“You know, you could have just used your words,” she said, “instead of hopping in the sack with someone else.”
Dylan sighed. “I know. You’re better off with a guy like Mo.”
Lisa snuggled into Mo’s side and nodded. “That’s true.”
“Ouch!” Dylan put a hand on his chest as though wounded.
Mo pulled his truck up to the curb in front of Dylan’s parents’ house. “Here’s your stop,” he said.
Dylan opened the door, then leaned over to shake Mo’s hand. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Your little Los Angeles-mobile wouldn’t have liked the icy roads.”
Dylan laughed. “You’re a good egg. Take care of her.”
“Good luck with your acting career.”
Dylan shut the door and walked up the driveway. Mo pulled away from the curb and headed for the police station.
“I wish I could just go curl up with a hot chocolate and some marshmallows and the world’s sweetest cat,” Lisa said.
“Just the cat?” Mo teased.
“And the world’s sweetest vet.”
“That’s more like it.”
Chapter 29
The mood at Lisa’s Last Chance Café the next morning was glum. Most of the crew, minus Gavin, who was in jail, gathered in the front parlor to drink coffee and speculate.
Lisa brought a fresh batch of muffins in to refill the supply. Even with a full platter of Good Morning Muffins, the faces in the room were cloudy.
“Does anyone know what’s going to happen to the film itself?” Ralphie said. He held his cup in his left hand, letting his right hand rest in his lap.
Tyrone smirked. “I could tell you what’s going to happen, but I’d be making it up.”
Ralphie looked at Sam, whose face was lined with tension. “Do you know anything?”
“No,” Sam said. “If I knew what was going on, I would be making plans. Instead of sitting here with all you sad sacks.”
Ralphie looked around the room, his crooked nose lending his face an air of hopelessness. “Dylan? You were there.”
Dylan shrugged. “I just hope I can get some footage for my reel.”
Kari strode in from the porch, still smelling of cigarette smoke. “I heard we may not even get paid.” At a few gasps from around the room, she shrugged one thin shoulder. “He did it for the money, after all. And when was the last time your check wasn’t late?”
Lisa nodded, thinking of the money for food and coffee that she still hadn’t received.
“There’s the small claims court,” Lisa mused aloud.
Kari snorted. “And get a reputation for suing? Might as well quit the industry now.”
“Come on, who could hold it against someone for suing a slowpay who was also literally a murderer?”
Kari laughed. “I see now why you left Hollywood.”
“What about the studio?” Lisa said.
Sam shook his head. “No studio. It’s an independent film. Gavin was financing the whole thing himself.”
“Hmm. Well, he can’t just not pay us.” Lisa felt the eyes of most of the crew turn to her with pity. “He shouldn’t be able to, anyway,” she muttered.
Tyrone nodded. “That’s true, but the only way he’s getting his hands on any money is if this movie gets finished and actually makes a dollar.”
Lisa took a bite of muffin.
“And it’s hard to finish a movie from inside a jail cell,” Tyrone said.
Mama Cat peeked into the room from the hallway. Lisa wished she could snuggle the black and white furball. At the sight of all the people looking her way, Mama Cat turned and dashed up the stairs. It reminded Lisa of the first time she’d met Kaden Nicolini, when he and Serena had gone upstairs to shoot video. Something about that memory tickled her brain.
“Serena could do it!” Lisa said, the thought blooming into a verbal outburst. She looked around the room. “Where is Serena?”
“Down at the cop shop,” Tyrone said. “They had a whole lot of questions for that girl.”
“Oh. Well, she’s still the logical candidate. They can be co-directors. I know Gavin trusts her.”
Tyrone raised an eyebrow. “Trusts her? His ex?”
“Artistically. He trusts her artistically. He said so himself.”
“Oh, really,” Tyrone said, leaning in. “And what else did our Mr. Gavin Jump say?”
Lisa blushed as everyone stared at her. “He said she didn’t need to break his heart. He would have hired her without the flirting.”
