by Kathi Daley
“And Cass?” Gracie asked.
Cass? What was I going to do about Cass? I still hadn’t figured it all out, but one way or another, I was certain I wanted him to be part of the family as well.
******
When I arrived at the resort, I found a lot of people milling around, but no one seemed to be working. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I noticed Lola speaking to a young woman with short red hair, so I headed in that direction.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Harrison is supposed to shoot a scene with Amy and me, but he hasn’t shown up. They sent someone to fetch him, but he isn’t in his room. I guess there are folks looking for him. In the meantime, Amy and I have been told to wait.”
I turned toward the woman I assumed must be Amy. She had features similar to Jennifer’s, but there were differences as well. Still, I imagined that if there weren’t any close-ups involved, she could easily double for the supporting actress. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Callie.”
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you,” Lola said. “I guess I figured you’d already met.”
Amy and I greeted each other, and then I settled in to wait with them.
“Does this happen often?” I asked. I was sure that if an actor or actress was habitually late, they’d find themselves out of work at some point, but it didn’t seem unreasonable to me that actors and actresses would sleep late and fail to show up for work on time just like many others I’d worked with in the past.
“Harrison is usually pretty reliable,” Lola said. “I’ve worked bit parts in at least half a dozen movies he’s worked on, and I can’t ever remember him being late before. There’s no nightlife up here, and I haven’t noticed him, or anyone else for that matter, taking the time to go into town, which doesn’t seem to have much nightlife either. I can’t imagine where he might have gone off to, but one of the grips said that one of the assistants told him that Harrison’s bed hadn’t been slept in, so maybe he simply hooked up with someone and forgot to set his alarm.”
“Maybe,” I agreed.
“Has anyone asked Jennifer if she’s seen him?” Amy asked. “I saw them talking after dinner. They were out near the patio area where they serve food and beverages during the day.”
“I’m not sure,” Lola said. She looked off into the distance. “Here comes Rene. Maybe she knows something.”
As it turned out, Rene was as clueless as everyone else was as to where Harrison might be. She did know that Logan’s assistant, Stacy, had taken the time to knock on the door of every occupied room and ask whoever might be around if they’d seen the missing actor, but no one had. Jennifer told Stacy that she’d spoken to Harrison the previous evening about a mutual friend, but she’d left him alone on the patio around seven o’clock and hadn’t seen him since. One of the other film crew members had verified that she’d seen Jennifer enter her suite around eight-fifteen. She’d been alone at the time.
Another hour passed, and Harrison hadn’t been heard from, so they made a decision to skip his scene and move on to the next one they’d planned to film that didn’t include him. At least Harrison wasn’t the main star of the movie. In fact, he had a fairly minor part compared to some of the others, so at least for now, it was easy to work around him. Based on the scowl on the director’s face, however, I was willing to bet that Harrison was going to be in a heap of trouble when he finally showed up.
“I’m not in this scene,” Lola said. “I’m going to head over and grab something to eat.” She looked at me. “Do you want to come along?”
“I’d like that,” I said, realizing that the chance to talk to Lola, who seemed to know what was going on with almost everyone on set, would probably be time well spent. “So how does this movie set compare to others you’ve worked on?”
“It’s pretty isolated, and there is absolutely nothing to do, but we are getting a lot of work done, which means that until Harrison pulled his disappearing act, we’ve been able to stay ahead of schedule. I even heard talk of a wrap as early as Monday or Tuesday, which would be awesome. There are still scenes that will be filmed at the studio, but I’ll be happy to wrap here and get home to LA. For one thing, I’m missing my cat.”
“I can understand that. Do you hire a pet sitter when you’re away from home?”
“My roommate is home this week, so she’s keeping an eye on her. If we’re both out of town at the same time, I take her over to my parents’.”
After we settled in with fruit bowls, Lola, Amy, and I chatted about other movies they’d worked and other actors, actresses, and directors they’d worked with. It was interesting to get an insider’s perspective. I’d managed to land interviews with many of the actors and actresses on the set, but so far, I’d been unable to speak to either Logan Underwood or Dirk Coven. I thought I’d have more time, but if the movie wrapped early, I supposed I’d have to turn my final story in without direct input from either the director or the star.
“I need to track Penny down to see if she can arrange a couple interviews I’m still lacking,” I said after we ate. “I’ll catch you later.”
Luckily, Penny was working in the same office where I’d found her on my first day on the set. I explained who I still needed to speak to, and she assured me she’d do what she could. She couldn’t guarantee anything, but I supposed that if I couldn’t get the interviews I hoped to get, I’d make do with what I had.
Except for the slow start to the day, it seemed to have been a productive day. Harrison still hadn’t shown up by the time the film crew wrapped. I found it odd that the guy would simply disappear and hoped that nothing had happened to him. Based on comments made by others I’d come into contact with, there were more folks who were angry that Harrison had missed his scheduled set time than there were people who were worried, so perhaps I was worried for nothing.
