The Magic of Halloween Night

by Kathi Daley

“Callie,” she said as she pulled racks of sweaters marked for quick sale onto the sidewalk. “Those cardigans you’ve had your eye on are fifty percent off this week.”

  “That’s tempting, but I’ll need to come back by. I’m on my way to chat with Dex right now, and then I need to pick Paisley up.”

  Her lips tightened as her smile turned to a scowl. “When you see that boss of yours, will you please tell him to call me? I’ve left four messages about my ad, which he totally messed up, but the man has yet to call me back.”

  “Something was wrong with your ad?” I asked.

  She nodded. “When he was in last month, we worked out ads for each of the five Fridays in October. I figured that would save us both time in the long run, and I knew which items I planned to have on sale each of the five weeks, but the ad that was supposed to run on the sixteenth ran on the second, so I had people coming in all week looking for sale items that weren’t actually on sale yet.”

  I winced. “I’m sorry. I bet that was a real hassle.”

  “It was.”

  “And last week’s ad? Was it right?”

  “It was, but now I’m wondering what’s going to happen Friday. The last thing I need is for the ad that was supposed to run on the second to run on the sixteenth.”

  “I’ll make sure Dex calls you, and I’ll check on the ad copy myself. I’m so sorry about the mix-up, and I really can’t explain why Dex hasn’t returned your calls.”

  “I’ve spoken to some of the other merchants. It seems I’m not the only one who has had a problem of one sort or another with our ads in the past several months. I’m not sure what’s going on over at the newspaper to cause so many mistakes, but if you want the income provided by local advertising, you best get it fixed.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “It does sound like there’s a glitch that needs to be attended to. I’ll check on your ad and have Gabby send you a proof. Again, I’m sorry about the error on the second.”

  As I continued toward the newspaper, I thought about the fact that Dex had not only messed up Lorraine’s ad but hadn’t called her back either. It did seem like something was going on with him lately. I’d asked him about it a few times, and he’d assured me that everything was fine, but if my conversation with Lorraine was any indication, things were apparently far from okay.

  “Morning, Gabby,” I said to Gabby King, the receptionist for the Foxtail News, after I walked into the small reception area.

  “Morning, Callie.”

  “I’m here to see Dex, but before I head back, I wanted to ask about Lorraine’s ad. I ran into her on my way over here, and she said she’s left four messages for Dex, but he hasn’t called her back.”

  Gabby frowned. “I gave him the messages. I even emphasized how important it was that he return her calls. He said he would.”

  “Apparently he didn’t. Lorraine is really upset and concerned about this week’s ad. Do you have a proof?”

  “I can get one.”

  “Great. It would go a long way to put her mind at ease if you would email it to her.” I plucked a piece of hard candy out of the dish on Gabby’s desk. “Don’t we usually email our advertisers with a proof copy even if they don’t ask?”

  “That has been our policy in the past, but Dex has been off lately. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but he just isn’t himself.”

  “What do you mean by isn’t himself?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “He seems distracted and absentminded. Lorraine’s ad isn’t the only one he’s messed up. I offered to help him with the layout, but he insists everything is fine and that I don’t need to worry about it. I think things got away from him after Paul left.”

  Paul had been in charge of advertising since before I came to work for the newspaper, but Paul and Dex had had a falling out a few months ago, and Paul quit. I expected that Dex would hire someone to replace him, but when I asked about it, he’d made a comment about just taking over the task himself and had never done anything about replacing the full-time employee. “I’ll talk to him,” I offered, realizing that if someone didn’t get through to him, none of us would have a job.

  “Is he expecting you?” Gabby asked. “He’s been weird lately about people popping into his office without an appointment.”

  That really had me frowning. Dex was a friendly guy who’d never minded a pop-in before. “He is expecting me. He texted earlier and asked me to stop by. He mentioned something about a special assignment.”

  “I bet he wants to talk to you about the production company from Hollywood that’s going to be in town next week.”