Tyrone considered that for a minute. “Be that as it may, no more budget means no more movie. Unless you happen to know someone with a pile of money they don’t mind throwing down the barrel of a camera?”
“What about crowd-funding?”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Do you know how long it takes to get money from those sites? Not to mention the size of the cut they take. I mean, it might work for funding post-production, but we need cash now. I’m sure you’ve all noticed the certain, ahem, lag in payroll.”
Lisa shrugged and turned to leave the room. “If you want to be negative, go ahead.”
Back in the kitchen, Lisa hugged herself and grinned. She just might know of a way to get the money. She took out her phone and sent a text: “Come see me when you have a minute. Great idea to run by you.”
It wasn’t until the afternoon, when the lunch rush was finished and the film crew had drifted out, that Lisa got a response.
“What’s your idea?” the text read.
“Just come over,” Lisa responded.
A few minutes later, footsteps thumped angrily up the porch stairs. The bell on the front door jingled wildly as the door was thrown open. Lisa wiped her hands on her apron and danced out to the front hall.
“What do you want with me?” Serena said, arms folded.
“First, I want you to close that door. You’re letting all the heat out.”
Serena rolled her eyes and closed the door.
“And second, I want to know if you’d prefer a cappuccino or a mocha. Or something else.”
“Maybe a latte,” Serena said, with a ghost of a smile brushing her lips.
“Ok, good. Come with me.” Lisa led the way into the kitchen. She gestured Serena toward a chair and went to the espresso machine to make the drink.
“Well,” she said, pulling the shot, “I was thinking. Without a director, the movie is pretty much over.”
“Yeah,” Serena said, her tone hovering on the border of rudeness.
“All that work, down the drain. Kaden’s final picture never makes it to the screen.”
Serena closed her eyes a moment. “Yeah,” she said again, softly this time.
“Unless, of course, someone finishes the movie.”
Serena stared at her, not understanding.
“Like a co-director. Like you, as the co-director.”
“Me? I’m not even out of film school. I’m the PA on this set.”
“Production assistant or not, you’ve got the chops,” Lisa said, handing Serena the cup. “Gavin thinks so. It’s why he hired you.”
Worry lines formed between Serena’s brows. “Really? Because I thought it was just because… you know.”
Lisa shook her head. “He said he would have hired you either way. For your talent.”
A faint blush crept up from Serena’s neck.
“I think he would make you co-director if you said you’d finish the film.”
“I don’t know,” Serena said. “But even so, what about the budget? He was financing the whole thing himself, and now, if he has any money, it’s going to a lawyer.”
“You know about Kaden’s phone?” Lisa said. “That it was the bait I used to lure Gavin out of hiding?”
Serena nodded.
“Rosemary Thyme said her network wanted to buy the rest of the footage as an exclusive.”
“She did?”
“I think you could get real money for it. Enough to finish the movie and s
tart your career.”
Serena lowered the cup and stared at Lisa, her eyes shining. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
Lisa looked away. “I know what it’s like to be a woman trying to break into the industry. We’ve got to stick together, look out for each other when we can.” Lisa didn’t add that she still felt guilty for suspecting Serena of Kaden’s murder.
Serena was silent for a long moment. She drank the last of her coffee, upending the cup to get the last few drops.
“Do you have Rosemary Thyme’s contact info?” Serena said. She put the cup next to the sink.
Lisa dug in her pocket. “Here’s her card.” She handed over the slightly rumpled cardboard rectangle.
Serena clutched the card. “Thank you.” Suddenly awkward, she nodded in Lisa’s direction and left the kitchen.
*
The late afternoon shift dragged without Annette being there to help. Lisa plunged her hands into the hot water in the sink, scrubbing bowls and spoons. The kitchen was so quiet with only her there. This time of the day, she was used to having the bubbly teen’s presence in the room as they worked on the closing chores together.
