Dont Say Murder

Chase's Secret

I only had 40 minutes before I had to be back on set. I had to go quickly... I rushed up the stairs to the 3rd floor with 39 minutes to search. When I reached room 61, Tanya's room, I groaned as the door stayed bolted shut when I twisted the knob. It was locked. Suddenly I herd a noise like footsteps in the hall behind me. I turned on my heal to face- nobody! The hall was empty! But the footsteps got closer and closer, louder and louder... suddenly the room went cold. VERY cold. Then it was warm again! The shock was like being dropped into a bucket of ice but then having the ice turn to still, warm, summer air.

"Hello?" I called. "hello-hello-hello-hello..." I cringed as my voice rang through the empty building. Suddenly, I felt something hot licking the back of my neck! I wheeled around and screamed. The wall behind me was up in flames. That's when I noticed something odd. The flames were spelling out words!

The revenge of Kaylin has begun!!!

A chill went down my spine. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the note I had found the first day.

Roxy- Watch out! This is all his fault. But the job will never get done with you around...I'm coming for you. Beware...revenge will be mine!!!

~K

K... the K must stand Kaylin!

"But who's Kaylin?" I said aloud. I looked back up at the flames. But I gasped in shock when I saw they were gone! I reached out and touched the wall. Solid, cold, white wall! No sign of the flames I had seen only a minute before. This was too weird. I turned and ran out of the building, then got back in the Uber. I arrived back at the stage just in time.

"Roxy!" Holly came rushing up to me. "are you OK???"

"I'm fine- I think." I said, then launched into a detailed explanation of what had happened.

"Oh my..." Holly gaped at me. "we need to talk to Chase..."

"But how?" I said quietly. Holly frowned, thinking hard. Then her face lit up.

"I know!" she said. "meet me at the center where Chase is being held when we are done filming... and bring a pair of handcuffs!"

***

So I did. I met Holly in the parking lot of the juvenile detention center with a pair of handcuffs I had "borrowed" from the props closet.

"So whats the plan?" I asked Holly.

"Put the handcuffs on." she instructed me. It was then that I noticed what Holly was wearing. 6 inch tall stilettos, and a cops uniform.

"How do you walk in those?!" I cried out.

"Practice makes perfect!" Holly winked and grabbed the handcuffs I had just clasped around my wrists.

"Ouch!" I yelped. "can you not drag me?!" Holly ignored me and continued to pull me towards the door. She opened the doors and breezed through. I cringed, expecting to be noticed and called out. But Holly had the right idea. People thought I was a criminal and Holly worked there. Nobody gave us a second glance. I was surprised nobody recognized me, so I guessed juvenile detention people didn't like modern celebrity's.

"Look for Chase." Holly whispered as she turned a corner into the room where they keep the kids before they get questioned. I scanned the room and finally spotted a door marked C. La'maro.

"This one." I said.

"Okay." Holly produced a lock picking kit from her pocket.

"Where did you get that?!" I asked in surprise.

"Lets say the props closet has become very handy on this mystery." Holly said slyly. The door suddenly clicked and the lock popped open. We opened the door a tiny crack and slipped in. Chase was asleep on a small, putrid, orange colored couch. I tiptoed over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Chase!" I hissed. "I need to talk to you." he sat bolt upright, and then gasped when he saw Holly and me.

"How did you-" he began, but I cut him off.

"Listen, we don't have much time. I need to ask you a few questions." Holly and I sat down on ether side of Chase and I told him the whole story. When I finished he looked mortified.

"No... not this..." he moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Do you know something?" I asked, intrigued.

"Kaylin. Kaylin was my- my twin sister." Chase ran his hand through his dark, chocolate colored hair and looked at the floor. His face wore the saddest look I had ever seen, a mix of guilt, terror, regret, shame, and sadness, that made me want to put my arms around him again to comfort him again.

"Kaylin is why the police think I'm the murderer. I miss her so much." Chase hid his face in his hands again.

"What happened?" Holly prompted gently.

"Its my fault." Chase sighed and looked up at us, broken. "I killed her."

"WHAT?!" I stood up, aghast. "but-"

"I didn't mean to!" Chase grabbed my arm and pulled me back down, as if he was desperate not to loose another person. My skin tingled.

"I mean, I didn't kill her, but- its my fault she died." he paused, as if old memories were clogging his throat but then he swallowed and continued. "Kaylin was a great sister to me. She was beautiful, and feisty, and determined. She had long wavy brown hair like yours Roxy, in fact- you look almost just like her. She was a talented actress, and had a life mission to become famous. On our 10th birthday she got her first job. Ada had seen her profile all over social media, and thought she would be perfect for the main roll in a show called "Half Gone" that silver Lining was making. I was- well I was jealous. I wanted to be an actor and be famous just as much as she did. Kaylin was so happy to have finally gotten her dream fulfilled. But I couldn't watch it happen. I was so mad that Kaylin was succeeding and I wasn't. So I decided to get revenge on her. I was kind of driven crazy. Kaylin hated nuts. She despised almonds and was deathly allergic to peanuts. Later that night, Kaylin asked me to get her a drink, and I went into the cabinet, and got out what I thought was almond extract. But I grabbed the peanut oil instead. It was dark, and they were in very similar looking bottles. I never meant to poison her. I dumped the oil in the glass of water and she gulped it down. She was dead 30 seconds later. Everyone blamed me for what happened, they thought I did it on purpose, but I didn't. when I got into my first movie, things started to go wrong. All my closest friends on set started to have accidents. I got hurt numerous times. And when the movie finally came out, my mom and dad didn't come with me to see it cause they- they said couldn't watch it with me. To be honest- they don't know I'm in this." Chase looked at me for a reaction. I stared.

"Wow." Holly breathed. "what a horrible way to die." I smacked Holly's arm.

"Sorry about her." I apologized

"Its fine." Chase sighed.

"Why don't you tell the police the same story?" I asked.

"Cause they, like the rest of the people who know what happened, think I did it on purpose. They know the story, but wont believe me when I tell them the truth." Suddenly I was hit with an idea.

"I know what we need to do." I said miserably. "we need to talk to Kaylin."

"And just how are you going to talk to a ghost?" Holly snorted. I ignored her and turned to Chase.

"Where is Kaylin buried?" I asked.

"The cemetery downtown." Chase stood up, a smile spreading across his face. "and you will be going there tomorrow!"

"Um..." Holly stood up as well and faced us. "we have a full day of filming tomorrow! How are we suppose to be in two places at once?" as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Holly's face lit up with recognition.

"You wont have to be!" Chase grinned. "your filming there!"