AN: I still don't own the characters of Victorious. I only keep them alive. I also don't own the movie Rear Window. Well actually I do own a copy of the movie on dvd, but I don't own the rights to the movie. J
Chapter 4: In the Lion's Den
The recording and filming was going well. Soon they would have a songs to release on Tori's website and Jade was helping Simone pull some strings to get Sinjin's documentary into some big theatres. It wouldn't matter at all how good the film was if no one came to see it.
Then Tori found herself dealing with some pain in her leg and she was not able to sleep. She rolled out to the kitchen and got a drink of water and as she passed the window she stopped out of habit. There was a light on again in Thorwald place. She grabbed her binoculars and this time she Thorwald in his kitchen. He seemed to be washing dishes. Tori thought that it was a strange time at night to be washing dishes.
As she watched she could see that it wasn't dishes that he was washing it was a couple of big knives and a saw. They seemed to be covered in blood. He then took them and wrapped them in newspaper. The light then went out in Thorwald's apartment.
Tori did find this strange, then she saw Thorwald leaving his apartment with a shovel. He had a package under his arm that just had to be the butchering implements. She saw him come down to the quad to the flower bed and bury the package beneath some of the flowers.
Thorwald then returned to his apartment and all the lights were turned out leaving Tori and her imagination running wild. What if he killed the girl? He would get away with it. She was the only witness, but she didn't really see anything. She decided to go back to bed and tell Jade in the morning what she saw.
"I know it isn't much Jade, but I am worried for his daughter. Okay say he was killing a roach or a mouse the other night like you say, fine but who buries knives in a flower bed. That is suspicious isn't it?" Tori was trying to convince Jade, but it all sounded so much crazier when she said it out loud.
"Listen Tori, I need you to calm down. You are under stress and you are bored. You also have a very vivid imagination, one of the things I love about you, but I think you are letting it run wild." Jade said trying to slow Tori down a bit.
"Well what was he burying in the flowers last night them?" Tori asked indignantly.
"Maybe he got a bad piece of fish from the market and didn't want it stinking up his place so he wrapped it up and went to throw it out but thought that it might make good fertilizer for the flower bed." Jade was grasping at straws to try and explain an already crazy situation.
"Jade, you are a writer and director and bad fish is the best that you could come up with? Ya right. You don't even buy that one." Tori looked away.
"Ok so bad fish was kind of reaching, but I have to go to the studio sweetie and I really can't help you. This is a police matter." Jade kissed Tori on the head and grabbed her keys and was out the door.
As Jade was driving to the studio she called David Vega. "Dad it is Jade. I am really worried about Tor."
"What did she see this time? Aliens?" David laughed at his own joke.
"No she thinks that this Thorwald killed his invalid daughter and buried the knife in the flower bed. I am getting worried about her sanity. Is there any way you can help?" Jade was concerned and was at her wits end.
"Jade honey there is no proof. No crime has been reported. Tori is the only one that seems to think this guy is a murderer. I can't go to a judge and get a search warrant because my daughter saw something happen through a neighbor's window. The judge would laugh me out of their chambers. Sorry Jade I am not going to lay it on the line for this. I will send a car around and have them ask some questions of Mr. Thorwald." David was going to do what he could, but his hands were tied by the law.
That afternoon Andre and Tori put the finishing touches on their third song in their project that they decided to call "Afternoon T". The songs would be on the website and fans could download them for free. There would be a total of five songs produced. Sinjin was actually doing a good job documenting what they were doing. Most of the time they never even noticed him doing his filming.
Andre had to leave early and he told Sinjin that he couldn't be at the apartment without Andre and Kelly the sound guy. He told him it was part of the contract that he signed so as not to film anything without Andre see it. Sinjin agreed trusting that Andre would not tell him anything that wasn't true. Andre winked at Tori letting her know he was still looking out for her. They would have all the songs ready by Friday and Sinjin would have most of his filming done. He said that he just wanted a couple of interviews with Tori's family and friends as B roll.
After the three men had left the apartment. Trina gave Tori a sponge bath and helped her get into some fresh clothes. As they were sitting down to watch their favorite soap opera, The Dumb and the Beautiful the apartment buzzer sounded. Trina went to the door and pushed the button and asked in a sing song voice, "Who is it?"
"It is me!" the voice on the other end said answering back in the sing song voice.
"Ya ok, who are you?" Trina dropped the pleasantries and was now showing the edge that she was known for having.
"It is Cat Valentine. Who is this? You are not Tori or Jade." Cat sang into the speaker.
"CAT!" both Vega girls squealed as Trina pushed the button to let her in downstairs.
Cat had been away for the last year with the show and was now standing in Tori's living room. "Why are you here?" Tori blurted out.
"Can't I come to visit? Ok." She was turning to leave when Trina caught her by the arm.
"No Cat what Tori means is we thought you were on tour with the show. So it is a surprise to see you here in L.A." Trina could never figure out how this one got a spot in a Broadway touring show.
"Oh the show is on a one month hiatus for a reset and I had nowhere to go so I came here to see how Tori is doing." Cat said in a timid voice expecting to be told to leave again.
"What is a reset?" Tori asked.
"That is when they have to replace the lead actor and the new actor needs time to learn the part. It only happens when something unexpected happens to the lead. Normally they would have someone learn the part and then step in on the tour." Cat said just as it was explained to her by the stage manager.
"What happened to the lead in your show?" Trina asked.
"I think she got sleeping sickness. See she was going out with the director, but when we went on the road she got sick, because he met us in Galveston and I tried not to hear, but my dressing room is next to hers and he kept going on about all the places she was sleeping without him. He should have joined the tour then he would have been everywhere she was sleeping. Now we need a new lead female." Cat was a naïve as ever.
