Some Like It Shot (Movie Club Mysteries, Book 6)

by Zara Keane

  Hannah leaped back. “Stop, Dad. You’ll mess up my ‘do. And I don’t have a crush on Judd. I just like his films.”

  “Whatever you say, love.” Liam winked at me. “Want to join us, Maggie?”

  The short answer was no, but I couldn’t tell him that without revealing why I wanted to talk to Lenny alone. “I’m supposed to meet Lenny.”

  “You’re both welcome to eat with us.” Liam pulled out a chair for me. “I know you don’t like me doing this, but humor me. A man’s allowed to make a fuss over an injured girlfriend, surely.”

  After Liam had helped me into my seat, he brushed my lips with the briefest of kisses. His touch was a welcome distraction from the pain in my wrist and the tiredness that threatened to overwhelm me. If I had a magic wand, I’d have wished us back to my cottage on Whisper Island. We’d snuggle on the sofa with homemade cocktails, takeaway food, and escapist TV. During my marriage to Joe the Sleazebag, date nights had involved designer dresses, fancy restaurants, and expensive wines. All the trappings of romance hadn’t saved our marriage, and they hadn’t made Joe faithful. I’d take Liam and his joy in the simple things in life a thousand times over Joe and his flashy lifestyle.

  Hannah’s retching sounds pulled me back to the present. “Ew, gross. Enough with the PDA, you two.”

  “Wait a few years,” Liam said, shooting me a grin, “and we’ll see how gross you find kissing then.”

  “If it’s my dad kissing someone, it’ll always be gross.” Tiring of the topic of her father’s love life, Hannah switched her attention to me. “What’s your role, Maggie? Do you get to wear a cool outfit?”

  “No cool costume for me,” I replied. “I’m in the background in a couple of outdoor scenes. What about you?”

  “I’m a guest in the wedding scene. I get to wear a pretty dress and pretend to eat fake food. The problem is, seeing all the fake cakes made me super hungry.” She glanced at the empty space in front of me. “Why aren’t you eating?”

  “I’ll grab something when Lenny gets here.”

  “You’re welcome to share my spaghetti,” Liam said. “I overloaded my plate.”

  I regarded his sticky spaghetti and half-hearted bolognese sauce. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

  “I don’t blame you.” Liam regarded his food with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. “I should’ve waited until Magnum opened for business.”

  “I’m surprised they’re not open already,” I said, recalling my conversation with Sammy. “I got the impression they wanted to be open in time for the lunchtime crowd.”

  “Yeah, but that was before the accident,” Hannah announced between mouthfuls of fries.

  “Huh? How did a dancer getting injured affect Magnum’s food truck?”

  “Because Coco—that’s the choreographer—was short a man for Dad’s dance, and Sammy suggested she ask his father to stand in.”

  In my reduced state, it took a moment for the implications to sink in. Gretchen was a pro dancer and a female. Coco wouldn’t replace her with a male amateur. “Wait a sec. Are you saying there was a second accident today involving a dancer?”

  “A second accident?” Liam’s brow creased. “I didn’t realize there was a first.”

  I cursed myself for my quick tongue. “One of the pros hurt her ankle this morning. What happened to your guy?”

  “He fell down the stairs in the North Tower,” Liam supplied. “He’s okay, but he got bashed up on the way down.”

  I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Had the man’s fall indeed been an accident? In an old castle, falls happened. People weren’t used to winding stone staircases with uneven steps. Add in the adrenaline rush of being on a movie set, and it was possible the guy had tripped. Yet the fact we’d had two injuries in one day bothered me. Was this a sign that the saboteur, if there was one, was escalating their efforts?

  “You look awfully serious all of a sudden,” Liam said. “What’s up?”

  “Just my wrist,” I deflected. “I try to block out the pain, but if I make a false move, it throbs.” I glanced at Hannah. “Tell me about Magnum ending up in the movie.”

  “When the other man got hurt, Coco was down a dancer for Dad’s scene,” Hannah repeated. “She persuaded Magnum to take the injured man’s role, and Sammy scored a part in my scene. Magnum’s going to open his truck for a couple of hours later, but he’ll mostly be on set.”

