(narration): "She runs through the dark and cold halls...
Downloaded from YTS.MX
Senses heightened to any sound she makes.
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
The little light she uses, bounces from the walls.
Deceiving her with shadows of false sanctuary.
She's terrified,
but focussed. Ready to move, until...
she hears him.
His deep and hauntingly calm breath,
slightly elevated by the hunt,
matches the rhythmic shuffle of his stride.
She stops and listens,
hoping her nightmare will end.
Her heart breaks until her salvation comes into view in the shape of an exit door.
She looks behind her, gaining that last ounce of courage to survive.
And she runs...
towards the exit doors with the anticipation pounding through her shaking body.
But, by some cruel twist of fate,
what she finds...
is him.
The horror in her eyes upon his cold and jarring grasp.
In that moment of cruel fate,
her life flashed before her eyes in a millisecond.
That horror in his eyes is what he, the monster,
craved for.
It's what made his appetite grow
with each victim the universe offered up as sacrifice.
It's what made an otherwise ungodly man... a god.
God of death. God of terror.
But tonight's sacrificial feast
was just a taste... of the meal to come."
(applause)
Thank you. - Thank you very much.
- - No problem.
- Hi. I mean, hello. Mr. Blake.
- Oh, true fans call me Miles.
(sighing) - Miles.
Your books, they're... so addicting.
In a good way. A great way.
Uh, the murders in your books, they're so macabre. Detailed.
It's like you can see inside of all of my own fears.
How do you do that so well?
- Do we have time for a fan? - I think so.
- Anytime I'm writing a new book, I just think about,
you know, what my own fears are.
You know, my bestseller before this one,
What Lies in the Woods, that's just based on my own fears.
And actually writing that story, I'm... not afraid of the woods anymore.
For that, I'm grateful.
And for you, too, of course,
the reader, for actually buying the book.
- Oh, thank you so much.
- Thank you so much.
Next.
- Hi. - Hi, there.
- All right, thanks, guys.
Thanks for coming. - Thank you.
- Good to see you. Thanks.
- Thank you. - Thanks.
All right, I checked you in through the airline app.
I confirmed all your bags and boxes are already
at the house the university is providing.
- Okay. It'd be nice to get settled in before classes start.
- You'll have a few days to settle in.
- Great.
- Are you sure you wanna do this?
Teaching a semester of class could be a lot of work.
We can always back out. Blame the book tour.
- No, no, it's good for the soul to be back.
Besides, teaching about writing's the easy part.
What I'm looking forward to is the time off.
- Are you promising a draft when the semester's over?
- Yes, boss.
See you on the other side of my next bestseller.
(soft music)
(phone chiming)
- Saved by the bell, Ashley.
- Ha, ha, the daughter I never had.
- One of these days, I'm gonna tell your daughter
that you keep saying that. (chuckling)
- It's good to see you.
- Yeah, it's been a busy semester.
Sometimes I kick myself for choosing to write
my first novel as my Master's thesis.
- You know, I remember my early days as a writer.
I really loved deadlines.
And the whooshing sound they made as they sped right by.
(laughing)
- But yeah, deadlines aren't really real
until they're staring at you... right in the face.
- Ah yes, your chapters. - Hmm.
- They are exemplary.
- You're just saying that. - Well, don't thank me yet.
I'm about to make your life and your deadlines
a little more busy.
So, we're going to have a celebrity of sorts on campus.
- Trust me, I know.
I'm already enrolled in his Dynamics of Murder Mysteries class.
- Yeah, but that's an underclassman credit.
And you're a thesis away-- - A novel.
- Yes, a novel away from graduating with a Master's degree.
- He's my favorite author.
So, wait, why is this bad news?
I can still take the class, right?
- Oh, you'll be in his class,
although from a different vantage point.
Mr. Blake needs a teaching assistant, and I've chosen you.
- I'm just... I'm confused.
You have so many other options,
you know, like uh, David, your TA,
he would love something like this.
- Yes, yes, David is driven,
but you'd benefit from this the most.
- Professor, I am flattered,
but I just, I have so much on my plate right now.
- Ashley, listen to me, you have more talent
than any student that has ever passed
through my lecture hall doors in over 30 years of teaching.
That doesn't come by too often.
Being under the wing of somebody like Miles Blake
could be all that's standing between you and your dream.
- Okay.
- All right.
- I'm assuming by the look on your face
that he told you the wonderful news.
- Hi, David.
I... didn't want to-- - You didn't want
the opportunity of a lifetime?
Is that what you were going to say?
- No, I meant-- - Because that would make him
choosing you over me even worse.
- Look, I'm sorry, David.
- Hey, hey, um, listen.
I'm just giving you a hard time.
You gotta learn how to take a joke, Ash.
No, I'm... I'm, you know, I'm swamped
with Professor Dorr's classes anyways.
That's uh... You know, that's probably why he chose you
over me in the first place, yeah.
He didn't wanna lose his TA.
By the way, I um... I read your chapters.
- You did what?
- Yeah, they were just uh, sitting there on his desk.
I thought they were an underclassman's project or something.
Oh the... that's not... that's not what I meant.
Yeah, the pages were great.
There's just one thing missing.
- Yeah? What was that?
- You need a more threatening villain.
A better adversary.
(eerie music)
- He actually said that? - I know, right?
And the creepy thing was he didn't even seem
like he was talking about my book.
Like it was some sort of threat, or something.
- Okay, you need to introduce me to this little boy
'cause I'll put him in his place.