  “Production company?” I asked since I hadn’t heard the news. “Are they making a movie here in town?”

  “Out at the Eagle Ridge Ski Resort. I guess they took over the whole place since it’s still closed for the season. The resort, the hotel, the restaurant.”

  “Sounds exciting,” I said.

  “The fact that a movie is going to be made here in our small town has been the topic of discussion on the gossip hotline all morning. If you get anything juicy out of Dex, let me know.”

  “I’ll do that,” I said as I headed down the hallway toward Dex’s office. Once I arrived, I greeted him and then took a seat across the desk from where he was sitting. “So, what’s this about a production company being in town?”

  “Sloan Kingston will be in the area to film his new movie.”

  “Wow. That’s big news.” Sloan Kingston was a major movie producer who everyone with a pulse had heard of. He’d recently released a box office hit that was raking in millions of dollars. I hadn’t realized that he already had his next movie in the works.

  “Most of the interior portions of the movie are being filmed in the studio, but Kingston is going to be in the area for the next two weeks getting the exterior, and some lobby and other interior shots,” Dex continued. “I’ve arranged to have someone onsite to cover the filming, and I want you to cover the process from beginning to end.”

  My eyes widened. “Me? Really? That would be awesome. What sort of movie is he here to produce?”

  “It’s a murder mystery set at an isolated resort. The film crew and cast will arrive Monday, and they plan to begin filming out at Eagle Ridge Ski Resort Tuesday. I understand that they will be on location for ten days to two weeks, which should give you plenty of time to write an article from a behind the scenes perspective and interview the stars. The film crew and cast are staying out at the resort, but it’s close enough that you can go back and forth each day, which should give you some flexibility in your schedule.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “You will need to put in a lot of hours, so I’m hoping you can work that out.”

  “I’m sure I can, and I’m really excited about this opportunity. I won’t let you down.”

  Dex smiled. “I know you won’t. I plan to put out a special edition in addition to the regular press runs. I think this series of articles is going to put our little newspaper on the map.”

  “I would think so.”

  “It will be a lot of work, a lot of hours,” he warned once again.

  I had a feeling that while he wanted me to be the one to do the series, he wasn’t certain I was up for it. I guess I understood that. I was the newest reporter on the staff, and it would have made sense for him to assign the movie’s coverage to someone with more experience.

  “Features, photos, interviews,” he added. “I’m going to be expecting total coverage.”

  “I’m up for it,” I promised, realizing even as I said the words that I had a whole lot of commitments I’d have to unwind for the two weeks the movie was being filmed. “Do you know who’s starring in the movie?”

  “Logan Underwood,” he replied.

  “Really?” Just the thought of the dark-haired heartthrob made me lightheaded.

  “I’m having the production assistant send me a list of all the cast members, filming schedules, and scene locations. You’ll need to familiarize yourself wi
th the entire process. I have a few things you can look at while we’re waiting for the rest.” Dex handed me a folder that was stuffed with information. “As I mentioned, you’ll need to clear your calendar beginning with this coming Monday, so you’re available as needed for this project. I know that you’re normally busy at this time of the year with all your various volunteer commitments, but this needs to come first.”

  “I understand. I’ll talk to Aunt Gracie and make sure she’s okay taking over the rides and whatnot with Paisley. I’ll make it work. I promise.”

  Dex smiled. “Excellent. I’m excited to see what we can come up with.”

  I really hated to ruin Dex’s good mood by bringing up Lorraine’s ad, but I had promised her I would. “So I ran into Lorraine on my way over to speak with you. It seems she’s pretty upset about the mix-up with her ad.”

  Dex frowned. It almost appeared as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.

  “I guess the ad which was supposed to run this week actually ran on the second,” I continued. “She told me she’s left you a bunch of messages but hasn’t heard back. She’s a good customer, so you might want to call her.”