  My mind whirling, I stole one of Hannah’s fries and regretted it the instant I popped it into my mouth. “This is gross. How’s the burger?”

  “Revolting,” Hannah replied cheerfully, “but I’m starving. Sammy said he’d fix me up with a discount when he and his dad finally open.”

  If there was a saboteur on set, they were part of the regular cast and crew. It’d be easier for me to spot suspicious behavior once the extras were off the island. “How late will you guys need to stay?” I asked. “Has Con organized extra ferry crossings to get you home?”

  “Until midnight,” Liam replied, “and yes. The last ferry back leaves at one AM.”

  “It’s so great we get to stay late,” Hannah added. “Dad’s dance scene doesn’t start shooting until it gets dark, and part of the dance spills out onto the lawn where the wedding guests will be seated.”

  At this time of year, the sunset didn’t happen before ten. From what I’d seen at the shoot this afternoon, wrapping by midnight was optimistic. I quashed a sigh. All I wanted right now was an early night, but that wasn’t likely to happen.

  “Hey, there’s Caoimhe,” Hannah exclaimed around a mouthful of burger. She waved across the cafeteria to her friend. “Is it okay if I go sit with her and Melanie? She’s in a different scene to me, and I haven’t seen her all day.”

  “Far be it from me to part you from your best friend,” her father said. “Can you manage your tray on your own?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad. I’m nine, not four.”

  “I stand corrected,” he said solemnly.

  “But I’m not taking it with me.” She wrinkled her nose at the remains of her burger. “It’s pretty gross.”

  After his daughter left, Liam turned to me with a devilish grin. “So, Miss Maggie. Care to share why you’re on Dolphin Island?”

  I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath. It was time to weave my web of truths, half-truths, and lies. “A sudden desire for fame and fortune?” I batted my eyelashes in a terrible imitation of Dolly O’Brien. “Doesn’t everyone secretly long to be a movie star?”

  “Hmm…” The corners of Liam’s eyes crinkled with silent laughter. “I understood you couldn’t be paid enough to appear on the big screen.”

  Yeah, I’d said that. And then Con Ryder had offered a sum I couldn’t resist, and I’d shelved my principles in favor of filthy lucre. “Beth persuaded me.” The trick, when lying, was to tell as many truths as possible.

  My boyfriend’s eyebrows arched. “Is that so? Was she the person you visited at the hotel last night?”

  Oh, no, I wasn’t about to fall into that trap. “I told you last night. I was at the hotel to see a client. I ran into Beth by chance.”

  Liam waved a hand in a circular motion. “And you failed to mention this to me on the drive home because…?”

  “Because I hadn’t decided if I was going to take her up on the offer. I wanted to sleep on it first.” With my best poker face, I added, “I kind of had to say yes. Beth offered a part to Lenny on the condition I agreed to come, and you know how much he’s wanted to get involved with the movie. I couldn’t disappoint him. And with you bailing on our weekend away, I had the free time.”

  His lips twitched with silent laughter. “No way. I’m not to blame for your presence here.”

  I gestured to my sling. “What else can I do this weekend? I’m having trouble cooking for myself. This way, I get to spend time with you, Hannah, and Beth, and I also get three prepared meals a day.”

  “Uh-huh.” Liam poked at his spaghetti. “Three pre
pared meals of this high quality would have me living on yogurt. Now come on, Maggie. What aren’t you telling me?”

  I adopted my most innocent expression. “You’ve spent too many years on the force. You see conspiracies where there are none.”

  “And you spent too many years on the force not to pick up a few tricks on effective deception.”

  “My profession relies on my ability to be discreet,” I said primly. “Just like yours.”

  He laughed. “Don’t try to fob me off. Are you working a case? If so, who hired you?”

  “That’s a lot of questions all at once. As I said, discretion is important in my line of business. If I were here for work, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  “You don’t mind sharing details about some of your cases. When you clam up, I get suspicious.”

  “Quibbles, the missing Maine Coon,” I said straight-faced. “I got a tip-off that he caught the ferry to Dolphin Island.”

  The skin at the corners of Liam’s eyes crinkled. “You’re a terrible fibber. I take it you haven’t found him yet?”