(laughing)
Anyway, I'm sure he's just jealous.
I mean, you get to work with "the" Miles Blake.
- It's not that big of a deal. - Oh, come on!
I bet you have a copy of one of his books in your bag right now.
(sighing)
(laughing) Thank you.
Wow!
He's handsome.
Writers aren't supposed to be that handsome, Ashley!
- Okay. - Maybe you'll fall in love
and make best-selling author babies together.
- That is the last thing I am looking for right now.
I'm just gonna try to soak up all the knowledge
and experience that I can.
He probably won't even talk to me that much.
- Can I keep this? - No.
- Oh, come on. - Well, enough about me.
How's your last semester of criminal justice going?
- It's taken a dark turn this semester.
- How so? - Another internship,
some on-the-job education.
- Okay, where?
- What's the last place you once said you'd ever wanna be locked in?
- No! - Mm-hmm.
This girl's gonna be spending her last semester in the town morgue.
- I suppose if you're gonna be a detective, you do have
to get used to looking at dead bodies, right? But still.
- It is what it is. I'll be a fly on the wall
for any criminal investigative biopsies, you know.
- And you'll tell your best friend everything?
Maybe some inspiration for her future stories?
- Hmm. Only if you give me that book!
- No! - Come on!
But if I ever meet him, he's fair game.
- All right, okay. Sure. (laughing)
- Sure? What do you mean sure?
- I'm just saying.
- I mean what I say.
- We'll see about that. We'll see.
- Too much?
You know, I worry with the younger college crowd
that most likely haven't read my books,
they won't take me seriously unless they actually see the work.
- Oh, I think everyone in this class will know who you are.
Um, I like the books.
It's a good touch.
- Miles Blake. - Ashley... Ashley Dunn.
- Ah, the prodigy. Nice to finally meet you.
- Prodigy? I...
- Professor Dorr is uh, is pretty proud.
- I am so sorry. I did not know that he was
going to give you those chapters.
- Ashley...
They were brilliant.
You know, I gotta admit, I get asked to read short stories,
chapters, full on manuscripts, pretty much everywhere I go,
so when he put those on my desk with a smile,
it was a little... - Cringy?
- Yeah, a little bit, but I told him I'd read 'em as a courtesy.
You know, rarely do the pages actually ever live up
to the hype, but you...
Your voice, your narrative structure,
your syntax, I mean, it's... mesmerizing.
Impressive.
- Thank you.
Um... I've worked really hard on them.
- I like that.
It's a strength to know how to take a compliment
and they come very rarely when you're first starting out.
Even less so from the critics' corner when you're actually published.
- I get that from Professor Dorr all the time.
- Well, he's a wise man. - Yes, he is.
- So, all I need from you is some basic assistance,
uh, fielding students' questions,
help with the assignments when they get turned in,
you know, I could use some extra eyes on 'em.
Come on! - Sorry?
- Let's go for a walk. - Oh.
- And you have writers that are far more talented than me
that never got to see their dreams come true
because the universe had different plans for 'em
or they didn't take the opportunities that were in front of 'em, but I'm...
I'm really glad that you took this one.
I mean, who knows? You might be looking out
in a sea of hundreds of your fans soon,
waiting for you to sign your bestseller.
(sighing) - That's the dream.
Hopefully no stalkers, though.
- Ah. My second book.
You read that too, I assume?
- I've read all of them.
You know, I've always wondered, is that a true story?
- I've had my share of uniquely devoted fans,
but nothing that me or my publicist couldn't handle.
(chuckling)
(sighing) And here we are.
Took you from one side of the campus to the next.
- You get to stay here?
- Well, more importantly, I actually get to write here.
You know, when I'm not teaching, of course.
You know, between you and I,
I had two very specific deal-breaking requests in my contract.
One, a unique house of my own with room and board.
And two, teacher's assistant to pick up the extra work,
so I could actually write in said home.
This... is where I'm gonna write my next bestseller.
- Your new book, what's it about?
- I don't know.
Hasn't told me yet.
See ya in class.
(eerie music)
- Hey!
You okay? - Yeah, I guess.
- Is there a problem? - Not yet.
- I suggest you keep walking then.
- Thanks. - No problem.
(indistinct chatter)
- It helps get more money, it helps with clean up.
- Guess it adds to something. - Um, Mr. Blake?
Sorry to interrupt. Hi, Ashley.
- Hi, David.
- Uh, I... I just wanna say that I... I'm a big fan.
I read all of your books, a few times over, and I...
I read your book on writing, as well. So inspiring.
And I've actually written seven novels myself.
I started when I was 15.
- Very nice to hear. Congratulations on the writing.
If you'll excuse me, we have a class to get started.
It was nice to meet you.
I see two types of people out there.
Those of you who are looking to learn a thing or two
about the murder mystery genre
and those of you who are looking for an easy credit.
But each and every one of you share one thing in common.
We... love... a good mystery.
Since the dawn of mankind, we have been sharing stories
of mystery, and intrigue,
and none of those stories capture our imagination
more than those involving... (groaning)
Murder! (laughter)
But why do we kill, right?
What drives somebody to commit murder?
It's our greatest mystery.
(footsteps thudding)
- Can I help you? - Hey!
Did you write those books?
- Yes. Yes, I did. Let me guess, you didn't like 'em.
- Miles?
- Hey, man, not here.
- You need to get outta my face right now.
- I thought I told you to keep walking?
- Whoa, gentlemen, please!
