He shrugged. “He was a jerk, so what? We all knew that going in, and Steven paid us well. Why would I kill the golden goose?”
“You were frustrated with all the rushed changes,” Tyler said. “Who could blame you? While everyone else sat around waiting for Dirk’s latest demands to be written into the script, you were writing away furiously. He worked you almost to death, didn’t he?”
Rick shrugged. ”That’s my job. After all, Dirk was the star of the show. Have to keep the stars happy.”
“But everyone has a limit, Rick. Yours came when you and Dirk worked on a project together. He started his own production company and hired you to write his first script. You worked day and night to write it on top of your day job, yet Dirk ended up rejecting it.”
Rick flushed but didn’t respond.
“That was the final straw, wasn’t it?” Tyler asked. “Dirk was ungrateful. He tricked you, but you got the ultimate revenge on Dirk by writing his murder into the scene.”
“No, you’ve got it all wrong. I started my own company and was planning to leave—”
Tyler shook his head. “You got that idea only after you killed Dirk. But things got complicated when Steven became suspicious about the weapons in the heist changing from knives into guns. That’s when he started to wonder what was going on.”
Rick held up a hand in protest. “Steven was too busy to care. He asked me to work directly with Dirk.”
Tyler continued. “There was another problem with the guns. Steven knew the guns were all blanks. Bill had his faults, but Steven had worked with him long enough to know that Bill would never have a loaded gun on set.”
Bill nodded from where he stood a few feet away. Everyone had left their seats and formed a loose semi-circle around us.
Rick shook his head. “Steven’s supposed to approve all the rewrites. He knew about the changes.”
“No, that’s not what happened,” I said. “You knew he wouldn’t read it ahead of time because he had trusted you before. Steven was too busy getting everyone’s contracts signed and didn’t have time to look at each script change. I heard him tell you to just go ahead.”
Tyler nodded. “Despite Steven not signing off on your rewrites, it was obvious that changing the weapons from knives to guns was pretty major. Steven knew that wasn’t something Dirk had requested. Dirk’s changes were always about making Dirk look good, not something as basic as the weapons used.”
“No! You have it all wrong,” Rick protested. “Dirk asked for the craziest things, and I had to write them in.”
“Steven confronted you, didn’t he?” Tyler didn’t wait for an answer. “Once he knew what you had done, he was about to expose you. You had no choice but to kill him too. That way no one else would find out you killed Dirk. You went to Steven’s room and found him alone.”
Rick bent over and buried his face in his hands. He sobbed uncontrollably. “Steven was my friend.”
“But the real thing that gave you away is your signet ring,” I said. “You wore it when you shot Dirk. You got rid of it because you were afraid it was tainted with gunpowder residue. So you gave it to Kim.”
Rick’s mouth dropped open. He could hardly deny it was his after claiming it at the bar.
Kim paled as her hand flew to her chest. “No!”
“Then you tried to frame a dead man by blaming Steven for Dirk’s death, and accusing Amber of killing Steven. Too bad your plan wasn’t as tight as your movie plots.” I flashed back to the morning when I had been carrying Aunt Amber’s dresses. That’s when I had first seen Rick’s ring, though I had forgotten all about it until now.
“It all makes sense now,” Bill said. “My missing gun, and the ridiculous changes like the horse and the guns. I had no choice but to leave my props unattended. Otherwise it would hold up the movie shoot. That gave Rick ample opportunity to steal a gun and load it with live ammunition.”
“By the time Dirk realized the changes were screw-ups, he would already be dead.” Arianne wiped a tear from her cheek. “And we were all so anxious to get this scene shot that we were all scrambling. I guess that’s why I had to get my own gun from the prop box.” She nodded sympathetically at Bill.
“Rick rewrote the scene to add other guns as a distraction.” Tyler pulled handcuffs from his jacket pocket and placed them on Rick’s wrists. He turned Rick around and pointed at him. “You figured the gunfire chase scene would cover up the real bullet you fired, but you made one major mistake. You didn’t take into account the bullet’s trajectory. Based on where it hit Dirk, it came not from the set, but from across the street.”
