Despite the feeling of safety, I do everything I can to avoid a girls' night request by Minka. Well everything except saying a flat out "no." As usual, she gets her way, and I grudgingly leave Brad's side.
We don't go to a bar to drink and scare men. Instead, we visit Rafael's apartment while he stays with Brad. Harlow and Troy's girlfriend Darla join us for booze and Chinese food. We talk about our hair first. Then we try to care about current events. When this conversation goes nowhere, and hints about babies makes everyone uncomfortable, we talk work.
"I've been thinking of the chicken and the egg question with the cult," Minka mumbles with a lemon slice in her mouth. "What came first? Was there a cult that just happened to worship a demon the show used or did a cult form after they watched the show?"
"I doubt people are going to form a cult based on a show," Harlow says. "When a show is popular, people obsess over the sexy characters, and the bad boys who might be redeemed. I saw that show a few times, and the demon was barely mentioned in any of those episodes. It was all about Brad's character being conflicted about being part demon and trying to use his powers for good while crazy people tried to kill him and raise his demon father."
"So the cult came first, and they focused on Brad because of the show," I say, sitting next to Minka who spits out the lemon slice so she can try a lime one.
Darla wrings her hands while pretending to be comfortable with the talk of cults. "Writers use names of angels and demons that are supposed to be real. So the writers on the show used the name of a demon these weirdoes worshipped."
"Good, so we figured out that part," Harlow says, standing up and walking out of the room.
"I can't believe she's ditching us already. That woman just ain't much of a host," Minka says to Darla who smiles.
A few minutes later, Harlow pushes a rolling dry erase board into the living room. "We can use this to work on the case. Rafael did it on his last one."
"Look at Nancy Drew over here," Minka says, crawling onto the floor. "Okay, so we know the cult existed before the show. What next?"
Darla rests a pillow on her lap as if for protection before asking, "How did they grab Brad?"
"Someone roofied him at a party," Minka says.
Harlow frowns. "Didn't the cops try to figure out who it was?"
"Yeah. They thought the chick he went to he party with did it. Don't be jealous, Saskia. She's dead and not even that hot. You know for a blonde bombshell model type."
We all look at Darla, who used to model swimsuits. She lowers her gaze and ignores us.
Minka spits out the lime slice and looks over the files Rafael left conspicuously nearby be-fore leaving.
"They had security video from the party. The SUV the cops found when Brad escaped was at the party too. The camera caught a hooded figure but no face shot. Based on the guy's size, we can assume he was probably Dennis Stein."
I listen to Harlow and Minka talk and try to imagine the scenario playing out in my head.
"So the girl drugged him and handed him over to Stein. What happened to her?"
"Suicide apparently," Minka says.
"She likely wasn't part of the cult and was only paid to drug him. Once she realized what she did, she killed herself."
Tapping my beer bottle, I mutter, "Or someone helped. Faking suicide is pretty easy."
Harlow frowns, but Minka nods at my comment. "Unbelievably easy. My first kill was a fake suicide."
"Fun job," Darla mutters.
"Oh, you know it," Minka kids, tossing a lemon slice at Darla.
I stand up and look at the board where Harlow jots down different names from the files Minka hands her.
"When Ruth was cooking last night," I mumble, "she mentioned how Brad got the job on Dark Reign. He was modeling and doing local commercials when the show's director found his pictures and contacted his agent."
"Interesting," Harlow says, jotting down more words I can't read because of her sloppy handwriting.
"What if the dead girl wasn't given money," I suggest, "but was promised a role. I'm assuming she was an aspiring actress."
"Of course," Minka says from the floor while resting on her back and staring up at me. "So this director had a hard-on for Brad, and the power to bribe a chick to drug him. Probably told her it was a prank. What does she care as long as she gets her big break?"
"He'd also have the money to pay for the SUV and rent the cabin they took Brad to. All these cult members were losers with no sources of income."
"So the director is the guy you need to rough up for info," Harlow says.
"He's dead," Minka mumbles with her full mouth of another lemon slice. "I read his obituary when Tia was doing research."
"But how does Marx fit in?" I ask, sitting on the couch and checking my phone to see if Brad needs me.
"He could be the old dude's grandson," Minka says.
Harlow snorts. "Sure, and grandpa's dying wish was for him to finish the sacrifice in a dozen years."
"The cult didn't attack Brad until the book though," I mutter, trying to figure out what I'm missing.