Dark Illusion: A Psychological Thriller Novel (6 page)

A
fter listening
to Sharon’s persuasive arguments regarding her special interest in the editor,
Kelly Danes, Rob could not reject her inquiry. Chances were that Miss Danes
wasn’t the infamous serial killer they were after, but it would be careless not
to investigate. Nevertheless, he forbade Sharon from contacting Kelly again, at
least not until she presented him with something more concrete that justified
confrontation. He could not face the commissioner empty handed again.

In any case, he thought, it was a
good thing that Sharon hadn’t gone too far and actually blamed Kelly Danes for
murder. That was the last thing he needed right now.

                              
     * * *

Kelly had barely dodged the bullet that had been shot
directly at her. The graze of the slug on her neck was a painful reminder.
Luckily, the blood had clotted and she was out of danger, for now.

She had almost fallen into an
abyss because of an insignificant investigator trying to prove herself to her
boss. Who was this
Sharon Davis
, and why was she so determined to take
her down? She could hear it in the detective’s voice, when they had spoken on
the phone. Kelly had not missed the doubt, the suspicion, and the desire to
blame her for something, no matter what it was. It seemed as though she had
unknowingly made herself an enemy.

Nonetheless, the odds were in her
favor. She had the power, the connections, and all the means necessary to crush
her rival, but still she was afraid to act. The determination and tenacity
Kelly recognized in the detective could not be tossed away so easily, not even
with all the money and the connections she had.

For the first time in almost
three years, ever since that first unripe act of murder, she was worried. Kelly
understood that she had to be extra careful and take a step back.

How she hated Detective Davis for
it.

Maybe she should run far away
from here; she still hadn’t fulfilled her destiny.

On the other hand, Kelly thought,
maybe she was looking at this all wrong. It was clear that the low class
detective would not stop trying to discover whatever it was that she thought
Kelly was hiding, and the harder Kelly resisted, the less chance the cop would
give up. In fact, she might even try to persuade others that she was right.

Or even worse, she might actually
succeed.

How did the old saying go?
Keep
your friends close and your enemies closer. . .

L
uckily for
Gloria, when they arrived at the shooting site, it was pouring rain, and there
was no choice but to delay the photo shoot until the next day. Great, she had gained
another day off with Andy. Ever since their hot kiss at the gas station, they
hadn’t gotten a chance to be alone, though they had been sitting just inches
away from one another most of the time during the ride to the remote
destination.

Gloria knew very well the power
of the right timing. It was clear to her that if she and Andy didn’t clarify
matters and make important decisions regarding what had happened between them
just hours ago, what was burning inside of her would fade in a mist of doubt and
become a sweet, yet unfulfilled, memory. She did not want another memory. Not
this time.

Gloria pined for something that
she hadn’t had for so long and had not even realized was missed. Going by her
estimation, the spark between them had twenty-four hours left before
disappearing forever. This extra day together was her and Andy’s last chance to
ignite the fire. And here, by a miraculous coincidence, or perhaps even fate,
they were trapped in a cozy lodge while the rain was closing in on them.

Aphrodite had left them no
escape.

Andy sat alone in his room. Arthur kept Gloria busy with
reviewing the dozens of job offers that she had received for the coming days
when they returned from New Zealand, so Andy was left with nothing to do other
than further dive into the plans for the photo shoot. He acknowledged the great
value of this project; this would actually be the first time his work would
receive international coverage. He was so thankful to Kelly Danes for this
opportunity and the free hand she had given him in producing the photo shoot.
And he was glad that soon enough he could thank her in person.

He looked out from his window
onto the drops of rain that blurred the peaceful scenery surrounding the inn.
This rain could be a blessing in disguise, he thought. This way Andy gained
precious hours of preparation time. He took a deep breath and then exhaled,
watching his warm breath condensing upon touching the cool glass window. Who
was he kidding? He was as ready as one could possibly be. He had spent hours planning
every little detail and he couldn’t wait to start shooting. So why was he not
terribly disappointed after having to reschedule the photo shoot for tomorrow?
Andy asked himself and immediately knew the answer.
Gloria
. Maybe this
rain is in fact a blessing in disguise, Andy decided, because it gives me the
opportunity to settle things with Gloria before the shooting starts. Before we
would have to act as professionals and she might get the wrong impression, like
that I am not absolutely fascinated by her and would like to get to know her
better. So I have to make my intentions clear beforehand; the question is how
to follow through.