“I guess you thought no one would notice,” I said. “But Bill certainly noticed his missing gun. You couldn’t replace it in the gun case without being discovered. You only had time to drop it in the big prop box.”
“Why’d you do it, Rick?” Bill shook his head. “We all had a good thing going.”
Rick lunged unsteadily at Bill, unable to balance while handcuffed. Tyler stepped in between them.
“Why? Because I don’t steal and I think thieves should have to pay. Dirk stole my idea for a new series I wrote especially for him. He promised me he’d make me rich, but when I wrote the scripts he just stole them from me and cut me out of the deal. He just made a multi-million television deal on the series I wrote, but he stiffed me on the payment.” Rick’s face flushed with anger. “My scripts made him a star in the first place, and that’s what I get?”
“I’m sure he would have paid you eventually.” I doubted it myself but wanted to inject some calm into the situation.
Rick shook his head. “No. He not only left my name off the credits but claimed he wrote it himself! He was nothing but a thief, a common criminal.”
“But he was such a huge star,” Aunt Pearl said. “He didn’t need your stupid script.”
Rick’s face reddened. “My stupid scripts are what got him famous in the first place. Without me, he was nothing.”
31
I followed behind Tyler in my Honda as he drove a handcuffed Rick to the jail.
Only the cell was already occupied—by an uncharacteristically conscientious Aunt Amber. She had returned while we were at the Witching Post. And apparently locked herself back in the cell for some reason. She gripped the bars with both hands as she swore under her breath. “I can’t believe I missed all the action.”
Tyler handed me the keys and I unlocked the door. I grabbed Aunt Amber’s hand and escorted her from the cell so that Tyler could place Rick inside. “You’re coming with me.”
I guided her through the door and out into the outer office.
“What happens now?” Aunt Amber dabbed a tear from her eye. “Everything I’ve worked for is gone. The movie is never going to get made.”
“You were a last-minute addition,” I pointed out. “You don’t have that much invested in the movie. I mean, you used witchcraft to memorize your lines.”
She shrugged. “Just because I’m naturally talented doesn’t mean it was easy. I flew all the way from London. And I had to skip Ruby’s desserts all this week to keep my figure. All that suffering for nothing.”
I could argue that she hadn’t suffered at all, but that would get me nowhere. Instead, I patted her arm. “I’m sorry, Aunt Amber. What can I do to cheer you up?”
She batted her eyelashes, her sobbing stopped. “I know the movie is not ‘in the can’, but can’t we have a wrap party?” She made air quotes with her fingers. “It’s not our fault that we couldn’t finish filming.”
“I don’t know. That seems a bit insensitive considering that Dirk, Rose, and Steven all met untimely deaths.” The Los Angeles coroner had confirmed that Rose’s death really was from a brain aneurysm. Dirk hadn’t killed her. No one had. It was just a horrible, tragic coincidence that the husband and wife had worked on the same film and also died within days of each other. Their marital woes had first seemed to be a motive, but each of their deaths had been the result of other factors.
<
br /> At least one of the mysterious deaths had a natural explanation. Hardly good news, just less bad news.
“I guess.” She looked crestfallen. “What if we change the name of the movie? Add some new scenes?”
“Not a good idea,” I said. ”You just beat a murder charge. Maybe you should put your acting career on hold and lie low for now.”
Aunt Amber brightened. “We’ll have a red carpet memorial right here in town. All the Hollywood bigwigs will be invited to Westwick Corners. It will be the event of the season.”
“Is that what Dirk or Steven would have wanted?” I frowned, thinking Aunt Pearl would likely set Main Street ablaze if any more visitors came to town.
Aunt Amber shrugged. “Who can say? They aren’t here to tell us.”
“You’re right, they aren’t. Let’s leave it to their families to decide,” I said.
“This just feels so…unfinished.” Aunt Amber sighed. “My chance for an Oscar is gone forever.”
