by Jerry Cole
“You're just saying that, so I keep coming back and doing wild stunts for you.”
Mark laughed jovially. “It seems to be working.”
“Well, it is October. Maybe somebody put a spell on me.”
“You know I don't believe in magic, Gabe.”
Gabe laughed. “Maybe it's time you start.”
A young man ran up behind Mark with a sweaty face that was red from running around. The kid caught his breath before holding out a stack of pages. “Sir, the new script came back from the writers.”
“Just now? Are you serious?” Mark snatched the papers from the kid and flipped through them. “We have to re-shoot scene fifteen?! We just finished it yesterday!”
“I'm sorry, Mr. Marron. They just wanted to add--”
“Tell them that if they want to add, they should ask!”
“You want me...to tell them now?”
Gabe stifled a laugh as he felt Mark's energy prickle with frustration. He could imagine Mark's frustrated face even though he couldn't see it visually. The way the kid reacted was enough to know. As the kid scampered away, Mark turned and waved the script. “Well, at least today's scene hasn't been changed.”
“Aren't they supposed to run changes by you first? Isn't that how making movies works?”
“You would think so,” Mark retorted. He huffed. “I need a damn cigarette. All right, people! You have fifteen minutes to get this set right! When I get back, we're starting! Let's go!”
Mark disappeared as a sea of life exploded all around Gabe. He could feel the anxious energy in the air mixed with pure excitement, a variety of people running about like ants to do their jobs. There were dozens upon dozens of people in the area setting up equipment—the gaffer was setting up the lights, the prop man was arranging some debris on top of the pseudo buildings, and screenwriters were arguing with the kid assistant just on the other side of the building.
Gabe sighed as he went to take his place near the cameras. “Just another day in Hollywood.”
He slurped his coffee as the world around him faded into the background. He summoned the image of Roland from last night, the one that had prompted him to reach for a kiss. He smiled warmly.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Gabe perked up and turned, seeing his friend Jax standing nearby. Jax wore his usual outfit: leather jacket and torn jeans. “Hey, buddy.”
“You look happy today. Did somebody you hate die?”
Gabe laughed. “I mean, if we didn't have Devon, we wouldn't have a movie.”
Jax feigned a shocked expression. “Oh, my God, you hate Devon? I can't wait to tell the paparazzi all about it!”
“Shut up, Jax.”
Jax grinned playfully and nudged Gabe. “So, what's the smile for? What's the happiness for? You always look like you're going to a funeral on any given day.”
“I guess I just met someone.”
“Shut up. Who is it? Does he work here? Tell me all the gory details.”
“Maybe after this scene.”
“Is that to make sure I don't drop you while working the wires?”
Gabe winked. “You bet.”
Another bell rang throughout the warehouse. This time, it was accompanied by Mark's voice as Mark approached the cameras. The film crew took their places, cameramen stationed behind their cameras while pointing them at the building. Jax guided Gabe over to the wires dangling from the ceiling just to the left of the scene.
He grabbed a harness from the table nearby and held it up to Gabe. “You know the drill, my dear.”
“Ah, the strip tease,” Gabe joked as he peeled off his shirt.
A whistle erupted from the back of the warehouse followed by a series of chuckles. Gabe rolled his eyes while hooking the harness up to his torso, making sure all the straps were attached properly. Jax double-checked the straps, tugging on them in different places.
He nodded. “All right, you can get dressed again.”
“Too bad.”
Another round of laughs erupted as Gabe pulled his shirt back on. He pulled on a black windbreaker and then stood still as Jax attached the wires to the harness underneath. He patted Gabe's back. “You're all set. Let's do a quick test pull to make sure it's good.”
“I'm ready to dance.”
Jax turned to the director. “Test run!”
Mark nodded while Jax retreated to the wall where a series of pulleys were set up to a machine. He located the appropriate levers and raised a thumb. Gabe repeated the gesture and then turned to the buildings, crouching slightly to prepare for the initial jumping test.
“Three...two...one...jump!”
Gabe leaped from the ground just as the wires tugged on the harness. He flew up a few feet from the ground and dropped back down, bending into his landing. Applause broke out around him that included Mark who looked much less angry.
“All right, folks, let's get this jump filmed. Mark it!” Mark commanded. “We're rolling in three minutes!”
A man scribbled furiously on a scene marker and held it in front of the center camera, waiting for his cue. Mark pointed up toward the first wall and Gabe nodded, immediately scaling the ladder that led up to the roof. He was several feet up in the air, leaning against the edge of the fake wall and studying the length he would have to jump to the next wall. He glanced down and smirked at the fall waiting for him.
That's no more than ten or twelve feet, he observed. But it would certainly hurt if these wires failed.
When he turned back to Mark, he held up a hand. “All set!”
He yanked the hood up over his face and took a few deep, cleansing breaths. He reared back and prepared by crouching slightly, knowing he would have to get a running start. After another few breaths, he heard the clap of the scene marker and Mark's voice echoing after, yelling, “Action!”
