and I were only making out in Miss Dixie’s backyard because we’re supposed to be the heroes of the film. It was supposed to be romantic, but then Ashlyn said she had to kill one of us off or it would be too mainstream. What does that even mean?”
Ashlyn’s eyes had rolled. “It means I’m an artist, Hannah. No one wants a happy-ending horror film.”
“And what kills the lovers in your film?” Roxie asked as righteously as any whodunnit sleuth ever had before.
Ashlyn’s lips closed.
He was so right about this. “What’s the name of the film, Ashlyn? I’m going to find out. Do you know what I think happened? I think you decided to make a film about a mythical creature, and how do you make a film on a shoestring budget these days? Your characters film the footage themselves. Like Blair Witch.”
“It’s called found footage and it’s an art form,” Ashlyn argued.
Zep stood up because she’d forgotten something. “How many of your actors knew they were acting?”
Her mother had a horrified look on her face. “Is that why you had your phone up when I was making breakfast this morning? You said you were playing around. I didn’t even have any makeup on. You were going to put it in a film?”
“I find your reactions are better if you don’t know you’re being filmed,” Ashlyn admitted. “And I got great footage of the old dude and the goats freaking out. Sorry, I didn’t know about the dog. I totally would have saved the dog.”
Zep went to the edge of the stage. “You were still in the woods when we got there, and you were definitely not looking for your phone at Dixie’s. You were purposefully scaring people so you could get their reactions on film?”
“It’s called The Rougarou’s Revenge, and I’m putting it in a contest for found-footage horror,” Ashlyn declared. “Though Hannah and Austin were actually pretty terrible. How about you and the deputy become my romantic interests? You two have great chemistry on film.”
Roxie’s eyes narrowed. “You filmed us?”
He needed to get down there or his honey was going to get in trouble. He jumped off the stage and rushed to join her. “I don’t think this is how found footage works. You’re going to need releases from everyone. Signed releases.”
“She’s going to need a long talking-to.” Armie stared down from the stage. “You were sneaking around in people’s yards hoping they would think you were some kind of crazed killer werewolf. This is Louisiana. You’re lucky you weren’t shot.”
Ashlyn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, the old dude totally took a shot, but his aim wasn’t good. It’s the best scene in the whole film so far. Very exciting.”
Her mother looked like she might pass out. “Oh, my lord.”
The crowd started to argue about how to deal with the teenage wannabe auteur, but Sylvie stood with the microphone in her hand. “All right. We can now safely say we caught the rougarou and move on with life. We hope to have the animal services department up and going as soon as possible, and until then, if you have questions about any animal issues, contact the sheriff’s department and talk to Mr. Guidry. Momma, you better still have some booze because I’ve had a day.”
The meeting was over and Zep had survived. Survived and thrived since apparently he was going to have a job at the end of all this. A low-paying civil service job.
A job he might love.
Sometimes life flooded in, obliterating everything in its path, but what he’d come to learn was that dreams could change. Life wasn’t some concrete thing that became useless if it lost a piece. It wasn’t a puzzle that couldn’t be complete without one specific thing.
He could have a new dream. A good job where he could make a difference. A happy home. A family.
Simple dreams, but ones that would make him whole.
Roxie turned to him with a brilliant smile on her face. “And she would have gotten away with it if wasn’t for this meddling deputy. We solved the case.”
“Yes, and that means you get to do the paperwork,” Armie said with a shake of his head as he joined them. “I’m going to have such a talk with those kids. Every single one of them is having the lecture of a lifetime tonight.” He looked toward the back of the building. “Don’t you leave, Austin. Yeah, I’m talking to you, son. I’ve already called your dad.”
He stalked away, and Zep