“You’ll always be a star in my eyes.” Maybe I was exaggerating a little, but I just never understood why Aunt Amber sidelined her supernatural talents for an acting career. She was already a star in the witchcraft world.
I supposed that even a witch like Aunt Amber could want things she couldn’t have, all the while overlooking the fact that she already had it all. “Fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“You’re right, Cen. All the paparazzi, the fans…it’s better to be ordinary.” She sighed. “I’ll just go back to my ordinary existence. At least I’m a free woman.”
“And you helped me get an exclusive story. I was the last journalist to speak with Steven Scarabelli. In fact, I’ve already had calls from some of the Hollywood media.” It was a lie meant to poke some fun at her, but I instantly regretted my words.
Aunt Amber primped her hair. “Really? Tell them to call me. I’ve got some juicy Hollywood gossip to share.”
The office door opened and Mom and Aunt Pearl stepped inside.
“I heard the news.” Mom hugged Aunt Amber. ”I’m sorry your movie role didn’t work out.”
“Yeah, sorry.” The only thing Aunt Pearl seemed apologetic about was having to say sorry in the first place.
“That’s okay. They weren’t paying me enough anyway. With everything that’s happened I think I can hold out for a better deal.” Aunt Amber was clearly basking in her newfound celebrity status.
Tyler emerged into the outer office and I stepped towards him. I whispered in his ear, “Make a big deal about her release, okay?”
Aunt Amber was already out in the lobby.
“Don’t worry, Cen. Half of the Hollywood press is out in front of the building. They showed up a few minutes ago after I called Brayden about Rick Mazure’s arrest.” Tyler locked the door behind us as we headed out into the lobby.
I smiled. “I guess good news travels fast.”
Tyler laughed. “I never knew that adulation was so important to Amber. She didn’t have to send us on false leads just to get attention. I mean, she can conjure up a crowd anytime she wants.”
“True,” I said. “But Aunt Amber has no idea the crowd is here for Rick Mazure’s arrest—not her release. That’s why this crowd is so special to her. It’s real—not one she made up. As far as she’s concerned, there’s nothing quite like getting acquitted of murder to draw a crowd.”
32
The late morning sun warmed our shoulders as Mom and I stood by the city hall steps. We craned our necks to see past the crowd of media people who waited for Aunt Amber. She had suddenly achieved the stardom she had coveted, albeit in a way she had probably never imagined.
Yesterday’s events already felt like a memory, though at least part of it was about to be replayed.
Aunt Amber had insisted on a reenactment of her late-night release together with a press conference and, surprisingly, Brayden had agreed. It seemed that my aunt’s theatrics added flair to what would have been an otherwise boring press conference. And, no surprise—Brayden would take credit for Rick Mazure’s capture and the freeing of my now proven innocent aunt.
I scanned the City Hall steps but saw no sign of Aunt Amber or Tyler for that matter. He found Brayden’s antics humorous now that his job was safe once again. Tyler had dodged the bullet, so to speak. I just hoped that our luck held so that there were no more surprises from my ex-fiancé.
No one had yet emerged from the building for Mayor Brayden Banks’ hastily arranged press conference. There were news vans from the major networks and reporters standing by in front of cameras with lighting. There were almost as many lights and cameras as there had been during the movie shoot.
Despite the sunlight, powerful camera lights erased every lingering morning shadow and lit up the city hall entrance brighter than Times Square on New Year’s Eve. It kind of felt like we were all part of a low-budget reality show, waiting for a grand entrance or an outrageous plot twist.
I squinted and focused on the City Hall doors through the bright lights, camera equipment, and the gaggle of film crews and reporters that blocked our view. The media weren’t just local journalists. Aside from a local Shady Creek reporter, I recognized the host of a popular Hollywood television entertainment show. He was getting his makeup retouched and looked strangely out of place in a suit and tie.
