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    Reality Bites: Hollywood Detective Mysteries, #1
    Reality Bites: Hollywood Detective Mysteries, #1
    Reality Bites: Hollywood Detective Mysteries, #1
    Ebook160 pages

    Reality Bites: Hollywood Detective Mysteries, #1

    By S.C. Wynne

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    About this ebook

    When a contestant is mauled to death by a tiger on the set of a reality TV show, Detective Cabot Decker isn't sure why he gets the call. He hunts murderers for a living. He doesn't babysit uptight Hollywood producers because their pet cat misbehaves.

    Jax Thornburn is a rising star in Hollywood, but something sinister is happening on the set of his hit reality show. Reality TV always has the potential to go off the rails, but people are dying, and Jax is positive someone is trying to kill him too.

    Despite Decker's initial feeling Jax is over reacting, after several attempts on the hotshot producer's life, even Decker has to admit someone seems to want Jax dead.

    This novella origninally published in the Footsteps in the Dark Anthology.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherS.C. Wynne
    Release dateFeb 12, 2020
    ISBN9781393717935
    Reality Bites: Hollywood Detective Mysteries, #1
    Author

    S.C. Wynne

    S.C. Wynne has been writing MM romance and mystery since 2013. She’s a Lambda winner, and lives in California with her wonderful husband, two quirky kids, and a loony rescue pup named Ditto. www.scwynne.com

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      Book preview

      Reality Bites - S.C. Wynne

      Reality

      Bites

      By S.C. Wynne

      Chapter One

      The first things that struck me were the pungent smell of urine and the enormous tiger pacing back and forth in a steel enclosure. I’d never seen a tiger up close, and this animal was easily three hundred pounds. Its black stripes glistened against its sleek orange fur as the agitated animal chuffed and growled, its giant head hung low. My stomach clenched when my gaze settled on the tarp-covered body lying outside the enclosure.

      My cell buzzed, and when I answered, my lieutenant’s annoyed voice came over the line. Are you there yet, Decker?

      I must have squeezed my paper cup of coffee too hard because the lid popped off, and it spilled down the front of my shirt. Shit, I hissed, wincing as the hot liquid soaked through the material down to my skin.

      Did I get you at a bad time?

      Not at all, I said through gritted teeth while wiping at the spreading stain to no avail. I was just taking a bath in my coffee.

      What?

      Never mind.

      Are you at the studio yet?

      I’m here. I glanced uneasily toward the body. Who’s the dead guy?

      "Dale Larson. He was a contestant on Don’t Die."

      "Don’t Die?" I grimaced.

      You’ve never seen it?

      I don’t have a lot of time to watch TV.

      The show is huge. The producer, Jax Thornburn, is a big deal at Zecker Studios right now. I want you to hold his hand and treat him nice.

      I’m still not clear about why I’m here. Shouldn’t this be handled by Animal Control? What am I supposed to do, arrest the tiger?

      Very funny.

      I’m partly serious. I don’t get how an animal attack is Robbery-Homicide’s problem.

      Mr. Thornburn thinks there might have been foul play.

      Foul play?

      I gave a short laugh. Did he seriously use that term?

      Decker, don’t be a dick. Keep an open mind and talk to Thornburn. See if his suspicions have any merit. There were muffled voices in the background. Look, I have to go. Treat the guy with respect.

      Of course, I said wryly. What else would I do? I hung up.

      He’s a magnificent beast, isn’t he? A woman with a large felt hat approached. He’s very intelligent. He knows he’s in trouble.

      I showed her my badge. I’m Hollywood Homicide Detective Cabot Decker. I studied her as I tucked away my ID. She was a cross between a librarian and the Mad Hatter. Her hat was wide and crooked, and strands of auburn hair hung messily around her shoulders. Mind if I ask who you are?

      Sorry. Lucinda Pinwheel. She held out her hand. I’m Benji’s handler. Up close, the deep lines around her eyes and forehead were obvious. With her long hair and slender build, she’d looked much younger from a distance. Benji wouldn’t hurt a fly…usually.

      I glanced at the covered corpse. Maybe he was having a bad day. I pulled on gloves and moved to the body. Lifting the tarp slowly, I held my gag reflex in check as I studied the bloody, torn mess in front of me. There were obvious teeth marks around the throat, and the head was almost severed from the neck. The smell of blood made my stomach roll, but I kept examining the corpse, looking for anything that might be inconsistent with an animal attack.

      Hey, Decker. Officer Eugene approached, looking a little queasy. This is some grisly shit.

      Yeah. I dropped the tarp back over the body and pulled out my notepad and pen. What can you tell me?

      He put his hands on his hips. That some people will do anything for money? He shook his head. How desperate would a man have to be to spend the night in a cage with a wild animal? Jesus.

      I didn’t mean I needed you to get philosophical. What do you know about what happened here?

      It’s pretty cut-and-dried. The guy was in the cage, and the tiger went after him.

      Was he alone?

      You mean other than the tiger?

      I sighed. I mean were there any witnesses?

      Officer Eugene pursed his lips. He was alone when it happened. There’s supposed to always be a cameraman with the contestants. But apparently the guy assigned to our victim had severe intestinal issues and was on the toilet when the attack occurred.

      I’ll need to talk to the cameraman ASAP.

      He’s at the hospital.

      I frowned. Why?

      Dehydration and hysteria. He found the body.

      Got it.

