Shooting on Location (Lisa Chance Cozy Mysteries Book 2)

by Estelle Richards

  “How’d you get into stunt work?” Lisa said, still smiling.

  He shrugged. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time,” he said.

  “How so?”

  He looked into the middle distance. “I was a kid. Twenty. Movie was shooting down the street from my apartment. Me and my roommate Kurt went out to watch. They were doing a fall out of a window. The guy got hurt, broke his arm or something, and had to go in an ambulance. Kurt dared me to go talk to the director. Said I had the hardest head he’d ever seen and why not get paid for it. I was just a dumb kid, but the director wanted to get the shot, so he hired me for the day.” He shrugged again. “It wasn’t until later that I understood how bad it must have been for that other guy. Fall out the window and lose his job to a punk kid.”

  “How could you have known?” Lisa said, her voice sympathetic.

  “Yeah.” Ralphie nodded, his face pained. “This job only wants you until it breaks you.” He cradled his right hand to his chest, seemingly unaware of the gesture.

  A question popped out of Lisa’s mouth almost before she knew she was going to ask it. “Are you left-handed?”

  A glimmer of fear passed over his features. “No.”

  She reached out to touch his right hand and he flinched away. “What happened to you?”

  He heaved a big sigh and looked around to see if they were alone. He leaned forward. Lisa leaned in. “Nothing,” he said, “and you need to mind your own business.” He grabbed the plate with the muffin and stomped away.

  Lisa took a breath. He was definitely hiding something. She checked to see if anyone seemed to be headed for her table. They weren’t, so she strode after the retreating stuntman.

  She caught up with Ralphie sitting behind the props trailer. When he saw her, he started to get to his feet, a worried look on his face, then slumped down in his chair. Lisa walked up to him and put her hands on her hips.

  Ralphie had crumbs in the corner of his mouth. It made his face look like a little kid’s. She studied his hands. The left hand appeared smaller than the right. She looked more closely at the right hand. It was red and swollen.

  Quick as a swooping hawk, her hand darted out and grabbed Ralphie’s right hand. She put a tiny amount of pressure on it and he yelped. She let go and took a step back.

  He looked up at her with sad eyes. “Are you going to tell?”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “It looks broken.”

  He shook his head. “It’s fine.”

  “What do you mean, it’s fine? I barely touched it and you—”

  “It’s fine if I say it’s fine.” His mouth turned down. “You know what you call a stuntman with a broken hand?”

  “What?”

  “Unemployed.”

  She sighed. “I won’t tell. What happened?”

  “It got slammed in a door.”

  “On set?”

  He shrugged.

  “When did it happen?”

  He shrugged again.

  “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “Of course not.” He looked affronted at the idea.

  Lisa sighed again. “Will you at least go to the doctor after the shoot is over?”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  She thought of her time at the shooting range. The gun, even though she’d only been using a twenty-two, was heavy. She thought of the first time they’d met, how soft his grip had been when they shook hands. Soft like he was sparing himself the pain.

  “Well, take care of it. I have some Tylenol if you need any.”

  “I’ve got something, but thanks.”

  She nodded. “I’d better get back.”

  At the craft service table, she thought about the shooting and Ralphie’s broken hand. If he couldn’t properly hold the gun, he would have had to switch it for something lighter to keep from being detected. At the next break, she would have to ask Tyrone about the prop guns and weight.

  Chapter 23

  Lisa was just getting ready for bed when her phone rang. She yawned and picked it up.

  “Hello?”

  “Change of plans. Tomorrow we need to do an indoor shoot. A barn. What have you got?” Lisa was sure she knew the voice, but yawned again before she could place it.

  “Uh, what?” She shook her head to clear the sleepiness away.

  “Hello, location scout? We need a barn. What have you got?” She recognized the voice this time. It was the director, Gavin Jump.

  “You never said anything about a barn when we discussed locations.” She was stretching a little to say they’d discussed it. Really, he’d made a few vague comments and then left her to fend for herself and take feedback via Krumbsi.

