A Vintage Murder

by Michele Scott

  “No. That’s not it. I swear.” Okay, that was partly true, but not for the reasons he thought. She didn’t plan on going to any tabloid to sell them gossip. How to handle this one? Delicately. “Oh gosh. I’m sorry.” Think quick. “It’s just . . . well, no one is talking to me. I guess because I’m new here, and everyone seems to be talking about Lucy and what happened. I thought that maybe if I tried to join in, people would warm up to me. So maybe I was fishing, but it’s not because I’m a snoop.” Not technically anyway.

  He picked the sponge and a jar of foundation back up and started applying it again. “Okay, you seem cool. I haven’t been talking much to anyone about what happened. Like I said, everyone around here is all about gossip and rumors. I even heard one that I was sleeping with Lucy.” He laughed.

  “Jeez.” Nikki had wondered it herself.

  “That didn’t happen.”

  “What about this Will? Did he make plans to hang out with Lucy the next day or even later that night before he left?”

  “I doubt it. Lucy gets a thrill—got a thrill—from being a tease. I think Will could probably see it coming from a mile away. And, I’m pretty sure that was what the powwow between him and Hannah was about. Hannah gave the guy the skinny and he figured it wasn’t worth being led on, only to have to wind up taking a cold shower.”

  “Probably, but still, it was Lucy Swanson. Don’t you think that a local boy might have been interested in hanging with Lucy, even if all he could do was entertain the thought of being with her?”

  “I don’t know. I guess. I really don’t want to talk about it anymore. It bugs me, you know? It’s creepy and kind of disrespectful. Lucy is dead after all. I want to do my job and get back home, so I can put all that happened here behind me.”

  “You missing L.A.?” she asked. She knew what she was doing was risky, but Aunt Cara had taught her a lot about people’s psychology, and she had to get Johnny to trust her. She had to get inside his head.

  “Like I said, I want to get back home, but missing L.A.? I don’t know that I can say I miss it.”

  Ah, the ambivalent type.

  “What I mean is, there isn’t much difference here other than the setting. That’s as far as the job goes, you know. The job is always the same whether it’s here, L.A., Japan, wherever. You still have the stars who think the world revolves around them, then you have the artsy-fartsy director . . . You know Nathan, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Right. Typical director, has a real temper. When things don’t go the way he wants, there’s hell to pay. If I were you, I’d get your lines down and stay focused, because that guy may act all mild mannered, but no way. He’ll have your head on a chopping block.”

  Her plan was working. Here the guy was flapping as much as a journalist on TMZ, even though he’d been all high-and-mighty about not spreading rumors. In only a matter of seconds she’d discovered that Nathan was a hot-head, which was good information on two fronts. The first being that she certainly didn’t want to upset the guy, and she’d had no idea he had an anger management problem, though she wasn’t surprised. The movie business was notorious for bad behavior, and not just by actors. The second reason was because it made her wonder if Nathan had a reason to get angry at Lucy the other night. But the key would be finding out who could handle poisonous snakes, other than Andy Burrow. With Will being a local, with the possible motive of being teased by Lucy, he looked to be a decent suspect, too. And, being a security guard on the set, he would know exactly where to retrieve the brown snake.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Nikki said. “Any tips on dealing with Nathan?”

  “Do your job. That’s the best advice that I can give you. And do it well.”

  “Anyone else have issues that I should know about? The kind that might make it difficult for me here?”

  “Kane, the producer, is cool, I suppose. His thing is to make the best movie he can, and he’s always putting out fires. He’s sort of the calming influence. The one thing you might want to know about him is that he totally kisses Shawn Keefer’s butt. Those two are real tight. You know Kane made that guy a household name. Without him, Shawn would have probably just been another mediocre action star.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I think he’s been in almost every movie that Kane has produced. It’s kind of irritating that Kane does what he does with Shawn. He makes sure the guy has every comfort imaginable. But I can sort of get that. Shawn means money in Kane’s pocket. And, I will admit Shawn has talent. But he also got lucky. A lot of people have talent in this business, but it also takes luck. Combine the two and you could be on your way to stardom.”