  “You want me to call her about the ad?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I spoke with Gabby, and she’s going to send a proof over for this week’s ad, but I still think an apology and maybe some free advertising might be a good idea.”

  “Uh, sure. I’ll talk to Paul about it.”

  “Paul quit,” I reminded Dex. “Almost two months ago.”

  “Oh, sure,” he said. “Slip of the tongue. I’ll check on the ad and call Lorraine.”

  “Great.” I forced a smile. “I guess I should be going.”

  On my way out of the building, I pulled Gabby aside. “Has Dex been acting this oddly for long?”

  “If by oddly you mean confused and forgetful, then I guess it started about two months ago, right around the time he and Paul had that falling out, but it hadn’t gotten really bad until two weeks ago.”

  “I think we need to explore the idea that he might have a medical issue,” I said. “When I spoke to him about Lorraine’s ad, he said he’d have Paul look into it.”

  “Should we talk to Garrett about it?” Gabby asked. Garrett Heatherton was Dex’s father and the owner of the newspaper. Dex ran things, but Garrett was still in the picture to a degree.

  “Maybe. Let me think about it. Right now, if you could get that proof over to Lorraine, that would be great. If she has any other problems, have her call me. I need to pick Paisley up from school, but we should talk again. Dex and Garrett don’t get along all that well, so I hate to throw Dex under the bus by bringing mistakes he’s made to his father’s attention, but if Dex is sick, then I guess talking to Garrett might be a good idea.”

  Chapter 3

  I chatted with Gabby for a few more minutes and then headed to the elementary school to pick Paisley up. She’d been on my mind all day, and it did my heart good to see the huge grin on her face when she slid into the passenger side of my car.

  “I take it you had a good day.”

  “Very good,” she replied, fastening her seatbelt.

  “So, what happened to make today a very good day?” I asked as I pulled away from the curb.

  “Jillian Weatherby broke her arm.”

  I couldn’t help but frown. “And Jillian breaking her arm is a good thing?”

  “No.” She giggled. “Of course not. It’s just that I really wanted to be Adrianna in the school play. We’re doing Cassandra the Teenage Witch this year. I tried out for Cassandra’s best friend, Adrianna, but Jillian got the part, and I was cast as supporting witch number five. But when I showed up for rehearsal today, Mrs. Oxford pulled me aside and told me that Jillian had broken her arm and wouldn’t be able to participate. She asked me if I wanted to take her place and play the part of Adrianna.”

  Now I smiled. “That’s wonderful, Paisley. You must be so excited.”

  “I am, but I have a bunch of lines to learn before Monday. Will you help me?”

  “You know that I will. Gracie too.”

  Paisley rolled down her window just a bit. “Is Gracie back from seeing Grandma?”

  “I’m not sure,” I answered. “I haven’t been home yet.”

  “Do you think she will be able to come home soon?” Paisley asked the question she’d been asking ever since an ambulance took her grandmother away.

  “I’m not sure,” I answered the question with the same response I’d been giving her for the past week. “Let’s see what Gracie found out.”

  By the time we got home, Gracie and Tom had returned from visiting Ethel. Gracie very gently informed Paisley that while her grandmother was doing much better, she still had a long recovery ahead of her and would most likely be away for an extended period. As I had on several occasions, Gracie assured Paisley that she was welcome to stay with us for as long as she needed to, and as she had with me, Paisley asked Gracie what would happen to her if her grandmother didn’t ever come back. Gracie managed to skirt the issue, but it seemed clear by the expression on her face that she didn’t have any more answers than I had.

  After Paisley had her snack, I shooed her off to do her homework. I intended to follow her upstairs and make sure she had everything she needed, but I wanted to hang back for a minute to talk to Gracie. “Did you talk to Ethel about Paisley?” I asked.

