by Billy Kring
I knew why he said it when I opened to the first page and then thumbed through the others. I said, “This isn’t the script we studied.”
“I know. G said he had an inspirational moment.”
Hondo said, “So he threw out the original scene and wrote another one that’s not even close to the first one.”
Shells nodded, “Yes. I tried to talk him out of it, but he told me if I didn’t shut up he would fire me, then sue me.”
I read a few lines, “He wants us to desert and join the mafia to fight against our old unit. Is he serious?”
“I am most serious,” G said as he walked to join us. “This will show the plight of the mafia and make them more relatable to the audience.”
“You just had a scene where the mafia murders an innocent young girl. I don’t think audiences will buy the Cosa Nostra as the good guys,” I said.
“You are wrong. I am preparing to write Mandy as another who joins the mafia side, and that will win the audience.” Mandy’s head came up and she hurried to our group.
“What did you say, G? I’m going to be mafia?”
“You’re going to be inspired by their leader and join him in the fight with the Vikings against the infidels. And we will shoot scenes that will fill theaters, where you and the leader make love. Actually make love.”
I said, “We’re now making a porn film.”
G said, “It is art, and symbolism, realistic symbolism.”
Mandy’s cheeks glowed pink, “I thought we were a couple, G. And you want me to have sex with another man? On camera?”
“It is art, my dear.”
Mandy looked at us, then at Shells, and finally at G. She said, “That’s not gonna happen, you ass. In fact, I’m going to sue you. And I’m leaving here, right now.”
G reached for her, but she slapped away his hand. He growled, “Get back here, right now.”
Shells said, “I’m with her. And my lawyer will be talking to your lawyer.”
Hondo and I grinned, then followed the other two out of there.
G yelled, “You can’t sue me! I’m dissolving the company and stopping production! There will be no film! And don’t look for any money from me!”
As we walked to Shamu, I said, “I hope we get the last check, but I’m not counting on it.”
“Things will work out,” Hondo said.
When we returned to our office and went next door to the gym to tell Archie all of it, including the chance of not being paid.
He said, “You want some work?”
“Sure.”
“It’s a movie for the SyFy Channel. They need some supporting characters that can do stunts in the action scenes. After you guys talked to him, Farlow came to see me at the gym. I took him on as a client and got him this gig. Farlow is second AD and special effects, and he’ll vouch for you, I’m sure.”
I pictured Farlow after Hondo’s two-finger punch, when he apologized to everyone, and I knew he was a nice guy. I grinned, “You got Farlow an AD job? I thought maybe in makeup.”
“He did makeup and FX on two films already, and the producers liked him. They liked his suggestions when they asked him about this or that. You know how smaller productions go, if they like you, they want to work with you again.”
“Sounds good to us. What will we be playing?”
“Aliens from outer space who are turned into some zombie monsters that kill lots of folks and rip a small town to pieces. That’s all I know. Oh, and they’re blue.”
“So we’ll be alien killer Smurfs,” I said.
“Pretty much.”
Hondo said, “Sounds like fun.”
Archie said, “I’ll go make a call and get back to you. By the way, you two are out of chips.” He left before we could check the storage room.
Later that evening, Wilson brought Bodhi to the house and the five of us went out on the deck, moving a few lawn chairs around the gas fueled fire pit to enjoy the cool night.
Bodhi didn’t appear to be in a good mood. She said, “We met with lawyers again today.”
Amber said, “And?”
“Troy now controls one hundred percent of mom and dad’s assets.”
“How? You’re the heir,” Amber said.
“He convinced me…well, Jericho convinced me, and Troy agreed with him.”
I said, “And you feel that’s the right decision?”
“I did at the time. Those two are persuasive, Jericho especially, telling me how Troy could protect and build the companies, and take care my every need. I would never want for anything, he said.”
Hondo said, “I’m guessing here, but did Troy say it would be just like when Sylvia was alive?”
“Troy didn’t say it, Jericho did.” She bit at the edge of her thumb, “Maybe they’re right. I didn’t want for a thing when Mom and Dad lived.”
I kept silent. I would talk to Hondo tomorrow, but not now in front of everyone. Hondo caught my eye and I knew we had the same ideas. I thought it might be time to do some poking around that’s a shade outside what’s legal.
We talked about other things for a while, and around eleven everyone left, so that only Amber and I remained at the fire. She said, “You need to help her. What Troy’s doing isn’t right, Ronny.”
“I know. Hondo and I’ll talk tomorrow, see what we can do.”
“I knew you would. Thank you.” She went to the pit and turned off the gas, making the flames shrink and disappear into the lava rock, then said, “Let’s watch something funny, I need to flush away the anger I’m feeling.”
I put in my DVD of Young Frankenstein, and we sat on the couch and did quote-alongs with the actors in our favorites scenes. Amber yawned about halfway through, so I turned it off and we went to bed. She dropped off to sleep in seconds. I wasn’t far behind.
Hondo and I went to the office early and found Archie waiting for us. He said, “Farlow says to call him at this number.” He gave Hondo a paper, “And be ready to work this evening on a night shoot. He’ll give you the details.”