Gloria was trying to plan what exactly she would say to Andy
and how to tell him about her feelings. The businesswoman in her emerged even
in the territory of the girl in love. Gloria could not avoid being prudent here
as well, but for some reason she could not organize her thoughts and pave a
path that would lead her to her goal. Eventually she decided to take the road that
she had chosen only a few rare times throughout her life: the one that headed
into the unknown. Simply knock on Andy’s door and damn it, whatever happens,
happens.

When she approached Andy’s room
her steps were not so determined. Gloria stopped in front of the door,
wondering if she should back down. Let
him
pursue
her
.

Isn’t that the least an
international supermodel could ask for?

She was afraid he would never
knock on her door. That their story would be over before it had even begun.
Could it be that I am too intimidating, Gloria asked herself? Is Andy too
afraid to make a move because it won’t be professional of him? Or maybe he
thinks that I am just toying with him and not really interested? Gloria knew
this job meant a great deal to Andy and that he wouldn’t dare risk it unless he
had a damn good reason. Could it be that she just wasn’t a good enough reason?
A crease of concern formed between her eyes. In that case, she should probably
wait for him to lead the way.

But Gloria had never left her future
up to fate, and she definitely would not start doing it now. Especially after
she already had gone through her midlife crisis, which in her case, of course,
had started at the age of twenty-five.

Gloria ordered herself to pick up
her hand and execute the elementary action of knocking on the door, an action
she never had trouble executing before. So why was it so difficult right now?

Her hand already had risen up.
Her heart started pounding. An oppressive heat took over her entire body. Her
clenched fingers made their way to the door but never got a chance to reach
their destination.

Andy opened the door before she
ever knocked.

“I was just on my way to see
you,” Andy explained. He looked just as confused as Gloria was, as if he, too,
had been sitting in his room for the past hour, running all kinds of scenarios
through his head. A smile of relief spread across Gloria’s face, which made
Andy feel even more confused. But then, as he was processing the image before
his eyes, he began to smile.

Andy realized he wasn't the only
fool in love.

E
ven if she’d
had a hundred opportunities, Sharon would have never guessed who was on the
other end of the line.

“Hello,” she answered nonchalantly,
not really paying attention, as she was tied up with the case.

“Hello, Detective Davis, this is
Kelly Danes speaking.”

Sharon almost dropped the
receiver. There was no doubt Kelly had managed to get her full attention.

“Hello, Miss Danes.” Sharon,
still completely surprised, was trying to choose her words carefully so she
wouldn’t get in trouble again. “I hadn’t expected to hear from you.”

And I was forbidden from ever
contacting you again.

“Indeed, I know our last
conversation did not end on a positive note . . .” Kelly said.

Sharon was already intrigued.

“. . . And yet, I’ve decided that
if you believe that I can somehow help with finding the person who murdered all
those poor girls, then it is my duty to do so.”

Sharon had not expected this. She
was very good at reading others, and the last time they’d talked she hadn’t
noticed that Kelly was eager to help.

Can the leopard change its
spots?

“Miss Danes, you’ve managed to
surprise me.” Sharon decided not to disclose her reservations or the questions
building up inside of her. She had to figure out what was going on here. “We
would be happy to have your assistance about anything you can remember
regarding the case.”

Kelly was smiling from the other
side of the line. Detective Davis had just let the fox guard the henhouse.

“I’ll do my best to answer your
questions, Detective Davis, but I honestly don’t think I remember much.”

No worries, there’s plenty of
information between the lines
, Sharon thought. “Great. Let’s schedule a
meeting as soon as possible.”

