11 | Curtain Call

After returning to the lobby twice, due to the key not working, Colt had had enough. Without so much as a moment's hesitation, he kicked down the door to Ryder's suite, rolling into the room.

I followed more cautiously, glancing around the dark room, before entering. "What is with us and breaking into Tom Ryder's residences?" Colt didn't respond as he dragged himself to his feet. "Anyone would think we were some crazy stalker fans."

"Ew," Colt responded, almost reflexively. "Who would want to be a fan of Tom Ryder?"

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

There was a moment of silence, as I drew back the curtains, illuminating the room the the glow of streetlights. I glanced around, impressed at it's swankiness. I was perfectly content, just taking it all in, but Colt had to ruin it by speaking.

"Please don't tell me you're a fan of Ryder." I glanced over at him. He was staring at me incredulously as if I'd just admitted to something insane, such as liking pineapple on pizza—which I did, obviously. I raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh no. You are, aren't you?"

I took the opportunity to mess with him a little.

"Oh yeah." I wandered over to the chair in the corner, plonking myself down and crossing one leg over the other. Colt eyed me suspiciously. "Ever since I was little, really. He's like, really handsome and talented."

I suppressed a smile as Colt's fists clenched at his side. "But he's... Tom Ryder?" It came out like more of question. "He's obnoxious and entitled and... did you say he's handsome?"

I nodded innocently. "Mhm hmm."

Colt's pout suddenly spread into a triumphant grin and my own smug expression faltered for a moment. "But, we look the same."

I walked straight into that one.

"No..." I stuttered, Colt's smirk growing larger by the moment. "Not really. You don't look that similar."

Colt shook his head. "You think I'm handsome?"

"I didn't say that."

"You basically did." Colt drew back the curtains on the other side of the room, shedding more light into the space. "You know, you're not so bad-looking yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks Colt." He grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "You just made my day."

"Anytime." Colt chuckled, turning around to look for any clues as to Ryder's whereabouts. "There has to be something in here that tells us where he is."

I glanced around the suite, my eyes landing on a curtain at the end of the hallway. "What about over there?" I pointed over at it and Colt nodded in agreement. "Maybe he left one of those post-it notes in the shower." I was only half joking.

"Maybe," Colt agreed. "I'll go check."

I followed Colt with my eyes as he tiptoed towards the shower curtain. He paused for a moment, before pulling it aside. "Holy shit..."

Colt immediately stumbled back, dragging the shower curtain down with him. I jumped up from my seat and rushed over. "What is it..?" I stopped beside Colt, my breath catching in my throat, when my eyes landed on the scene before us. A man laid in the bath tub, eyes widen and lifeless, submerged under pounds of ice. "Who is that, Colt?"

Colt shook his head, as stunned as I was. "I don't know..."

At any other time, my first instinct would've been to call the police; but they would've definitely asked what we were doing there in the first place. I did not have a reasonable answer to that.

"We need to leave," I said, with undisguised urgency in my voice. "Now."

Colt looked at me, shaking his head. "No, we need to call the police—"

"—And what do you think will happen if we do that, Colt?" He didn't reply. "We'll be arrested for  breaking in and they'll think we did this. We can't call the police."

"Jesus Christ, Skye..." Colt breathed out, his hands shaking as he picked up his phone, which had fallen to the floor in his shock. "You can't be serious."

"I am." I grabbed Colt's hand and pulled him away from the crime scene. "This is none of our business. We should have never come here in the first place. I told you—"

"—Skye, stop!" I stopped in my tracks, about to open the suite door, and turned to Colt. He looked at me incredulously, like he was surprised by my reaction. "There is a dead man on ice in there." He pointed back towards the bath. "Don't you think they'll be even more suspicious if they find him and see the security camera footage of us leaving the hotel room?" I let out a sigh, knowing deep down that he was right. "We really have to go to the police."

I took a shaky breath, my hands immediately gripping the roots of my hair in frustration. "Umm." Colt waited patiently, while I struggled internally. "Call Gail first and see what she says."

Colt looked annoyed, but he agreed anyway. "Fine."

***

We raced out of the hotel and got straight into my car. Colt quickly called Gail and put the phone on speaker. We waited in tense silence as the phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Dead guy on ice," Colt immediately said, not even greeting Gail.

There was a moment of silence, before Gail responded, seemingly unaffected by the statement. "What?"

"There is a dead guy on ice," Colt repeated, his voice shaky. "At the hotel, Gail." I reached over and touched his arm holding the phone, steadying it. He shot me a tight-lipped smile.

"Wait, sorry?" Gail questioned from the other end. "What are you talking about?"

"Gail!" I was starting to get annoyed. "Gail can you hear me? This is Skye Coleman. There is a dead body in Ryder's hotel room at the Pendleton Hotel."

"Hold on," came from the other end of the line.  She seemed to be understanding. "You're seriously telling me you've just seen a body?"

"Yes, Gail!" We replied in unison.

"On the rocks," Colt elaborated erratically. "In the hotel."

"What hotel?"

"The one we just saw you in, Gail!" I didn't understand why she was acting so oblivious. "In Ryder's suite."

"He was so dead, Gail," Colt ranted, still slurring his words slightly. "He was very dead. Super dead."

"Hold on," Gail interrupted. "How did you even get in there?"

 "Gail, you asked me to do this, okay. So please try and keep up." Colt seemed to be  reaching my level of frustration. "We went to Ryder's apartment just like you told me. That's where Iggy with the sword gave me and Skye the neon clothes, and sent me to the man with the leopard print head." I could tell Colt was. completely losing it now. "He goes by the name of Doone. It was Doone's goons that dirtied my shirley. And not in a fun way, Gail. I think they were trying to kill me, Gail—"

I snatched the phone from Colt's hand, gesturing for him to shut up. "Gail, we just want to know what to do. Colt wants to talk to the police—"

"—No, no, no," Gail immediately responded, a sense of urgency in her voice. "No, I will handle everything. Do not call the police."

Colt and I locked eyes, an 'I told you so' expression on my face; an 'are you serious?' one on his. He shook his head. "No, Gail. I want the police!"

I cringed at his sudden outburst  "No." Gail's voice was authoritative. "You will not go to the police. You don't talk to anyone about this. Neither of you."

"Okay," I agreed. "As long as you're handling it, Gail."

Colt glared at me. "I'm calling the police." I was about to protest, when...

Knock, knock, knock.

My eyes widened and I turned around, my heart jumping into my throat. Outside my window was a middle-aged man, dressed in an all-too-familiar blue uniform

Shit.

"What is it?" Gail questioned from the other end of the line. "Colt? Skye?"

Colt snatched his phone back from me, holding it up to his mouth. "It's the police." Gail attempted to protest, but Colt hung up before she could say anything.

***

A/N: Let's see if I can keep this streak going.

I'm running out of questions to ask. Umm... how about: if Colt were to run into any of Ryan Gosling's other characters (i.e. Ken, Driver, Gray Man, Sebastian etc) who would he get along best with?

I'd have to say Ken. Any explanation needed?