Кэти Дэйли - The Magic Of Halloween Night

Gracie slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve never considered Penelope’s death as part of the equation.” Gracie glanced at the clock. “I need to go, or I’ll be late for my volunteer shift, but I think we should discuss this at another time. It’s important. To both of us, I think.”

I nodded. “Yes. I agree. It is important to both of us. I know for me, figuring out where Cass might be able to fit into my life for the long haul is probably the most important thing on my mind.” I leaned back into the pillows. “I can’t help but visualize the life Cass and I could have. The life we could share with Paisley. I want us to be a family, but after a lifetime of avoiding any action that might activate the curse, I can’t easily give that up either.”

“I understand,” Gracie said, turning to leave.

“Cass doesn’t believe in the curse. He isn’t afraid to take the chance.”

“Tom, either.” Gracie paused at the door. “I guess, as the last remaining Hollister women, it’s up to us to decide how much we are willing to risk to have our heart’s desire.”

Chapter 8

Monday

When I arrived at the Eagle Ridge Ski Resort on Monday, I was shown to a production trailer that had been outfitted with desks and computers. I assumed the trailer was going to be used as a makeshift office. A blond-haired woman of medium height introduced herself as Penny Goldberg. She informed me that she was a publicist for the project and that she was the person I would go to if I had questions or needed to set up interviews with the actors and actresses. After asking me a few basic questions about myself, she handed me a press pass on a lanyard and then offered to give me a tour of the operation. As I’d already learned, the movie being shot over the next two weeks was a murder mystery starring Logan Underwood and Victoria Medford. The movie was a locked room sort of mystery where the resort the characters were visiting was so isolated that no one could arrive or leave unless transported by helicopter. I had to admit that the movie sounded fun. I loved mysteries where the potential killer could be readily whittled down to a handful of suspects.

As I walked around the set and was introduced to many of the non-actor crew members, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by the overriding frenzy that seemed to accompany the arrival of the film crew and cast. I noticed a security team checking ID’s for everyone who entered the resort, and was told that the actors and actresses who’d already checked in or planned to check-in today would be staying in the rooms not being used for the filming.

I knew Harrison Roberts and Jennifer Ashford were in town since they’d been seen with Bill at the steakhouse. I’d noticed a helicopter dropping someone off shortly after I’d arrived and had been told that Sloan Kingston and Dirk Coven had been onboard. It seemed like there were a lot of people milling around considering the movie, or at least the portion of the movie, being shot at the resort, featured only twelve main characters. Of course, there were dozens of supporting characters, and I figured each of the stars probably had a stunt double, stand-in, and personal assistant. Add in the cameramen, special effects people, and set folks and I supposed it really did take a lot of people to make a movie, even one which by virtue of the script utilized few actors and actresses.

“Each set has these red chairs,” Penny said. “Only the director, camera personnel, and other essential staff are allowed beyond the chairs during filming, so no matter which set you might be watching from, you need to be sure to remain well behind the red chairs.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be sure to stay out of the way.”

“There is to be no photography during filming, and any photos taken on the set during non-filming times need to be approved before they are distributed. You can mingle, but if you are going to be looking for formal interviews with the actors and actresses, you will need to set that up through me. The food, which will be set out, will be for anyone, so feel free to help yourself. There will actually be a lot of downtime between shots, and that would be the best time for you to mingle with some of the other staff if you have general questions.”

“Okay. And thank you so much for all your help.”

“It’s my job to make sure the press is able to cover the process without getting in the way.”

“Do you film every day?” I asked, wondering about weekends.

“Most of what we’re here to film will take place outdoors, so we will film every day that the weather permits. However, if all goes as hoped, the filming won’t take the entire two weeks the site has been reserved for. Quite a few scenes will be taped in other locations, so we’ll probably only be here at the resort for a week to ten days.”

“Okay, thanks. It’s helpful to know that.”

Penny took me by the arm. “So, are you ready to get started?”

“I am.”

“Great. The two women standing over near the ski lift are playing supporting roles. If you want to get your feet wet, chatting with Lola and Rene is a good place to start. Both get killed off early in the movie, but both have worked on crews I’ve worked with in the past. They will be good people to talk to if you need direction.”

“That’s perfect. Thanks again.”

As it turned out, Lola and Rene were a hoot. Both women played roles considered to be expendable. Lola played a maid at the resort where the group of twelve would meet and become trapped, and Rene played one of the kitchen help. Lola told me that her character was killed off twenty minutes into the movie, while Rene’s character made it to about the half-way point. Both women had played dozens of these types of roles in their careers, and both had worked with one or more of the movie’s stars in the past, which gave them a unique perspective into the personalities of some of the bigger names involved. It was fun and entertaining to listen to their stories. I wasn’t certain how I would approach the story I would need to turn in at the end of the week, but I figured that it was this sort of human-interest stuff that would really grab my readers’ attention.

“Look who just showed up,” Lola said to Rene.

I looked in the direction Lola had nodded toward and saw Harrison Roberts chatting with Jennifer Ashford.

“Have you worked with them before?” I asked.

Lola nodded. “I worked a movie with Harrison last year. I’d been cast as a restaurant owner who’d witnessed a mass murder, along with a lot of other people who’d been dining at the time, and Harrison had been cast as one of the shooters. It was really a pretty bad movie that ended up tanking at the box office, but there were a few decent actors and actresses in it. One of the actresses who’d been cast and actually brought a touch of class to the movie was Giovanna Pierce.”

I knew who Giovanna Pierce was. She’d actually been in some really popular movies.

“Anyway,” Lola continued, “Giovanna came down with a virus she couldn’t quite shake, so when it looked like she was going to miss the first week of filming, they decided to recast her. The actress they cast in her place was Jennifer Ashford.”

“I worked with both Jennifer and Harrison three years ago,” Rene said. “It seemed like the pair might have been dating, although they tried to pass off their relationship as very casual. In fact, they tried to make it seem as if they barely knew each other, but I saw them talking late one night out behind the trailers. Their conversation appeared to be very intimate and animated, and not the sort of conversation one might have with someone they shared a strictly professional relationship with.”