I glanced down at my wrinkled clothes, suddenly feeling grubby and tired. The last twenty-four hours had been crazy, to say the least. But things had finally come to a conclusion and I was grateful for that. Amber’s charges were dropped, Rick Mazure was in jail, and Tyler got to keep his job. At least I hoped he did.
Whatever Mayor Brayden Banks did, at least he got a taste of humble pie.
“She’s coming,” someone whispered. People murmured, rustled and jostled as everyone got into position. The City Hall doors were about to open.
Mom linked her arm with mine. “Looks like Amber has finally gotten her fifteen minutes of fame. I just wish it hadn’t come at such a high cost.”
I nodded. “Nothing like being acquitted of murder to get your name in the news. I guess any publicity is good publicity.”
“I just wish she hadn’t wanted to be a movie star,” Mom said. “Nobody would have come to Westwick Corners to make a movie. Maybe none of this would have happened, and Dirk and Steven would still be alive.”
“Not so.”
I jumped at the voice behind me.
“That wouldn’t have made much difference.” Grandma Vi floated in front of us. “Rick would have worked with Dirk in another time or place. And he would have killed him. You must know that you can’t change fate. All that changes is the details but never the outcome.”
Aunt Pearl nodded. ”Karma’s a bitch sometimes.”
Suddenly the large City Hall doors opened and I saw a flash of red hair as Aunt Amber came into view. She looked so tiny against the large doors. She was flanked by Mayor Brayden Banks on one side and Sheriff Tyler Gates on the other. They stood outside the doors at the top of the steps and faced the crowd.
Aunt Amber wore a long white evening gown with 1950s-era elbow length gloves. She gave the crowd a royal wave and slowly turned from left to right. “Thank you all for supporting me. I am free at last.”
I must have snorted a little too loud because the people in front of us turned around.
“Cut the drama, already,” Aunt Pearl said. “I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“Shameless!” Grandma Vi cried. “She always did have to be the center of attention. Making up for being a middle child I guess.”
Aunt Amber milked her time in the spotlight for all it was worth, taking questions from reporters and posing for the cameras. Things had come full circle. It had taken two murders, a false confession, and upstaging the mayor and sheriff, but Aunt Amber finally had her moment of glory.
She wasn’t any richer in the pocketbook, though. Rick’s claim that Amber was the heir to the Diamond family fortune was bogus, a lie designed to lead the investi
gation in the wrong direction. He had even forged a new version of Dirk’s will to frame Aunt Amber. Tyler had unmasked his lie when he confirmed with Dirk’s lawyer. Aunt Amber’s non-inheritance was probably all for the best since that amount of money was bound to lead to trouble.
Grandma Vi’s ghostly image flitted back and forth, clearly upset. “Why does Amber get all the credit? Maybe Amber brought fame to Westwick Corners, but I’m the one who saved the day.”
I looked beside me for Aunt Pearl’s reaction, but she had disappeared.
“How, Grandma?” She was even more sensitive as a ghost than she was when alive. Being invisible to everybody except your own family made her insecure, I guess. She felt like nobody noticed her.
“I solved Dirk’s murder.”
I just stared at her.
“Okay, then. I pointed you to the killer.”
“No you didn’t,” I said. “You just baited me with hints, but you never provided any details. Tyler and I solved both cases on our own.”
“How can you say that, Cen? I’m the sole reason that the killer is behind bars.”
“By the time you finally told me what you knew, it was too late.” I frowned. Grandma had purposely withheld information from a murder investigation. I was still stewing over it. “Besides, you told me there were two people, a man and a woman. That part wasn’t true. Rick was the only killer.”
“I wasn’t about to make it too easy,” Grandma Vi snapped. “I wanted to challenge your thinking skills.”
“It’s not a game, Grandma.”
“Let’s not fight,” Mom said. “All that matters is that Rick Mazure won’t hurt anyone ever again. He’ll be locked up for a very long time.”
“Okay, so maybe you had a small part in solving the case, Cen, but you would never have figured it out without my hints.” Grandma’s aura turned lavender purple. “In fact, I should be the one receiving accolades, not Amber.”
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