Scandal Brokers

By Shadrack Antwi

In a techno-society where cyberspace is the conduit of life and business, connectivity and surveillance run hand in hand. When a popular star of a movie franchise is killed in a suspicious accident during the filming of a high-octane stunt scene, the police detective unit led by Lieutenant Beever must leverage the city's data surveillance capabilities and other resources to connect the drama-fueled relationships and events surrounding the movie star's death.

As the case takes them through the complex, connected layers of the corporate studio, the city, and the deceased movie star's life, the detectives' investigation finds them helping an actress from the movie franchise protect herself from another apparent accidental death. The detectives must also be mindful of a dangerous, growing type of market makers--scandal brokers. Beever and his homicide investigation team may soon experience that scandal brokering is more than just a competitor and disruptor of police evidence collecting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798887319407

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

About the Author

cover.jpg

Scandal Brokers

Shadrack Antwi

Copyright © 2023 Shadrack Antwi

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88731-939-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88731-940-7 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1

At exactly 7:35 p.m., Detective Lieutenant DeAndre Beever arrived at the intersection of Starboard and Portduo streets where a popular garden about half the area of a city block nestled on the northeastern side. At the intersection itself, people crowded outside the yellow tapes of a hastily made police perimeter. A few cops standing several feet apart along the yellow tape kept a wary look on the crowd for anyone who tried to get over the perimeter, and the crowd whispered among themselves as they strained to look over each other's shoulders and heads. Several dozens of people seemed like they were paparazzi—because they had professional-looking cameras instead of smartphones—and kept shouting questions at the movie actors huddled inside the perimeter, but the only replies they got back was the occasional ashen look when an actor looked at the source of the latest shout.

Long cranes hoisting idly hanging movie cameras and the people were also in the shadow of a towering steel and slats ramp erected at the intersection. The ramp, which had been constructed for the movie shoot, made a longbow curve along Portduo in a slow rise for about a block before rapidly spiking into the air to well over a hundred feet.

Beever passed a yellow sign on a waist-high board that said, E-Studio Jams—movie set of The Vector Chronicles—only cast and crew allowed beyond this point.

A few hours ago, this metal signpost marked how far and how close fans of the Vector Chronicles could get to their favorite stars as a complex action scene of the fourth installment of the blockbuster movie franchise was being shot in one of the most recognizable intersections in the city. Now a crowd that he guessed could be in a couple of hundreds was definitely beyond the signpost, and only the police perimeter kept them from overrunning the epicenter. And instead of film editors, there were crime scene investigators taking photographs or notes into their touch screen pads.

The professional news camera people probably made up only about a quarter of the crowd, but they were getting help from ordinary folks with their smartphone cameras, de facto reporters as Beever liked to think of them. Many of the crowd would be updating their social media accounts with news from the scene. Beever was sure the police department's social media monitoring and analyzing software tool, SocialPulse, would be registering more than the normal volume of posts and sentiments at the moment, and Tamron, the main tech and social media handler of his team, would already be glued to SocialPulse's terminals for any useful info.

Beever pushed his way through the tear-streaked wide-eyed crowd and flashed his badge at the police line. The stern faces of the cops gave way to quick nods, and Beever raised up the yellow tape and walked underneath it through the perimeter.

It was about twenty years ago when the Vectors Unit, a ragtag team of superheroes who fought bad guys infesting the city and overwhelming the movie version of Harbor Tip City police, was introduced to the general public in a low-budget movie after it had found a steady cult following as a comic book series. That first movie exceeded expectations and opened the way for its morphing into one of the biggest movie franchises. This latest reboot of the three reboots it had gotten had not gone so well. Streaming ratings and merchandise sales were down by nearly a fifth, and the screenwriters and the stars on the cast who had been lauded a few years ago had become the scapegoats.

Beever remembered a critic on a movie-review TV show remarking that the reason the franchise's ratings weren't doing so well was that it was putting too much emphasis on sex appeal with overly sexy character costumes at the expense of good screenwriting. The show's host countered that maybe most of the stars were simply past their prime, and fresher faces, rather than less sex appeal, were really what the franchise needed.

Now as Beever walked through the stunt setups rigged all about the compound and culminating in the snaking, towering ramp built just to up the ante for a one-car chase, the strategy of using overly sexy costumes to sell movies seemed old and outdated. The Vector Chronicles was now shifting to elaborate and beautiful but dangerous stunts to attract the audience and sustain the franchise. Very likely E-Studios' internal analysis confirmed that the idea of fit and hot actors doing their own breathtaking stunts with no CGI would pique the interests of those jaded by CGI and craving the old adrenaline rush of watching others doing dangerous sports or stunts.

