The Three Red Heads

"Thank you, guys, thank you!" Danny struck a chord on his guitar, and the screaming crowd quietened a fraction. "You guys mean so much to us, thank you for coming tonight. I'm afraid that was our last song, we're going to have to leave you now. So, let's hear it for our band members one last time, I give you... Harry!"

Harry gave the crowd a dramatic drum roll and a twinkle of a smile as the crowd roared.

"Lucy!" cried Danny again, and Lucy waved and winked at the audience. "And me, Danny!" he finished, as the crowd screamed. "Okay, folks, thank you once again, this is the Three Red Heads saying goodnight!"

They headed offstage as quickly as they could, hoping to beat the crowd out of there. Danny slung his guitar over his shoulder - he was never parted from it, even for a second - and the other two followed him out of the club.

The streets were already lined with people, mainly teenagers, waving pieces of paper and shouting their names. Danny, his arm protectively around Lucy's waist, made his way down the row, signing as he went. Harry was less lucky - his round baby-face and russet-red hair made him a target for girls, one of whom literally threw herself at him from the crowd. Apologizing and flushing pink, he was saved by a security guard, who quickly bundled him into the taxi with the others.

Lucy laughed. "Survived, Harry?"

He gave her a sheepish grin, pulling off his gloves to reveal hands blossoming with bruises above the knuckles. "Just about."

Danny slicked back his shoulder-length bright red hair into a ponytail. "That was the maddest gig we've ever done, for sure," he nodded, as Lucy snuggled into his arm.

The taxi ride was short, and it wasn't long before they reached their hotel, and were hurried up to their room by back stairs to avoid the fans waiting for them at the door. Joking and bickering, they walked in, slightly later than their published end time.

The smiles drained from their faces.

"What the hell was all that about?" Jen was sitting in her usual chair in the middle of the room, glaring at them. She rose, and ran a hand through her hair as she always did when she was mad. "That was a shambles," she began again, her voice dangerously low. "Sit down."

Obediently, they sat.

"Ten minutes it took you from the end of your last song to leaving the stage. Ten minutes of thank yous and goodbyes and I love yous. You're supposed to be wrapping up the show quickly, not getting into bed with the fans! And then there was Harry at the end - what the hell? You know you're supposed to walk with your guard to avoid exactly that sort of thing happening. If you think that fame will cut you any slack from me, you've got another think coming."

They sat in shocked silence for a moment. "It was a great gig," Danny said, slowly. "We did good."

"I don't give a damn how good you are!" Jen screamed. "No-one cares! It's your public image!"

Danny jumped up. "No, Jen! It's us! We did good tonight! And what did we get from you? Not a single thanks or congratulations - just criticism, criticism, criticism! Don't forget that it's us who hired you, so as you'd help us! We're adults and perfectly capable of looking after ourselves!"

"How dare you?" hissed Jen. "After all I've done for this band -"

"No. We made this band what it was. And don't you forget it!" Shaking with anger, he ran from the room and slammed the door.

"Danny!" cried three voices, simultaneously - Jen furiously, Lucy and Harry pleadingly.

Lucy rose to follow him, but Harry held her back. "I'd better go. He listens to me." At her nod, he followed him out.

"Damn him," cursed Jen. "This'll be all over the press tomorrow, and it'll all be his fault."

"Don't you speak about him like that!" Lucy jumped up. "I'm not saying he was right to yell at you, he wasn't. But at the same time, he's right. We are adults, Jen. I appreciate that you've done loads to help us get here -"

"Help you? I flaming pushed you!"

"- but we made the music. We gave an amazing show tonight. There's no need to berate us like that."

Jen silently turned to Harry, who had just slipped back into the room. "You turning traitor too?"

Harry flushed a deep red. He was useless at arguments. "You've done so much for us, Jen," he began, quietly. "But, um, I still think they have a point. You see -"

Jen didn't let him finish. "I've given my life for this band," she said, perilously quiet. "All my money went on you. Everything. Tours, gigs, the lot. Not just money - my time, too. I've traveled everywhere with you guys. Made this band from a school disaster to world-famous in just four years. And this is how you repay me."

"Not like that, Jen," pleaded Lucy. "We still want you around, you've done so much for us."

"We don't all get what we want!" she screamed. Heading to the table, she drank the remainder of her cocktail in one go, before stalking out of the room.

Lucy sat down, heavily. "Oh my god," she breathed.

Harry looked over at her, wanting to say something comforting. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay once they've both cooled down," he promised. "You know what their tempers are like."

She smiled at him. "I hope you're right, but I doubt Danny will have her back any more. He's been thinking of letting her go for ages. She's not really one of us any more."

Harry chuckled. "Redhead by name, but not by nature. Bit like Danny, really."

Lucy laughed out loud at that, and then glanced down at Harry's hand, which was still resting on her shoulder. She discovered that she did not really want it to move.

"Sorry," he muttered, and slid it away, but not before his eyes had brushed hers.

A scream broke into their silence, and Jen stumbled back against the door. "I - oh my god -" she slurred incoherently, her breath coming in panicky gasps. "It's Danny - he's -"

But Lucy had already flown out of the door and into Danny's room. "He's dead!" came her horrified sob.

Harry bolted after her. "Dead? Oh my god -" He stared down at Danny's body, slumped over the bed. A pillow, now tossed aside, was stained with his stage make-up, which had been held over his mouth and nose. A yellowish bruise on his right arm indicated a serious struggle.

"What's going on?" Jen pushed the hotel manager out of the room and locked the door, but not before he'd had a glimpse of Danny, with Harry holding the now hysterical Lucy in his arms. "What? Let me in!"

Who killed Danny? Jen, Harry, Lucy, or an enraged fan?

Answer (highlight to read): Harry killed him. The fact that the bruise on Danny's arm was yellow indicates that it was from an old fight. Harry has bruises on his arm consistent with a fight a few days ago. The two boys have been fighting over Lucy for longer than that, and Harry took advantage of the argument to kill him.