- Every time you come here, you're trying to start stuff.
- Now I have a problem with you, sport.
(groaning)
(gasping and exclaiming)
(chuckling) - Ladies and gentlemen,
Jonathan Hansen and Liam Rodgers of the theater department.
(applause)
Come on, give it up.
Every murder mystery has set-ups,
shocking surprises, right?
Now, some of you saw Mr. Hansen when he walked in, right?
His disheveled, mysterious, no offense,
somewhat creepy appearance.
Captured your attention, right?
If only for a moment.
Who was he?
Did he belong in this class? If not, why not?
Was I going to be the product of a truly deranged individual
who is hellbent on killing me, huh?
Was he a, uh... I don't know,
an overzealous fan entranced by my brilliance?
Something I may have written about in my second book,
for those of you loyal readers.
And also...
Who is this knight in metaphorical shining armor,
who came to save the day? (chuckling)
Huh? Now, that...
that, my fellow writers...
and easy credit seekers,
is what makes the murder mystery genre so enthralling
for readers, and what makes writing them so much fun.
That's what I hope to teach you in this class.
Let's give it up for these two, huh?
(applause)
- He's amazing, isn't he?
Brilliant. Just a... a single class with him
has me rethinking everything I've written.
Can you believe the... the adrenaline
of watching someone commit murder?
I mean didn't it send chills through your bones?
- Maybe not for the same reasons as you, but uh...
(phone chiming) Sorry.
Oh, I'm sorry, David, I have to go meet someone, but have a great night.
(♪)
- You need to learn to charge that thing.
You're gonna be stranded without it.
(laughing)
- Seriously though, it was... it was so disturbing,
but thrilling at the same time. Like, which I hate to admit,
David was a little too thrilled, though.
- That doesn't surprise me. (sighing)
- I just can't fathom seeing something like that.
Like, I've never even seen a dead body.
I can't imagine what you're seeing in the morgue.
- Ugh, nothing yet.
I mean, that's a good thing.
But let's forget about dead bodies, and uh...
tell me about Professor Handsome and your little walk together.
- I told you, it's not like that.
It's all about the work.
He... he told me how he got started and it...
it gave me hope. Made me feel worthy.
Like, I got home and the words just kept flowing.
It... it felt like he kicked a door open for me, you know.
Like, the chapters just kept coming,
and I can't stop it's...
- Ooh, speaking of kicking in doors...
- Well, I didn't expect to see you here.
Shouldn't you be writing? - Shouldn't you?
- I guess we writers do have to eat and drink.
(laughing)
- Oh, um, sorry, Miles Blake,
this is my best friend, Jordan. - Hi.
Nice to finally meet you.
It's an honor.
- Oh, no, honor's all mine.
Any friend of Ashley's.
Can I get you anything?
What do you say, a round on me?
- Oh, let's do this.
(indistinct chatter)
- It seems like, you know, you go in the big city,
you just drink all night long, right?
It doesn't seem fair.
All right, have a good night.
- Good night.
(giggling) - Come on.
- I could run right now.
I could run six miles. (laughing)
- That was beautiful. - Thanks.
- That was beautiful. (laughing)
- Oh, you know...
(sighing)
(ominous music)
(grunts)
(breathing heavily)
- Details. We have to be thinking about those details.
Now, I want you to see the story,
not only through the eyes of the victim of the murder,
but through the killer's eyes as well.
Now, how do we do that?
How do we capture the reality of what it's like
to murder somebody
and give the reader that authentic experience?
That's a trick question, folks.
(chuckling) I mean...
I mean, we need to do more than research, right?
I mean, in a... in an ideal world,
we'd just commit the murder ourselves.
That's the only way to offer the reader true authenticity.
But we are not going to be that dedicated to our work,
my young writers, right?
I need to hear a verbal yes.
(students agreeing) Yes, yes, yes, yes, okay.
Uh, yeah?
Uh... Derek, right?
- Um, David. David Freeman.
- Yeah, David. What's up?
- I read your book on writing.
You... you mentioned that when you were first starting out,
you would pick a random person from a crowd
and follow them at night, trying to remain unseen.
Is that close enough to authenticity?
- Uh, guilty as charged.
Let that be a lesson to everybody.
Be careful of the stories you tell about yourself
because they will come back to haunt you.
But yeah, if...
in my early days of anonymity I did partake in that odd,
and let's just call it out, creepy exercise,
but uh, yeah, no I... I found a new way.
Controlled and... appropriate environment.
In here.
We're writers, aren't we?
We use our imagination to conjure the unthinkable.
And since our readers, most of them at least,
don't know what it's like to murder someone,
authenticity is debatable.
Now with that, I have your first assignment.
How do any of you expect to write a good book
about murder mystery if none of you know
how the killer does the dark deed?
The devil is in the details, folks.
So, I want each and every one of you to do the unthinkable.
I want you to plan the perfect murder.
Three pages. No more. No less.
(panting)
- How are you not dying right now?
(sighing)
- I told you it'd be tough.
Try doing this after a 2.4 mile swim and 100 miles on a bike.
- If there is a swim involved in this,
then we are not friends anymore. (laughing)
(sighing) - So, you're gonna have a class
full of potential murderers, then?
- It's just an assignment.
- How would you do it? - Do what?
- Kill me.
- Well, after this workout you just put me through,
I'd make sure it was slow and very, very painful.
(laughing) - Like your run out there today?
- Okay, okay.
