The Mystery Writer

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

After almost a two hour run and walk around the neighborhood, Darcy finally made her way back to Leo's house. It had been a long time since she felt this great and the fresh, crisp air seemed to enhance her well-being. She hadn't slept on a hungry stomach and was finally able to get some much needed exercise. The fresh air was an added bonus. She was ready to take on the world.

That was her belief until she reached Leo's front door. She had assumed she could run to her room and avoid being seen in her sweaty track suit. However, as soon as she opened the front door, Max was there to greet her and barred her from going any further.

“Police Chief Grant is here with officer Wells.” Darcy shivered as she remembered her last encounter with officer Wells. She didn't exactly wish to make his acquaintance again so soon. She crept towards the living room, glancing just around the corner to see what was going on. Leo sat on one of the luxurious sofas while Malakai stood behind him. Police Chief Grant and officer Wells sat across from Leo.

“I'm sorry, Leo. It seems like the trap didn't work. Currently you are our only lead, but we don't have any evidence that you killed that poor stylist or Wyatt Xu. The case will just have to go cold for now.” Everyone seemed to rise to their feet at once. Chief Grant graciously accepted Leo's extended hand while officer Wells refused to. Leo still saw them both out while Darcy did her best to hide behind Max as they passed. She didn't miss officer Wells' glare in her direction. Once her route was clear, she ran back to her room with Max close behind. Once she was safely in her room she turned to her friend.

“Well? What happened?” She wanted to know everything that had happened while she was gone.

“Leo is actually a really chill dude! I mean he allowed me into his studio and we discussed music and some of the style he looks for.” Max smiled at her mischievously, knowing very well that it wasn't the information she was looking forward to. “We were in the studio when Chief Grant arrived. There was a bit of small talk before you arrived. That's it.”

Darcy nodded. It was a little strange, she thought, for the Chief to make a house visit for something as simple as that. She had been so deep in thought that she must have missed a knock on her door. When Max opened it, Darcy recognized Leo staring inside. They met eyes and Darcy turned to face him. Leo had never knocked on her door since she started staying there. It surprised her that he hadn't disappeared immediately into his studio once again.

“Malakai and I were going to order takeout. Come pick something to eat, the both of you. Christine too!” Leo's small, curved smile was the best he could do at being inviting. Darcy wanted to laugh, but she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. She was just appreciating the change she'd recently begun to see in him. He wasn't shutting out the world completely anymore.

“Definitely. I'm going to shower first. Max, you and Christine can pick something for me. You know what I like. Leo's eyes shifted to Max before nodding and retreating with Max quick on his heels.

After a shower, Darcy gathered with everyone in the living area. She had never seen the place looked so packed, but she was quickly distracted by Christine's loud admiration of the house. It was only a few minutes later that the food arrived and they all sat in the living room to enjoy their food and share conversation.

“I have a schedule that suddenly popped up for tomorrow. Sorry I didn't inform you sooner, but the arrangements were just finished a little bit ago.” After everyone was seemingly full, Leo stood up and seemed to sway side to side. Darcy never noticed him fidget like this before. “It will be all day, the plan is to leave here at 5 a.m then probably return around midnight.”

“Phew, that is a short night for me.” Christine took the opportunity to stand from the sofa. She'd probably plead to go home as quickly as possible.

“Feel free to take the rest of the night off if you need to. I'll be catching up on studio time for the rest of the day. There shouldn't be anymore distractions.” Leo stood, taking a detour through the kitchen to drop his trash in the garbage can before heading to the studio. After Malakai followed him into the studio, Max, Christine and Darcy all glanced at each other. Without a word, they all went their separate ways.

The next morning, Darcy woke with a sudden knock to her door. She panicked for a moment, thinking that she was late for the day's schedule. She relaxed when the alarm clock read 4:15. She straightened in her desk chair as she rubbed her face. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep while working on her personal project. It had been awhile since she had the liberty to work on it. Her back complained and she moved slowly to her door. Max had already arrived with a cup of coffee.