  “Shooting in these podunk towns is impossible. The sheriff makes us stay in town, wasting our time and my budget. I’m rewriting my movie to be able to shoot around the death of a lead actor, and you can’t find me a barn?”

  “Fine, I’ll get you a barn.”

  “Send me some krumbs tonight.” He hung up.

  Lisa folded her pajamas into a sad pile and pulled her clothes back on. She’d have to go scout a location tonight. She wasn’t sure how Gavin expected to get decent pictures that would show him the light.

  She was putting on her boots when she had an idea. The carriage house was a barn, or it had been. It had a hayloft and wood beams. What more could he want?

  She threw on a coat and went downstairs to photograph her carriage house. If they shot there, she could make trips back and forth to the café on foot, making her life much easier now that Annette had quit and she didn’t have a replacement yet. And if Gavin refused to shoot there, Lisa had half a mind to quit as location scout. If her mother wanted the family to be involved in locations for this film, Penny could do it herself.

  Lisa grabbed her biggest flashlight. Mama Cat followed her downstairs and out the door.

  The stars were bright over the Folly, making the snow sparkle under Lisa’s feet. The air was cold and still.

  Lisa went into the carriage house and turned on the flashlight. She pointed it at the hayloft and took a minute to carefully lean it against a block of wood to keep the area lit. She turned the flash on and took a picture with her phone. She looked at it.

  The photo wasn’t a patch on the naturally lit photos she’d taken of the little canyon for the outdoor scenes, but Gavin couldn’t expect natural light when he’d called her after dark.

  She moved the flashlight and shot another photo, capturing one of the stalls. Would they bring a horse in here? She hadn’t read the script, so it was possible. She hoped they wouldn’t. If there was one thing she could count on with someone like Gavin Jump, it was that he’d leave her to shovel the manure at the end of the day.

  She took some more pictures, thinking as she did how just the year before, being on set all day would have been a dream come true. Now, she would rather be in her café, talking to her customers and baking muffins. Had Hollywood changed, or had she?

  Dylan still seemed to love being on set. She thought back to their decision to move to LA. She remembered believing it was for both of them. But maybe it had been his dream all along.

  She sent her pictures to Gavin on Krumbsi, captioning them, “Your barn for tomorrow. Park at the café. Turning off my phone now.”

  Briefly, Lisa considered following through with her threat to Gavin and turning off her phone. But force of habit won, and she stuck it in her pocket. If he called, she could send it to voicemail.

  Lisa walked back to the Folly. Mama Cat stayed in the carriage house. It made Lisa a little nervous, as Mama Cat had been a feral cat living in the carriage house just a few months before. But she didn’t want to grab the cat and force her to go somewhere she didn’t want to. Still, she would miss the warm ball purring at her feet when she climbed into bed and her skin met the cold sheets.

  Just as she was snuggling down in the covers, she was interrupted by her phone on the dresser. Lisa sighe
d and got out of bed.

  A soft Meow let her know that Mama Cat had found her way back inside.

  The phone chimed again as Lisa swiped the screen. It was a pair of krumbs on Krumbsi. The first was from Gavin. He’d sent a nibble in response to her krumb with the pictures of the carriage house, along with the comment, ‘good enough’. The second krumb was from the first AD, Sam. It was sent to the whole group of the cast and crew of the movie, giving them the updated call time and location for the next morning’s shoot.

  The second krumb let Lisa’s shoulders relax. The call time wasn’t until eight thirty. She could get some sleep, open the café, and still be on set on time.

  A thought tickled Lisa’s brain. She picked up her phone and texted her cousin. “Movie filming at Folly tomorrow. Drop off prop gun?”

  She smiled, satisfied that she’d done her cousin a tiny good deed, letting him return the prop to the set without having to drive all over. And, no doubt, he’d be happy to grab a mocha and a muffin while he was there. Tyrone would be pleased to see the prop back in the prop inventory again, too.