(knocking on door)
- Pretty jumpy for a woman who writes murder so well.
(sighing) Thanks for coming
all the way across campus.
I thought it'd be more comfortable to read in here
than some small office or cold lecture hall.
Can I get you anything to drink?
Coffee, wine? - No, thanks.
- All right, well, sorry for the uh, hard copies.
I know your generation has an affinity for all things digital,
but uh, there is just something pure about reading actual paper.
- Professor Dorr would agree.
- Mm-hmm. He and I have a lot in common.
Including you.
By the way, how's your writing going?
Oh, I know that look well.
- It's practically writing itself.
- Well, shall we?
- We shall.
(soft music)
So, what'd you think? Any standouts?
- Hmm, maybe some potential. What about you?
- Truth?
- Always.
- I think these people have seen way too many movies.
That's what I see in their writing.
- You know, the methodology of a killer is the key
to any successful murder mystery.
I mean, anybody can just follow somebody home and attack 'em.
Sadly, we see that happen every day.
But what sets a great murder mystery apart
from all of the terrible murders
that we see on the news every day is... ingenuity.
I mean, that's what makes for a compelling fictional killer.
- And no one captured your imagination?
- This uh... David Freeman.
- Professor Dorr's TA. (chuckling)
Yeah, the uh... - Miles Blake superfan?
- Hmm...
Yeah, I run into one or two of 'em at every event.
Eh, they're mostly harmless, but uh, try to steer 'em in the right direction.
(eerie music)
(ominous music)
(sighing)
(rustling)
(suspenseful music)
- Hey, are you home?
(indistinct chatter)
(knocking on door)
- Hey.
Come in. It's all right.
See? Not that hard.
(soft music playing)
- I wish I had the courage you have.
I mean, look at me.
I'm a wreck. I've walked that campus for six years now.
I've never felt anything like this.
- Well, you were just in a creepy old house.
- Beautiful house. - Okay.
Creepy, old, beautiful house,
with the top murder mystery author,
reading multiple plans for multiple murders.
- I suppose it could've triggered my imagination a little bit.
- You're a writer.
Conjuring scary situations is pretty much your thing.
Now, let's talk about this intimate little night
with Professor Handsome, hmm?
- Call him that one more time...
(laughing)
It's not like that.
He's not my type. - Oh, right.
Successful, charming, talented, handsome.
Oh, stay clear of that.
(laughing)
- He was so cute though. - Very.
Let's head over to Fratelli's.
Usually plenty of cute guys there.
- Uh, I can't. I have an essay to finish.
- Come on, Kate, peer pressure.
(laughing) - Thanks. Next time, for sure.
- Fine, suit yourself.
You want us to at least walk you home first?
- I'll be fine. It's not that far.
And I'll keep my phone in my hand.
(all): Bye!
(phone chiming)
(branch cracking)
(phone ringing)
- Hey. What are you doing up so early?
- Just pulled an all-nighter at the morgue.
- Oh, that sounds fun. You have any good stories?
- A no dead body night is a good night.
(chuckling) You have class today?
- Yep, just getting some writing done before.
- I need coffee. - Ditto.
I will see you in five? - Yep.
But I'll warn you now, I am in full zombie mode.
- Not for long. See ya.
(sirens blaring)
- Mm, that is so good.
(phones chiming)
- What's going on? (phone chiming)
- Look!
- Police investigators have confirmed
that a university student has been reported missing
since last weekend.
Freshman Kate Bishop was last seen this past Friday
as she said goodbye to friends for the short walk home to the dorms.
Her roommate reported her missing yesterday morning,
which means her whereabouts
have been unknown for nearly 72 hours.
Campus police are working with police investigators
as the search has officially begun.
- Hey. - Hmm.
- Oh wow, what happened? - Oh, yeah, shaving.
Up really late writing.
Didn't get much sleep. Must've dozed off during the morning shave.
It's fascinating how such a small,
superficial cut can bleed so much.
- Did you hear about the missing student?
- Missing student?
- Yeah, it's all over the news and online.
- I turn all that stuff off when I'm writing.
What happened?
- She's been missing since Friday.
Went out with some friends, walked home alone and...
- Oh, my God, that's a shame. Did you know her?
- Do I know her? Um, no, I...
I suppose I've seen her on campus a few times, but we've never met.
Hopefully she just... went home or something.
Forgot to tell someone?
- Hmm, nice alternative, but... probably not likely the case.
Hey, be careful out there, okay?
That's horrible.
- Thanks, I will.
Wow, you're usually the first one in class.
Are you okay? You look kinda...
- Yeah, must've just caught a bug, or something.
- All right, everybody.
I know I look a little tired.
Spent all weekend reading your stories
on how you plan to murder people.
Look, you know, for your first assignment, not bad, right,
but this is the dark manifestations of the mind
and how to harness them, so we just need to learn
how to harness these ideas that you guys come up...
(retching)
(breathing heavily)
- Hello?!
Please!
I'm sure my... my family's worried about me!
- Hi. - Oh, hey.
Whatcha got there? - I... Gosh, the words
have just been flowing.
I reworked everything, took a whole different turn with it.
It's... it's become something else entirely.
Something... something better.
- They do that, don't they? - What?
- Your stories... they evolve.
I'll read them tonight. Maybe we can set up a dinner
later on in the week to talk about it.
- Um... - A dinner amongst peers.
- Okay, of course, yes, that sounds nice.
It's been three days now.
Almost four.
Doesn't look good, does it?