Lisa sighed. She would have to look into hiring someone new. Maybe she would call her mother and ask if she had any ideas. Penny Baldwin-Chance always had ideas, for anything you could name. Lisa sighed again. She knew that a new employee was necessary, and that in time she’d get used to the new person, too, but she really missed Annette. The girl had been her very first employee after getting the café open in the Folly. Even though it had only been a few months, it felt wrong not having her there.
Mama Cat rubbed up against Lisa’s legs, making her jump in surprise.
“Hello, gorgeous,” she said. “Can’t pet you right now. My hands are in the dishwater.”
The cat gave a disdainful meow as if to make her opinion of dishwater known.
“Yes, well, I still have to wash them, even if you’d rather I dried my hands and got down to the serious business of rubbing behind your ears.”
Mama Cat flicked her tail and strolled out of the kitchen.
“I’m going to tell Mo about your attitude!” Lisa called after the kitty. “Your cattitude,” she said to herself.
After Lisa finished the dishes and the rest of the cleanup, she looked up to realize that the sun had gone down and her stomach was grumbling. She checked the locks on the doors and went upstairs.
Looking in the fridge, she found a container of leftover potato and leek soup with bacon and a head of lettuce that was only a little wilted. She popped the soup in the microwave and rummaged in the fridge for some more ingredients for a salad.
Just as she was sitting down to eat, her phone chimed with an incoming text. She swiped to read it.
“Gavin said yes. Rosemary said yes. Movie is a go!!!” Serena’s text seemed to make the phone glow with her excitement.
Lisa smiled and texted back. “Congrats! Filming here or LA?”
“LA,” came the return text. “Leaving tomorrow.”
Lisa bit her lip, uncertain about sending the next text, but needing to know the answer. “Gavin hadn’t paid for locations & craft. RU sending checks?”
She held her breath waiting for the response.
“Will do better than that. Drop off check B4 we leave?”
Lisa’s heart sped up. A check right away, for the full amount, would let her pay back her credit card and save her some hefty interest charges. “Perfect!!!” she texted back.
Lisa took a bite of soup, savoring the creaminess of the potato and the saltiness of the bacon. If the whole production was leaving the next day for LA, it would mean Dylan was leaving, too. She was glad to be on better terms with him again. They had such a long history. She wondered how long it would be until the next time she saw him.
The production leaving town also meant she had no more excuse to avoid looking for a new employee. Maybe she would post a flier on the bulletin board by the church. Or maybe just put a sign in the window and see if someone who already knew the café as a customer wanted to know it from the inside as an employee, too. With the café soon to be out of debt, hiring a new employee was less panic-inducing.
Her phone chimed with a new message. It was Carly. “Not asleep yet. Want to come over?”
Lisa grinned and jumped up from her chair. Grabbing her keys and her coat, she rushed out the door to go see her best friend while she was still awake.
Chapter 30
A root beer float and a screening of The Shawshank Redemption later, Lisa hugged her friend goodnight and came home. The cold made her glad to get inside and change into some comfy flannel jammies and curl up under the comforter. Mama Cat jumped on the bed and did a quick stretch and knead before curling up beside her.
Lisa’s phone rang. She growled at it and looked at the screen, wondering who would be calling this late. It was her mother. Lisa picked up right away.
“Hello?”
“Lisa, you need to come and talk to your father.”
There was a muffled metallic thump in the background.
“What’s going on?”
“No time to talk. Just come over,” Penny commanded. Her voice got softer, as though she’d put the phone down. “Lou! Stop that! You need to see reason.”
Lisa stared at the phone, wide-eyed, then remembered what she’d seen earlier in the week: Jake Peterman’s truck in front of Penny’s house. Could he be back, and could Lou have found him there? Lisa shucked her pajamas, threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt, shoved the phone in her pocket and ran for the car. Lou Chance had a calm, professorial demeanor on the outside, but he was still a musician inside.
She drove at top speed across town to her mother’s house. Her father’s car was angled across the front lawn, the driver’s side door hanging open and the interior light on. She parked across the street and got out. The door ajar alarm was chiming in Lou’s car. Lisa ran to the door.