Beever got to the movie set's medical container where doctors and medics were inside trying to save the life of the lead actor. Kip was waiting near the door of the medical container with two uniformed officers. Standing a few feet away from him was a man in a well-fitting dark-blue suit. This man had a cell phone to his ear, and an E-Studios' ID tag clipped on his chest. He put the cell phone away from his ear as Beever came up. Squaring up his chest and shoulders till they seemed to stretch his suit jacket, the E-Studios' man stepped sideways into Beever's path to the container entrance. Beever stopped and gave the man the most patient smile he could muster.

He's a police detective, our team lead, Kip said to the E-Studios' man. Let him pass.

The man looked Beever up and down skeptically. But he stepped back to his original spot and out of Beever's way. As Beever walked past, he read the name and role on the E-Studios' man's ID tag—Alvin Stitch, Senior Liaison, Media and PR.

Beever gave Stitch a brief but deliberately hard look in the eye. Stitch returned with a smile that only went as far as his lips. He extended his hand for a handshake, but Beever kept his own hands in his pocket. Stitch shrugged and dropped his hand crisply as if his handshake offer had never happened.

Stitch looked rather jacked for a company PR person. More likely that he was some sort of security operative or cleanup guy for E-Studios, with an innocuous cover job title of PR person that authorized him to hang around any serious situation involving the studio. Beever had encountered the likes of Stitch on several cases; a liaison person a company would provide to work with the police on a case the company was involved in, but who, unsurprisingly, would be on guard at a hint of anything that might hurt the company's reputation and be more hindrance than liason.

Beever said to Kip, Why is a civilian at the crime scene interfering with an active police investigation? He's from E-Studios, but this is now a crime scene, and he shouldn't be about like he's still the gateman here.

Stitch's mouth dropped slightly, but he showed no other sign that he was offended.

Before Kip could answer, Stitch said flatly, I'm not interfering with anything. I'm here as an E-Studios rep to make sure Zorama and our other cast members are protected and their privacy respected. Besides, who says this is a crime scene? A very unfortunate accident, but aren't we jumping the gun if we start calling it a crime scene before you have fully investigated?

Protect Zorama, you said? Kip scoffed. He nodded his head in the direction of the trailer clinic where Zorama was being treated. A great job you guys have done here protecting cast members.

Stitch winced visibly.

Kip said quietly to Beever, Don't worry. I've kept him where he's standing so he can't get in our way.

It's an investigation scene, Beever said slowly, nearly spelling it out, addressing the PR man directly for the first time. One of your lead actors is hanging onto life by a thread after an unusual accident in which stunt equipment malfunctioned spectacularly. Of course, we're going to fully investigate. That's why it's a crime scene.

And you should rest assured that I'm here to help you do that, Stitch said with an air of offense taken. That's my job, as well as protecting the privacy and interests of our employees.

Beever snorted and said, Fine. Just move a hundred yards away from the entrance to this emergency clinic.

Suit yourself, Stitch said. I'm not your adversary here. You seem not to know that.

Whatever. Beever was already walking away.

Stitch pulled out his phone, hit two or three buttons on it, and put it to his ear as he walked a good distance away, kicking his legs out like his balls needed some extra room. He was probably telling his boss, who had him standing there, that he had to give some space to the cops.

I should have gotten rid of him already, Kip said when the man was far off enough to be out of earshot. Kind of a creepy guy for E-Studios to have for PR.

I think his real job is some sort of security, Beever said. How's she doing? He segued to the main issue at hand.

Not good. Kip shook his head. The doctors aren't saying it, but I think they're just counting the clock till they pronounce her dead.

There was nothing Beever could say. He only nodded.

Kip's face looked tired, and his hair looked greasy and tousled as if he'd not washed it in two or three days, but his usual tan from the sauna in the precinct's gym and his regular outdoor runs was as solid as ever. His glassy eyes said he needed a large cup of hot coffee. No surprise there. He'd spent most of the last forty-eight hours overseeing surveillance on another case, and then he'd hopped over when the calls started coming in about an incident at this movie location.

You look like shit, Beever muttered.

You look no better.

Go get some sleep as soon as we're done here.

Kip smiled gruffly and shook his head. I doubt we'll be done here anytime soon. Beever knew Kip wouldn't have taken the advice anyway. He couldn't help it.

Kip turned and knocked twice on the container door. After a moment, it opened slightly, and a medic with middle-aged looks and a frown on her face stuck her head out.

The lieutenant is here. What's the status? Kip said, motioning with his head to Beever standing beside him.

The medic looked at Beever and nodded. You boys should come in now. Both of you, she said in a matter-of-fact way. It's up to you now.

