Muses, Mishaps, and Murder!

Chapter 10 The Case of the Curious Cult

Muse Silver-Green, Same Night

Tolbert fled the room.

Zander came back dressed in a black and gold uniform. He checked the numbers and called one back.

"It's me, Shanna L. Salamander, Rob's sister. We... talked before, but you blocked my old number. Your son visited... my show."

"I asked you not to call me about my son unless you get him back." He checked his phone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to block you," he said.

"Mr. Phall, I'm sorry for your custody battle, but I need you. Rob is selling out the poorest workers for exploitation. Not everything my brother is doing is legal."

"Everyone looks the other way when your brother does business, including my agency. What do you want from me?"

"He didn't inherit. Mom left our sister, Dina, the company, and he forged her will. He's a greedy thief."

"Do you think Rob killed your mom?"

"Rob cheated through classes. He lacks the ability and is too cheap to hire anyone. He is a carbon copy of our... mom. She'd be proud. Please, don't tell anyone I insulted my mother."

"I won't," Zander said over the phone.

"If my sister Vash was still around, she'd have been disappointed."

"Have you ever met your sister? Vash was a boarding school brat," Zander said.

"Mom, I mean Dina, invited her to our tea parties, and I'd email her and chat with her online twice a day. I still miss her. Sir, you might think I'm a brainless doll, but I'll find proof that he is exploiting workers, and Dina is Deb-Dagger. I want whoever took Vash from me behind bars."

"Deb is a siren, not a human," Zander said over the phone.

"No, the hologram isn't self-aware. Deb doesn't want to lose control. He or she manipulates victims into joining Deb's Light with dark psychology. There has to be a real person behind the tech."

"Are you mocking me for being fooled by Tolbert Allen?"

She sighed over the phone. "We were both idiots, but we were young. You need to pretend to take Rob's deal."

"He is still upset that I allowed Tolbert to break my relationship with Holbrook apart."

"My brother adores you, and I kept the fact you joined the cult from him. He wants to exploit Holbrook's singing abilities after his theater troupe quit. Rob is always exploiting someone. Dina didn't start as evil. She raised me, but my brother drove her to it."

"Why don't you trust her anymore?" Zander asked.

"She killed my mother and Vash, expecting she would inherit. Three months ago, I received some anonymous emails about my sister. They started coming after Mason Crawley contacted me for a DNA sample. I was a product of an affair."

"Are you sure?"

Shanna's voice dropped an octave. "My parents... weren't exactly faithful to each other, and I was born years after my father died. There was no frozen embryo."

"I thought Dina was covering up an affair."

"Mason's third genetic test confirmed that Dina and Rob... are my half-siblings. I'm waiting for another test. Mason and I have been in contact for years, mostly through postcards and email. I performed in his first play, so yes, we know each other. He rescued me from the cult, and he's been my protector."

"I won't tell anyone."

"My brother Rob takes after Mom, but he doesn't even hide his affairs. He doesn't have time to run a business."