- You don't have to do this!
I haven't seen your face!
(ominous music)
At least some water!
At least that!
At least give me some water!
- It is not your job as an author
to give your readers something expectant.
No. Give them something unexpected!
That's what they look for in every book that they choose,
and it is our duty to provide that.
- Thanks for walking with me.
- Hey, strength in numbers.
- What do you think happened to her?
- I don't know.
And I don't wanna even imagine it.
I need a drink. Dinner and cocktails?
- Okay, I'm gonna tell you something, but I need you
to promise that you're not gonna be well... you.
- Huh, can't wait to hear this one.
- I have dinner plans with him.
- I knew it. Oh, this whole "he's not my type" thing
that you've been blabbing on about?
- It's just dinner. Between peers.
- Between peers?
- Two peers having dinner, talking about writing.
My writing, specifically. Nothing more.
- Oh, God, if I was at dinner with that man,
business would be the last thing we would be talking about.
I'd be-- - Okay, okay, I get it!
(crying)
- No! Please!
Come back! I won't tell them anything.
(suspenseful music)
No! No! Please!
Please! Come back!
(soft jazz music)
- I'm sorry I'm late.
Your book wouldn't let me go.
I'm blown away.
- Really?
- Really.
I want to take this to my publisher.
Right away. Seriously, they're that good.
- You're sure? I mean, I feel like I was kind of going
off the beaten path and... - That's what I liked about it!
I mean, there's nothing like it.
And that villain...
- Well, there has to be something.
You say it yourself, Professor Dorr says it all the time,
criticism is invaluable as a writer.
Critique the work, please. Just anything.
- All right. Fair enough.
You could push the envelope even further, if you're willing.
- I am. I really am.
- All right.
If it's missing anything, it's um...
- What?
- You haven't fully tapped into the realistic dynamics of murder.
Not just how the captive victim feels,
but how the killer feels, as well, all right?
There is a thrill of getting into the mind of a killer.
Seeing what they see.
Feeling what they feel.
You have to tap into that
and go to those uncomfortable places.
- How do I do that?
- I want you to think about Kate.
The missing student.
- What?
- Look... statistically,
if somebody's been missing for more than 48 hours,
it most likely means they're dead, right?
So, that usually points to homicide.
So, I want you to not only put yourself
in Kate's mind frame upon abduction,
but also the possible killer's mind frame as well.
The possibilities are enthralling.
That is where you push the envelope.
You just have to conjure up what happened to her.
You capture that,
put that on the pages...
...you have a bestseller.
(eerie music)
I'm sorry.
- Oh no, it's okay. It's um...
- Oh, no, no, no. It's not. I'm...
Look, I get like this when I write.
I went too far.
I'm sorry.
- I wanna go swimming.
- Are you crazy? It's freezing!
- Come on, chicken!
Hey, I know a way we can keep each other warm.
Coming, or not?
What's wrong?
Lexi, come back over here.
Why? We're just gonna go swimming.
- Seriously, Lexi!
There's something over there.
(screaming)
(phone ringing)
- I'm home. Alone.
No Professor Handsome in sight.
- Turn on your TV.
- Authorities have confirmed that the body
is that of Kate Bishop,
the university freshman that went missing just last weekend.
Student ID and other identification
were found near the body.
- I'm glad you're safe.
- I'm fine. It's um... It's Kate, the missing student.
They've already identified her body.
- Oh, my God.
- Now, as a visitor to your university,
I just wanna offer my deepest condolences to you all.
I can't imagine what you all are feeling right now and...
I um...
I've decided to postpone classes for the rest of the week,
in Kate's honor, to give you all an opportunity to,
you know, mourn her passing.
I am... so sorry.
Thank you.
- I can't, it's just... it's so horrible.
I thought that they--
- Can't believe how naïve kids can be.
They think they're so invincible.
I mean, one minute they're drinking at a bar.
The next, they're driving away in their car,
jumping into freezing cold water. It's just...
...so naïve!
- Is that what you think it was?
I mean, you said it yourself that if they're not found
after 48 hours, it's likely that--
- This is the real world, Ashley.
Not everything's a mystery to be solved.
- Have you noticed that David's been missing from class?
He hasn't been there in the past few days, and when he was,
he seemed kind of um... off and...
- You're not saying...
- No, I mean, um...
I don't know, just...
- There's a line you can't cross as a writer, Ashley.
A line where you start to believe your own words are reality.
We're not detectives.
We tell lies for a living, okay?
Dark ones.
- No, I think you misunderstood.
I was just wondering where he is.
(sirens blaring)
Damn it, Ashley.
David? Hello?
- What are you doing here? (gasps)
- I am so sorry.
Um... I just walked in.
The door was open when I knocked,
so I thought you might be in here.
I just wanted to come check on you.
You haven't been in class lately.
- You were checking on me? - Yeah!
Uh, well not me, Miles... I mean, Mr. Blake was.
- Miles Blake was asking about me?
- Yeah.
Yeah, he noticed you hadn't been in class,
so he wanted to make sure everything was okay.
- I came down with a flu.
My immune system has never been that great,
back since I was a kid.
So, when I... when I do get sick, it hits pretty bad.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- Um... Do you want...
Do you want some water, something to drink?
- Oh no, I'm okay. Thanks.
- Sorry, I know... I know it's a mess in here.
- No, it's um-- - I spent a few nights
at the university hospital.
They saw how dehydrated I was and it was pretty bad, so.
