A Murder in Malibu

Lily

"Fifty thousand dollars? Seriously?!" I moved around the living room propelled by an anxious energy. I ran my fingers through my hair again and again until the strands were limp. 

"I don't have access to that kind of money! I don't even have access to my trust fund until I turn twenty-one!"

"Ok, we need to think. There must be some way we can get our hands on that kind of cash." Gemma's eyes zipped around the room appraising different pieces of art and a few ugly statues that decorated the entryway.

"I will not go down for this! They have our DNA, Lil!" Gemma panicked, her eyes wide. I stopped moving long enough to notice that Gemma had folded herself into a little ball like a bug and was rocking back and forth.

"I know! We have to do something. Think!" I grit my teeth and flounced on the couch, grabbing a pillow with both hands.

"What about that god awful thing over there?" Gemma leaped over to the corner of the room where a hideous bronze statue of an old man petting a mangy-looking dog sat. "What about this ugly thing? It's got to be worth something!"

"We can't sell that! Don't you think my parents are going to notice if half of the décor here is missing, Gemma?"

I doubted very much that Allegra or the Senator would notice if I was missing, let alone a few pieces of art that neither one of them probably remembered they owned. 

 The house was full of paintings and sculptures that both Gemma and I knew could get us the fifty thousand dollars we needed right now. I remembered even Pamela commenting how my family's homes were full of so much expensive art and what a shame it was that neither my father nor Allegra were rarely around to enjoy it. 

 Our homes were stunning, but occasionally a piece of overpriced, ugly art punctuated an otherwise perfect room and I wondered if I wouldn't be doing them a favor by off loading the offending piece.

Surely we could sneak a couple of statues out of the house and find a pawn shop or wherever people sold things when they needed quick cash. Sothebys? Craigslist? Ebay would take too long.

On second thought, this person thought they could blackmail us? I was flooded with confidence and I raised my head and sprung up from the couch where Gemma was nearly catatonic with fear.

"No, Gemma! And you know what? Honestly, this isn't fair! I say we don't pay this asshole a single cent! So our DNA is on Taylor? Whoever this is person is the one who took her body so they're in this as much as we are! Am I right?"

My eyes were open as wide as they'd go and I sensed a frenetic energy cursing through my body as anger took root. I knew I was probably the color of a ripe tomato, my delicate complexion reddened when I got excited.

"Are you okay Lily? Am I going to need a trauma blanket to calm you down?"

I snapped my fingers. "Ha! Real funny."

"Sooo, what are you saying, Lily?" Gemma looked like she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"I'm saying we call their bluff. No deal! Do you hear that? I said NO DEAL!" I yelled in the direction of the open patio doors. "I know you can hear me! No money for you!"

*

"Lily! I'm borrowing your new sunglasses, the ones with the silver frames!" 

 Gemma rifled around my bedroom while I plucked a non-existent stray eyebrow from my face in the large en suite bathroom. Now that we had both calmed down a little thanks to some herbal concoction Gemma had in her bag, I was watching her get ready for dinner with her mother.

That morning, Pamela had texted saying she had big news and wanted her daughter to meet her at some stuffy old restaurant in Beverly Hills for dinner and no, I could not come along. Not this time. She needed Gemma all to herself for whatever big news she had to announce.

"Fine," I sniffed, pretending my feelings weren't hurt. I grabbed Gemma's phone to scroll through her messages for entertainment while Gemma helped herself to my things.

"Totes coolio." Pamela had texted back after Gemma agreed to meet her at the restaurant at seven that evening. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"She's probably been asked to do some new cheesy reality show. Your mom always comes up with the craziest gigs." I said, tossing the phone on my bedside table.

"I know, she'll do anything for a dollar," Gemma said, checking her face in the oversized lighted mirror. She turned her head back and forth then leaned close, examining her blackheads I assumed.

"Maybe she'll go back on that 'celebrities on an island' show again since she got voted out so quickly last season." I laughed, recalling Pamela's last gig and finding it impossible to imagine my mother doing anything remotely crazy. "What was that show called again?"

"I don't even remember! She was up for a pretty big role on a new day time soap opera that's been around for like, fifteen years, I can never remember the name, but anyways it's a big one and she's been wanting this forever. She probably finally got the role and wants to celebrate. We always celebrate her roles, just the two of us, its part of her 'process' or whatever she calls it."

  Gemma swept the borrowed sunglasses to the top of her head pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Have fun! I'll be here, all alone, trying to not to get killed!" I threw my palm up to my forehead and feigned a dramatic sigh. "Don't worry about me!"

The corners of my mouth trembled as if I was going to cry and I willed the tears not to start. Once my chin started to quiver, I'd have to quickly excuse myself. I didn't like for anyone to see me cry even my best friend.

The fact was, I couldn't focus on anything but that stupid ransom note. What was happening? And why? Try as I might, I couldn't come up with a single person who would do this. I considered the past employees at the Bel Air house, people we went to school with, friends of friends and Instagram people, but came up blank.

It was possible that a crazy fan of the Bel-Air High reality TV show was messing with us but how could anyone possibly know what happened, unless they were at the party that night?

 Everything that happened with Taylor was known only to Gemma and me. Of course Edwin and Shayla knew some things and Penny, who was away, but none of them would go to such lengths to scare us. Gemma's boyfriend Jason knew and Freddy Levin, the producer of the reality show, but they were too busy to mess with us, plus they had zero reason to write ransom notes and make phone calls. It didn't make sense.

"You'll be fine, Lily. Marisela is here and you'll set the alarm once I leave, right? I'll be gone two hours, tops. Want me to bring back some fro-yo when I come?"

"Well, it's the least you could do." I winked at Gemma and forced a happy face. "Anything non-fat will be fine. Thanks, Boo!"

"Set the alarm!" Gemma shouted through the closed door as she headed towards her freshly washed and waxed Mini Cooper in the driveway.

She didn't see me move towards the window to watch her drive away, biting my nails and imagining all the evil that could happen to me during the two hours she was at her dinner.

"Hurry back," I said, but she was way too far gone to hear my voice.