Even after a shower and the cup of coffee, her muscles argued with her. Falling asleep at her desk was definitely taking a toll on her. Christine scolded her as she slumped herself in the chair to get her face touched up. Darcy didn't have the energy to argue back.

Finally, when Darcy was ready, she went from the camper straight to Leo's van. He had offered both Max and her a ride to the venue. When she climbed into the passenger seat, she noticed Leo and Max already talking with each other as though they had always been buddies.

“Where is Malakai?” Darcy questioned, noticing that Leo was the one in the drivers seat. Leo grinned at her before turning around to get their journey started.

“He will meet us there.”

It wasn't a long drive. Actually, Darcy was surprised by how short the drive actually was. The venue was also well known. It was the building that the entertainment company, FLD inc., owned. It was the same entertainment company that had signed Leo and made him into the star he was today. Max was thankful as Leo gave him permission to record footage of the private parking lot that only those who worked for FLD had access to.

Max and Darcy got to work as soon as they stepped out of Leo's van. They made a sort of joke out of their project, by whispering and following just behind Leo as they followed him into the elevator and finally out into an empty, dark hallway that was only lit with dim emergency lights. They all seemed to enjoy the fun, quick-witted moment and Max cut recording as they approached the only room that light was flooding from the c***k at the bottom of the door. Music was emitted loudly from the room that held a steady beat that instantly wanted you to start dancing or tapping your foot to.

“LEO!' As soon as the celebrity opened the door, their was a loud shout that startled both Max and Darcy. They glanced at each other and laughed before peering into the room that Leo had already disappeared behind. Two men already surrounded Leo and Darcy was surprised to find that she recognized one of them. She had covered him at some point in her career as a celebrity news reporter. Darcy slid to the side, closer to Max, hoping she hadn't offended Ken Langston in her previous works. Ken was another famous celebrity belonging to FLD.

“Darcy, Max this is my friend Ken and his manager Roman.” Darcy stood straighter, not expecting Leo to suddenly introduce them. She glanced at the two strangers with a small, nervous smile.

Roman was first to advance towards her and the first thing she recognized was how tall and thin he was. He also had a very serious look on his face, but it expanded into an excited smile just before he stepped just in front of her. “D.W. Channel 9 News!”

Ken bounded forward and grabbed Darcy's hand to quickly shake it. “I'm Ken and I'm a fan. No, a really big fan! I've been watching the live cam everyday to see how you treat my friend. You've made things very interesting!”

“Hi Ken.” Darcy responded nervously before smiling back at the celebrity. Ken had a friendly and bubbly character. She also vaguely remembered a feel good story that she covered about one of the musicals he had performed in.

“Welcome to our studio! I bet you didn't expect to see Leo with his best friends today.” Roman grinned, backing up to give Darcy room so she could truly inspect it. It was a large room with one wall completely covered with a mirror, the opposite wall was actually no wall it all. It was covered in tinted glass and you could see most of the city from the studio.

“So Roman and Ken, why have we gathered here so early in the morning? What's the plan?” Darcy grinned at both of them. They both turned to Max who already had the camera prepared for them.

“It has been a long time since Leo and I have worked together on a project. We are here to practice and to maybe work on something for our fans for the near future.” Ken grinned as he gave away more than he probably should have. Darcy could imagine their fans going crazy at the news.

“We are actually planning an album, but keep it a secret. It is still in very early stages.” Darcy jumped after Leo had whispered beside her. She hadn't noticed when he had gotten so close. She responded with a nod of her head.

As Ken and Leo warmed up, Darcy walked around the room while creating a small introduction for those just waking up and joining them in the studio. Afterwards, there wasn't much for her to do except to watch them practice. It was strange to be able to get such a private look into their daily routines. She laughed, as she was sure their fans laughed, when they caught Ken and Leo bickering with each other. However, when they became serious with their work, Darcy focused on the live feeds and the comments being posted. The fans were definitely enjoying this fresh, new look at the celebrities.

“Hey Darcy.” Ken suddenly sat down beside her as he used a towel to cover his head. He was sweaty, and she could only imagine how hot it was to work under the lights and sing, not to mention with the added efforts of dancing to top it all off. She raised an eyebrow curiously as Ken seemed comfortable enough to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

After monitoring the comments over her shoulder for a few moments, Ken forced Darcy to her feet. “I'll teach you a dance or two.”