After they shared the story about Tori's legs and how her healing was coming along Tori started telling Trina what she saw the night before. Tori's phone rang and she was surprised to see that it was Jade.
"Hi Babe guess who is sitting in our living room talking to Trina and I?" Tori always made everything a guessing game.
"The men in the white coats?" Jade knew that was mean, but she was tired and would make it up to Tori when she got home.
"Nice very nice. No Cat is here visiting." Tori said hoping Jade would be a little more excited than she was, seen as Cat and Jade had been friends longer than any of them.
"Oh great say hi to her for me, Babe things have just gone to shit here at the studio. I won't be home for supper. I will catch something on the way home. I should be home about ten. Sorry. I will be done this film in a couple of weeks and this is going to be my big break Babygirl. Forgive me?" Jade put on the sweet voice.
"Yes I forgive you. I know this is big for you, but I worry about you not getting enough sleep. I don't want it messing with your health." Tori was always the concerned motherly one in their relationship. She would make a great mother someday.
"Thanks Babygirl I will see you later. I promise if you are asleep I will wake you up to say goodnight. I love you." Then Jade was gone before Tori could say anything else.
"Well that was Jade. She is going to be late tonight. She says hello Cat. Is anyone getting hungry? I will order in and we can have a girl's night. Seen as Jade is not home we can watch my Sex in the City Dvds." Tori threw out the invitation.
"Sure sounds fun." Trina said.
"I have nowhere else to go. By the way can I sleep on your couch?" Cat asked.
"Anytime Cat. You are always welcome." Tori said smiling at her friend.
"That is good, because I don't even have a car to sleep in I came in a cab from the airport and if you slept in a cab that would be expensive by morning." Cat went off on one of her own voyages again.
The Tai food arrived and they all ate and told every stories until the food was gone and the stories were running out. That was when Trina turned and looked outside. "Hey Thorwald is home. That is strange he is carrying sheet plastic and painting supplies." That is strange.
"Of course he would have paint after cutting up his daughter's body. By the way we have never seen him take out the body. She must still be in there somewhere. If only we could get in there and see for ourselves." Tori was starting to come up with one of her crazy ideas again.
"Yes Tori we will wheel you in tell Thorwald, don't mind us we are just looking for your dead daughter's body. I can see that going over big time." Trina scoffed.
"No we can't do that, but we have to find some proof. My dad called earlier and told me there is nothing he can do without some kind of evidence. If the police aren't going to do anything then we have too, for the girl." Tori gave them that face that they all knew too well from high school.
"Look there is a delivery truck out front." Cat pointed out. "Have you ever questioned how they get the delivery trucks to the delivery companies?"
As they watched two men came out of Thorwald's apartment carrying a large crate. A crate that would be large enough to hold a chopped up body of a young girl and a dissembled wheel chair according to Trina's estimation. Where were they taking that crate?
"Can anyone see the name on the side of the truck?" Tori asked.
"Maybe when it starts to move we will be able to see it." Cat said.
The men loaded the crate in the truck and closed the door. They climbed in and the truck started to move.
"ACME Transport?" Tori said, does this guy know Wylie Coyote too.
"Get a license plate or truck number." Trina shouted.
"There is a number on the back door 387." Cat said. "This is exciting it is like a spy mission or something."
"Trina we have to do something." Tori said. "If I distract him can you get in his place through the patio door and use your phone to get some pictures. Cat take the little shovel from our balcony that I use in the flower boxes and dig up the flower bed to try and find the knives and saw. I will watch from here and call you if I see him coming back."
"How are you going to guarantee that he will leave the house?" Trina asked somewhat unsure.
"I am going to scare him out of the apartment." Tori grabbed her phone and went to the computer. "I just need to use the internet to look for his phone number…. And I found you Mr. L. Thorwald."
Tori composed herself and took a deep breath and then she dialed the number. "Thorwald! I know what you did to your daughter…. What do I want?... I will meet you at O'Shea's Bar and Grill on St. Pierre Ave…. I will be wearing a black hat. Be there in fifteen minutes don't be late or I call the police and tell them everything I know." Then Tori hung up.
Soon they watched Thorwald leave his apartment and head to the bar. Cat and Trina were waiting downstairs in Tori's building for her signal to move. She sent a quick text that just said "GO" and they were off. Trina snuck in when someone else was leaving and she was on the elevator up to his floor. Cat ran to the back and started digging.
It wasn't long before Cat was signalling that there was nothing in the flower bed. It had been moved. Through the binoculars Tori could see Trina picking Thorwald's lock. This was a skill that Trina picked up during a misspent youth.
Soon Trina was inside. She was taking pictures going from room to room. She was going through drawers and closets. She then went into what was the girl's bedroom. She took pictures of the painting supplies and everything else. Cat returned to Tori's apartment. They were discussing what was happening when suddenly they saw Thorwald at the apartment door.
Tori called the police it was the only way she could save Trina. "I am calling to report a man trying to kill his wife." She gave the address and the car was on its way.
Thorwald found Trina and was getting rough with her about the time the police kicked the door in. This was not going to go as planned, but it did save Trina from a murderer. Tori watched all the action through her binoculars. The police arrested Trina but before they could put the cuffs on Tori spotted that Trina had a locket in her hand. This maybe wasn't the proof that would put Thorwald away, but it was something.
"I better call Dad and Jade and let them know about Trina. Dad won't be happy. I think that Jade might be a bit pissed too. Cat can you go and see if you can find anything out at the police station. I will get my dad to come and pick you up." Tori knew that things have now got out of hand. "Hello Daddy…."
AN: Thank you all for reading this story. I told you I would get things moving in this chapter. Now I have to solve the whole thing in the next chapter or two. It is going to be a hell of a ride. I have also come up with a couple of new story ideas. It has been a good day. Thanks for your comments. SM
