#1 Fan (38 page)

Authors: Andrew Hess

Evan read the lies in Sara’s text messages. He knew she wasn’t in New York, and thanks to the tracking in the phone, he knew she was staying at another hotel a few blocks from his.

“Everything all right,” Mr. Davidson asked as he approached Evan’s chair. The curt smile made him seem more intrusive than any other day.

“I’m fine; just mulling over a few things in my head.”

“I hope it’s about the book you’re writing. If it’s anything like this last one, we’ll be making a lot of money together.” He patted Evan on the back as if they were friends.

Money, that’s what it kept coming down to. The producers, agents, and publicists wanted it to maintain their power. Evan wanted it to prove he was worth more than what his parents felt he was worth. But the money got to his head and he did anything to keep it flowing in. He wanted to keep his name out there and sold his soul to do it.

All the fame and fortune he had accumulated in such a short time was at risk. His whole life was about to be turned upside down, all because Sara decided to be a great wife and surprise him. He didn’t deserve her. She was too good for him. She sat at home patiently waiting for a life with him, and he was out screwing Audrey, a woman that meant nothing to him.

She’s never going to speak to me again. I’ve lost the best thing that ever happened to me for this crap
. Evan looked at the set. He loved seeing his book come to life. Seeing actors portray the characters he created was a dream come true, but it was a dream he was destined to live without Sara.

Evan decided to leave the set early. The guilt of his actions and the pain of knowing Sara saw his indiscretion brought him to her hotel. He paid off the woman at the front desk to find out what room Sara was staying in and took the elevator to the third floor.

He stood outside her hotel room for nearly an hour, contemplating what he should do. Evan knew he should just tell her everything. Maybe she would understand he was blackmailed into sleeping with Audrey, but that wouldn’t excuse him doing it repeatedly and enjoying it. He thought about denying it, but that would only make matters worse. Whatever he decided, he needed to plan it out before talking to Sara.

He brought a hand up to her door, resting the palm against the wooden surface. “I know you won’t believe me,” he whispered. “But I love you, and will always love.”

Evan walked back to his hotel, figuring the fresh air might do him some good. When he got back to the hotel, he went straight up to his room. He turned the corner from the elevator and saw Mr. Waters standing in front of his room. The door opened. Audrey stepped outside and glanced up and down the hall before pulling Waters into lip lock that was usually meant for him.

The lightbulb went on in his head. Pulling out his cell, Evan sent a text to Sara, inviting her over to his hotel room to talk.

***************************************************

Sara

The alert on Sara’s phone dinged, letting her know she received a new message. She was tempted to ignore it. After five minutes, she finally gave in and checked the text.

E
: Hey, I know you’re in town. Come to my hotel room now. I think we need to talk.

Sara’s blood boiled at the thought of seeing Evan again. He had the audacity of inviting her to talk things out in the room he cheated on her in. He couldn’t just bring her to a park, or a restaurant, or even talk privately in a car.

“Fine, he wants to talk; let’s do this.”

Sara texted him back, telling him she was on her way. She wasn’t that far from his hotel and couldn’t see paying any more money to see him. Walking briskly back to Evan’s hotel, she plunged her hands into the pockets of the trench coat. Feeling the room key, she was reminded once again of what happened the last time she walked in unannounced.

She took the elevator to the fifth floor and strutted with purpose towards Evan’s room. She didn’t care what he had to say or what excuse he was going to throw at her. She was going to tell him everything she needed before she left his lying, cheating ass behind.

Standing outside the room, she decided to use the key and enter the room. The lights were off, but two silhouettes were in the bedroom. She could see one was on top of the other, grinding on the man underneath.

That fucking asshole invited me over to watch them fuck again. The hate in Sara’s heart took over. Her eyes searched the room for something to throw at them. They locked onto a paring knife that was on the table next to the fruit basket. Taking it into her hand, she crept into the bedroom. The adrenaline was too much. Seeing her husband cheat on her repeatedly broke her. Her innocence was gone as her arm rose into the air, striking Audrey’s throat with the paring knife.

Blood spewed from the wound, but that didn’t stop Sara. She struck again and again until Audrey’s body collapsed onto the bed and was lifeless.

“What the hell,” a man’s voice said. He moved towards the light, but Sara blocked him.

“You cheating fucking bastard.” With one quick slice, she cut the man’s throat. His hand managed to click on the light. To Sara’s surprise, the man in the bed wasn’t Evan. It was his literary agent, Mr. Waters. “Shit, what the hell should I do?”

She grabbed a sheet to put pressure on the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. Her hand hovered over the phone, ready to call the police, the paramedics, whoever she had to call to get Waters the help he needed. Crimson stained the sheets as the eyes of her victims glazed over.

