Page 78 of Secrets in the Deep

“Yeah.”

“This was a scene in the movie too.Herscene.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Faye’s character is attacked in the bathroom of a café. She’s found unconscious on the floor.”

His gaze shot back to Faye, something cold slipping over his skin. “Preston’s character. Is he chased through the woods at night with the masked killer behind him?”

She tensed, the last scrap of color draining from her face. Ryan had his answer before she spoke.

“Y-yes,” she whispered.

Filming was done. Themoviewas done.

He tugged Emily closer, like that could somehow protect her. If some fucker was recreating scenes from the movie, then they had to be close to the project. They would need a script. Inside information.

As paramedics took up space in the bathroom, he led Emily outside. His team was on the sidewalk nearby, and they headed toward them, but Ryan stopped when he saw a car pull up behind the ambulance, and Roscoe and Preston climbed out.

“What’s going on?” Preston asked, his gaze on the flashing lights of the ambulance.

“Faye was attacked,” Emily whispered.

Preston’s head reared back. “Attacked?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Roscoe asked. “Is she going to be okay for her scenes tomorrow?”

That’swhat he cared about? “A woman is unconscious on a bathroom floor, and all you can ask is whether she can continue making your fucking movie?”

Roscoe’s eyes narrowed. “Myfucking movieis a piece of art I’ve put years of my life into creating. So yes, I care about it.”

“She was attacked in the bathroom, just like her character,” Emily said. “Similar to how Preston was attacked in the woods, likehischaracter.”

Preston reared back.

While Roscoe just rolled his eyes. “Preston wasn’tattacked. And what are you saying? There’s a copycat killer?”

“She’s saying,” Ryan growled, “that someone who has access to the script is recreating the scenes in a really messed-up way.”

“Someone close to the script…” Roscoe lowered his voice. “You saying it’s me?”

“I’m saying it’soneof you.”

Ward suddenly appeared beside them, a deputy behind him. “What’s going on? I got a call about an unconscious actress.”

“What’s going on is that this movie needs to stop filmingnow,” Ryan growled.

Roscoe scoffed. “Because one actor got attacked?”

“Morethan one.”

“Preston was drunk and high. He saw shit that wasn’t there.” The director folded his arms. “The studio isn’t going to stop production on my film because this town has some bad fucking people running around. You think I don’t know about the recent attacks that happened before we got here? This isn’t any of us.”

“Boys, come on.” Ward held up his hands. “This isn’t helping.”

A deputy who’d arrived with the paramedics stepped out of the café. “Sheriff, I spoke to Basil. There’s no security footage, and the back door at the end of the hall was unlocked.”

“So we’ve got nothing.” Ryan’s jaw locked.