What do you mean it's up to us now? Kip said hurriedly. It wasn't good news if it was up to the cops now.

There was an edge to Kip's voice that Beever attributed to concern for the woman lying on an emergency bed inside with doctors, medics and medical robots surrounding her, trying to pull her back from the brink. It was hard not to feel concerned for someone you saw in movies you loved and that you couldn't avoid hearing about or seeing trending on social media.

Seeming to realize that his manner had come across as a tad too emotionally involved for a cop, Kip whistled out a short sigh and tried again in a more even voice, Is she still unconscious?

Rather than reply, she opened the door further and moved to the side. She beckoned with her hand for them to enter.

The pall of resignation in her eyes as Kip and Beever moved past her and climbed the incline into the container emergency room was the answer.

Dang it. Behind Beever, Kip muttered.

They entered the container, and the medic closed the door behind them. Maybe she needed some fresh air outside after the intensity inside.

Chapter 2

The inside of the mobile hospital was large and spacious, which made sense, given that it consisted of six medical containers conjoined into one building. It had enough square footage to accommodate five full hospital beds as well as medical equipment and supplies and surgical robots and even small bunkers for the doctors and medics to lie down and rest in between shifts.

Zorama lay still on the nearest bed. But for the bruises on her face, she looked like she was asleep. The doctor had been pulling a white sheet to cover her face, and he stopped midmotion when they entered. He laid the sheet on her chest without covering her face. The rest of her body, from feet to chest, was under the sheet. The other five medics in their white lab coats or blue surgical uniforms were going about other activities, turning a knob on an instrument or writing notes into tablets. Two medical robots smoothly retracted their limbs and instruments from over the patient till they were barely noticeable among the mountings on the walls and in the ceiling.

The doctor pulled the gloves off his hands and stuffed the gloves in a surgical box on a table near the wall. He came over to Beever and Kip with an outstretched hand. I'm Dr. Maxim Axim, the resident doctor at this movie set. Two of my assistants here are also doctors. The other three are medical assistants and nurses. And you met another nurse who has stepped out for a break. He pointed at the respective persons, and they looked up and nodded in greeting.

Detective Lieutenant Deandre Quami Beever. Beever shook the doctor's hand.

Detective Officer Kip Strickland. Kip shook hands next. You're employed full-time by E-Studios, right?

The doctor's eyebrows arched in a duh look. I'm an E-Studios staff doctor if that's what you mean, he replied. But I also work at a private medical center that I own. I'm one of the over twenty doctors that E-Studios has on rotation at their movie sets. I'm at this particular set because I'm the nearest, geographically speaking. My hospital is only five miles from here. They have two or three of us on premises twenty-four-seven when there's a movie shoot going on, not counting the medics and nurses. There are two such mobile hospitals in this movie set. There is one more just like this one, with two doctors and medics and nurses. The other patient in the accident was taken to that one. His voice was as husky and tired as it was irritated.

Okay, good info, Kip replied testily.

What's the status of the patient? Beever asked.

Dr. Axim looked up at the clock on the wall. The patient passed away ten minutes ago from severe concussions and severe impacts to vital internal organs and lacerations to bones and skeletal tissue. The injuries were due to an on-set accident that occurred during a stunt.

Accident? Kip whipped out his phone and glanced at the screen. It's trending that it was murder. Hashtag ZoramaMurdered. Hashtag ZoramaNotAccident.

The doctor paused and looked at Kip, a hint of irritation on his face. So the words of a medical witness count for less than online hashtags? Is that the police method these days?

Are you saying this wasn't a murder but an accident? Kip shot back. Is that your medical and investigative conclusion?

The other medics stopped whatever they were doing to look on at the exchange. Dr. Axim straightened up his shoulders. I'm not saying anything about overall investigations. That's your job, I believe. I'm just reporting the medical facts as the doctor. Who's posting those hashtags anyway? Who're those people saying stuff online?

Anybody. Lots of people on chat nets. The celebrity news sites. They heard she got hit by a car during a car-chase stunt. Fortunate for you guys, there are no videos of the accident online—yet.

We'll take a look at the victim, Beever said as he moved closer to the body. He looked directly at Dr. Axim and also at his assistants, who, from their rubbernecking while going about their work, were paying good attention to the back-and-forth between the doctor and Kip. Leave it to us to call it an accident or a murder, okay?

Dr. Axim opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but he shut it and nodded.

Beever put on a pair of clean gloves from the surgical rack on the wall in case he had to touch the body. Time to call in the forensics teams, he said to Kip.