“I'm not sure.”

“Oh come on! This'll be fun.”

Ken grabbed her hand and while the others took a break, Ken began to show her the steps one by one. She had always been a little clumsy with two left feet, not to mention that her choice of high heels made it that much harder.

“Just spread your legs a little wider. It lowers your center of gravity and makes it easier. It also puts you less at risk for injury.” At some point during her lesson, Leo had walked closer and finally demonstrated a particularly hard part of the dance while attempting to help her. Darcy watched him closely before attempting the steps herself. She was surprised by how well his advice helped her and that she didn't feel awkward or embarrassed afterwards. She was impressed with his knowledge and looked up to him with a broad smile. He responded with a nod before retreating back to the bench he had previously been sitting on.

After feeling comfortable with the steps and completing one full dance without mishap, she begged Ken to allow her to exit the dance floor. Ken reluctantly agreed and followed her to the side. He seemed to take pride in the fact that he had successfully taught her a routine. They each tapped a bottle of water together before taking a sip.

“D.W of Channel 9 news, how'd it feel to receive lessons from well known celebrity, Ken Langston?” Max raced towards them with his camera, giving them an unexpected interview. Darcy was stunned into silence as she hadn't expected such an attack from her friend.

“Darcy here is quite the natural. She did very well during my lessons.” Ken acted like a proud teacher looking down on his student. Darcy found that it helped her to relax so she could respond in comfort.

“I'm thankful to have lessons from both of these talented celebrities!” Max continued to ask her a few more questions before he finally retreated to give her a break. She took a deep breath, thinking about how stressful it was to be put on the spot like that.

“How'd it feel? It's not a walk in the park getting ambushed like that, especially when you are least expecting it.” Darcy glanced quickly towards Leo who stood only a few feet in front of her. She noticed his eyes were shifting between Max and her. The anger she suddenly felt radiate from him surprised her and made her speechless. If she was being honest, she hated the unexpected interview as she barely had time to think of decent answers. Realization poured through her; this was how celebrities felt every day. Was this how they felt every day too? Was this how Leo felt every day as he committed to this reality show that never gave him a chance to relax?

“I-”

Before Darcy could say anything else, Leo exited the studio. She wanted to follow after him but Ken grabbed her attention and shook his head.

“Don't be too put off by his mood. He is often like that, even with his closest friends.” Darcy nodded, but she already felt guilty. “Look at it this way. He just taught you and the audience a little more about himself. It was something that few people would have realized until now.”

Ken slipped away to go continue his work. It was time to get serious again as their break time was almost over. However, what Ken had said really hit a nerve with Darcy. She had always been on the opposite side because of her job. Now that she could attempt to enter the same side as Leo and Ken, she realized how difficult it must be to put up with constant bullying from the media and those who called themselves fans. Even though she thought about how difficult it must be, she knew she could never fully understand what these celebrities had to go through and how hard they tried. However, as much as she tried to think of a way, she couldn't imagine being able to do her job and give artists the distance they needed as well.

“Why are you spacing out?” Max tapped her shoulder, which she could only smile weakly back to him and shrug her shoulders. When it was finally time to pack up, she stowed her laptop in her bag and followed her friend to Leo's van.

“I'll order delivery when we get home.” Leo informed them as they all climbed into the van. Darcy swallowed dryly and closed her eyes as soon as she was buckled into her seat. Before long, Max nudged her to alert her that they were back at Leo's house. She pulled herself from the van and followed both of the men into the house.

“What would you both like?” Leo questioned, turning to them as soon as he closed the front door.

“I'm not hungry. You two go ahead and order something, I'm going to bed.” Darcy said a quiet good night to both of them before heading back to her room.

“Darcy!”

Both Max and Leo seemed to call after her, but she refused to stop.

“I'm fine, I'm just tired. Good night.” Darcy entered her room, immediately collapsing onto her bed. As much as she wanted to sleep, she just had too many thoughts crossing her mind.