“Mom? Dad? It’s Lisa,” she called.
No response.
A hand on the front door, she pushed it open. Heart pounding, she stepped inside.
“Lou! Stop that!” Penny’s voice echoed from upstairs.
“Hello?” Lisa called up the stairs.
Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall toward the stairs, and then Lou Chance burst on the scene with an armful of clothes. He pounded down the stairs.
Lisa jumped out of his way.
Lou’s face was red. He stomped through the living room and to the sliding glass door to the deck in the back. He struggled to unlock the door one-handed. It didn’t budge, so he dropped an armful of clothes on the sofa to go at it with two hands. He finally got the door open and scooped up the clothes again to go out on the deck.
Penny ran down the stairs and past Lisa. She stood in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips.
“Don’t you dare!”
Lou turned to face her, his eyes bulging. He held up the clothes. Lisa could see that it was an armload of Penny’s nightgowns and silky underthings. He shook the clothes at Penny.
“Peterman? Peterman, of all people?”
Penny strode through the room and onto the deck. Lisa trailed after her, not sure what to do but afraid to leave.
“After you hooked up with my sister, I’m supposed to remain chaste?” Penny said in an acid tone.
“I made a mistake!”
“I can make mistakes, too!”
Lou turned away from her and stalked to the edge of the deck. He flipped up the cover to the hot tub, then shoved it off the edge of the deck and down into the brush below.
“Lou, stop it.”
He ignored her words and threw back his head to howl like a wolf. He cut off the howl mid-bay and pitched a nightgown into the hot tub.
“Lou!”
He tossed in a bra and panty set, then another nightie and a short silky robe. Penny stamped her foot. Lou dumped the rest of the clothes into the hot tub and turned the dial all the way to the h
ottest setting.
“You’ve ruined them,” Penny said.
“I gave these to you! How could you wear them with him?”
“Would you rather I went naked?”
Lisa held up her hands and stepped between the two. “Whoa, whoa. Mom and Dad, you need to stop this. What is going on here? Have you both gone crazy?”
Lou folded his arms and glared at Penny. Penny put her hands on her hips, nostrils flaring, and she returned his look.
Lisa glanced around, realizing that she’d seen Peterman’s truck in front of the house but she hadn’t seen Jake Peterman himself.
“Where’s Mr. Peterman?” she said.
Penny sighed. “He locked himself in the bathroom.”
Lou chuckled. “He saw this and was ready to wet himself.” He held up a gun.
Lisa gasped and took a step back.
Lou swung around to her. “No, honey, it’s just a squirt gun. I painted it black with model paint.” He aimed it at the hot tub and squirted a little stream of water at the bubbling soup of ruined lingerie.
“After what just happened on set? Daddy.” She frowned in disapproval.
“It’s inappropriate, Lou,” Penny added.
“But funny,” he said.
“Lou.” Penny’s lip twitched as a smile tried to escape.
“See? Big bad Jake Peterman sees a squirt-gun and locks himself in the bathroom — that’s funny.”
Penny shook her head. “You are impossible.”
Lisa folded her arms. “I don’t know what to do with you two.”
Her father smiled sheepishly.
“Thank you for coming over, dear, but I think we’re ok now,” Penny said.
Lou peered into the hot tub. “That’s a motley soup,” he said.
Penny walked across the deck, wrapping her arms around her body in the cold. “I can’t leave those in there. They’ll wreck the filter and pump.”
“Go back inside,” Lou said. “I can fish them out.”
Penny gave him a fond smile that brought Lisa back to her childhood. When it would snow, Lou would immediately go outside and shovel the driveway and sidewalks. Penny would watch him through the window with that same smile on her face, waiting until he was almost done and then hurrying to have a hot cocoa ready for him when he came inside again.
Shooting on Location (Lisa Chance Cozy Mysteries Book 2) Page 18