“My schedule is free tomorrow
afternoon. You can stop by my office if you’d like.” Kelly preferred to stay on
home turf.

Ordinarily, Sharon would have
never agreed to meet with a potential witness – let alone a possible suspect –
outside the police station, especially when she was still questioning their
motives. But this time it worked perfectly. That way no one, not even Rob,
would find out about her renewed contact with Kelly.

“Done. What’s the address?“

T
he very next
day, Sharon left the office early, saying she had a dental appointment. Rob had
no choice but to assent in a silent frown, if only because Sharon had never
missed a day of work. In fact, she used to stay at work long hours after
punching her card. This was exactly why he was wondering if she really was on
her way to the dentist, or maybe the state of her pearly whites wasn’t really
that bad.

The roads of Manhattan were
swamped with cars, the yellow taxis the city was known for standing out among
them. Traffic was heavier than usual, and Sharon was relieved that she wasn’t
driving. The address Kelly had given her was only a couple of blocks away from
the subway station and Sharon was glad to walk them by foot. Those ten minutes
were like a vacation for her, filled with different colors, sounds, and
flavors.

I really need to get out more
,
she determined.

She arrived at an impressively
polished office building. The Inner Beauty logo was displayed above the
entrance, along with some other well-known symbols.

To her surprise, when she entered
the big corner office, Kelly greeted her warmly.

“Would you like something to
drink? Coffee, tea, water?” she asked in a sweet tone.

“Strong coffee. Thanks.” Sharon
chose to play along with Kelly as long as she couldn’t be sure if it was all an
act or not. In any case, it had been nearly two hours since her last cup of
coffee, which was unheard of.

They chatted while Kelly’s
assistant served their drinks, and then, to Kelly’s request, left and closed
the office door behind her.   

“Well, as I made clear in our
conversation yesterday, I’m here to help.” Kelly smiled but seethed inwardly
over the lie that came out of her mouth, and even more over the fake kindness
she had to maintain for now. “I will do my best to answer all of your
questions, Detective Davis.”

“Alright, let’s start with the
first victim, Mandy Sheldon.”

Kelly couldn’t bear to hear that
hideous name even one more time, but of course she didn’t say anything.

“As I’d mentioned in our previous
talk,” Sharon continued, also trying to avoid that awkwardness after they’d
both lost their tempers, “The deceased’s sister said Mandy got your business
card just days before she was found dead.”

Kelly had prepared herself for
this moment. She knew that she had to change her version of things. This was
the one spot where she might slip.

“Indeed, after our conversation,
I did try to remember the poor girl. I even asked my secretary to print her
photo. Still, it’s been three years.”

Sharon nodded understandingly. She
wondered what had led to this gracious cooperation. Perhaps Kelly really was a
model citizen? There was no doubt that Miss Danes was a respectable and
influential woman – far from the lonesome killer stereotype. Sharon almost
began to question herself and understand Rob’s logic, who at times found her
theories scattered and bizarre.

But damn it, something didn’t
feel right.

“And I was able to remember her.
Gorgeous girl. A real sweetheart. She originally came in for a job interview as
a receptionist, were you aware of that?” Kelly asked with faux naivety.

“Of course.” Sharon tried to
project confidence in her answers. “Mandy had told her sister every little
detail,” she added in the hope that Kelly would take the bait.

Oh, Mandy, you have been dead
for three years and still make things so complicated!

“Anyway,” Kelly continued, “as
soon as I saw her, I realized she had great potential and that she could have
become an asset for the magazine,” Kelly tried to emphasize the fact that she
had lost out from the girl’s death. “You see, when models are discovered by the
magazine, they sign an exclusivity contract. They can shoot commercials and
campaigns, because we want them to get famous as well, but in regards to
interviews, covers, and juicy scoops, we get first exclusivity,” Kelly
explained, hoping she managed to distract the simple cop, who obviously knew
very little about how things worked in the fashion industry.

“And that was all to your
relationship with Mandy?” Sharon stayed focused. She wanted to see if Kelly
would lie to her again.

