Work Text
“America’s sweetheart Charlie Dangelish shockingly passes away at age 32, cause of death currently unknown.”
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..Was he murdered? Was it suicide? Cancer? Natural causes? You hadn’t a clue. You couldn’t be bothered to look into any of the headlines or gossip surrounding the premature death of the star. It was probably just an overdose, or natural. You definitely didn’t believe anyone would dare murder the man, especially when it seemed there wouldn’t be a good reason. Charlie had a great public image, and seemed to be genuine in private as well, from what you’d heard from tabloids and interviews. Although there was no way to tell what could be clear, you definitely wrote off murder. You remained in the minority who believed it was natural, or at least of his own volition. Most however, chose to believe it was the fault of one of his close associates, such as the man you were meeting today, Ted Nivison.
You sat at your desk, reviewing the file once again. He’d only sent a letter requesting your attendance, but you had a feeling it would be about the recent death, so you scraped together a file on all of the public information, including only the basics such as the time, date, and place of death along with some information on Ted himself.
The door creaked open, a tall man entering the room. You knew him by name, but had never seen his face. It was a nice yet strange feeling to put a body behind his work.
You weren’t a cinephile, but enjoyed a trip now and then, and saw movies your client had worked on a few times in the past three years. You were always fascinated with film, having seen your first few during the rise of talkies. At times it felt like magic, an entirely different realm, and it was hard to remember those in the industry were also people, especially with how toxic it can be to idolize stars.
Yet here you were, trying to act as normal as you could, in front of the most powerful man you’d ever met.
Ted approached your desk, waving. “Good afternoon, Mr. Nivison. I appreciate you reaching out for my assistance, please take a seat.” You directed him towards the two plush chairs in front of your desk, allowing him to choose.
He sat on the right chair, reaching a hand out to shake yours. He was oddly secure, for the current situation. It remained unaddressed as Ted defaulted to pleasantries, “It’s a pleasure.”
“Thank you. I apologize for how unprepared I am, your letter was quite vague. Were you looking for a security consultation, or surveillance?” You assumed it was one of the two. Both services were your most popular, other than the rare counter surveillance case or petty crime.
He shook his head, “No. I was hoping you would look into the death of a friend of mine, Charlie Dangelish.”
As he finished his sentence you took a moment to process it, he was serious. The most serious crime you ever assisted with was looking into insurance fraud, far from homicide. “My deepest condolences for your lost, Mr. Nivision, but are the police not already looking into the crime?”
His brows furrowed, “You’re correct, except they don’t even believe it was a murder. It’s been written off as a heart attack, and they’re planning on releasing the verdict to the public soon. If I’m going to be honest, I don’t think they’ve handled the case with enough care, and all of my concerns have been dismissed.”
“My apologies again Mr. Nivision, this must be extremely troubling, but I don’t know if I’d be of much help here. Especially if I’d have to go against law enforcement to do so,” You examined his face, worried to reject his request.
Ted frustratedly replied, “Yes, but it couldn’t be of natural causes. Charlie would never die of such a.. mundane thing. Not in his condition. He was healthier than plenty of men who’ve been around for far longer. He was practically perfect.” Enough people had already doubted him, he couldn’t have the person he went to feel the same.
“Well, do you think that Mr. Dangelish was on any new medications or substances?” You asked, hoping it wouldn’t strike a nerve. Although it seemed out of character from what you’d heard, you knew how Hollywood could be, and that drug abuse was much more common than many would think.
Ted shook his head once again, “Charlie was fine until a few days before his death. He started to be paranoid, almost closed off. I wasn’t aware of anything he was hiding, but he was definitely out of his mind. Everyone around him could sense it.” He paused, sucking in a breath before exhaling. “I don’t need you to solve it, I simply need any proof it could be a murder. I’d try myself, but I fear it would raise suspicions. I just need some sort of journal or note indicating he could be in danger.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Nivision, but I’m still unsure if I could be of any help. I only have access to public records.” You said, eyes drifting back to the file you threw together earlier.
“Well, in Charlie’s will he requested items of his were auctioned off for charity. The auction is in a few days, and I’d appreciate it if you could attend as my plus one, to figure out if any items or books could be of use.”
You couldn’t lie, the idea of going to a fancy auction with the high class was more than appealing, but what if word got out? Or it seemed like the two of you were on a date? If word got out that Ted attended an event in honor of his late friend with a private eye it would only serve as evidence for those who already believed that he was guilty.
After a moment, against your better judgment you conceded, “In that case, if you’re sure, I would love to be of assistance.”