American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop

The so-called "trailer" was a modified bus, serving as a mobile home for actors to rest between takes during their grueling filming schedules. Regular actors didn't get such luxury, but Lila's manager had pulled some strings and secured sponsorships to rent one for her, despite her not being a big star yet.

Lila's praise for her manager's kindness seemed justified. After all, Hollywood was full of small-time actors, and most managers would squeeze every last drop out of their resources.

Bringing JJ along was a deliberate choice. While they had permission to inspect the trailer, it was more appropriate for a female agent to handle this, avoiding any unnecessary awkwardness since Lila was a victim, not a suspect.

"She's quite disciplined. The trailer's spotless—no drugs, no empty bottles, no weird stuff. There's a lot of books too. I kinda like this girl," JJ commented as she stepped off the trailer, peeling off her gloves.

"Uh, weren't you supposed to be checking for cameras or bugs?" Jack asked, already knowing the answer.

"And why exactly did you leave Reid alone with her?" JJ shot back.

Jack, sounding like a concerned father, sighed, "I just hope the kid appreciates what we're trying to do for him."

"You're unbelievable."

——

When they returned to the beach, they found Reid chatting with Lila near the snack bar, holding a bottle of cola in his hand.

"I'm sorry if I was… uh, a bit slow yesterday," Reid stammered, clearly attempting an apology. He awkwardly took a sip of his soda, as if trying to cover his discomfort.

"You were just doing your job, weren't you?" Lila replied nonchalantly, fumbling with the coffee machine in front of her. "Besides, I still haven't thanked you for driving me home. Was that part of your job too?"

"Uh, no, not really. Actually, Jack reminded me. He's, uh, good at making girls happy," Reid blurted out, his words coming out a bit too fast.

Jack, who was eavesdropping nearby, rolled his eyes. He felt unfairly accused, especially with JJ standing right beside him.

"So there's no need to apologize. If anything, I should thank you." Lila took a sip of the coffee she had just made, grimaced, and then reached for Reid's soda. "You don't mind sharing, do you?"

Reid watched in astonishment as she took two sips before finally responding, "Of course not."

Just then, a woman wearing headphones approached briskly. Lila waved at her. "Hi, Maggie."

"Hi, Lila. You all set?" Maggie asked, handing Lila a stack of fan letters. "Scene 43 is up in ten minutes. Ready?"

Jack noticed that Maggie, presumably Lila's assistant, bore a striking resemblance to a younger Scarlett Johansson. Hollywood really didn't lack pretty faces trying to break into the business.

Lila smiled and took the letters, placing them to the side. "Looks like your fan base is growing."

After chatting briefly, Maggie hurried off to her next task. Lila turned back to Reid, handing him the soda as she began removing her robe, revealing a bikini underneath. "Sorry, but I have to get ready for the shoot now."

Reid, holding the bottle, couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He watched her walk away until Jack and JJ stepped in front of him, breaking his line of sight. Reid quickly turned around, pretending to be deeply interested in his soda.

"You don't mind sharing, do you?" JJ teased, her words directed at Jack as she waved her own bottle of Coke.

"Shut up, both of you!" Reid nearly choked on his drink before fleeing the scene in embarrassment.

"What? I didn't even say anything!" Jack felt like he'd been wronged all day.

——

"Filming is seriously boring."

This was the unanimous conclusion Jack, Reid, and JJ reached after spending half a day on set. Despite being surrounded by attractive actors and actresses in bikinis, the monotony of watching the crew work was exhausting. Even the eye candy wasn't enough to keep them entertained. Jack made a mental note to bring binoculars next time, if there was one.

As the sun began to set, they accompanied Lila back to the parking lot. She had finished her daytime scenes and was heading back to rest before her night shoot.

"What's this?" Lila, walking ahead, paused in front of her trailer and pulled an envelope off the door. It was stuck there with tape.

"Mind if I take a look?" Reid took the envelope from her hands.

With her permission, he opened it. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a message scrawled across it:

"Lila, I've always been so good to you. How could you go to the police?"

Lila's face immediately drained of color. She looked pale as a ghost.

——

"We've checked the parking lot's surveillance. While there aren't any cameras directly on the trailer, we didn't spot anyone suspicious in the area. No motorcyclist with a helmet either," John reported.

Angela, Tim, and John had all arrived, joining the rest of the BAU team at the scene.

"Dr. Reid, did you notice anything peculiar about the phrasing of that note?" Rossi asked, flipping the paper back and forth in his hands.

Reid nodded. "Yes, the suspect used past perfect tense, emphasizing 'always' and 'been.' He also used a sentence opener with a participle, which makes the sentence sound particularly emphatic."

"Uh, can we get a translation into plain English?" Tim quipped sarcastically.

"They are speaking English, Tim," Jack replied, trying to be funny but earning no laughs.

"What they're saying is that it sounds like the suspect is someone Lila knows personally," Hotchner explained, easing the tension. The BAU team had become quite familiar with Tim, John, and Angela after multiple cases—and many shared meals at Jack's house.

"Maybe it's time to step up Lila's security detail," Angela suggested.

Emily glanced around the set, noting the large, chaotic crew. "This place is too crowded. Even if we had someone shadowing her closely, it would be hard to ensure her safety unless Jack—"

Jack shook his head. "Even if I'm here, it won't make a difference unless we make the entire crew wear swim trunks and bikinis to limit concealed weapons."

John's eyes lit up. "Actually, that's not a bad idea!" His suggestion earned him a round of exasperated eye-rolls from the women in the room.

"In any case, I don't think this counts as an immediate threat. It might be easier to protect her if she stays put in one place rather than moving around," Reid added, though he seemed reluctant.

"I promise I won't go anywhere. I don't want this to stop production. I only have one more scene to shoot tomorrow, and then I'm done," Lila pleaded. "I told myself yesterday not to be afraid of this psycho. I'll stay here tonight if that makes it easier for you to protect me. Just let me finish this show, okay?"

Tim looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to Hotchner.

"I can assign a couple of officers to stay on set. I'm sure John won't mind putting in some overtime surrounded by bikini-clad women. No one will be allowed in or out except for the crew, and we'll ramp up patrols around the area."

Hotchner nodded in agreement. "Reid and Jack will stay on set. The rest of us will continue working, looking for more leads."

"Wait a second," Jack said, stopping everyone just as they were about to leave. He walked over to Rossi and spoke in a low voice.

"The suspect seems furious that Lila went to the police. This could cause him to deviate from his usual behavior."

"What do you mean?" Rossi asked, puzzled.

"Lila's manager said he was the one who drove her to the station yesterday. Do you think there's a chance the suspect might target him?"

Rossi paused, considering Jack's suggestion. "That's possible. What's your plan?"

"Have someone secretly keep an eye on him. The suspect's MO is execution-style headshots. As long as the manager isn't alone, we should be able to prevent anything from happening."

"I'll take care of it," Emily volunteered, taking on the responsibility.

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]