  “I did,” Gracie informed me. “It’s too early to know if she will be able to return home or not after rehab, but she did say that the medical personnel at the hospital had been hinting around to her that she might want to look into assisted living.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Ethel is worried about Paisley, as she should be. She told me that she has a niece who might be able to take her if necessary, but it isn’t an ideal situation. The niece is a nice woman, but she already has five children of her own and really would prefer not to raise a sixth. Ethel did, however, assure me that if she needed to guilt her niece into taking custody of Paisley to keep her out of foster care, she would.”

  “I’d hate to see Paisley end up in a home that’s already so overcrowded,” I said. “I’d also hate to see her end up in a temporary situation where she wouldn’t be able to really settle in.”

  “I agree. Ethel and I discussed the possibility of transferring legal custody of Paisley to me if she can no longer fulfill the role of her guardian. While I would be willing to fill in if need be, we did agree it would be better to find someone a bit younger.”

  “You’re talking about me,” I said.

  Gracie opened the oven and slipped in a casserole dish. “Have you considered it? You love Paisley, and you wouldn’t have to do it alone. Tom and I would pitch in, same as we always have.”

  I poured myself a glass of juice and sat down at the table. “I guess the idea has crossed my mind. With the family curse and all, I figured I’d never have a child, and I was actually fine with that, but I do love Paisley, and I know you and Tom do as well. Between the three of us, I know we can provide her with a safe and happy place to grow up.” I paused and then continued. “Having said that, it is a huge commitment. What if something happened to you, and I was left to raise Paisley on my own?”

  “Nothing is going to happen to me,” Gracie assured me. “But even if something did, you’d be fine.” She must have noticed the doubt on my face since she suggested I take some time to really think it over. Nothing was going to happen today or even this month. We had time to look at all the options before coming to any decisions. For all we knew, Ethel might do better than the doctor predicted, and she might very well be able to continue her role as guardian.

  “I guess I should go up and check on Paisley, but before I do, I wanted to talk to you about my new assignment at work.”

  “Oh, and what is that?” Gracie asked.

  I told her about the movie being filmed locally and explained that I was going to be tied up for mor
e than a week beginning Monday. Gracie assured me that between her and Tom, they would make sure Paisley was well taken care of. Once I was certain that Gracie didn’t have a problem with me taking on such a demanding assignment, I headed upstairs to check on Paisley, and then I went across the hall to my bedroom to call Hope and Naomi. If I was going to be tied up, I needed to let them know my ability to volunteer might not be what it normally was. I still needed to tell Cass about my assignment, but I figured I’d do that after dinner.

  Hope assured me that while she valued my efforts as a volunteer, she was sure they could get by without me. She agreed the assignment covering the filming was too good an opportunity to pass up. I assured her that since the assignment didn’t start until Monday, I would be able to help out tomorrow with the barn decorating party and over the weekend at the Harvest Festival as planned. After I hung up with Hope, I called Naomi, who was equally thrilled for me.

  “Of course, we can cover for you,” she assured me. “I read an article about that movie just this past week. It sounds like it’s going to be a good one and, to be honest, I’ve always wanted to watch a movie being filmed. Maybe I’ll show up one day, and see if they are allowing spectators.”

  “I can get a feel for that sort of thing on Monday and call you. If they do allow spectators, you should totally come up for the day.”

  “I can’t believe you’re actually going to have the opportunity to meet Logan Underwood. What a babe.”

  “He is rather easy on the eyes,” I agreed.

  “You know who else is going to be in that movie? Harrison Roberts.”

  “Who’s Harrison Roberts?” I asked.

  “He’s a supporting actor who hasn’t done anything really big, so you may not have heard of him, but you have met him.”

  “I have?”

  “Harrison Roberts is his stage name. His real name is Robert Harrison, and we went to high school with him.”

  “Robert from chem lab?” I asked.

  “One and the same,” Naomi confirmed. “He was a total nerd back when we knew him, but he’s changed. A lot. He’s gotten taller since high school, and it appears he works out quite a bit since he’s filled out rather nicely. I guess he’s considered to be quite the catch these days.”