Gabe sprang into action. He took a few large strides forward and hopped up from the edge of the wall, flailing slightly before landing hard on the other side. He bent his knees, but they buckled beneath him, sending him into a roll. One of the wires got tangled around his torso.
“Cut! Are you all right up there? Do we need a medic?”
Gabe recovered and untangled the wire from his torso. “I'm good!”
“Any injuries?”
“None yet!”
Mark laughed nervously. He nodded and waved over to the other wall again. “All right, it looked good, Gabe, but you'll have to fix your landing. Let's take that from the top!”
While Gabe descended the ladder and went back to the first wall, he felt the familiar itch of adrenaline in his gut. It was the jump—it always had such a strong effect on him. His heart was racing, and his veins were pumping madly. He scaled the ladder easily and perched himself a few feet away from the edge of the wall.
He took a few calming breaths and held a thumb up in the air, indicating that he was ready.
“Action!”
He sprang forward, repeating the same motions from the initial run. As he scaled over the gap between the walls, he prepared for the landing, bracing himself for the strong impact. He bent his knees and fled forward, taking a few gaping strides until finally coming to an abrupt halt.
Mark clapped from below. “Good! Very good! Let's do just one more! I need an aerial view from camera number four!”
Gabe happily went back to the other wall. After another successful run, Mark praised him and called him down from the fake building. Although it was a thrill to jump between them, Gabe was happy to have a break. He jogged over to Jax to get the wires removed from his harness.
“Good job, my dear. You always do jumps so well,” Jax complimented.
“Well, I learned from the best.”
“Oh, flattery will get you everywhere around here.”
Gabe laughed. “I'm aware.”
“Any plans for lunch? I thought about checking out that new sushi place around the corner. It's supposed to be the best.”
“How is it the best if it's new?
I'd say that's just advertising. You wouldn't want to come back with a stomach ache.”
“Well, it's better than what they serve here.”
Gabe hummed. “You've got a point. How about the diner? They always have great food.”
“I could definitely go for a burger right now.” Jax fashioned the wires against a hook in the wall to hold until next time. “I still can't believe Ben fell from one of these.”
“Are we using the same ones?”
“Heavens, no! Those went with the detective whenever they...Well, you know. I don't want to rehash that experience for you.”
Gabe suddenly looked grim, dropping his gaze to the ground. “I swear, that wasn't an accident, Jax. We don't let accidents happen here.”
“Accidents do happen, Gabe. It must have been a faulty wire. You know the production company switched to new wires because of it.”
“It wasn't just a faulty wire, Jax. It was somebody here.”
Jax shushed him. “Don't say that too loud. You wouldn't want to make enemies on this set.”
“And why not? Is it threatening to make enemies here?”
“Listen, Gabe, you've done well on this production and plenty of productions before. You've made a lot of friends in high places and they all respect you. Don't go ruining those connections over a conspiracy theory.”
Gabe glowered with anger. He balled his fists at his sides and took a shaky breath. On his exhale, he sighed, “I guess you're right.”
“We can talk about it over drinks but not here, okay?”
“So, you believe me?”
Jax glanced around suspiciously. There wasn't anyone nearby, but he was taking a precaution that Gabe highly appreciated. “Something definitely smells about the whole business, but I don't know. I just don't know, Gabriel.”
“I've spoken to the detective. He said it seemed weird, too.”
“Then, maybe it's best to run those ideas by that detective instead of me. I'm not much help. I wasn't even here that day.”
“I wish you had been. I need someone on my side, Jax.”
Jax clapped a hand on Gabe's shoulder and offered a warm smile. “Hey, I'll always be in your corner, no matter what. Now, let's go grab a burger. Tell me about this new guy. You promised you would if you survived the wires and you have, so you owe me.”
Gabe laughed. “All right, have it your way.”
As he followed Jax to the door, he lost track of the Hollywood gossip that Jax was spewing. He couldn't help glancing one more time at the wires that had just held him.
What if I had fallen to my death? he considered grimly. Would they investigate it as a murder then? When will it be enough to prove that Ben's accident wasn't really an accident?
Chapter Six
Roland
“We're almost done, Mr. Dudley. Just a few more stitches.”
Roland bent over the table with a needle and thread, peering through a pair of oversize protective glasses while speaking through his cleaning mask.
“You're going to look wonderful for your family. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you once you're finished.”
Dora snorted from across the room. “The only thing that will make them happy is shaving a few thousand off their bill.”
“Well, money certainly does tend to make people tense, doesn't it?”
She sighed knowingly. “It does, indeed.”
Roland dove back into his work with the needle, expertly pinning the skin back together. When he was finished, he sat up and removed his cleaning mask from his mouth, smiling at his work. “Now, for makeup.”
“These folks have better makeup than I do.”
“Miss Dora, you know you look way better than the painted corpses, right?”
She waved a hand and snorted again. “You flatter me, Roland, but thank you. My husband would likely say the same.”
“Have you visited him today?”
“Not yet. I considered going on my break.”
“That might be nice for you. I can order some flowers for his stone if you want to freshen up the last ones.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you, Roland.”
He smiled and bowed his head slightly. “It's my pleasure, Miss Dora.”
