Daisy McDare And The Deadly Directorial Affair (Cozy Mystery) (Daisy McDare Cozy Creek Mystery Book 3)

by K. M. Morgan

  Chapter Eighteen

  Daisy didn’t know what to expect when she arrived on the set that morning. It would hardly be business as usual, especially given the fact that the director of the movie was now pushing up daisies. The cast and crew were tense, which was to be expected—especially given the fact that a murderer was most likely among them.

  Even considering that, a big surprise awaited Daisy. David Foster, the movie’s producer, called the cast and crew together for a big announcement.

  “As you know, it has been a trying twenty-four hours. This film lost its director, which left me with a really big decision to make. Part of me wanted to call it quits on this movie, taking Hunter’s death as a sign that the production was doomed,” David explained.

  Oh no. Was David scrapping the film already? Not only would that leave Daisy out of a design job, but if the cast and crew scattered, it would make it that much harder to find the killer.

  Daisy prayed that wasn’t the case. Besides, “Nothing Bundt Homicide” had the makings of an entertaining movie—at least if they stuck to the original script.

  While Daisy’s mind wandered with speculation, David continued his announcement.

  “The fact is, this movie means a lot to my daughters. It’s a real labor of love for them, and I don’t want to be the one to kill their passion project.”

  Interesting choice of phrasing. If Daisy was making an announcement like that, she would be sure to steer away from the word kill.

  There was more than passion at play, or even his daughter’s labor of love. David also had fifty thousand dollars invested in the project. That was hard to walk away from. Besides, if he did kill the project, it may point suspicion at him—like maybe he murdered Hunter and put the immediate kabash on the project to keep more evidence from being found.

  That last part was pure speculation, but Daisy had to start somewhere. Besides, Daisy couldn’t help but notice a lack of remorse on David’s face. As if he was unmoved by Hunter’s murder.

  Despite the fact that he and Hunter had been at odds nearly from the beginning, a man still was killed. A little grief wasn’t completely out of the question.

  David then carried on with his announcement. “Given all that, I’ve decided to keep the production alive--with a new director.”

  That was a relief to Daisy, not to mention the rest of the cast and crew. The question now was, who would be the new director?

  “So why don’t you give a nice round of applause to the new director of ‘Nothing Bundt Homicide,’ Logan Lark?” David finished.

  Logan then stepped up as smatterings of applause made their way through the cast and crew. It was safe to say there was also a fair amount of shock too.

  Even though he’d been the assistant director, it was a bit of a surprise that Logan would get the bump up to director with Hunter’s murder. The fact that Logan hadn’t even won a directing gig to do a commercial for Marty’s Mattress Mart was imbedded in everyone’s minds. The mattress mart didn’t exactly having high standards of quality either. They were known as the laughingstock of local advertisers in Cozy Creek.

  This was a much different situation however. David Foster was in a real bind with this production. He’d already popped down money into this movie. Sure he could try to find another local director or fly one in from Vancouver, but time was money—and David hated burning cash.

  Every day the production was stalled would mean lost dollars. Knowing that, maybe David had picked Logan to take over the project because he was already on set and familiar with the project. Or maybe it was the fact that Logan was sleeping with the producer’s daughter. Either way, Logan Lark was now at the helm of the production.

  Logan addressed the cast and crew. “Thank you Mr. Foster for choosing me to take over this project. I promise to make you proud.”

  Amazingly enough, Logan also showed no signs of remorse over Hunter’s death. He was all smiles actually. How peculiar.

  Logan continued with his address to the production team. “Now I’m going to be making a few changes to this production, but first I just want you to know that I expect amazing things from this movie.”

  Logan then pulled the cast aside for a private meeting.

  Daisy decided that was a perfect time to start her investigation.

  Chapter Nineteen

  First on Daisy’s list of people to question was the producer David Foster. Hunter and David had been at each other’s throats since their first day on the set. It was always about money.

  Hunter made no secret that he wanted to shake David down for more cash. He was always badgering him to pry open his wallet like the man was nothing more than an ATM. Only David acted like more than just a money guy. He wanted input.

  One thing Hunter was never willing to bend on was creative control. He was much more of a dictator than a director on the set. It was his way or the Trans Canadian Highway.

  Maybe David finally had enough. Perhaps Hunter finally pushed him too far. Everyone on the set had witnessed the shouting matches they had in public. There was no telling how heated things could get in private.

  Murder was often described as a crime of passion, and those two hated each other from their heads to their toes. On top of their personal squabbles, there was also the added motive of Hunter being at odds with both of David’s daughters.

  Hunter had no friends in the Foster family. The question was, did Hunter make enough of an enemy out of David to cost him his life? Even with a hot temper, did David have it in him to kill someone?

  Daisy didn’t know, but she was determined to find out. At the same time, she had to tiptoe around the issue. David wasn’t just the film’s producer, he was also Daisy’s boss on this project. If he suspected she was snooping around, he could easily replace her with another set decorator, making the investigation nearly impossible.