“Pretty much.” Kelly chose her
words carefully. She didn’t know what and how much the detective knew, so she
tried not to get tangled in her own answers. Kelly wanted to leave herself an
escape route, an option to claim she had been misunderstood.

“I would love to hear about the
minor
details as well,” Sharon forced a smile. She began to lose her patience. So far
Kelly hadn’t told her anything new.

Kelly felt her heart beating
strongly. She was as excited as an actress reciting her lines in front of an
audience for the first time, afraid she might not portray well enough the part
that she had taken upon herself.

“Certainly, as I mentioned, I am
here to help,” she tried to gain some time. Kelly was not yet sure which tactic
to use. Eventually she decided. “Actually, I’m a bit confused. It’s been a long
time, and I’m not sure what exactly you expect to hear. It’s not like I was her
best friend.”

No, just the fairy godmother
who had promised to make all of her dreams come true.

“It’s hard for me to think of
anything else worth mentioning. Just ask what you want to know.” Kelly hoped
with all her heart that it would end there.

“Alright, so how exactly does
this whole model discovery thing work? Did you have to register Mandy with an
agency or update her name in your records?”

Damn it, this cop isn’t
stupid.

“Actually we didn’t get that far
along in this process since . . . well, you know what happened.”

Yes, just too bad you didn’t
even bother to remember the girl you promised the moon to, who suddenly got
murdered.

“And it didn’t seem suspicious to
you that someone who had gotten an opportunity like that never contacted you?”

“Well, I’m a very busy woman, so
if someone is foolish enough to pass up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I’m
not going to chase after them.”

Sharon could feel the hidden
contempt in Kelly’s words.

“Didn’t you have her number? You
just offered her a
‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’
and moved on? Your
assistant didn’t take her information?” she wondered. The detective in her had
to dig deeper.

Something just doesn’t add up.

“As I was saying, pursuing
aspiring models is not a part of my daily agenda. I saw potential in the girl,
presented her with an offer that’s hard to refuse, and told her to get my card
from my secretary.” Kelly tried to tie up any lose ends that she may have left.
“And that’s it. The ball was in her court.”

“So you’re saying that Mandy’s
case was like any other of a girl who you‘ve offered to make into a model?”
Sharon was just waiting for Kelly to make a mistake.

“Well . . . yes.” Kelly yearned
to get out of the mess she’d made.

“And do those cases tend to
repeat themselves much?”

Actually, Kelly had never offered
any girl the fast track to fame, besides those gullible buffoons who had fallen
victim to her exploits. There was no chance in hell she would help those vain,
lucky girls reach any further than the local dumpster.

“Not very often, but it
definitely wasn’t the only time I’d given my card to someone who showed
promise,” she said nonchalantly.

“Can you give me any names?” The
conversation had slowly evolved from a friendly dialogue into a line of
questioning.

Shit!
Kelly was outraged
but tried not to disclose her feelings in front of the detective. “I’m sorry
but my brain is so busy concentrating on other topics: the preparations for the
March issue are in full force. I even needed some time to be able to recall
Mandy.” The smile on her face could not conceal her discomfort.

“Don’t worry,” Sharon answered
with the same artificial sweetness that Kelly had greeted her with when she’d
entered her office. “The names are probably updated in your records, right?”

Why do you keep prying, you
stupid cop? Leave me alone!

“They have to be somewhere . . .”
Kelly was mad at herself for not having been properly prepared for these
questions. She had underestimated her rival. “But how is this connected to your
case?”

“You’re right. We got a little
off topic.” Sharon preferred to dismiss the matter for now and not provoke an
attack. For the time being she should try to extract as much information as she
possibly could. After all, she was certain that there were no names in the
system.

If beforehand Sharon had still
been debating, now she had no doubt at all that this woman was hiding
something.

“Okay, back to Mandy.”

Marvelous . . .
Kelly
nodded and held the coffee mug close to her lips.

“So, basically, you offered to
make her the next ‘it girl,’ am I right?” Sharon abandoned the subtle tactic
she had used earlier. She understood that she had to hit where it hurt.