“I knew I hired you for a reason.”
He laughed while dropping his tools into a metal bin, listening to the satisfying clang of metal against metal. He whipped off his gloves and tossed them into the biohazard bin, turning to the shelf with makeup. He grabbed foundation, concealer, and a few brushes along with a couple of palettes of red and other various skin colors.
As he drew up next to the table, he pulled a chair behind him. He sat down and reached for another pair of gloves, then plucked the glasses and mask from his face. He set those on a recently sanitized metal table nearby and went to work on applying makeup to the corpse.
“Here we are, Mr. Dudley. Something to bring out your previous color,” he whispered as he worked. “And a little rouge for the cheeks. That always seems to liven our clients up.”
“Is this what you do when I'm not around?” Dora curiously inquired.
“You mean my job?”
She laughed. “No, talking to the clients. It's like you're treating them like...”
“Like people?”
She nodded. “I mean, I've had my share of assistants, but I don't know if I ever had someone who spoke directly to the corpses.”
“Something about it makes me feel better.”
“It can be a lonely business. Don't you have friends? Family?”
Roland didn't answer the question. He let the silence creep in as he continued applying makeup, making sure to fill in all the areas of the face that would be visible. After he was finished with the makeup, he went about fixing the hair and making it presentable.
“Roland?”
He glanced up. “Yes, Miss Dora?”
“You didn't answer.”
He shrugged. “I haven't met too many people around here.”
“But you've been here for ten years. You really haven't met anyone?”
“You're the only person I know aside from--” His phone buzzed from across the room. He curiously snapped off one glove and went to look at it, noticing Gabe's name on the screen in bold letters. He grinned ear-to-ear and answered it. “Hello?”
“Greetings from Planet Hollywood where we string people up in the air and drop them from wild heights!”
“Well, greetings to you, earthling. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to get back together soon?”
Roland blushed. “So soon? I thought I had bored you into the three-day routine.”
“Three days? I couldn't possibly wait that long to call you!”
“You're too kind.”
“So, how about it? Let's do something spooky.”
Roland grinned warmly. “In honor of the approaching holiday, no doubt.”
“Of course! We have to do October the right way and be extra dorky about it.”
“Who said it was dorky to celebrate Halloween?”
Dora cleared her throat, commanding Roland's attention. She raised her eyebrows and tapped her watch.
He blushed again and dropped his gaze. “Let me call you back later. But my answer is a resounding yes.”
“Excellent! I look forward to hearing from you. I'll text you the details, okay? But please, do still call me.”
“You got it.”
The line clicked and he set down his phone, feeling the heat burning his cheeks as he returned to the table.
“So, you don't have any friends, eh?” Dora teased. “Who was that?”
“Somebody.”
“Somebody or some body?”
He chuckled softly as he reached for a new glove. He pulled it on and dove back into his work. “A man I met the other night in the cemetery.”
“Please, tell me he's alive, Roland.”
“Yes, he's alive, Miss Dora. I'm not into that sort of thing.”
“Oh, Miss Dora! That's awful!”
She cackled and waved nonchalantly. “I'm joking! Come on, get into the Halloween spirit! It's supposed to be spooky around here.”
“You know we get enough spooks from the clients.”
“So, tell me about him.”
“Well, his makeup looks good. I'm sure he'll look best in the suit the family provided, but I feel like black would be better to bring out his color.”
Dora gave an exasperated sigh. “I meant the man you met, not the stiff, Roland.”
“Oh, right!” He fumbled with a brush and tried his best to put on a professional smile. “Well, he's quite a handsome man. He works in the movie business.”
“Is he an actor? Don't tell me it's Devon Peters. Or does he work with Devon Peters?”
“I never took you as the sort to get starstruck.”
She laughed. “We all have human traits, don't we?”
“Well, he's not Devon Peters. His name is Gabe. He works as a stuntman in the movies. He apparently does excellent work although I've never really heard of him.”
“If he doesn't do it for publicity, then I can't imagine why you would know his name.”
“He's popular, I suppose. But he's sweet and kind. He's generous. And he's...” He faded while recalling the hot encounter on his couch. “He's gentle, too.”
“Is he on any current movies?”
“I can't remember the name of it. I'm not sure he mentioned it at all.”
“Well, when he does mention it, see if he can snag a prop for us to host here. It would certainly do well for business.”
Roland sucked in a gulp of air. “That might have the opposite effect, Miss Dora. They did just recently have a death on set.”
“Oh, do you mean the funeral we hosted just a month ago? Wasn't that one a stuntman?”
“He was, so I'm not sure having a prop from that particular set would be in good taste.”
“It's Hollywood, Roland. Everything is in good taste.”
“Is it?” Roland shot her a funny look and she shrugged. “Anyway, we're nearly done here with Mr. Dudley. When is your break? I'll order those flowers.”
“I'll take one in an hour. Why don't you run upstairs and take a breather? These fumes can make your head hurt if you're not wearing your mask.” She nodded to his empty mouth and nostrils. “And be sure to hydrate, too.”