One thing I did know was that I was really looking forward to spending time with Cass. It had been a fun and rewarding week, but a very long one as well, and I really missed the two of us having time to unwind and compare notes.
Chapter 11
By the time I arrived at the shelter, Cass was already there. After I kissed him on the cheek and greeted Milo, the three of us set off to find a dozen or so dogs to play with. It was part of Naomi’s strategy that all the dogs in her care receive as much people-time as possible during their stay. Those with behavior problems were given one on one training, and all the dogs were matched up with volunteers for play sessions.
“So, how was your day?” Cass asked after we’d corralled a dozen dogs into the indoor play area. We like to take the dogs outdoors when the weather cooperated, but the storm that had been predicted was already beginning to blow in, which meant that it was both cold and windy.
“It was great except for the fact that Harrison failed to show up at his appointed time this morning. Talk about throwing a wrench in the works. The director was mad, the schedule needed to be shuffled around, and everyone who wasn’t working on the set was sent out to look for him.”
“Did they ever find him?”
I shook my head. “It looked as if he hadn’t slept in his bed, so the assumption is that he hooked up with someone and forgot to set his alarm. Of course, if that had been the case, he would have eventually shown up, so I really don’t know what’s going on.”
“Maybe he tied one on and will show up tomorrow.”
“I guess. There’s a big storm blowing in, so filming has been paused until Monday.”
Cass smiled. “So, does that mean you have the whole weekend off?”
“I do.”
Cass picked up a handful of balls and tossed them in quick succession. The dogs took off, each appearing to try to outrun the others in order to come up with one of the half dozen balls Cass tossed.
“How is your investigation into Bill’s accident coming along?” I asked.
“I’ve pretty much decided that there wasn’t any foul play involved, although I do have th
is nagging feeling that everything isn’t exactly as it seems. I’m really not sure why I even feel that way. I’ve had the guys go over the car, and they couldn’t find any sign of tampering. There were no skid marks on the pavement other than those created by Bill once he realized he was in trouble and tried to stop. I’ve gone over his phone and bank records. I’ve talked to his friends and neighbors. Other than the fact that no one can explain why he was out on the old highway so late at night, I really have nothing to suggest that anything other than driver error occurred.”
“What about the black paint?”
Cass shrugged. “That is odd, but that particular lead hasn’t gotten me anywhere. The scratch marks on Bill’s arm could very well have been there before his dinner with Robert and Jennifer. There are patches of mud out along the old highway, so the fact that Bill had mud on his shoes isn’t a reason to open a case, and the red and green stones in the tire tread could have been picked up in any number of locations. For now, the accident has officially been attributed to driver error, and the unofficial file I opened has been closed. If new evidence comes along, I can always take a second look.”
It sounded like Cass had done what he could. Maybe Bill had just swerved to avoid hitting something, and, in the process, lost control and hit the tree.
“So, where should we have dinner tonight?” I asked, deciding to veer the conversation away from work-related topics.
“Do you need to get back to the house at any time in particular?” he asked.
“No. Paisley is spending the weekend with Anna again, and Tom and Aunt Gracie decided to take a little trip. I need to be around to feed Alastair twice a day, but other than that, I’m free for the weekend.”
Cass grinned. “I like the sound of that.” He paused and appeared to be thinking something over. Eventually, he spoke. “What would you think about heading out to Gracie’s place, feeding the cat, and then heading up to my place to make dinner and watch the storm roll in?”
Oh, I was tempted.
“I have some steaks in the freezer I can defrost in the microwave and then grill. I have fixings for salad and potatoes for baking.”
“That does sound nice, and you do have an awesome view of the lake and the summit from the boathouse.” I knew it was there even though it hadn’t been voiced — the unspoken invitation to spend the night with Cass in his home while the wind howled and the clouds gathered all around us. I could imagine laying in his bed, listening to the rain falling on the roof. I could imagine sleeping in his arms. I could imagine finally giving in to the longing I knew both of us felt. Sure, there was the curse to consider, but Gracie was off with Tom for the weekend, and nothing had ever happened to either of them in their forty-plus year relationship. “I suppose that with the storm and all, it might be best to just bring Alastair out to the boathouse. I’d hate for him to be alone if it starts to thunder.”
Cass smiled. “I think that would be fine. Milo will enjoy having a roomie.”
I laughed. “I’m not sure how Alastair will feel about sharing space with Milo, but the two animals do know each other, so I think it should be fine.”
Once the play hour was over, we returned the dogs to their pens and then headed over to Gracie’s house. I packed a bag for myself, which included clean clothes for the weekend, as well as the cat box and food for Alastair. I called Paisley and told her that I was going to be working for most of the weekend and wouldn’t be home. I supposed that was a lie, but I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know that I planned to spend the weekend with Cass. I told her to call or text if she needed me. She assured me she’d be fine, but I could tell she appreciated the fact that I’d checked in with her. Once I had everything I’d need to spend the next two days with Cass, we headed toward the narrow road that led to the north side of the lake. I really couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this nervous. Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to relax.