  “Makes sense. I already figured that Shawn won’t exactly be a pleasure to work with.”

  “Yes and no. The guy is a total professional, you know. He knows what needs to get done, and he does it. He’s always on time, always ready to go. Serious actor. Doesn’t say much while in my chair, but that doesn’t bug me. He’s all about doing his thing. But for you and the other actors, he can dish out grief. He pulls the strings in a lot of ways around here and if he doesn’t like the way things are going, then he can be pretty undermining.” Johnny took a step back and looked at her face. “Okay, I’ll add a touch of mascara, and then some lipstick. This is the scene where you first meet Shawn’s character—the rough and tough but passionate hero, James.” They both laughed. A few minutes later he took another step back. “Yep. Looks good. All I’m going to do now is pull your hair back into a sleek ponytail and you’ll be ready to go.”

  She swiveled her chair toward him. “Thanks. Anyone else I should be wary of ?”

  “I don’t really like Amy and Harv, the wardrobe couple. They’re annoying and they stick together. The rest of us all kind of hang out, but not those two. They are on their own little island, and no one gets on with them. The grips, camera guys, they’re all cool. They aren’t staying here. So, they show up in the morning from their hotels, do their jobs, and head back. They have their own group. You won’t hear much from any of them, but they all seem pretty cool.”

  “And the security? Good guys?”

  “Couldn’t even tell you. I can come and go as I please. They would have harassed Lucy the other night for sure if they knew she’d headed out of here. But not me or Hannah.”

  “So how did you guys get in and out? And what do you mean they would have harassed her?”

  “That was easy. Will was working and Lucy told him to come hang when he got off work, which was in like an hour. What wasn’t so easy was when Hannah had to call her dad to the rescue. Lucy took off and got a cab before anyone knew she was with us.”

  “Hannah’s parents know that Lucy was with you two, don’t they?”

  “Oh yeah, they know.”

  Amy poked her head inside the trailer. “Nikki, you need to come with me. There’s been a wardrobe change.”

  “See ya,” Johnny said.

  “Yep.” He sure would, because she was not done pumping him for information. She wanted to find out every detail about Lucy’s last hurrah. There could be a clue somewhere in what had gone on that night.

  Chapter 15

  “This is neat,” Nikki said, walking into the wardrobe trailer full of racks of clothing. “Wardrobe-to-go.” She chuckled at her own joke, which Amy did not seem to find amusing.

  “Whatever. I got a call from Kane saying that he wants you in something that has some sex appeal to it. As if some zoo chick could have sex appeal. Let me see what I’ve got here . . .” She filed through the racks and tossed out a few things. Then she stopped. “Here we go.” She handed Nikki a pair of olive-colored shorts that were definitely too short, and a tank top. Amy took the white tank and tore it on the side. “There, sexy and animal-like. Perfect. Put it on.”

  “It’s freezing out there.”

  “Oh God, not you, too. One diva just bought the farm and here they bring me another.”

  “No. I’m not like that. But it is cold out the
re, especially for short shorts and a torn tank.” Not even the cellulite on the back of her legs was going to keep her warm in the fiftysomething-degree weather. That was another concern—her drooping backside. She felt a woman her age should not be wearing short shorts. “How about a compromise?”

  Amy stuck her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “Compromise, huh. Sure. Whatever. You’re the star. Tell you what, I’m going to step out for a minute and have a smoke. See what you can find and we’ll go from there.”

  “Okay.” Nikki really did not want to seem difficult, but come on. She would find something. There had to be something in all this mess of clothes.

  She filed through all sorts of outfits, both men and women’s. One row had been specifically designated for Lucy. Her name was on the front of the rack. Everything was a size two. Did anyone really wear a two? She rifled through the clothes anyway. When something fell out of a jacket pocket, Nikki bent down to pick it up. It was a crumpled up piece of paper. Nikki gasped when she read what was written on it:

  Lucy, watch out and keep your mouth shut. You never know what might come back to bite you.

