Roses for Juliet

pte

Someplace to lead tour groups through, not something you actually lived in. Who needed all those rooms anyway? It wasn't like the actor actually had any hobbies that required s

door open wide for him. A section of the perfectly manicured lawn was torn up and one of the landscape fe

k's gardener, a small compact man named Jimmy who hummed to himself as he worked. Steve helped Nick hire him and knew Jimmy worked just as much for the love

ittle extra cash, might both soothe the intense Japanese man and keep him from potentially leaking information to the press

ly been expecting him to be. He killed his engine and climbed out of the car, popping his trunk along the way. He reached o

good indication of guilt. He walked around to the open trunk and pulled out a box of heavy-duty garbage bags. He had planned on doing some work in his yard this weekend.

through the hole. Carefully he lay the bag down on the inside floor of his trunk. He pulled a se

uct tape? He asked

ot like she is gonna put up a fight." The edges of the words wore a little slurred and Steve looked u

as he mumbled into his drink. Steve didn't ask for clarification. The workbench was picture perfect, like a display model. There was

is trunk, making sure they overlapped so nothing could slip through. Within a few minutes the entire trunk had acquired a shiny black coat. He

now, " Nick said, peering ove

and gestured towards the door

Steve said w

them out. They climbed the stairs and finally entering the actor's bedroom, Steve could see some sign that the house was indeed occupied by more than a cardboard cut out of a family. Clothes were scatter

looked away from the shoe. His eyes kept picking out pieces of the girl

o look at the actor. Nick was gazing abstractedly at the bed. "I'd just, you know, hate to t

. Anything that is hers goes in the bag." Nick sn

g up the woman's things. Steve walked ove

rom the bed with a yell. N

ked, scrubbing the back of

ds came out as a half qu

" Nic

ve said. His breath was still shak

had a chic

t, " Steve replied stil

y bright in his voice. Steve felt the musc

was more a stateme

don't remember muc

she get s

now. I swe

is yo

't hav

ha

keep a

concern how the girl had gotten killed. His concern was g

I don't care why either. I just need

But I didn't do it." Stev

place, someone just walked in and shot the gi

d was small and ruined a cute, pixie-like face. The girl had short brown hair cut into some sort of bob and she

ven a lot of blood on the girl's face. There seemed to be a lot of blood on the pillow under her head though. Steve gently turned the girl's head and saw immediately where all the blood had come from. Th

something on Steve's face stopped his arguments cold. Steve slipped the garbage bag over both the girl's head and the

d trunk and placed her inside. Nick followed with the sheets and the second bag filled with the girl's possessions. Steve

?" Stev

n't wear

. "What abou

k for a moment.

't th

I lo

sure she

lticolored small backpack looking things. Like the granolas sometimes use. Didn't match the rest of her

isn't

I said

k upstairs while Steve fini

urning as Steve shut the trunk.

try to get rid of it on your own. Don't take anything

k said looki

say if someone as

but she was gone

r and opened the driver's side door. Nick loo

r day as if none of thi

ously doubted Nick would even bother remembering the incident in a few hours. Once it was no long

pulled out of the garage and clicked the button to close the door again as soon as the car was c

if he could believe Nick, and the missing bag were all elements outside o

e exactly where E