The realization set in. Sara had murdered two people in cold blood. She was covered in their blood. She didn’t know what to do; who to call; what to say. The panic and shock had her rooted to the spot next to the bed.

The click of the door sounded. Someone was coming and there was nowhere to hide.

“Sara,” Evan shouted from the doorway. She watched him enter the bedroom. Tears streamed down her face as he surveyed the carnage. “Sara, what happened?” He took tissues and took the knife from her hands.

“I thought it was you.”

“Me? Why did you think…”

“You were fucking her last night.”

“I was downstairs at the bar last night. I wasn’t in my room. “

“Don’t lie to me Evan.”

“I’m not lying.” He pulled out the receipt from the bar and showed the tab paid well after she left.

“Then why was she in your room.”

“She’s been coming on to me for the last week. She even checked out of her room, claiming a mix-up and said she had nowhere to go. I’ve been letting her stay here, but I’ve been sleeping on the couch.” He brought her to the doorway where pillows and a blanket were rolled up in a ball.

“I saw you last night. I saw both of you on the bed.”

“I wasn’t here. She tried coming onto me again and I stormed out. When I opened the door, Waters was standing there.”

“Then how’d you know I was in town?”

“I heard some guys down at the bar talking about some hot chick. They described you to a tee. I rushed out of there to find you, but you were already gone. I showed your picture to the desk clerk and he looked at me like I was a piece of shit. After you ignored my calls and texts, I put two and two together and thought Audrey and Waters said or did something to set you off.” He looked back at the dead bodies of his former management team. “Now, do you mind telling me what happened?”

Sara was confused. She could’ve sworn the man she saw last night was Evan, but the dim lighting could have played tricks on her. She told Evan what happened when she came to the room the night before, and what she walked in on.

“What are we gonna do? I can’t go to jail.”

“You let me worry about it. I’ll make a few calls, get you cleaned up, and no one will know you had anything to do with this.”

Chapter 44
-Evan

He never expected things to go as far as they did. He knew Sara had a key to the room, but never thought his plan would go so horribly wrong. He expected her to catch Waters and Audrey messing around in the bed, which he would then use to convince Sara he never cheated. He didn’t know she would bring a knife and kill them.

Evan stared at the murder weapon.
Shit, it’s the knife Audrey and I used for the fruit every morning.
His, Audrey’s and Sara’s prints were all over the handle. He wiped it clean with the tissues, desperately trying to remove all traces of evidence that could link either of them to the crime. He took the knife and placed it in Waters’ hand.

“What the hell are you doing,” Sara asked.

“Making it look like he did it.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Do you wanna take the blame for this?” Hearing no response, Evan nodded his head. “That’s what I thought.” He stepped around the pools of blood. “Just stay exactly where you are. Do not move until I tell you to.”

Evan stepped into the living room area and grabbed his cell phone. “Kat, I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Something bad happened. Sara needs your help.” He glanced back inside the room. “We need your help.”

“Okay, but you gotta tell me what happened first.”

“I can’t do that over the phone. I just need…do you know any problem solvers?”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“There are two bodies in my room.”

“I’m on my way. Don’t touch anything until I get there.”

“What about her?”

“For now, just get her washed up and leave the clothes.”

Evan didn’t know if he was doing the right thing by calling Kat, but she was the only one that could save Sara. He hoped the cameras didn’t catch anyone entering his room and prayed no one could identify them.

He walked back into the bedroom. “Kat’s on her way.”

“You told her? I’m dead. They’re going to lock me up. My life is over. I’ll never get to have kids.”

Evan walked over to Sara. His hands braced her shoulders, stopping her panic attack. “You listen to me. Together, we’ll get you out of this. You’re not going to jail. You’re life isn’t over, and we’ll grow old making and raising babies together.”

He was doing his best to keep Sara under control. He needed to keep her calm and make sure she didn’t freak out, which is nearly impossible when there were two dead bodies on the bed.

“What am I gonna do,” she sobbed.

“Take off your clothes and leave them on the floor.” She did as commanded and stepped out of jeans and t-shirt. “Follow me to the bathroom and let’s get you washed up.” Sara entered the bathroom as Evan ran the shower for her He watched her get in as the blood washed off her body. Evan stepped in behind her and wrapped her in his arms. He rested his head behind hers. “I love you, and will not let you go to jail over this crap.”

She spun in his arms, letting the hot water hit her back. “I love you too,” she whispered as she placed her lips on his.

Evan cradled her head against his chest. A devious smile crept across his face, knowing he got away with it. With no one to oppose his words, Sara was his.