Lila

In the end, she didn't eat. But she did sleep. For almost twelve hours. Her sleep was deep, but peppered with dreams of Dane, alone and broken, calling for her. And she could hear him, but she couldn't find him. In the way of dreams, she could see him, but couldn't tell where he was—and he couldn't see her. Didn't know she was right there, trying so hard to get to him. He thought she'd given up on him. Left.

​​

Her heart broke a thousand times before midnight, but she still slept on.

She woke up well before six, her stomach churning, and laid there for a minute, staring at the ceiling, reminding herself they were just dreams. That Douglas—sick as he was—had some kind of feeling for Dane. That as long as Dane was smart, Doug probably wouldn't hurt him. At least, not physically.

She tried to make herself believe it. But eventually, she just forced herself to get out of bed and take a shower. Even though her eyes were grainy from crying, and her mouth tasted terrible, she knew it was the best thing she could have done to face this day. Because today was the day that all the shit was going to hit the proverbial fan. And somehow she needed to walk through it looking like she was angry with him—not desperate for him.

Once she'd had the shower and blowdried her hair, Lila trudged into the kitchen to make a decent breakfast because she imagined there'd be no time for lunch. While she got out pans and sausage, she flipped on the television to listen to the early morning news and talk shows.

There was no sign of Dane in the breaking news, or headline stories, and Lila breathed a sigh of relief. Either the networks hadn't figured out if they could legally run the clip, or they were verifying it. When they got to six twenty without any sign of him, Lila began to hope.

She should have known.

"…in celebrity news this morning, rumors are flying around prominent businessman and heart throb, Dane Daniels. A video was provided to KDLV News yesterday, a video we cannot legally show you on public broadcast, that appears to show the handsome thirty-year-old in a fit of violence and torture against an older couple." An image, a screenshot taken from the video where only Dane was visible, his face twisted in anger, filled the screen, then pulled away to sit in the corner as the newsreader continued the story. "Police were contacted, but have refused to comment so far." The news reader turned in his seat and the shot panned wide to show a younger woman, perfectly polished, and bright eyed, sitting next to him, nodding. "Janie, you've seen the video and spoken off the record with experts, tell us, what do you think? Is it real?"

"We're working on verifying that, Rob, but we do know one thing for sure—the video is actual footage—not computer generated graphics. Our experts have been able to confirm that already. The question is whether the perpetrator is the Dane Daniels we know, and whether tehre's been any tampering with the footage."

"It's pretty dark, but it's also clear that the man at the center of it is quite young—possibly a minor. Have you experts done any work on verifying when the video was taken?"

"We're working on that now and we expect to have a lot more information for you and our viewers later today."

"I'm sure everyone will be waiting with great anticipation to find out what they find. If it is real, what charges are likely to come against Mr. Daniels who, ironically, works in personal security?"

Janie made a very serious face, but Lila could see the light in her eyes—the same light Lila got whenever she could taste victory in a new case. She ground her teeth and turned up the volume.

"Well, our legal counsel can't be sure, but assuming there's no statute of limitations to be applied, Mr. Daniels will at the very least be facing assault, and grievous bodily harm, two counts of holding people against their will, and possibly attempted murder. If they can find the victims of the crime and there's any indication that they died, or disappeared at this time, he will be facing first degree murder."

The newsreader pretended he was shocked by this news, like they hadn't scripted this out over an hour ago. Lila snorted and swore at the television. "You people are vultures! You're manipulating everyone!" she ranted, then dropped her face in her hands as they spoke again.

"Mr. Daniels has already been in the news recently, and linked to another death, hasn't he?"

"Yes, although his involvement there was a lot less clear, I have no doubt that law enforcement will be comparing the two cases to see if there's any correlation between them. It would be powerful evidence if there are similarities in them, because given the time that has passed since this video must have been taken, it would show a pattern in his life of violence."

The newsreader nodded. "And we would like to take this moment to remind viewers, if you see Mr. Daniels, in light of this story, please do not approach him. But we have established a hotline where you are welcome to report his whereabouts to us. And, of course, in the event that the Police open a case, call them directly on 9-1-1. Again, do not approach Mr. Daniels yourself."

"That's right, Rob," Janie said in her wheedling voice that Lila couldn't stand. "I think this is an important moment to acknowledge that, even if it was a while ago, these two people were harmed and possibly killed when this footage was taken. And our first thought should be with them."

"Indeed, Janie. Our hearts go out to the victims."

"Yes, they do."

Lila hit the remote and the TV snapped off. She felt sick. But at least they weren't showing the video itself.

Yet.