  The trailer door opened and Nikki shoved the note in her pocket. Amy stood there staring. “Why in hell are you looking at Lucy’s wardrobe? There is no way you’re getting into her skinny-ass clothes.”

  “She wore this?” Nikki pointed to the bulky jacket.

  “The other day, when it was colder than it is today. That was actually hers. She put it over the shorts. That was one thing she was willing to do, wear what we told her. Unlike you. Yeah, she complained, but at least she wore what was suggested.”

  “Right. I found these.” Nikki grabbed a pair of olive-colored pants, almost like the shorts, but being pants, it meant they’d cover her sagging rear and she’d be a lot warmer in them.

  “Fine. But I’m not compromising on the tank. It’s perfect. If I were you I’d get dressed and start memorizing the scene. They’ll be looking for you soon enough.”

  “Right.”

  “And here.” Amy pulled a wool sweater off a hanger and handed it to her. “This should keep you warm until you have to shoot. Plus there’s plenty of coffee on hand.”

  “Thanks. I’ll go inside Lucy’s trailer and change.” She was surprised that Amy was being decent to her all of a sudden.

  “It’s not Lucy’s anymore. I don’t care where you change.”

  Amy walked out and Nikki put the sweater on, then pulled the note out that she’d found in Lucy’s jacket. She reread it. Lucy had probably laughed at it. Being a pain on the set was something she seemed determined to do. Still with what had happened, Nikki really wanted to know who had written that note.

  Chapter 16

  The moment came for Nikki to shoot her first scene. She’d had enough time to get a feel for the script, as things were running behind. Thankfully scripts were usually between 90 and 120 pages. She was a quick reader and found the story, set in the early eighties, fascinating. Elizabeth Wells, the naturist and conservationist, had grown up in wealth and privilege but didn’t believe in materialism. She began working for a zoo as a teenager and her passion for animals grew from there. She set out to make people aware of endangered species and what they could do to save them.

  She met James—who Nikki knew was really Liam—at a social event to raise money for animals. They were both young, and James was attending college. They fell in love, and their affair was tumultuous, because for Elizabeth it was always the animals that came first. She trained dingoes, kept baby koalas that had lost their mothers, and would take in any stray domestic animal that needed a home. Where Robert Redford had played the horse whisperer and Cesar Millan was the real-life dog whisperer, the role that Nikki would be playing was truly that of a woman who was a wild-animal whisperer. Reading over the script, she doubted she could do Elizabeth Wells any justice at all. The tragedy in all of it was that Elizabeth never had the opportunity to promote her causes in the way she’d planned. Her life had been horrifically taken from her by the very wildlife to which she’d dedicated herself.

  The scene that Nikki would be performing took place after Elizabeth’s initial meeting with James. He’d tracked her down at her farm in the bush. Nikki’s nerves were in overdrive, and when they called her onto the set she said a quick prayer. God, if you get me through this I promise to be a better person. She knew it was selfish and maybe silly, but she believed in prayer, so she figured, why not give it a try? She was certain God already knew the human race could be a selfish group.

  “You’ll be tending to a dingo in his cage when Shawn’s character James shows up,” Nathan Cooley said. “You need to be irritated and feeling as if he has totally interrupted your day. You’ve gone over the scene, right?”

  “Yes. Andy is close by, isn’t he?”

  “Over there. Go meet Buddha the dingo. You’ll love him. Andy has him trained like a cocker spaniel.”

  She found Andy and Buddha inside a fenced area. The Hahndorfs had a small farm-type guesthouse that served as Elizabeth’s house. “Hi,” she said. “Nathan sent me over to meet Buddha.”

  “Yep. Hello there. You feeling good?” Andy asked. “Not afraid of animals, are you? Dunno how they ever chose Lucy for this role. Girl was afraid of every animal on the set. But that won’t be you?”

  “No,” Nikki replied, although looking at the wild dog with his dark, squinty eyes, she wasn’t sure this was a good idea at all.

