Read Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) for Free Online Page B

pulled latex gloves out of the back pocket of her denim jeans, slowly putting them on. She took the bloodied scrapbook Sandra offered her, flicking through the first few pages expressionless.
    “As you can see, it’s a smorgasbord of reviews, articles and photos of Carolyn Mathers. It’s as if her whole life has been archived in this scrapbook,” Sandra said with a shrug.
    Gena’s expression changed to one of surprise. “Carolyn Mathers? As in the actress?”
    “You’ve heard of her then?” Sandra asked, a mixture of relief and disbelief in her voice.
    “Yeah, I do occasionally watch television,” Gena said with a flicker of amusement.
    “Then you know that Carolyn Mathers was the hottest thing on television three or four years ago. She literally had casting agents knocking down her door. The ‘It’ Girl of T.V, you could say,” Sandra explained with a wry grin, before she shook her head. “Then she disappeared. She quit The Real Thing and just left Hollywood. The Media went into a frenzy trying to find her, but it was as if she virtually vanished off the face of the earth.”
    Gena nodded, staring at where the Hollywood sign beckoned. “I remember. It sounds like she worked very hard not to be found,” she said softly. “Well, if this is her, she came back for a reason.”
    Sandra nodded, carefully turning the pages of the scrapbook and pointing to one of the articles with a latex-covered finger. “It says here she was rumored to be starring in a new film. She was making a comeback through Callendor Studios. She had a film lined up, which was the vehicle set to rocket her back to movie stardom.”
    Gena nodded her head. “It could have been just the bait to bring the elusive Ms Mathers out of hiding.” Glancing back at the Hollywood sign, she sighed heavily. “She’d have been better off staying where she disappeared to.”
    Sandra nodded, shaking her own head sadly. “Damn shame. She was a great actress.”
    “She still may be. Let’s find out first if this is Carolyn Mathers before we make assumptions. For all we know, Ms. Mathers could be living it up on some exotic Caribbean Island. The last thing we want to do is declare an actress has been murdered only to have her shown up alive and well. The press would tear the L.A.P.D a new one. First things first, let’s talk to Callendor. Until we do, we need to keep this quiet. If this is her, we need to find out where she’s been hiding all these years, when she came back to town and if there was anyone who might have wanted her dead,” Gena said, turning away from the Hollywood sign to stare intensely at her partner. “Because whomever created this nice little snapshot of Carolyn Mathers’ life, certainly did.”
    ***
     
    He watched the two leading Detectives with a hidden smirk, lifting his camera to take a shot of each of them. He turned his attention to where the pretty blonde Medical Examiner was leaning over his artwork. A rush of pleasure flooded through him, as he watched her carefully maintain his art.
    Now here was a woman who knew how to treat his offering. Lifting his camera, he directed the lens towards her, zooming closer to watch her work. He snapped her quickly. Oh yes, she had real potential.
    Turning his camera back towards the two Detectives, he focused his lens on Gena Evans. Sliding his eyes over her lithe form, clad in black jeans, a black T-Shirt and a black leather jacket, he wondered if she even remembered him. He certainly remembered her. Whore. They were both whores and stupid ones too. They would find nothing at the scene, or at least nothing he didn’t want them to discover.
    He watched them flick through the scrapbook he’d lovingly crafted for them. He smiled softly, watching Gena look from the scrapbook to the Hollywood sign. She was smart enough to notice the connection. Gena Evans was certainly smart. She always had been. It was one of the qualities he admired about her. He didn’t think it would take her long