You know, I normally clean up during the week
and I missed that, obviously, so.
- So, you're just getting back today?
- Yeah, I'm still a little weak.
On the mend, though.
They inspire me.
Yeah, every time I see
something amazing he's written...
A plot point, a twist, character arc note...
I make note of it.
I suppose it's a little weird.
- No. No, it's not.
- Not everyone has the raw talent you have.
Others have to work and study to write as good as he does.
- Oh, no, I'm nothing like him.
- He thinks you are.
So does Professor Dorr.
Story of my life, Ashley.
Everybody underestimates me.
Underestimates what I'm capable of.
- Well, not Miles Blake.
- What do you mean?
- Yours was the only one that he said had potential.
- He said that? - Yeah!
So, I think if he's ever short with you or anything,
he's just trying to push you harder.
So, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
He's a fan.
- A fan.
- Yeah.
- I was thinking about maybe seeing him tomorrow.
About my paper.
A new book idea.
- No, you should. Yeah, go for it!
Writing notes on the margins of his books.
I'm gonna remember that.
Smart thinking.
- Why did you really come here?
- Like I said, uh, Miles Blake was asking about you.
Oh, by the way um...
class doesn't pick up 'til next week.
Thought I'd let you know. Save you the walk.
- Why?
- Didn't you hear the news about the missing student?
- Kate Bishop? - Yeah.
- No.
I was either sleeping or reading in the hospital.
Did they find her?
- Yeah. Um... her body washed up
on the campus shores of the lake.
They think she may have drowned.
- Drowned.
That's too bad.
Did you read my assignment? - No.
We split up the pile. I didn't get a chance to.
- Did he tell you what it was about?
- No. Murder, I'm assuming.
- I was thinking about what he said in class,
about research.
- Research?
- You know, in a perfect world,
the only way to offer true authenticity
would be to commit a murder yourself.
- He was joking, though.
You know that, right?
- But imagine...
...if someone actually did that?
Where they took it that far...
- Um... Well, I hope you feel better.
I'll see you in class next week.
(phone beeping)
(Miles on phone): In an ideal world,
we'd just commit the murder ourselves, right?
That's the only way to offer the reader true authenticity.
- It is such a shame seeing someone pass away so young.
- Did you have her in any classes?
- Yeah, I did. She is... was, very smart.
Very determined.
You know, she reminded me of a certain other student
that has been in my life for the past few years.
Ashley, what is it?
- It's nothing.
You know how you told us to trust our guts, our instincts?
- Yes, of course.
Why do you ask?
- Detectives. Time to learn.
- What is it?
- Well, aside from the tinting of the skin
and the shrunken eyes, her organs in the area of the galea over here,
are showing extreme signs of dehydration.
- Dehydration? She drowned.
- What he said, and how he said it...
about taking that far.
- Ashley, David is a unique individual,
I'll give you that, but he is no killer.
- Haven't we heard that before in our society?
Right before bodies are found in our neighbor's basement.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
I... don't know why I said that.
- Have you heard of Occam's razor?
- Sure, the most simple explanation...
- Is the most likely answer.
Getting rid of all the unnecessary information,
speculation, out of the way, is the fastest way to the truth.
Now, tell me, what makes more sense,
that David is a skilled murderer
who is able and ready to hide in plain sight,
or that the girl drowned in a terrible accident?
- I'm a writer.
I should be able to find the words for how sorry I am
for the way that I acted.
- It's okay.
Everyone handles these things differently.
- I was out of line.
- Well, so was I.
- You know, I had a brother growing up.
He was a few years older than me, and he drowned
in a river after a night of drinking.
They didn't find his body for a few days.
- I'm so sorry. I had no idea.
- No, how could you.
He's not in my bio, I don't talk about him in interviews.
Grief kinda turned him into a family secret.
Doesn't give me the permission to use it against anybody,
especially you.
Anyway, back to writing.
I'll see you in class next week? - Of course.
Oh, and Miles? - Yes, Ashley.
- Has the book told you what it's about yet?
It's about the limits of human beings.
What happens when we push ourselves too far.
- That's all you're gonna give me?
- About a brilliant detective
who's trying to catch her murderer,
only to fall for the very traps she knows to avoid.
- Not bad.
- It's a start!
(knocking on door) - Come on, girl!
It's time for that morning fuel!
Hey! D'you go for coffee without me?
Are you okay?
- First autopsy last night.
- That bad?
- Normally, it probably wouldn't have been,
but it was... it was her.
Kate Bishop. - Oh, my God, Jordan.
- Detectives finally came in.
I was hoping they would've done it sooner, when I wasn't there.
I mean, I need the experience, but...
- But like, are you okay?
(sighing) - I will be.
Just need some rest.
- What was it like?
- Not good.
I guess I can tell you the basics.
But there are details you need to promise me
you won't share until they're public... with anyone.
- Yeah, of course.
- She drowned.
But they found some strange elements.
First off, she was severely dehydrated.
- Can you be dehydrated after drowning?
- Yeah, of course. But... what they saw...
it was consistent with someone that would've died of dehydration
over the course of a few days.
And from what they heard from witnesses,
the night she was last seen,
she wasn't even drinking alcohol,
so how was she dehydrated the same night
she was throwing back lemon ice waters?
And that's not even the weirdest part about the autopsy.
The water in her lungs...
...it wasn't from the lake.
- But that doesn't make any sense.
- She drowned long before being put in those lake waters.
Look, I'm like the walking dead here.
