“Go—now!” Heather shouted, waving her gun at them. “But not you!” She pointed the weapon at Madison as she watched the others disappear into the adjoining room.
Last thing Madison heard before the door slid shut was Aster’s voice shouting, “Omigod—Ira!”
Once they were gone, Heather continued. “None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t become famous. I’d barely even thought about you until one day I was looking through a magazine and I saw some dumb bitch smiling back from the cover with these unmistakable violet-colored eyes. Despite the name change, I knew in that instant it was you. So I made it a point to track you down once I moved to LA. At first, all I really wanted was an apology for the horrible thing that you did. But you treated me like you treat everyone—like I was second rate. That’s when I started making plans. And despite a few glitches, the fact that the whole world now knows the truth about you means it worked. Our conversation is being live streamed. People all over the world are tuned in. I like to think of it as the ultimate reality show.”
“If that’s true, then the cops are probably on their way.”
Heather shrugged. “All I need now is for you to admit the truth. So just look into the camera and tell the world who really killed your parents.”
Madison hesitated. While Heather had been talking, Paul had slipped into the room and was standing right behind her. She had no idea where he’d come from, but the look he gave her told her not to let on that she’d seen him.
Heather pressed the barrel of the gun to Trena’s temple. “If you don’t confess, I’ll shoot. Pretty sure you don’t want the whole world to know you’re so selfish you’d actually let an innocent woman die.”
“You say that so casually, like you’ve killed before. Does this mean the body in Joshua Tree was your doing?”
“You know how it is.” Heather sighed. “At first you think you have a solid ally you can trust, but then they decide to get greedy and you’re forced to teach them a lesson.”
“A permanent lesson,” Madison said.
“He’s the one who snatched you from Night for Night. So don’t pretend you give a shit about what happened to him. He knew my dad, so I thought he was on my side. But then he started blackmailing me. Demanding a ridiculous fee for his silence. He left me no choice. Besides, this is about your sins,” Heather reminded her.
“Just to be clear,” Madison said. “You’re asking me to lie in order to save Trena’s life?” Madison locked eyes with Trena. She hoped she wasn’t making it worse. “Because I can do that. Hell, I’m an actress. I can make it convincing. The thing that worries me is it doesn’t seem like you’ve thought this all the way through. Up until now you’ve managed to impress me by leaving a lot of unanswered questions, like: How’d you drug Aster? I mean, if Kevin O’Dell was arranging to abduct me, then you must’ve had additional help. Also, what about the guy in Death Valley? Just how many people were in on this?” Madison cared less about the answers and more about playing for time. Appealing to Heather’s ego was the best way she could think of.
Heather looked annoyed. “It’s not hard to find the right people if you know where to look. You have a long list of people who hate you, you know.”
“Did Ira drug Aster?”
Heather rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Of course not. I did. Poor Ira. You guys were so quick to accuse him, when all he ever did was try to give you what you wanted. Ira is the most honest person I know. He’s ruthless, yes, but he’s hardly the demon you think. I met Aster in the bathroom. She was acting all jumpy and weird, so I tried to calm her and offered her a sip from a bottle of water that may or may not have been spiked. Then I put her in a car and met her at an apartment I’d rented so she could safely sleep it off. It all went smoothly, except for Layla. Her refusal to post the diary entries, even after I threatened her, really surprised me. I never expected her to protect you, considering what a bitch you were. Then again, you’ve never been very good to your friends. I should know. I used to be one. As for the rest, the guy who abducted you in Death Valley used to work for Paul. You fired him from your security detail for some minor offense. He never recovered. I’m guessing either you or Paul managed to kill him since he never stopped by for his check. For all I know, you shot him with this very gun, seeing as how I found it inside your purse.” She waved the weapon before the camera.
While Heather was waving the gun, Paul sprang toward her. But Heather, spotting him from the corner of her eye, swung wildly toward him and ordered him to stand beside Trena.
“Enough!” Heather shouted. “Tell the truth now or someone dies!”
Paul looked at Madison and shook his head no.
But Madison knew Heather wasn’t joking. She was so far gone she’d gladly kill them all.
“Tell them who did it!” Heather shouted, becoming unhinged. Her hair was disheveled, her lipstick smeared, as thick black trails of mascara pooled under her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Tell them it was you or Paul dies!”
Madison steeled herself and prepared to confess. She’d kept her secret all these years, but maybe, just maybe, her fans would forgive her. She was just a child when she’d shot them. She was scared and out of options. Paul had risked everything that night and all the ones that followed in order to protect her, and now the time had come to repay the favor. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. The prospect seemed worse than facing a hostile world that knew her deepest, darkest truth.
Stepping forward, she looked directly into the camera. “I—” She started to speak just as Paul charged straight into the barrel of Heather’s gun.
A terrible blast tore through the room, and Madison watched in horror as Paul reeled backward and Heather spun and fired another round through the glass wall that stood between them.
Instinctively, Madison ducked away from the hail of shattering glass as the bullet whizzed past her head and tore into the wall just behind her.
In a daze, she glanced over to where Paul lay. His gut was blown open, and a gush of blood pumped so profusely he’d bleed out in no time. It was over. Really truly over. Wearily, she lifted her gaze to watch Heather advance until she was standing directly before her, gun pointed at Madison’s forehead.
“Please,” Madison whispered. “Stop while you still can.”
“Too late.” Heather’s voice was sad, her expression resigned. “Looks like it’s over for all of us now.”
From somewhere in the distance, Madison heard shouting, the sound of feet running. “They’re coming,” she said. “Put the gun down.”
“They’re coming for both of us.” Heather’s eyes blazed. “So go ahead, before it’s too late—confess! It’s not like it’ll matter once we’re both dead.”
Madison stared at the lost girl before her, trying to get used to the idea that she really might die at Heather’s hand. The possibility was frightening, but she was equally surprised to find how bad she felt for what had become of Heather’s life.