  Daisy decided to go with the most unassuming approach she could think of. She’d have to hurry though, David seemed to be in a hurry to slip out of the warehouse.

  “Mr. Foster,” Daisy said.

  David stopped. “Yes.”

  “I’m Daisy McDare.”

  He gave her a puzzled look, clearly having no idea who she was. “Uh huh.”

  “The set decorator.”

  “Oh, right.” He didn’t even bother feigning interest. “I really need to be off to work.”

  “I just wanted to say thank you for not pulling the plug on this project. This job really means a lot to me.”

  “Not wasting money means a lot to me. I cringe at the idea of flushing fifty thousand dollars down the toilet,” David admitted.

  If Daisy was going to get to the heart of the matter with David, there was one way to do it. She hoped to prod him a little to see if she could get a reaction out of him. It was amazing the things people let slip when they were on edge.

  She took a line from the Hunter Hayworth playbook.

  “Hunter always used to say that’s a small price to pay for a professionally directed movie,” Daisy said.

  David was very defensive about his money, and this time was no different. He hated hearing that fifty thousand was a small price to pay for anything. “Just because Hunter said something doesn’t make it true.”

  Without realizing it, David gave Daisy the perfect opening to press further.

  Daisy put on her best grief-stricken look. “It’s a shame what happened to him, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” he replied.

  Daisy couldn’t imagine seeing a colder and more calculated expression of fake sympathy than that. David was barely even pretending he was sad to see Hunter gone.

  Daisy decided to press a little further, lobbing out a little white lie.

  “You know, it’s funny that you said you only wrote a check out for fifty thousand. I remember hearing Hunter mention in a production meeting a few days ago that he expected the final budget to be more like seventy-five thousand.”

  That should get David’s heart racing. It certainly did
. His eyes lit up when he heard the figure. Seventy-five thousand?

  Daisy could practically see steam coming out of his ears. Looking into his eyes, she could tell David was a man with more than just a beef. He definitely had the type of temper to kill a man in the heat of the moment. Whether he actually did the deed was still to be determined. One thing was sure though—Daisy definitely couldn’t rule him out as a suspect.

  David tried his best to keep his eyes from popping out of his head, not wanting to have an outburst in front of a near stranger. He answered in a very calculated and measured way.

  “I assure you, fifty thousand dollars is the final budget for this film.”

  “Unlike Hunter, I think that’s a very generous personal investment,” Daisy said.

  “Trust me, it is.”

  “You know, I can’t help but think how eerie it is that he was killed the same way as the victim was in the script. It makes me think that someone here might have done it,” Daisy explained.

  David tensed up. He looked uncomfortable in his skin as she even said the words.

  “Why are you bringing that up?” he asked.

  “Just that, if my theory is right, it means the killer could be here in this warehouse right now.”

  David was stiff as a board. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Who do you think killed him?” she asked.

  He was non-committal with his answer. “That’s up to the police to decide.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still, I’d be careful on the set. The killer has murdered once. Who knows if they will strike again?” Daisy said.

  David wanted to be as far away from the warehouse as he could at that point. Daisy decided it was best to let him be. He wasn’t going to spill any secrets, even though it was clear he was hiding something.

  “I really need to be getting to the office. I have a lot of work to do today,” David replied.

  “So do I. We have a tight production schedule ahead of us,” Daisy said.

  David then scurried out, looking like he wanted to make an unplanned stop at the local bar rather than to go into his wealth management firm that day.

  Chapter Twenty

  Despite the movie having a new director, it was drama as usual on the set. Daisy had just gotten back to work when she heard an argument erupt in the rehearsal space.

  “What do you mean Fiona and I are switching roles? You can’t do this,” lead actress Candy Caldwell said.

  “I’ve already done it,” director Logan Lark replied.

  Apparently not everyone was thrilled with Logan being the new director. Then again, this was no small potatoes. Daisy almost couldn’t believe her ears.

  This was a huge shake up. Supporting actress Fiona Foster had complained a few days before that Candy had only gotten the lead role in the movie because she was sleeping with Hunter. Now with Hunter dead and Fiona’s boyfriend Logan in the director’s chair, the tide had turned.

  Candy did not react well to being demoted to a supporting role. “This isn’t right.”

  Candy looked like she was about to throw a temper tantrum like a spoiled little Princess. Actresses had a way of acting like bratty little kids sometimes. The sense of entitlement oozed right out of Candy. She was used to getting her way, and had meltdowns when she didn’t.

  Logan wasn’t about to give any ground. He was not shy about wielding his directorial power.

  “Did I say this was up for debate? You’re switching roles and that’s final,” Logan declared.

  Candy’s temper really came out now. In her mind, no new director on a power trip was going to demote her from a role she slept her way into. “Or what?”

  “Or you’ll be replaced,” Logan insisted.

  Candy glared at him. “You have a lot of nerve.”

  Candy then turned to her co-star and former boyfriend Ethan Crabtree for support, but received none.

  “We’re not going to put up with this…right Ethan?” she continued.

  Ethan wanted no part of it. “Don’t be dragging me into this.”