  “No. I hate letting Trudy Nelson down, but I can’t keep taking her money. It’s been two weeks, and Quibbles is a pampered show cat. He can’t fend for himself. I’ll have to be direct and tell Trudy her cat’s not coming back.”

  Liam’s face grew serious. “If you’re here on a job, I’d like assurance that it’s not dangerous. With one arm, you’re in no state to defend yourself.”

  The danger part wasn’t one I’d dwelled upon when I’d accepted the job. I’d assumed the heavy security presence would keep us safe. If a second so-called accident had occurred today, I needed to tackle Con about his promises. “Relax. You’re off duty.”

  “True, but if anything happens while I’m here, I’m on duty by default. Seriously, Maggie, is there anything I should know?”

  After the incident in the ballroom, I was sure someone was acting with malicious intent. Still, I wanted to persuade Con to confide in Liam. First, the director and I had a deal, and second, I wanted everything to be above board. If Con agreed to talk to Liam, we’d tackle him together. “Not right now,” I said. “If the situation changes, I’ll let you know. Pinky swear.”

  He hooked his little finger around mine. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “Yo, Maggie. Sorry I’m late.” Lenny bounced into view, still wearing his stage makeup. A glittery bolt of lightning ran diagonally across his face, and tiny stars covered every spare inch of skin. Lenny’s scraggly goatee was now a brilliant tricolor of neon purple, green, and yellow.

  “You’re looking colorful.”

  He dropped into the seat next to Liam’s. “Didn’t Storm do a fantastic job?”

  “Looks like your dance scene will be interesting.” I shot Liam a mischievous grin. “What does your set makeup look like?”

  Liam grimaced. “Not dissimilar to Lenny’s, unfortunately.”

  “I hear your costumes are equally fabulous.”

  “Yeah… Think satin, sequins, and leg hair.”

  “The hirsute look is all part of the role,” Lenny said, failing to notice the irony in Liam’s tone. “That’s why our dresses are on the short side.”

  My stomach rumbled loudly. “Enough talk of leg hair. I need food.”

  “Want me to order for you?” Lenny asked. “I hear the mac and cheese isn’t too disgusting.”

  “A ringing endorsement,” I said dryly. “Okay, mac and cheese it is. And I’ll take mineral water.”

  Before Lenny had a chance to get up, Coco glided over to our table, accompanied by a lumbering Theresa Crawley. My assistant recoiled at the sight of Theresa. Theresa, for her part, looked like a bull gearing up to charge.

  Coco appeared unruffled by the sudden change in the atmosphere. “Nice to see you again, Maggie. Those pre-shoot shots I mentioned earlier? With today’s delays, we decided to push it to eight-thirty. It’ll be held right here in the marquee. Does that work with your schedule?”

  “That works perfectly. My scene is due to finish at eight.”

  “Excellent.” Coco turned her attention to Liam and Lenny. “I came over to introduce you boys to Theresa, a late addition to the dance team. She was originally cast in a crowd scene, but there was…friction…with a fellow extra.”

  “That cow pushed me,” Theresa muttered. “I could’ve fallen over the cliff.”

  “Anyhow,” Coco continued breezily, “I’ve taken Theresa under my wing, and she’ll be joining us in the dance scene. Lenny, I’d like you to be her dance partner.”

  “What? No way,” Lenny and Theresa exclaimed in the same beat.

  “But I’m dancing with Dolly O’Brien,” Lenny insisted. “We’ve spent all afternoon practicing our steps.”

  “You and Dolly are our best amateur dancers,” Coco said smoothly. Liam cast me a sheepish look at the description of his dancing abilities. I smothered a grin. “I’d like you both to work with less-able dancers and help them get ready for tomorrow’s shoot. From now on, Dolly will dance with Liam, and you’ll partner with Theresa,” she finished. “Thank you so much for helping out. I know you two will perform admirably together.”

  With this parting statement, Coco floated away, evaporating from our line of vision and away from further remonstrations from Lenny and Theresa.

  Liam whistled. “Nicely done. I should hire her to teach my team negotiation skills.”

  “Negotiation?” Lenny spluttered. “That was a flat-out order.”

  My boyfriend nodded. “Exactly.”

