A Meditation on Murder by Susan Juby

Author:Susan Juby [Juby, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

NIGEL

He’d spent the night checking the various feeds for the Deep State. Before Cartier and the others had even arrived at the club, some of their followers had been calling them out for shopping all day and getting drinks and having their hair done so soon after their friend had died.

Ever hear of mourning, you psychos? #DeepstateDeepsuck

Decorum isn’t just an eyeshadow shade, dipsticks.

#Deepstatedummies

That sort of thing. But most of the attention was on the novelty of Helen and the idea of having a butler. Then the headlines began to appear.

Social media “influencers” known as the Deep State cause panic. Multiple injuries reported.

Nigel clicked on the story and saw a photo of Cartier, Amina, Dixon, and Keithen smiling into a camera. They appeared to be in a tropical location. So this wasn’t a recent photo.

He skimmed the article.

The self-proclaimed “content collective” known as the Deep State nearly caused a mass casualty event at Gooey nightclub in Vancouver when they blocked the doors of the dance club in order to film a TikTok video and a fire broke out.

Fire? What the hell?

Nigel, heart racing, looked away from the news feed and finished his text to Helen.

Are you okay? Has there been a fire?

No answer. It didn’t appear that the message had been delivered. The article said they “nearly” caused a mass casualty event. Did that mean everyone was all right?

Nigel checked the #Deepstate hashtag.

A flood, a tide, a tsunami of new posts.

Posts about the events at the nightclub were coming fast and furious. There was a video of the Deep State acting out a scene from Flashdance, complete with splashing water.

Nigel paused the video. The article said Cartier and her friends had blocked the doors. Where were those doors? Behind the screen? Why had the club let them do something so dangerous?

The room their video was shot in appeared small. Had they been in there alone? Why was there a small empty room in a nightclub? Then he remembered that even modest clubs and theatres often had areas they didn’t use. But how had a riot broken out in a tiny room where they were the only occupants?

He didn’t understand what had happened.

He found a video posted to Twitter and hit play. It was dark and full of heaving bodies and a fire alarm. “Can’t get out. Doors are blocked,” panted whoever was filming. The hashtags were #GooeyFire #GooeyStampede.

Then people started to post photos and videos to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit in the aftermath. The room was the same one the Deep State had been filming their Flashdance recreation in. People were huddled against the black walls. There were uniformed police and club staff in their blue polo shirts walking around. Ambulance attendants.

“Jesus,” whispered Nigel again, horrified. Where was Helen? He couldn’t believe she’d allowed them to block the doors. Miggs, who’d been asleep beside him, gave his hand a concerned lick. “It’s okay, buddy,” said Nigel. But it wasn’t.

Another version of the RUOkay account posted a video to Twitter.

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