      There was also a fill-in trainer, Levi Benson. Lucinda had a family function she needed to go to, and Levi took her spot for the night. Unfortunately, he was in desperate need of caffeine and was at the commissary grabbing a cup of coffee when Dale was killed.

      Lucinda added, Usually I’d never leave this to an underling, but it was my son’s eighteenth birthday and I couldn’t miss it.

      I see. I studied her. Where’s Levi now?

      Officer Eugene said, He’s outside. He’s a bit freaked out and needed some fresh air.

      I can imagine. I made a mental note to hunt down Levi and talk to him.

      Lucinda shifted uneasily. I still can’t believe this happened. It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve worked with Benji for ten years, and we’ve never once had an incident. He’s never even looked weird at a human before.

      Something triggered him, I murmured.

      I noticed a guy standing a few feet away, his phone glued to his ear. He seemed to be in his early thirties, and he was tall, with broad shoulders and jet-black hair. He emanated an air of self-assurance, which combined with his expensive suit, told me he might be in charge. He hung up, lifted his chin, and strode toward me, holding out his hand.

      I’m Jax Thornburn. His grip was firm, and his palm felt smooth against my callouses. His cologne was spicy, masculine, and probably way out of my budget.

      Detective Decker. The intensity of his gray stare was unsettling. I didn’t get unsettled easily, but he radiated power and confidence like a convection oven. When his gaze dropped to the dark stain on my shirt, heat filled my cheeks. I had a run-in with a cup of coffee.

      Looks like the beverage won. His voice was deep, his gaze enigmatic.

      I cleared my throat. I’m not really familiar with the concept of your show. Could you fill me in? Why was a man inside the cage with a tiger to begin with?

      He exhaled roughly. Dale was one of ten contestants. Each week one of them is randomly assigned an animal, and then they either spend the night in the cage or they decline and leave the show. His gaze flicked to the corpse. Dale didn’t decline.

      Why would he do something so crazy?

      Money. If they spend the whole night, they get lots of money.

      How much money?

      A million dollars.

      Wow. I wiped distractedly at the coffee stain on my shirt. I think I’d rather be poor and alive.

      Jax smirked. Looks like things are working out for you, then, Detective.

      Smart-ass.

      I narrowed my gaze. So why’d the animal attack him?

      Lucinda said brusquely, Benji must have been provoked.

      Jax turned to her with a grim look. I hope you’re not suggesting me or any of the crew did that sort of thing?

      She sniffed. All I know is ratings are everything to you people.

      His dark brows pulled together. Having one of my contestants eaten by a wild animal isn’t good for ratings. Besides, ratings are already through the roof.

      I’m happy for you and all, but why call for Homicide?

      Jax glanced at Lucinda. Would you mind if I spoke to Detective Decker alone?

      She shrugged. No problem. She pressed her big hat firmly on her head and wandered over to the cage, where Benji still paced.

      Jax turned to me, looking uneasy. "The premise of Don’t Die is people take a huge risk, and if they pull it off, they get a lot of money. But the risk is exaggerated."

      Obviously not.

      What I mean is, we take great care in picking animals that are gentle and have never been involved in anything violent. He swallowed. We take precautions, such as making sure the creatures are well fed and exercised.

      I’m no expert in animal attacks, but it’s pretty clear the tiger didn’t just maul the victim. He ate parts of him.

      Jax blanched. But why would he? We feed the cats constantly to keep them sated.

      Obviously this cat wanted seconds.

      Listen, I don’t want to be dramatic, but as I told your lieutenant, something seems off lately.

      Off how?

      I don’t know. Things keep happening.

      Could you elaborate? I couldn’t decide if Jax was truly concerned, or just loving the attention that dragging Hollywood Homicide down here gave him.

      One of the Burmese pythons got out of its cage last week and almost strangled a camera tech. The snake’s cage has a double lock. How would he get out?

      My pet iguana got out when I was ten. Shit happens.

      His lips twisted. I want to believe this is an accident. I really do. But I have a bad feeling.

      Well, just because you have indigestion, I can’t open an investigation for murder. This could easily be a tragic animal attack.

      I understand you don’t want to waste your time. I don’t want to waste your time either, and I wouldn’t if I didn’t truly feel something was wrong. He hesitated. I didn’t mention it to your lieutenant, but I got a letter a week ago.

      I perked up. What kind of letter?

      You have to understand I get mail from kooks all the time.

      What did the letter say?

      That we needed to stop using animals for greedy profit, or there would be consequences.

      Where’s the letter? A mysterious threatening letter was something I could sink my teeth into.

      Well…

      Tell me you still have the letter. Even I could hear my frustration.

      I’m afraid not. He looked embarrassed. People say shit they don’t mean to a man in my position all the time. If I paid attention to every threatening phone call and letter, I’d never get anything done.

      Damn. I exhaled. Do me a favor; if you get another note, hang on to it.

      I will.

      I looked around. Are there other cameras besides the one the cameraman was using?

      Yes. We have four cameras always rolling.

      That’s great. I straightened. I’ll need to see that footage.

      Of course. His brow wrinkled as he held my gaze. He was close enough that I could see the dark ring around his slate-colored eyes and how thick and long his lashes were. One thing keeps bothering me…

      What?

      Why didn’t Dale go to his pod?

      I cocked my head. His what?

      He sighed. "The rules of the show are, you spend twenty-four hours in the enclosure with the wild animal assigned to you. You must be in the area with the animal for at least twelve of those hours. But if you ever feel unsafe, each person has a

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