  Candy was shocked. Ethan always stood up for her—until now.

  Candy stormed on like a one woman army. “I don’t know where you get off power tripping anyway Logan. You’re only the director because Hunter is dead.”

  “I told you before, this isn’t a negotiation. Fiona is taking your role and you’re taking hers—end of story,” Logan said.

  Candy turned her anger on Fiona Foster.

  “So that’s how it’s going to be then? You think just because you’re sleeping with the new director that you can steal the lead in this movie?” Candy barked.

  Fiona was a firebrand herself however, and wasn’t about to roll over when accusations were leveled against her. “You’re crazy. The fact is, if Hunter had cast these roles based on merit in the first place, I would have gotten the lead. The only reason you got it was because you were sleeping with Hunter.”

  Candy scoffed. “You’re delusional. Don’t you know who I am?”

  “Yeah. A former beauty pageant contest who has no acting skills. You should have stuck to department store modeling. I can act circles around you,” Fiona declared.

  Candy stared daggers at Fiona. Things were clearly getting out of hand. They could get nasty in a hurry. Candy looked ready to lunge at Fiona.

  Logan stepped in, trying to keep things from devolving any further. He issued an ultimatum to Candy. “Hey, this isn’t up for debate. What’s done is done. Now you can either take a five minute break to cool off and come back accepting your new supporting role, or you can walk of the set for good. Your choice.”

  Daisy meanwhile was happy she was nowhere near the action. She hated drama almost as much she hated fruitcakes—and she really hated fruitcakes.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Daisy felt exhausted just watching the kerfuffle between Logan and Candy. At the same time, Daisy knew she had some serious investigating to do if she was going to find Hunter’s killer. When she spotted Logan grabbing a quick snack from the catering table, Daisy thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try and get some information out of him.

  After all, even though a number of people benefitted from Hunter’s death, Logan seemed to have gained the most. He’d gone from Hunter’s lowly assistant to a full-fledged director. It had been Logan’s childhood dream to one day direct a movie, and now it was finally coming true. All it took was Hunter Hayworth getting murdered to make that happen.

  If that wasn’t enough, Logan managed to pry the lead role out of Candy Caldwell’s hands and give it to his girlfriend Fiona in the process. The way Daisy saw it, Logan was sitting pretty. More importantly, none of that would have happened if Hunter was still alive.

  It could all just be a series of coincidences, but Logan had the motive and means to commit the crime. Did he have the eyes of a killer however? Daisy was about to find that out.

  She had the perfect cover too. With Logan now in the director’s chair, no doubt he’d have his own vision for how he wanted the sets to look. That could mean a whole bunch more work for her—in addition to her sleuthing of course.

  “Those brownie bites are just to die for, aren’t they?” Daisy commented.

  Logan looked over and saw her. “I’ll say. Besides, at a time like this, sugar makes all the difference.”

  “The way I see it, there’s no bad time to have sugar,” Daisy said.

  “I wish my waistline would let me be as cavalier about it as you.”

  “You act like I have any choice in the matter. I’m a woman ruled by my taste buds.”

  “In that case, I’ll leave the last brownie bite for you,” Logan said.

  “My stomach thanks you. I can see things are going to be different on the set from now on,” Daisy replied.

  Logan was confused. “What do you mean?”

  “When Hunter was around, he would have never let me have the last brownie bite. The man was a lot of things, but generous was not one of them,” Dai
sy said.

  Daisy had set up the bait. Now, would Logan take it?

  He muttered to himself. “He was a lot of things alright.”

  “I’m guessing you didn’t have the best of experiences working for Hunter,” Daisy pressed.

  Logan gave a very vague answer. “I don’t really want to speak ill of the dead.”

  “I think I know what you’re getting at. Still, royal pain or not, the man was still taken before his time.”

  Logan tensed up, much like David did earlier. Even though neither of the men was willing to vent to Daisy about how much they hated the man, it was clear they did. Why else would they have such a hard time coming up with even a few positive words to say about Hunter now that he was dead?

  That was highly unusual. Regardless of how much people loathed someone when they were alive, usually they could pretend not to hate them in death—even if they were just lying. It wasn’t the case here.

  Logan’s default seemed to be to clam up. He gave a politically correct answer that didn’t fool Daisy in the least.

  “Right. Of course,” Logan said.

  The lack of remorse was amazing to Daisy. Still, hating someone and murdering them were two entirely different things. Daisy knew the first part was true. The second part of that equation was up in the air.

  Daisy decided to switch gears and go about her snooping from a different angle.

  “By the way, congratulations on getting bumped up to the director’s chair,” she said.

  “Thanks,” he replied.

  Now that she’d buttered him up a little, it was time to test him. Everyone had a sore spot. A bone of contention. Daisy knew just what his was.

  “You know, I never believed any of that stuff Hunter said about you not being a good enough director to do commercials for Marty’s Mattress Mart,” she said.

  Logan got a fire in his eyes as the mere mention of the mattress mart. That rejection clearly still stung. He managed to keep his mouth shut, but his eyes were already doing plenty of talking.