  Lisa turned off the ringer and crawled back into bed. Mama Cat stood and arched her back. After a yawn and a stretch, she curled up around Lisa’s feet and started purring. The soothing thrum of the contented cat lulled Lisa to sleep.

  Chapter 24

  Lisa set the steaming hot mocha on Mr. Lattimore’s table. He smiled at her and lifted it to his mouth for a sip.

  “That’s good,” he said. “Hot, the way a coffee is supposed to be.”

  She nodded at the stoop-shouldered old man and brought her tray back to the kitchen. It felt good to be back in the rhythm of knowing her regulars and just how they liked their drinks. Mr. Lattimore, like many of her older customers, preferred their drinks at the hottest end of the spectrum, whereas she would never bring something that temperature to a parent with a toddler in tow, knowing the child might grab the cup.

  Lisa ducked into the kitchen to check on the batch of muffins in the oven. They were making the whole house smell heavenly. She heard the bell at the front door, and then the swinging kitchen door opened and her cousin’s smiling face popped into view. She motioned him in.

  “Hey, cuz,” Toby said. “I got your text. What time are those movie people going to be here?”

  “It’s another twenty minutes until call time,” Lisa said.

  “Hmm. I suppose I could help you out with some of those fresh muffins while I wait.” He set a paper bag with the top folded over on the corner of the prep table.

  Lisa grinned. “Of course. Want a coffee?”

  “That’s the way to my heart.”

  She’d just handed him his mocha when the radio on his hip crackled. He spoke with the dispatcher, frowning.

  “Accident on the highway,” he said. “Can I take that to go?”

  “Of course.” Lisa fit a lid on the cup and put a muffin and a napkin in a paper bag. As soon as she handed the food and drink to him, Toby was out the door.

  He was already gone when Lisa realized he’d left the paper bag he’d come in with sitting on the prep table. Curiosity prickling at her, Lisa unfolded the top of the bag. A little electric shock surged down her spine.

  It was a gun.

  Lisa folded the top of the bag again. She couldn’t leave something like that in the kitchen. She’d have to bring it upstairs and lock it in the closet for safety.

  On the staircase, she realized that the bag was unusually light for a gun. Grinning, she slapped her forehead. It wasn’t a real gun. Toby was returning the prop gun. Still, it would be better to put it away, as it appeared very realistic.

  A couple of minutes later, the bell on the front door jingled and Lisa pattered down the stairs to the front hall to see who was there. A big smile spread across her face as she recognized her best friend.

  “Carly!”

  Carly smiled a tired smile, bags visible under her eyes. She held her arms open and they hugged.

  “Coffee?” Carly said, with the intonation of a woman begging for water after crawling across the desert.

  “You got it. Would you like a muffin? Still warm.”

  “Thanks.” Carly peeked into the parlor and found it full of people already. “Anyone in the library?”

  “We’re pretty full this morning, but I’m pretty sure the library still has open tables.”

  Carly nodded. She padded down the hall after Lisa and ducked into the library. Lisa’s favorite table by the window was empty, and Carly sank into a chair gratefully.

  A couple of minutes later, Lisa did a quick look around for any customers who might need her. Satisfied they didn’t, she brought Carly’s coffee and muffin, and a small cup for herself as well. She put the bounty on the table and sat down across from her friend.

  “How are you holding up?” she said. “I don’t think I ever remember you going to bed so early, not even when we were kids.”

  Carly laughed. “My mom hated that when I was a kid. I remember so many fights over bedtime.” She groaned and laughed again. “Oh no, is that what I’m in for with this little one?” She rubbed her belly.

  “Hate to say it, but you probably are.”

  They laughed and drank some coffee.

  “And what about you?” Carly said, taking a bite of muffin.

  Lisa wiped a hand across her brow as though to remove sweat. “Working hard. Between this place and the movie, I’m burning the candle at both ends.”

  Carly nodded. “And things with Mo?”

  Lisa gave a half shrug. “He’s the sweetest man around, but…”

  “But?”

  “But it’s been awkward lately. With Dylan in town, I mean.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I bet.”

