

  "She hated our outfits and wanted them changed."

  "She didn't like our positions on stage."

  "She thought I gave her a dirty look."

  "Katya said I stole her shoes."

  "She was mean to Don when he told us he was getting a divorce."

  "She wanted me fired because I had the same purse."

  "She said I made advances. I mean, really? I'm gay. And not lady gay."

  "She was just a mean bitch."

  "Did any of you like her?" I asked. Most of the dancers looked at their feet, but a couple shook their heads.

  Devon crossed his arms. "None of them killed her, which is a shame."

  "None of those reasons are motive enough to kill someone over. Did any of you see her getting really nasty with someone? Did you hear rumors about her threatening someone? Or someone threatening her?" Lily asked.

  "I heard a rumor that she was boning one of the crew members, and also had a thing going on with someone else. She was planning to drop the poor jerk," said a very pretty redhead in a neon yellow crop top.

  The blonde woman next to her nodded. "Yeah, I heard she picked up a crew guy on every tour, made him her bitch, and then tossed him to the curb when the tour ended."

  The redhead continued. "It was like she was a big shot, business dude with an intern. Total cliché."

  "I pity the douche that screwed the bitch," added the blonde.

  "Anyone know who the guy is?" I asked, but they all shook their heads.

  "Lauren's on the move," whispered Lily, nodding towards the place where Lauren and my brother were standing.

  "
Thanks guys. Sorry to take up your practice time," I added. Devon surprised me by hugging first me, then Lily.

  "Every time you turn up, you make my day," he said. "I am loving this tour so much more now that Katya is dead. No stress, plenty of gossip, playing for the cameras at every turn. It’s wonderful!"

  I didn't know what to say that, and I was rarely lost for words, so I just let him squeeze me again before he turned back to the dancers, and screeched at them to get off the floor.

  I lost sight of Lauren for a moment and when she reappeared after a few worrying minutes, during which I thought she slipped out the door, she was in full costume and flanked by Amelia and Shelley. Another couple of minutes, and I saw Garrett working his way through the crowd. He was moving towards the doors so Lily and I sank back into the shadows at the edges of the warehouse. The band, along with their backup singers and dancers, took their positions on the first set. Then the cameramen took their places while the rest of the crew began to move seamlessly, like they were being directed, themselves.

  Slowly, they ran through the shot, adding bursts of music, checking camera angles, striking poses, and testing the lighting.

  "All this for three-and-a-half minutes?" I whispered.

  "And they haven't even started shooting. What's that screen for?" Lily asked as the band moved from the first set to a blank canvas wall. One-by-one, they stood next to the screen, looking up at it with mournful expressions while images of Katya flickered across the screen. "This must be the montage bit for the Katya tribute," Lily decided. New instructions were given and the band tried different stances, as well as different expressions. Finally, the three of them sat, their backs pressed against the wall, looking upwards.

  "Amelia, can you do that tear again?" called the director. "You looked so sad."

  "I'm bored," snapped Amelia.

  "You look sad and that's perfect. Exactly what we want. That's right, girls. Okay, let's try a holding hands scene. I want you to join hands and look up at the screen."

  "Even when she's dead, Katya gets the big spotlight," said Lily.

  "Yeah. I wonder if they're pissed about that."

  "Damn good actors. Hey, how much do dancers earn?"

  "I don't know. Not much."

  "Then how come Don is wearing a Rolex?"