Dead by Midnight - Beverly Barton [164]
“I think it’s obvious that whoever the killer is, Jean and Jeff Misner not only knew him, but trusted him,” Derek said.
“I think we all agree with you on that.” Griff downed a hefty sip of tea.
“The LAPD says there was no forced entry.” Derek flipped open his notepad. “Both bodyguards were shot to death in the living room, as were the Misners, so the killer didn’t enter the house and immediately start shooting. The cook had prepared a meal for the Misners and a guest. Drink glasses were found in the living room, indicating that the Misners had entertained their dinner guest after the meal. So far, all the fingerprints found belonged to the Misners and their bodyguards. Apparently, our killer was very careful not to leave behind any evidence.”
“I assume the cook left before the guest arrived?” Maleah asked. “Otherwise, he would have killed her, too, since she’d have been able to identify him.”
“That’s right,” Griff said. “And when questioned about if either of the Misners had mentioned their guest’s name, she said she didn’t recall his name being mentioned. She thought Jean Misner had referred to him by a pet name, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember what it was.”
Nic entered the conversation. “She did remember that Jean Misner said their guest was staying overnight and that they hadn’t seen him in years.”
“It was a rather simple plan and practically foolproof,” Derek theorized. “An old acquaintance from out of town phoned the Misners and finagled an invitation to stay with them, at least for one night. They never suspected that he intended to kill them. Why would they have trusted him so implicitly, knowing the person who murdered Jean’s costars might well be someone connected to Midnight Masquerade?”
“What if he wasn’t directly connected to the making of the movie?” Maleah suggested.
“Y’all ruled out any crazed fans, specifically those obsessed with Midnight Masquerade,” Griff said. “So who does that leave? The most likely suspects are those who were involved in the making of that particular movie.”
“You both could be right.” A couple of ideas had occurred to Derek yesterday after he’d thoroughly gone over all the information Powell’s had accumulated. He had worked on two profiles for a hypothetical killer. “Let’s say that the killer is not directly connected to the movie but is someone all the actors knew.”
“Like who for instance?” Nic asked.
“A boyfriend, a husband, a father, a son.” Derek paused to allow the others time to absorb his theory. “This person’s life was in some way adversely affected by their girlfriend, wife, daughter, mother, or father being involved in the porno business, and for some reason they focused all their rage on the actors in Midnight Masquerade. Something happened shortly before the first of this year that triggered all his pent-up rage and sent him off on a killing spree.”
“The movie was rereleased on Blu-ray DVD,” Maleah said. “Could something like that have been the trigger?”
“Yes, it could have,” Derek replied.
Silence fell over the room.
Finally, Griff said, “As scenarios go, it’s not a bad one.”
Derek grinned. “If you like that one, I have another almost as good.”
“I’ll just bet you do.” Maleah rolled her eyes. “Let’s hear it.”
“The killer either is or was in the business. He just wasn’t an actor. He was the writer or director or producer or