When we arrived at the boathouse, Cass headed to the kitchen to start the steak and potatoes while I got Alastair settled. Initially, he wasn’t happy that his litter box was in a strange bathroom, and his food and water bowls were perched on the counter in the laundry room just above Milo’s bowls, which were on the floor, but after he’d had a chance to look around, he began to relax. Eventually, he jumped up onto the back of the sofa and looked out the window. The clouds were so dense that the light from the moon and stars couldn’t get through, which made it dark, dark, dark.
“It’s really windy out there,” I said as the small house shook after a gust of wind slammed into it.
“I heard we can expect wind gusts over sixty miles an hour tonight. The wind is supposed to die down once the rain starts tomorrow. According to the news report I listened to earlier, they’re predicting that we could get as much as five inches of rain in our area.”
“There will be flooding.”
“There will be,” Cass agreed.
“I suppose the area up near the resort will be fine. It’s high enough up on the mountain that even a lot of rain should do little more than swell the river. But the lakes and ponds at this elevation will be vulnerable. I guess we should keep an eye on things.”
“We will. Wine?” Cass asked, opening a bottle.
“Please.” I slipped onto a stool at the counter. Cass had built a fire in the fireplace while I’d been settling Alastair, which gave the room a warm and cozy feel despite the wind pounding on the side of the boathouse and the waves from the lake crashing onto the deck outside the patio door. “Do you ever get floodwater inside the boathouse?” I wondered.
“No. At least I haven’t so far. There have been times when the wind and rain will get the surface of the lake churned up to the point that large waves roll onto the decks and walkways, but the boathouse itself seems to be able to withstand the pounding.”
The potatoes would take a while to bake, so we settled onto the sofa with the wine. The large picture window that normally allowed for a fantastic view of the lake was marred with water that had blown up from the lake. I supposed it didn’t really matter since it was too dark to see anything anyway.
Alastair jumped down off his perch and curled up in my lap. He seemed content now that he’d gotten the lay of the land. I suspected he’d rather be home where everything was familiar, but he was the adaptable sort, so I was sure he’d be fine.
“So tell me about the actors and actresses you’ve met this week,” Cass asked.
I was pretty sure he was more interested in easing my tension by making causal conversation than in learning about my impressions of the men and women who’d been cast in the movie, but it felt like a safe topic that wouldn’t stretch my nerves any further, so I began to describe the people I’d spoken to. By the time I’d filled him in the best I could, the potatoes were done, so Cass got up to grill the steaks. I topped off both wine glasses as he tossed a salad and suggested we sit at the table near the window rather than the bar where he normally ate.
The food was probably delicious, but I really didn’t taste it. I tried to relax and not overthink things, but no matter how hard I tried, the only thing on my mind was what might or might not happen after dinner. When Cass suggested a movie, I was both disappointed and relieved. We picked out a good horror flick and settled in to watch it as the storm raged outdoors. When Cass pulled a blanket over the top of us and then settled an arm around my shoulders, I snuggled up next to his warm side. The movie took place in a haunted house during a storm, which seemed appropriate given the storm that was building outside the window. I half expected Cass to bring up the subject of the curse and where this night might or might not lead, but instead of talking, he simply kissed me, holding back just a bit and allowing me to set the pace. I knew I should pull back, but to be honest, I was tired of holding back. I deepened the kiss, and he responded. When we were together, it felt so right. I’d believed in the curse and had lived with the devastation it could cause, but in that moment, I couldn’t understand how something that felt so right coul
d be wrong.
“We should stop,” I whispered against his mouth.
He pulled back just a bit. “Is that what you want?”
“No.” I reached up a hand and ran it down his face. “But I would die if something happened to you.”
“It won’t. Curses only have the power to hurt you if you believe in them, and I don’t.”
“But...”
He put a finger over my lips. “I love you. I want to be with you. To build a life with you. We don’t even know if our being together will act as a trigger.”
“We don’t know that it will, but it might,” I argued despite the fact that my heart yearned to give up the struggle and test the limits of the curse once and for all.
Cass put both his hands on my cheeks, pulled my face forward, and devoured my lips with his. I knew I should stop him. I knew that letting go and loving him both physically and emotionally was a risk. But in the end, my will to fight the inevitable ending Cass and I had been heading toward since the moment I returned to town somehow got lost in my urgent need to take a chance and explore the possibilities a life with Cass might provide.
Chapter 12
Saturday
The drizzle had increased to a steady rain by morning, but at least the wind that had battered the boathouse for most of the night had died down. I’d always loved the sound of rain on the roof, so I lay in bed with my eyes closed for several minutes, listening to the pitter-patter as the fog of sleep drifted from my mind, and the reality of the day came into focus. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I was aware of was the comfort of waking to a pair of strong arms wrapped around my body.
I smiled.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Cass leaned up on an elbow and looked down at me.
“Good morning,” I said, looking directly into his eyes. “What time is it?”