While Kip called the forensics, Beever gazed at the face before him. The firm, plush lips that many teenagers spent hours before their mirror pouting to emulate was intact, but the nose was smudged at the bridge into a mass of flesh. Gashes running down her forehead and cheeks were clean; the blood must have been cleaned away.

There was nothing we could do. Dr. Axim came to stand at the body across from Beever. The injuries were just too severe. Then his mouth opened and closed wordlessly as Beever lifted his eyes off the body and gazed at him. Sorry, he added.

Beever cocked his head to one side. Don't apologize to me, Doc. I'm only an investigator. You can apologize to her fans and haters. Just apologize to the Internet. I bet you're getting some death threats online already.

Yup, Kip said without sympathy. He's got a few calling him names already. Some anonymous death threats.

So what happened? Beever looked directly at Dr. Axim.

You should really be asking that from the director and stunt people. Axim sighed.

We know, but we still want to hear from you right now before we go to talk with them. You're the doctor that was on call. And you arrived at the scene almost immediately, correct? You must have seen some of it.

Yes, but my view of the actual incident was limited. We could see some sections of the ramp, but not all of it. My personnel and I, as soon as we saw the crash and heard the screams, we ran over there before they could even call us.

Beever nodded. Makes sense. Yet we're very interested in your impressions when you arrive. Also, in your long experience with E-Studios, you would be well-versed in the safety and emergency protocols at E-Studios movie sets.

Dr. Axim nodded. Sure.

I just can't believe this happened, he said, shaking his head. Was it a dangerous stunt? Yes! But this crew and the actors have done stuff like this countless times without any major issues. I've been working with most of them on and off for nearly ten years now. I mean, the director is new on this set, but he's as good and experienced as anyone in the business.

You mean Vegghie Gussinio? Kip chipped in. He'd finished calling the forensics team.

Yeah, him.

He took over when Tripzzy was fired, right?

Yes, Gussinio took over from Tripzzy.

After the debacle of Tripzzy's fights with—or should I say assault of—Zorama?

Errm…I can't say much about that. Axim's flow ebbed with some intermittent filler sounds. We're just the medical personnel here. We try to stay out of the crew's way until somebody gets hurt. So I can't give you any juicy details about the Zorama and Tripzzy love life on set. Much less since Tripzzy left. He chuckled.

Beever snorted at the doctor's hesitation. Axim would be protecting his employer and probably his own job by being circumspect with his words when it came to E-Studios' controversial stars.

Fine, but you were here, and you saw when Tripzzy had to be escorted off the set by E-Studios security? Kip offered.

Axim pulled a tall stool from below a counter and sat on it. He rubbed his tired-looking eyes, then he said, Yes, I saw that which was about as much as was in the leaked videos of that, err, altercation. Though I hear those videos are now difficult to find because scandal brokers corralled most of it out of public view.

"Yeah, and I remember reading about a Dr. Axim promising to get a buxom eighteen-year-old struggling actress unto the Vector Chronicles if she'd meet him in a hotel room, Kip said through a complicated grin. Apparently, that doctor didn't deliver his end of the bargain, and the girl apparently started spreading stories! Did you also get scandal brokers to corral off that story from the public?"

That was an outright lie! Axim hissed under his breath. I will not dignify it with a response. Are you here to investigate a serious case or to repeat gossip and nonsense against me?

Beever smiled. He'd heard of it too. That scandal had only made it as a middling trend on the news for a while, mainly because the doctor was no celebrity or top executive, and the girl's story had been so vague, and for good or bad, she'd come across as less of a victim and too much as an attention-seeker.

Later, the girl withdrew her allegations, and Dr. Axim's career as a top movie set doctor was saved. Some rumors were that Axim had paid some hefty price through scandal brokering markets to buy the messages she'd exchanged with him off the market. A little after the scandal blew over, she was driving a sports coupe around town and had gotten an unlikely spot on a daytime TV series.

Of course, we're here for a serious case of the apparent accident that left a leading actor dead, Kip said in his even drawl, which is why your past behavior with actors is of interest.

Come on, Doc, Beever said. Tell us everything that you saw. What really went wrong? Why couldn't a capable and experienced ER doctor save an actor from an accident on set? Beever felt the doctor was a little shady, but he didn't believe the doctor had gotten that close to Zorama.

I have to do the paperwork for the morgue. Can we do this another time? He glanced uncomfortably at the body. Not here.

Kip heaved an exasperated sigh.

No, no. Beever waved a finger. Just the gist now. We'll have a lengthy talk later. And by now, I mean right now. Right here. Besides, you're an ER doctor. He glanced at the body. Such situations must be familiar to you.

Okay. Axim gave a nod of his head. "I'm always close by with