Hondo made the call while I looked for any Julio’s chips we might have overlooked. Hondo waved to me as he put his phone in his back pocket, “Farlow said to come now, so we can talk before they begin shooting.”
“I’m ready.”
~*~
I almost didn’t recognize Farlow when we arrived at the outdoor location. The beard and long hair were gone, along with the biker clothes. Farlow was a nice looking man, and dressed casual but sharp like now, he cut a smart image. He said, “I’m glad you’re here. Let’s go to my trailer and talk about the film.” He led us to the trailer and went inside, saying, “I’ve got your scripts here, too.”
Hondo and I sat on a small couch as he grabbed the oversized chair. Farlow said, “The story is a fun one, and you already know the director, Emma Storm. She mentioned you both. She said Hondo’s a natural for any part. Ronny, she said your work on the Viagra commercial you and Archie did, where Archie gave you the fatherly advice about using the pill, is their highest rated one because you’re so believable in your part.”
“It’s only a commercial. I don’t need the product.”
Hondo said, “I don’t know. It sure looked realistic to me.”
I narrowed my eyes to slits as I looked at him, which made him grin.
I said, “What about us being blue?”
Farlow said, “That’ll take the longest, because you two will only be wearing loincloths. All your skin will need to be covered. It’ll look good on screen, we’ve already done some test shots. You both will need to be waxed to remove any hair before we apply the makeup, though.”
I said, “Hondo wants to go full commando, so don’t spare the wax. He’s always about getting into character by being the character. It’s his method training.”
“Ha ha,” Hondo said.
“I wish it was for more than three days,” Farlow said. “I’ll keep you in mind on future shoots.”
“Three days is great for us,” I s
aid. “It all adds up.”
We spent the rest of the day getting waxed and painted and dressed in our small loincloths, and that evening we shot our scenes for the first day. We returned to the office at sunrise, just in time for Archie to wave us over when we parked.
Archie said, “Amber’s inside with Bodhi. They’re waiting.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll let them tell it.”
We went in the office, where Amber poured us coffee. Bodhi looked sad and frightened. Amber said, “Bodhi needs to bounce something off you.”
I hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours, but I said, “Go ahead.”
“I heard Troy and Wilson arguing early this morning, it woke me up they were so loud, so I moved closer to listen. I made sure they didn’t see me, though.”
“What was it about?”
“I didn’t make out the first part, but I did hear Wilson call Troy a thief. Troy tried to hit him, but Wilson knocked his arm out of the way and told him not to do that again, then Troy told him he was fired and to leave immediately.”
“Did he?”
“Wilson said he’d be back later and settle it.”
Hondo said, “That’s what you wanted to tell us?”
“Not all of it. As soon as Wilson left, Troy made a call and I heard him say, ‘Don’t wait any longer,’ and then he went into the office and came back with a pistol.” She looked at us, “That scared me.”
I said, “What did he do?”
“He put the pistol in his pocket and watched out the front window like he was waiting for Wilson to return. He kept putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out the pistol, like practicing, you know? I’m worried about what will happen if Wilson comes back.”
Amber said, “She’s not sure if Wilson will return this morning or not, so she wanted to tell you two, since you’re his friends.”
Hondo pulled his phone and dialed as I said, “Glad you told us. We don’t want anyone hurt.”
Bodhi said, “Thanks.”
Amber said, “Why don’t you stay with me at my apartment for a few days until they get this worked out?”
“I’d like that.”
I felt a twinge, because Amber wouldn’t be with me, but at her apartment.
Hondo pocketed his phone, “I tried his number twice and got voicemail. I left a message on the last one.”
I said, “Why don’t we pay Troy a visit?”
Hondo said, “You want to do it now, or after we get a few hours sleep?”
“We can hit the sack later.”
~*~
Troy buzzed us through the gate and met us at the front door. He said, “Is this about your friend, or Bodhi? Both of them have been a lot of trouble lately.”
Hondo said, “Bodhi’s upset and came to us. Why don’t you tell us what happened?”
“It’s none of your business.” He bit his lower lip and continued, “But we’re friends, so I’ll tell you. Wilson has been caught going through our private files and records.”
“Who caught him?” I asked.
“I did, Jericho and I did.”
“What happened?”
“Jericho confronted him, and said he was disappointed in Wilson’s behavior, that he expected more from a former Marine. Wilson became angry and shoved Jericho away, then told me he deserved more money for all the work he’s doing. We continued our argument out into the hall and onto the lawn. I fired him and told him to leave, and he threatened me before going.”
Hondo said, “How did Wilson threaten you?”
“He said it wasn’t over, that he’d get me. I guess he meant he would get me for catching him red handed, in the act.”
I said, “Is Jericho around?”
“No, he left.”
“Is he living here?”
Troy waited a second before answering, “No. He’s here a lot because he’s helping me. He stays over occasionally in one of our guest rooms. I’m trying to put my life back together, if you haven’t noticed, and I need advice every once in a while. I trust him, so we talk.”
Hondo said, “He and Wilson did not get along, is that right?”
“Wilson was jealous. Why, I have no idea, but you’re right, they didn’t get along, and more on Wilson’s side than Jericho’s. Jericho tried to mend their relationship, but your friend wanted no part of it.”