  “I would never want to get back together with Dylan after what he did. Not in a million years. But, I don’t know, it’s complicated.”

  “Complicated?” Carly raised her eyebrows. “Complicated how?”

  Lisa blew out a breath. “The murder makes it complicated. Dylan was the one holding the gun.”

  “Wait, is he… What did Toby say?”

  “Toby doesn’t want to say anything. You know how he got in trouble for telling me things about an active investigation before. But he didn’t say that Dylan wasn’t going to be charged with the murder.”

  “Whoa.”

  “Yeah.” Lisa sighed. “The thing is, Dylan asked me to look into it. And I kind of said I would. I mean, I know what it’s like to do time, and I wouldn’t wish that on an innocent person, not ever.”

  Carly shook her head. “Of course not. But if you think he’s innocent, then who did do it? Is someone setting him up?”

  Lisa sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone had to load real bullets into that gun. The prop master was out sick that day, so I don’t think he had anything to do with it. But…”

  “But what?”

  “Well, I went to the gun range with Toby, and the owner… You know Ruby Bartok?”

  Carly nodded. Living in a town like Moss Creek all her life, she knew almost everyone.

  “She said Dylan had been in there.”

  Carly’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t look so good for him. What did he buy when he was there?”

  Lisa shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. She just kind of mentioned him, because she knew he was my ex.”

  “Hmm. Maybe you should go back and ask her.”

  “Ask her if Dylan bought the bullets that killed Kaden Nicolini?” Lisa whispered.

  “How else are you going to find out?” Carly countered.

  The front door bell jingled, and Lisa jumped out of her chair. “I’ll be right back.”

  “No, I’ve got to get going,” Carly said. “I just needed a little pick-me-up before school.”

  They hugged and Carly left. Lisa went to serve the customers who’d come in, bringing them lattes and toasted bagels with cream cheese.

  She watched the toaster absently, going over the events of the shootin
g in her mind. Who could have loaded that gun with real ammo instead of blanks? She needed to talk to people on set and ask some questions if she didn’t want Dylan to get stuck holding the bag.

  *

  Lisa was sweeping up crumbs in the front parlor when Jan arrived. She was all bundled up in a winter coat, with a new matching neon green knit hat, mittens, and scarf.

  “Hi, Lisa,” she called out, stomping snow off her boots on the mat. “I can finish that for you. Just let me hang up my coat.”

  “Thanks,” Lisa said. “Those are some nice mittens.”

  Jan laughed. “My nieces are learning to knit. They each did one thing. Gertie, the youngest, did the scarf. Bella did the hat. And Sophia, the oldest, made the mittens. Their Christmas box just arrived in the mail yesterday.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet.”

  Jan went to the back to hang up her coat and returned after a minute, tying her apron around her waist.

  “Ok, hand over that broom,” she said.

  Lisa gave it to her, glad to have a minute or two to herself before she had to set things up for the craft service table for the day’s filming.

  Pulling on a sweater, Lisa thought back to the day that Dylan and Kaden had argued over her. They’d seemed like two angry dogs barking and snapping at each other. She thought about how angry Dylan’s face had been when Kaden had interrupted their conversation. The two men had been on set together before arriving in Moss Creek. Had they ever gotten along? Maybe she needed to ask some of the set gossips some questions.

  The front door banged open. Lisa could hear Jan’s voice floating up the stairs, asking someone for their order.

  “Where’s Lisa?” came the response. Lisa rolled her eyes. It was Gavin Jump, sounding grumpy and impatient.

  “I’ll be right there,” she yelled down the stairs. She checked that her hair was securely tied back before heading down.

  The director stood in the front hallway staring down at his phone and tapping one foot. Jan hovered nearby, looking worried.

  “Thanks, Jan,” Lisa said, dismissing her employee to deal with other customers. “Good morning, Gavin.”

  Gavin pursed his lips. “We have a problem.”

  “What problem?” she said. Which version of Gavin would she see today, she wondered.