(chuckling)
How about after I get some sleep,
dinner and a friendly face?
Ashley?
- Oh, um, sorry.
Can we raincheck? Tomorrow, for sure.
I just... I'm so close to nailing that final act and ...
- I see those gears turning. (chuckling)
Raincheck for sure.
Good night.
Or good morning, I guess.
- Get some rest.
And hey, everything's gonna be okay.
- Hey. You think I'm still cut out for this detective stuff?
- Take a look on that wall of adventures of yours.
You're capable of anything, Jordan.
Love you.
- Love you back.
(knocking on door)
- David.
David uh... Freeman, right?
- Yes.
Um, Mr. Blake-- - No, no. Miles.
(chuckling) - Miles. I um...
- I haven't seen you class this last week.
- That's partly why I'm here.
I wanted to apologize.
I was actually in the hospital.
- Oh no. Everything okay?
- I am. I am now.
- Great.
No apology necessary. What was the other thing?
- I um... I wanted to talk to you about my paper.
If you have time. If you don't, it can wait.
I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come to your house.
I overstepped. - No, no, it's uh...
That's all right. Um, would love to talk about it.
Come on in.
Yeah, come here.
Your paper...
- Did... did you like it?
- You like scotch, David?
- Um... My father used to drink it.
I had some once when I was a kid.
- So, your paper... was really well thought out.
Inventive.
Please.
(sighing)
To writers, may we escape our inevitable defeat
with grace and humility, before our inevitable... demise.
- That's from your fourth book.
- I'm impressed.
- I study them all.
- For the writing, I hope.
- Mm-hmm.
Look, uh, Mr. Blake-- - Mm-mm-mm-mm.
- Uh, Miles...
Um, I wanted to...
I wanted to talk to you about my paper, yes,
but uh, specifically about the content.
- Did seem somewhat, uh... familiar.
- That's... that's what I wanted to talk about.
- Yeah.
"Her body was found in the cold lake waters,
washed up in the debris of a fallen tree.
Lifeless, wet.
Waiting to be discovered."
- I had nothing to do with her death.
I was sick, and then, in the hospital.
You can check the records.
I'll give them permission to release them to you.
And when I got and I heard what happened, I swear, I--
- David...
If there's one thing I've learned in all my years,
it's that coincidences are just a curious part
of the reality of the universe we live in.
They happen, okay?
I felt the exact same way that you feel right now
when I've read new stories that had similar details
to my own conjured methods.
Methods of my characters, mind you, okay.
(sighing)
I won't say a word to anyone.
You don't strike me as the killing type.
Okay?
Now, what I did find intriguing
was the methodology that you used for your killer.
It was... inventive.
- I wasn't sure if it was too unbelievable.
- "They would never know,
their unskilled minds to the ways of a killer mastermind."
That's a little heavy-handed. I'm gonna let it slide.
"That the girl, the victim,
never stepped foot in a lake
when she was among the living, that she, in fact,
drowned 50 miles away in a tub.
Lungs full of fresh, suburban waters."
Macabre, indeed, but you've got some talent.
A good eye for a compelling hook.
Let's have another drink before I have to go back to writing.
Thanks.
- Um...
I'm actually starting a new book.
- Oh, good for you!
Care to tell me what it's about?
Promise I won't steal it.
- It's actually inspired by something you said in class.
About research.
And how the only way to offer true authenticity
when it comes to seeing the world through a killer's eyes
is to-- - Commit the murder yourself.
You know I was joking, right?
Just trying to prove a point?
- But what if-- - Oh yeah, the greatest
and most dangerous question of all.
What if.
(upbeat music)
Hello there. (chuckling)
- Hi.
It's-- - Jordan.
Yeah, no, I never forget a pretty face.
Or the name that goes along with it.
(chuckling) Let me guess, girls' night out?
Is Ashley coming to meet you here?
- No.
I'm actually flying solo tonight.
No wing woman.
She's writing.
- Oh, well done, Ashley.
Well done.
Please, sit. Join me.
Nobody should drink alone.
- Not even you.
(chuckling)
- So...
What are we drinking?
Thanks.
Keep the change.
To... newfound friends.
- Hmm. Hmm.
And maybe something more?
- I'm actually afraid this is my last call.
- Oh. That's what I always say.
And then, many rounds later...
- Would it be too forward to ask you to go on a walk with me?
It can be strictly professional if you'd prefer.
- I'm not Ashley, Miles.
We don't need to... talk shop to enjoy a walk together.
- Just let me freshen up a bit?
- Tell you what, I'm gonna close out the bar tab
and I will meet you outside.
- Hmm.
- Sorry. Sorry.
- Leave it, man. Happens all the time.
- It's beautiful out, isn't it?
- Quite beautiful, yes.
It's hard to imagine a life was lost in those waters.
- I know.
It's sad.
- I hear you're quite the swimmer, though.
- Been competing my whole life.
I'm starting to train for another Ironman.
- Interesting.
(sighing) Wonder what it feels like.
- What...
What do you mean?
- When you're about to die.
- What did you say?
You?
- Think it through.
Back corner table at the bar.
Away from most people's view.
Had to make sure people saw me leave alone.
You as well.
Now piece it together. You wanna be a detective, right?
So, what's missing?
- The drinks.
- Recipe I've perfected throughout the years.
To a tee.
Quick estimation of body weight to tolerance,
steady stride to make sure the blood stream carries the drug.
All timed to perfection.
I mean, I don't wanna brag, but... it works quite well.
