| Subject: Chapter 213 - Part 2 (16 and above) (end of chapter 213) |
Author:
KatherineG.
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Date Posted: Monday, November 07, 06:53:24am
In reply to:
KatherineG.
's message, "Dreams in the Dark (203 > )" on Monday, October 03, 07:35:40am
It was October 14th now, was two and a half weeks before the intended date of his sister's demise--and, the more he considered it, the more some part of him worried over the details. Even with these last several months to think it over, his fears hadn't diminished. He still wasn't certain that he was making the right choice.
All of these questions hovered somewhere just below his conscious awareness, but they were strong, nonetheless. Primary among them was the worry that his compatriots were not what they seemed; there were a hundred sides to this fear. He might have known Hillinger for most of his life, but he still didn't trust him, knew that the man would always side with whomever had the upper hand--and would give him what he wanted. Besides, for all the gunman's crowing about his abilities, he might screw this up somehow--making a scene even bigger than the one the papers had created about his own minor mistakes. After all, a little public bribery was one thing--but killing a movie star . . .
It was the fact that Jamie had been born and raised in Hollywood which made his fears run so deep, his knowledge of the town's pull quite intimate. Yeah, it was good at keeping his father's houses filled with girls--all of them drawn to their stupid, fruitless dreams of stardom--but that very same attraction meant that the lives of the stars were never entirely secret. Sure, the broader public might be clueless about many of the deeper facts, but the power brokers of the city were another matter. And, for what he and Hillinger were going to do, there had to be secrecy--only a few, bribed policemen vaguely aware of the truth. If it became common knowledge to everyone in town . . .
It was this possibility which worried him the most, exposure of their role in his sister's death fatal--maybe literally. After all, his father had been there for him with his smaller peccadilloes--as he should have been--but to have the whole town talking about Jones's connection to the death of a star . . .
Jamie shuddered a little, hating to think about the possibilities but unable to run from his fears. Their success seemed so unlikely. True, people died in this town all the time, in one way or another, but most of them weren't at the height of their fame; Hillinger's little incident with Simone was certainly among these. But he still remembered the stink everyone had made about that Todd girl's "suicide"--anyone with any clout understanding what was behind that. It was the sort of rumor his father might be able to get away with--as Luciano had with Thelma. But, would he thank the son who had forced such attention on him? Not bloody likely.
It was hard to escape the involuntary shiver that moved up his spine, his fear of what might happen a little too deep. And Thelma Todd had been popular but not the sensation his sister currently seemed to be; the fear crept into his soul. How on earth were they going to get around being fingered for this?
He was trying to settle himself with the plans Madeline had made, wanted to believe in them--for his own sanity, if nothing else. But, every time he went over them, one glaring problem arose. If they killed his sister and her husband, leaving *two* stars dead--Samuelle's constant, stellar popularity didn't even bear thinking about--then no amount of police claims of robbery were going to suffice. They were going to need a body, some patsy to blame it on; the chill shook him physically. And it didn't take too much work to imagine whom that would be.
He didn't want to face this truth, had run from it time and again--but it waited calmly to confront him every time. As much as he wanted to pretend it wasn't true, only one scenario seemed likely. They were going to kill him, to leave him at the scene. No police officer in his right mind was going to admit that the body was his.
He was breathing a little faster, as this fact sank in, his eyes wide with fright--realizing what he had gotten himself into. It was what had made him delay for so long. Madeline didn't need him in her plots; she already had Hillinger. His inclusion had always worried him, making him question her motives. But now he was very afraid that he had found them out.
It all made sense to him now, as little as he liked it--every bit of it so clear. Just the fact that the gunman had been the one to break him out of his life of constant surveillance was suspicious. Hillinger had clearly known about Madeline's plans, was already part of them. The only reason why they would need to include him was if they were looking for someone to blame.
His life expectancy in such a plot seemed all too short suddenly, the tutor's intentions too clear. And it wasn't like he could deny it because of any loyalty Hillinger might have; that was nonexistent, even to Jones. The gunman was always out for himself alone, would do whatever seemed amusing to him at the time. And the death of his boss's son would only bring him another step closer to his throne.
There was no way away from the terror, no denial left. Jamie had known the gunman for most of his life, knew the way he worked--knew that he had nothing like a friend. There were even a few stories that the man had killed his own mother--and Jones's son didn't doubt it. He was certainly a bit unstable; a small snort emerged. But that was no reason for Jamie to put himself up for the sacrifice.
His resolve in this matter firmed, his course changing, the more he thought it over. Yes, he would go to his sister's house, would be there for her disposal, but he would *not* be the corpse which was left at the scene. That could just as easily be the gunman. It wasn't like any cop was stupid enough to ID him correctly, either.
The fear started to leave him, as this new plan emerged, his strength growing. He would be sure to be behind Hillinger, as the gunman finished off his sister and her partner, would be certain of their deaths first; he had no intention of anyone displacing him in Daddy's heart. After that, he would be the one to pull the trigger, ridding the world of Hillinger once and for all. It wasn't like his father would really mind. Psycho gunmen were a dime a dozen in this world.
He let out a deep breath, sinking back into his chair--practicing, without knowing it, the same commanding look his father always wore. This was an end he could live with--was one which wouldn't bring him to his premature death. If Madeline had any complaints, she could damn well eat them. It wasn't like she had any kind of pull with his dad to make the businessman change his mind about his son.
He was quite content with this plan, his earlier fears having vanished. And it served Madeline right to have her plots turned. This way, he had a *huge* bargaining chip, should he need anything from Premier--like a new career. A woman with a secret like that couldn't exactly afford to say no.
He was smiling, his future unfolding before him, at last, the certainties constant. Soon, he would have both seen to the elimination of his only rivals--the gunman always bucking for his father's attention, too--and have established an unbreakable pact with the studio's, suddenly very vulnerable, tutor. After that, all he needed was to get out of this room--and that would come. His father was a bright man, would come to understand his son's usefulness again. All he needed to do was bide his time, and then he would finally be out of this prison for good.
Extra reminder (from all those chapters ago): As to the discrepancy between Bauer referring to "Julia" in the previous chapter and Jamie to "Julie" in this one--the former is her screen name. Anyone who really knew her would have called her Julie.
[End of Part 213]
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