Kelly took a long sip of her
coffee.

“The next ‘it girl’? That’s a bit
farfetched, if you ask me.”

“That’s what Mandy had told her
sister.”

Kelly’s face flushed, but she quickly
recovered. “Well, it makes sense that she had presented it that way. It seems
like a classic case of exaggeration. The girl was probably trying to make her
sister proud.”

Even though Kelly’s explanation
made sense, Sharon couldn’t trust her.

“Still, it doesn’t make sense
that Mandy had imagined the whole thing. Is it possible that you’d given her
the impression that she was special? That she was headed toward a bright
future?”

Oh, Mandy, why couldn’t you
keep your stupid mouth shut?

Kelly picked up the printed photo
of Mandy lying on the table and pretended to focus on her image.

“Well, she was a real beauty,”
Kelly tried to talk about her with warm affection. “I might have said she had
the potential to become a star, but, for sure, I did not make any extravagant
promises.”

Sharon nodded and took a sip of
her coffee. “Miss Danes, do you watch the news?” she asked casually.

“Obviously,“ she smirked. “In my
line of work I have to stay informed and aware of changes at all times, from
fashion to politics.“ Kelly pulled out her usual response to these kinds of
questions, and immediately regretted it. She understood where this question was
leading.

“What I’m having trouble
understanding is how you
didn’t
recognize Mandy’s face being smeared all
over the television stations reporting her murder, when you had offered her a
modeling career just a few days before it happened!?“

That was more of a statement than
a question. The answer was obvious.

It wasn’t possible.

Kelly knew she was in trouble.
She fell right into the detective’s trap. She had no choice but to remain
silent. Tiny frown lines appeared between her eyebrows as she tried to think of
a way out. Eventually she came up with a slight solution, the only solution,
for explaining her bizarre behavior.

After a few minutes had passed in
dreadful silence, Kelly said, “You got me.“

The surprised detective didn’t
know what to expect.

“I did remember Mandy Sheldon. Of
course I remembered her. It’s not every day that I offer a dream career to a
girl who gets murdered.“

Maybe finally some light can
be shed
, Sharon hoped.

“As you may remember, our first
conversation did not go over well. I sensed hostility and disrespect from you;
therefore, I wasn’t too eager to try and help you. Honestly, I also felt as if
I had nothing to offer the police.“

Sharon preferred not to respond
and instead just kept listening.

“However, after our talk, when I
had a chance to relax and think it through, I realized that maybe I could help
in a way I might not be aware of. After all, I am not a professional detective
and I don’t know much about these affairs.“

The subtle flattery interlaced in
her words did not elude Sharon.

“. . . I thought that if I could
contribute in any way, I should.“ Kelly tried to portray herself as an honest citizen.
“And still, I felt embarrassed for having said that I didn’t know the girl in
question, when in fact I did.“ She was avoiding the word lie. “So I was trying
to think of a way I could answer your questions without embarrassing myself
completely.“

For the first time since their
conversation had begun, Kelly felt that there might be a chance the suspecting
cop believed her.

Sharon found herself in a
quandary. She was certain this woman was not the angel she portrayed herself to
be. On the other hand, Kelly was a respected and well-connected businesswoman
that in one phone call to the police commissioner had buried the entire story,
and yet she chose to recant her account and initiate this meeting.

Sharon decided to continue, slow
and steady.

“I can understand how our first
conversation may have formed the basis for a lack of cooperation, and I
appreciate the fact that despite that, we are here today.“

Kelly nodded in agreement; her
facial expression seemed calmer now.

“Just one last thing,“ Sharon
added.

“Yes, Detective?“
Aren’t we
done yet?

“In regards to the last victim,
Julie
Tyfer
.“

“Yes?“

Sharon pulled out a photo of the
deceased and placed it in front of Kelly.

“Apparently Julie also had
received your business card, only a few days before she was killed. Do you
remember her?“

Kelly knew there was no escape.
She couldn’t deny this. For once she would have to answer sincerely.