Hondo said, “We’d still like to talk to Jericho.”
Troy held his hands wide, “Have at it. He’s somewhere in Los Angeles. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have business matters that need my attention.”
As we drove out the gate, I said to Hondo, “He’s plausible.”
“So you believe him.”
“I didn’t say that. But Troy has more on the ball than I thought. He’s a smooth talker.”
Hondo nodded. “You notice his hand in his pocket the whole time?”
“I did.” We drove by Wilson’s apartment and checked, but no one answered. Hondo tried calling him again with negative results.
“Any ideas on where to look?” Hondo said.
“No clue.” Tiredness tugged at my eyelids. “How about we get some sleep and regroup later.”
“Good call.” I dropped Hondo off at his place and drove to mine. I went into the bedroom, took off my shoes and fell face down on the bed, not even bothering to undress.
Hondo called three hours later and I fumbled for my phone, still groggy because I slept so soundly. “Hey,” I said.
“I’m in your kitchen. Made some coffee.”
I sat up, “Did you put cream in mine?”
“Yes.”
I yawned, stretched, rubbed my eyes and went into the kitchen. I smelled the coffee in the hallway, so I hurried. Hondo sat at the table with Wilson, and both had mugs of coffee. Mine had been placed in front of the empty chair.
“Where’d you come from?” I said.
Wilson said, “From doing some snooping. I didn’t have my phone on. When I turned it on later, I heard Hondo’s message.”
“Where’ve you been snooping?”
“Online a little, and keeping an eye on Troy and Jericho Moon.”
Hondo said, “We heard you don’t like Moon.”
“I still can’t figure him out. He talks all preachy, with love and peace, but a few days ago he and I happened to be alone near the pool, and out of the blue he called me a worthless coward. He was so mad when he said it that his lips quivered. I haven’t seen that much hate on someone’s face in a long time.”
I said, “No idea what brought it on?”
“Nope. I never met him before starting work at the mansion, and only saw him rarely. Well, until the murders. He’s been around a lot since then. So have his women, Moon’s Maidens.”
Hondo said, “You find out anything else?”
“I didn’t get to check everything before Troy fired me, but what I did find was that since the day Troy took over, there have been major transfers of money from Sylvia’s accounts to a bank in the Caymans. There are over sixty separate businesses with accounts that Troy now controls, and each one, daily, wires the same amount of money to the Cayman’s bank.”
I said, “Let me guess. They’re all just under ten thousand dollars.”
“Yep. The IRS and other agencies don’t check deposits under ten thousand.”
Hondo said, “That’s over six hundred thousand dollars a day.”
Wilson said, “It is. I’m not through digging, so I hope to get a little more on Troy and Jericho in the next week or so. I’ll keep you posted.”
“You plant some bugs in the house?”
“Uh-huh. And on the grounds.”
Hondo asked, “What type?”
“Audio, visual, and some digital goodies that will let me access Troy’s computer if he uses it in the office. The house is too large to cover all of it.”
“Sweet,” I said.
Wilson said, “It’s not admissible in court, but good to find out things and go from there. Troy is trying to steal every
penny he can. Unless we stop him.”
I said, “Where did you learn to do that nifty stuff, was it an online course I can take? Those are some mad skills to have.”
He grinned, “After I left the service I worked for a company doing things overseas. My team had a couple of former NSA whiz kids on it, so I tried to learn everything I could. But what I used here is not special. It’s available to anyone if they know where to look.”
Hondo said, “Was Jericho involved in this?”
“I didn’t find anything that directly tied him to the transactions, but the guy is always around.”
Hondo said, “We’ve checked him out several times and came back with nothing.”
Wilson said, “I hacked in and already looked, too. There are a dozen Moons that generally match his age and description, and three have the first name of Jericho, but they’re all clean except for a couple of traffic tickets. The guy’s spotless.”
I said, “We need fingerprints, I’m thinking.”
“That might help, but then again, if he hasn’t done anything…”
I said, “Yeah.”
Wilson said, “I rented an efficiency apartment in Bel Air, and paid cash, so no record of it. It’s a lot closer to the mansion, so I can monitor things easier. I’ll text you the address.”
Wilson left after agreeing to meet again tomorrow afternoon. I looked at the kitchen clock and said to Hondo, “We need to become smurfs again in a little bit. You study your lines?”
“We can go over them on the way to the location.”
“Sounds good. I hope I’m nominated for an Emmy on this one.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’ve got the juiciest part.”
“Oh yeah, and your chance to show a lot of range, where’s that?”
I said, “If Jeff Bridges can get nominated for an Oscar for portraying an alien in Starman, I figure I’m a cinch for an Emmy.”
Hondo shook his head, “Come on, Mr. Emmy Winner, let’s go so I can watch you perform.”
The shoot went fast and we had a good time. The director, Emma, let us improvise a few takes after I whined to her. The only problem for me involved the blue makeup. I accidentally got a smear of it in my eye, which set it to watering and smarting so I blinked every few seconds. Three female extras and one male extra thought I was flirting big time, so I had to shut that down between takes.
