Page 9 of For Better or for Ransom

“The other night he forgot a line of dialogue!”

“Isn’t that common?” Luke asked. He’d just assumed that happened at least once per night. Were actors really supposed to remember all those lines?

“Not if you’re living in the moment as the character instead of just playing it.” Pili was quite dismissive. Despite her having said she loved every moment on stage with Leonardo Pascual, Luke had serious doubts that was true.

…

“So, Pili clearly hated Leonardo,” Divya said while they were finally alone once the actress had tired of talking to them and left.

“And she had plenty of motive to want him gone: She’s jealous about his television career. She’s resentful he’d moved on and was thinking about his next project when there’s no next project for her on the horizon,” Luke enumerated, counting with the fingers of his right hand, and checking on his phone the internet database Sol had recommended to see an actor’s upcoming work.

“And she didn’t like having been cast as someone older than him when she’s younger,” Divya finished his words and, as usual, he was glad to be working alongside her.

He checked the time on his phone. “Sandro Palau should be here in five minutes.”

“The understudy who should have played Leonardo’s character just because he’s younger than Pili?” Divya asked while she was going through some of her notes from the case.

“Same.”

“Are we feeling less grumpy today?” Divya teased Luke. It was a usual dynamic between the two work partners and friends—they enjoyed making fun of each other’s quirks.

“You basically told me I couldn’t get back to London!” Luke protested through gritted teeth.

“I know. I should have eased you into it. I reckon it was a bit much to take in all at once.” She rolled her eyes. “Spending a few more days with Sol in Barcelona! How’re you getting on with her?”

He shrugged. “We were great.”

Divya raised her face from her notes and arched an eyebrow. “Were?”

“Until we were forced to stay here…and then this morning she ordered me to get dressed.”

Divya’s arched eyebrow climbed even higher. An explanation was needed.

“She’s on deadline. Apparently, I don’t let her focus.”

“Ah.” Divya’s expression changed to understanding. “Perfectly reasonable explanation. The woman needs to work and she considers you too distracting.”

“I suppose but still. I wonder if this would have happened if we were back in London.”

The rolling of the eyes returned. “Of course you did!”

“How are things with Moon?”

“Perfectly fine, right up until Leonardo went missing and I was dispatched here tasked with finding him,” Divya admitted.

“It looks like we both have the same problem, then.”

“And that would be?”

“We need to find Leonardo quickly. Get paid. And be back in London. Our romantic well-being depends on it.”

8

Sol

There was nothing like a tight deadline to make Sol stop procrastinating and start writing with a purpose. And her purpose that day was clear: finish Leonardo’s profile as soon as possible so that Julie could publish it while the media craziness around his disappearance hadn’t subsided.

She didn’t know how she felt about that. A man had gone missing. They didn’t know if he was well or not, if he was in discomfort, if he’d been hurt. They didn’t know if he was dead or alive. But, regardless of all that and in the name of journalism, she’d finish her profile about him early, and they’d publish it prominently on the website—making sure to state that Sol had spoken to Leonardo only a few hours before he went missing.