  “Buddha, come,” Andy called.

  The wild dog did as instructed, wiggling the back end of his body. “He is lovely, isn’t he? See here, the dingo can be tamed exactly as the wolf in North America. I’ve had him since he was a pup, along with his siblings. Their mother died and I found her den. We put on quite a show together back at the zoo. Go on, pet him, tell him how gorgeous he is.”

  Nikki reached her hand down and surprisingly found the dog to be like any other friendly dog she’d come across. It made her miss Ollie back home.

  “Now, love, in this scene the dog will first be hesitant and then he does what you want him to do. I am going to show you the cues you’ll need. He reads body language and understands the verbals that I will give you. Ready?” She nodded. “First, it will be your energy. Now, I have run through this scene with Buddha several times already. We have been practicing for weeks, even before arriving here. Thank God I finally have an actress who is willing to work with me and the animals. Between you and me there would have been no way this movie would have ever gotten made with Lucy. She could not take on my energy, which is what I’m going to ask you to do. Do you think you can?”

  “I . . . think so.”

  “No, love. Wrong answer. Be bold. Take charge. You are now Elizabeth Wells, and as Elizabeth you are in control of the animals. Watch me.”

  Andy proceeded to run the scene through. With his cues and language, Buddha acted at first as if he were frightened of him by crouching down and slinking away from him, even growling. Andy squatted low. He glanced up at Nikki. “You have to remember that he is acting now. This is his job as much as it is yours.” Then Andy propped himself onto all fours. He turned his head away from the dog and yawned. “You see what I am doing is letting him know that I don’t care if he’s being impossible. In fact, I am bored with it and want to be his friend. I am acting submissive.” Andy took a few steps closer to the dingo, who backed away. He stopped and repeated his movements, even bringing his hand up behind his ear as if to scratch it. “This is in your scene, you realize.”

  “I do.” Nikki had reread this scene a few times and was aware that she would basically be playing a canine through most of it. Then Andy sat back and put his head down. After a few moments Buddha came up and sniffed him, pawed his lap. Andy didn’t move. Then Buddha lay down beside him and Andy gave the dog a rub. “You realize that if he were wild, these steps would take days.”

  “I do.” She also knew that was a part of her line to Shawn’s character James.

  “Good. The th
ing you must remember is that you cannot have any fear. None. You are Elizabeth. You are me. Whatever it takes to keep you in a mode of no fear. You cannot get into your head, and allow yourself to think, that this dog is wild. He is not wild. He is a sweetheart and this entire scene is about acting, for both you and him. So follow what I have been saying, and you and my beauty here will do brilliantly.”

  “I’m in.” Nikki took a few deep breaths and psyched herself. This was actually one of her favorite parts about acting—something that she really missed—getting into character. Getting herself into a place where she was no longer Nikki Sands.

  “Good. I can’t say it enough: I am thrilled you’re on board. I don’t think I could have worked another day with Lucy. I’m sorry she died the way she did, and I feel awful that it was Charlie who supposedly caused it, but she was impossible.”

  Nikki didn’t know what to say. She liked everything about Andy—his demeanor, the way he was with both animals and people. But his diatribe about Lucy bothered her. Even more troubling was that Andy Burrow knew how to handle a snake, and it was presumably his snake that had killed Lucy. He was also probably adept at being stealthy. She couldn’t shake the fact that, where Andy was concerned, two and two made four. The man had motive and know-how when it came to killing someone with the bite of a snake.

  Chapter 17

  Nikki did a few trial runs with Andy at her side, and then everything was set to go. She felt comfortable with Buddha, who was definitely better trained than her lazy Ridgeback at home. Actually, Ollie belonged to Derek. But he’d gone back and forth between her place and his, until hers had burned down. She wondered how it would all work when they returned.

  She gave Buddha a doggie treat. Nathan and Kane came over and asked her if she was ready to shoot the scene. She was, with one exception—the Aussie accent she would have to pull off. She’d been practicing all morning, but still wasn’t sure she had it right.