- I don't... I don't...
- Hey. - I don't wanna die.
- Nobody wants to die.
(sirens blaring)
(car door closing)
(engine starting)
- Come on!
(sighing)
(Jordan's voicemail): Hey, it's Jordan, you know the drill.
I'll get back to you, ASAP.
- Hey, it's me again.
We haven't gone a couple days
without talking since, well, ever.
I hope you're not ghosting me.
Where are you?
- It was a valiant effort.
It's exactly what I was hoping for but...
I'm afraid you ran out of time and it's... it's such a shame.
It would've made for a much more exciting ending.
- I know who you are.
You don't need the mask.
- We all need masks.
- Is that how you get through this?
You hide behind it?
You think you're someone else when you do these sick things?
And then, when it's over,
you take it off and you feel good about yourself.
Like someone else is doing it.
- That's an excellent profile.
You would've made a great detective.
- You don't have to do this.
(sighing)
- That's what they all say.
But I do.
It's the only way.
- Only way to what?
- The only way I know how to write death so well.
Can I offer you some water?
(chuckling)
- I remember what happened
the last time I accepted a drink from you.
- Oh, I assure you, this water is quite pure.
- Jordan?
- She's not home.
- Are you sure?
- Figured she left town for the weekend.
Haven't seen her since Friday.
- Friday. That's the last time I talked to her.
Uh, where was she?
- I saw her at Main Street Pub.
- Alone? - I think so, yeah.
(ominous music)
- You're sure? - Yeah uh, she and the guy
sat in the back corner, had a few drinks together.
He was a little older.
- Was this him?
- Yeah. That's him.
Wow, is he uh... - Did they leave together?
- Uh, no.
She was in the bathroom, I think.
No, he dropped a glass, looked a little upset.
You know, I figured it didn't work out with them.
Um... she left soon after.
- And that was Friday?
- Couple days ago, yeah.
- Could you... could you turn that up?
- And the death of a university student.
Another student, David Freeman,
was found dead in his apartment, of an apparent suicide.
On his body was a suicide note
confessing to the murder of student Kate Bishop,
originally thought to have drowned in the campus lake.
The more intriguing part of this story
is that the note referred to women, plural, that he killed.
Authorities hope that this is just a result
of a misspelling on the note,
but are likely to be sending out divers to the lake once again.
- I was thinking about maybe seeing him tomorrow.
About my paper and... a new book idea.
- It was consistent with someone that would've died
of dehydration over the course of a few days.
The water in her lungs, it wasn't from the lake.
- That doesn't make any sense.
- She drowned long before being put in those lake waters.
- Jordan...
- Help!
(breathing shakily)
- Miles?
(door creaking)
(suspenseful music)
Hello?
Miles?
- Please!
Help!
- It's Ashley. Are you in here?
(breathing shakily)
(eerie music)
- Help.
Help!
Please!
- Jordan? Jordan!
- Ashley!
Ashley! Turn off the water, throw the hose down.
- Okay!
- Turn off the hose.
Throw it down! Throw it down!
It's not safe, you gotta get outta here.
(grunting)
(screaming)
(grunting)
(coughing)
(panting, grunting)
(breathing heavily)
- She was strong.
Stronger than the others, just as I hoped.
- How could you?
- I'm not a killer, Ashley. I don't do this for fun.
I do this because I have to.
At first, I was just gonna follow 'em,
I mean, just to see, feel what it was like.
But then... (chuckling)
...I couldn't stop. (chuckling)
I mean, with every new method or murder that I conjured up,
I had to know...
I had to know what it felt like.
I mean, you've read my books, that's why everybody loves 'em.
That's the draw they want to know!
- Why Jordan?
(grunting)
- The story.
It's always been about the story.
I mean, I wanted to explore how two very different characters
could get killed in the same way.
I mean, Kate, she was weak. She couldn't even swim.
But...
Hmm, Jordan...
(chuckling)
She was strong.
She almost made it!
Almost!
(grunting)
(breathing heavily)
I mean, that's the story.
A detective who's searching for a killer,
who drowned his victims in a particular way.
And then, he got caught in that same trap.
How would he fare? I mean, the fact that Jordan
was studying to be a detective...
(gasping)
That just felt right.
(breathing shakily) - You're sick.
- Yeah, I admit it.
After my last novel, I got a little writer's block.
- The assignment?
- It's like Picasso said, "Good artists copy.
Great artists steal."
(grunting, breathing heavily)
- David's paper. Why David?
- Somebody had to take the fall.
He was the perfect cover.
- You didn't even have a brother, did you?
(groaning)
- You haven't been paying attention in class.
It was a necessary misdirect,
meant to entice some empathy!
That's what I taught you, and it worked.
Huh?!
(breathing shakily)
- But what about me?
(sighing)
- Every great story has a twist.
I'm sorry.
(suspenseful music)
- Ashley!
(exclaiming) (head banging)
(crying)
(grunting)
(breathing heavily)
- "And as she finally climbed over the edge, drenched,
but free from her dark, dire prison,
she lifted her eyes to the sky,
empowered by the triumphant realization.
His submergence was her emergence."
(applause)
- Ashley, I'm going to bring this amazing reading to a close
with a question that I think everyone in this room is wondering.
You've topped the fiction charts for months. What's next?
- I think I may dip my toes into the waters of true crime
this next time around.
- Ladies and gentlemen, Ashley Dunn.
(applause) - Go, Ashley! Woo!
(cheering)