CHAPTER 257: DANNY WAS DEAD

Luca Delgado sipped his burnt-tasting coffee on the corner of 3rd and Main, eyes half-closed behind tinted sunglasses. The city was just waking up, the sidewalks filling with joggers, early-shift baristas, and people who did not sleep nearly as little as he did.

Being a paparazzo was not a glamorous life. It was long nights, missed meals, sometimes a face full of pepper spray and mostly dead ends. But when it paid, it paid good. And Luca had been lucky to get some life changing money shots and secrets. Especially secrets.

He was hoping to spend the morning in solitude doing up some research on his newest subjeck, a coked out starlet with a powerful backer who happened to also be a happy family man, so when he heard a familiar voice behind him, he didn’t bother turning.

"Figured I’d find you here," muttered Kenny Bowers, another camera hound with a cigarette permanently stuck behind his ear.

Luca tilted his head slightly. "You tailing me, just stalking caffeine or you have some juicy titbit for me?"

Kenny didn’t laugh. He looked pale, older than he had yesterday. He pulled out the cigarette and rolled it between his fingers nervously.

"You hear about Danny?"

Luca blinked, finally turning. "Danny Holtz?"

Kenny nodded.

"Missed his big shot again? What now, he got into a fight with some actress’s security who did he stalk this time?"

"No, Luca. He’s dead."

The words were like a cold slap. Luca set his coffee down, suddenly not thirsty. "Come again?"

"He was found early yesterday morning. Back alley behind that busted club—Velvet Luna. Same one we all used to hit for drunk models and washed out actors."

Luca narrowed his eyes at the mention of the location. "What the hell happened?"

Kenny’s jaw twitched. "They say he was killed. That it wasn’t random."

That last part lodged into Luca’s chest like a shard of glass. Danny was not the easiest guy to get along with. He was brash, reckless, always shoving in for the best angle—but he was one of them. Luca and Danny had worked together more than a couple of times.

"Jesus," Luca muttered. "You sure?"

Kenny pulled out his phone and showed him a news alert. True to his word, there was Danny’s picture and name in the headline, the location and context were clear. Presumed homicide. No weapon found, no suspects.

Luca’s mind reeled as the truth dawned on him.

Saturday night had been weird, he remembered that much. He had not been able to sleep, so he had gotten up around 2 a.m. and snapped a few idle shots from his fire escape. Nothing big. Just habit.

His apartment overlooked a back alley three blocks from Velvet Luna. A lot of shady deals happened down there... flings, fights, whispers you could sell for a few grand. He often caught glimpses of celebs slinking out of places they shouldn’t be.

And that night...

His breath hitched.

He had seen someone down there.

Two people, actually. One of them... yes, he was almost sure, had been Danny.

He fumbled for his camera. It was still in its bag, slung under the table. He pulled it into his lap and quickly clicked through the images. Shadows. Grainy silhouettes. But unmistakably, there was Danny, half-turned, hunched slightly as if talking to someone.

Luca squinted at the next photo. The second figure was turned away, dressed in dark clothes and a low cap.

He zoomed in on the background of the image. A car. Parked crookedly by the alley wall, obviously in an attempt to hide it.

And on the bumper, blurry, but visible was a partial plate.

"Son of a bitch," Luca muttered.

Kenny raised a brow. "What is wrong? You remember something?"

"Maybe. I took some shots the other night. Didn’t even realize what I was looking at until just now."

"You got something?"

"Not sure," Luca said vaguely. "Just a weird feeling."

Kenny frowned, but didn’t push.

Luca rose quickly. "I gotta make a call. You heading to the precinct?"

Kenny nodded. "They are asking all of us to come in. Ask some questions. Routine stuff, they say."

Luca clapped his shoulder. "I’ll be there. Soon."

He walked fast, one hand gripping the camera, the other pulling out his phone.

"Come on, come on, pick up..." he muttered as the line rang.

"Detective Marquez," answered a tired voice.

"It’s Luca. I need a favor."

There was a pause. "This better not be about some B-lister’s mistress again, i almost got into trouble the last time."

"It’s not. This is real. I need you to run a plate for me. I think it might be linked to a murder."

Marquez swore under her breath. "You serious?"

"Danny Holtz."

Another pause, this one longer.

"I just heard," Marquez said quietly. "You think you’ve got something?"

"I don’t know. But I got a shot. Blurry. Plate’s partially visible. I need to know who it belongs to."

"Send it."

Luca did, attaching the zoomed-in image. He waited, heartbeat thudding in his ears.

It took five minutes, but it felt like fifty.

Marquez finally called back.

"You were lucky. Plate’s partial, but it pulled one strong hit. Registered to a black Lexus, 2020 model. Belongs to a Brett Faulkner."

Luca’s eyes widened.

"I know that name," he whispered. "Is’nt he dead?"

"He did, about a month ago," Marquez sighed. "He’s in a few internal files. Some sealed, some not. High-society ties, involved in a couple scandals. But nothing ever stuck."

Luca remembered now. Brett Faulkner. The name had come up in whispers. A man with charm, money, and dangerous secrets. His death had been scandalous and it still had not been solved.

He looked again at the photo. The figure’s stance. Danny’s posture—confrontational, almost tense.

"Marquez," Luca said. "Thank you for nothing, how is a dead man driving around town."

"How am i supposed to know? its all my fault for answering you in the first place."

Luca hung up and stared at the image once more.

Danny had been meeting someone in the dead of night. Someone he probably thought he could handle. Maybe blackmail. Maybe threaten. Maybe expose.

But the person didn’t play fair.

And now Danny was dead.

Luca’s jaw clenched. He had a feeling that this was potentially a big break for him, the big break he had been waiting for. All he needed to do was find whoever had been using the late Brett’s car, he was sure that they would want to keep this hidden.

It was unfortunate that Danny died but what would Danny do? he would take advantage of this opportunity. Luca believed that he owed Danny this so that his death would not be for nothing.