  Theresa placed her meaty fists on our table and fixed a menacing glare on Lenny. “If you trod on my feet, I’ll turn you into one of my fish pies.”

  “Me trod on your feet?” Lenny scoffed. “More likely to be the other way around. If I make it through the shoot without broken bones, I’ll consider myself lucky. Look at what you did to Maggie.”

  A shade of aubergine showed beneath Theresa’s leathery tan. “I did nothing to her. She wrestled me down a flight of stairs. The woman’s not stable.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I snapped, fed up with this never-ending argument. “We fell. End of story. I certainly didn’t choose to wind up with my wrist in a sling.”

  “Attention-seeking,” Theresa muttered. “I bet there’s nothing wrong with your wrist.”

  “Now hang on a minute—” Lenny began.

  “That’s enough.” I gritted my teeth. “Find a table, Theresa, preferably one on the other side of the cafeteria. If you and Lenny want to keep your parts as extras, you’ll have to learn to cooperate with one another. And Lenny very much wants to keep his part.” I shot my assistant a significant look. “Right, Lenny?”

  He had the good grace to look abashed. “Yeah. Let’s call a truce, Theresa, at least for the shoot.”

  She harrumphed. “Fine. But any funny business, and the truce is off.”

  “Whoa,” I said when Theresa had stomped off. “That woman is a walking ball of aggression.”

  “The idea of dancing with her has almost put me off eating.” Lenny grinned. “But not quite. I’ll go get our food. Back in a minute.”

  After Lenny had left, Liam glanced at his watch and pushed back his chair. “I’d better go. I’m due at makeup in a minute.” He dropped a kiss on my cheek. “Take care of yourself. Any problems, call me. Doesn’t matter if I’m rehearsing. I’ll be there.”

  I pressed my hand to my heart. “You’re my knight in shining satin.”

  17

  Dinner with Lenny proved to be a bust. The food sucked, and neither of us had any new leads to share. Lenny believed the second accident of the day wasn’t suspicious. We both agreed that the Pledge on the dance floor was deliberate and that we needed to persuade Con to talk to Liam. We parted in front of the marquee and went our separate ways. Lenny had a final rehearsal before his dance scene was filmed, and I was due to appear in another outdoor scene.

  The next couple of hours dragged. The effects of my medication wore off to the point that I was
in acute pain. My part required me to sit in the background while my sister and the obnoxious Judd Ryan filmed their romantic all-was-lost scene. Derry Eden, the guy playing the gay groom, was a well-known Irish comedian, and he added a zing to every scene he appeared in. I’d enjoyed filming the scene with Derry this afternoon, but filming with Judd was a whole other story. Judd kept going off script—whether deliberately or because he’d failed to learn his lines, I couldn’t tell. Either way, his improvisations infuriated Con, and it took several takes to shoot the scene. By the time we wrapped, the mood on the set was toxic. If the saboteur arranged an accident for Judd at that moment, I doubt any of us would run to his assistance.

  After Con announced we were done, a series of golf carts arrived to transport the principal cast and crew back to the castle. The rest of us were left to walk. Already wilting, I contemplated the steep hill without enthusiasm. And then I spotted a potential savior. Luke sat behind the wheel of one of the golf carts, and my sister stepped in, careful not to wrinkle her wedding dress for this evening’s scenes. It was a champagne-lace sheath dress with spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline. My sister wasn’t as big in the bust as I was, but the dress made her look more buxom than usual. The wardrobe department had performed magic in keeping both breasts from falling out of the dress. Unsurprisingly, Beth looked stunning.

  “Hey,” I called. “Okay if I hitch a ride? These painkillers have me wiped.”

  Beth regarded the space left on the seat and pursed her lips. “You’ll crush my dress.”

  Although my sister had made far more condescending remarks to me over the years, this one made me snap. “You know what, Beth? Forget it. I’m supposed to be at home, resting. Yet here I am, complete with a busted wrist, looking out for you. And your idea of sisterly love was sticking me in a tent next to the porta-potties?”

  Beth’s eyes widened in shock at my unexpected outburst. “I was considerate, Maggie. With your arm in a sling, I thought it’d be more convenient for you to be closer to the facilities.”