Vertigo Effect: The Eighth Jonathan Shade Novel

by Gary Jonas

  “I think you won this round, Meghan,” I said tossing her phone onto the bed.

  “Thank you. For fixing me up, and for helping me with the texts.”

  “No problem,” I said.

  “Do you mind if I sleep here awhile? You seem like a nice man.”

  I shook my head. Guys don’t like to be called nice. Nice means boring. I sighed and said, “Sure.”

  “You’re a sweetheart,” she said.

  I nodded. “If you say so.”

  “I do.” She gave me a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  About that Oscar? Might want to hold off on awarding it for now.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Fournier didn’t answer his own phone, so I had to give my name to his assistant, Josh, who had to explain to the director who I was and that he’d asked me to call. “Easton,” Fournier yelled into the phone, “you’re fucking up my movie!”

  By his account, every single person working on the film was fucking up his movie, so I smiled because it meant he wasn’t pissed at me anymore. Meghan had gone back to her room, and I was sitting in my room killing time until I needed to meet Kelly.

  “You watched the dailies?” I asked.

  “Didn’t need to. Watched everything on the monitor while we filmed. You didn’t totally suck.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” I said.

  “You almost looked like you knew what you were doing as you closed in on the house. Were you in the military?”

  “No, I just watch a lot of NCIS.”

  “Well, you damn sure ain’t no comedian.”

  “Double negative makes it a positive so thank you.”

  “Whatever. Listen, I need you to meet me on set at four this afternoon. We’ll discuss the rest of the week’s shooting schedule. See what we can use you for.”

  “Sounds good,” I said.

  His voice grew distant, but I heard him say, “Josh, make a note to have a car pick up Mr. Easton.” Then the phone disconnected. He didn’t even say goodbye.

  ***

  Kelly sat in the bar next to a slender woman who looked like she’d gone rounds with Ronda Rousey. The woman’s nose had been broken and improperly set several times, and scars criss-crossed her forehead and right cheek. She had a presence, though, and I grinned when I realized what it was.

  “That’s Trudy Rawn,” Esther said as we entered the bar.

  Trudy looked over at me as I approached and gave me a quick smile then looked away. Her eyes returned to me a time or two, but mostly stayed on Kelly.

  I joined them at a small table.

  “How goes it?” I asked.

  “No complaints,” Kelly said. She gestured to Trudy. “Jonathan, this is Trudy Rawn. Trudy, Jonathan Easton.”

  Trudy reached across the table to shake my hand and I felt her try to push a spell through me.

  It had zero effect.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  I studied Kelly for a moment trying to determine whether or not she was enthralled by Trudy.

  “Tell Jonathan what you told me about Terrell,” Kelly said.

  Trudy nodded and lowered her voice. “He liked to sleep around.” Like that was a secret. She gave me a look that suggested she liked sleeping around too.

  “Who doesn’t?” I said, playing into the look and damn near giving her a wink. I resisted the temptation.

  “You trying to cash a check?” Esther asked.

  I didn’t react to Esther because I was the only one who could see or hear her at the moment. She remained translucent. When she made herself visible to others, she took on a more solid look. Comparatively speaking, of course. Ghosts are never solid.

  “Bank’s closed, Jonathan,” Esther said.

  “So is this the part where you tell me who all he liked to sleep with?” I asked. “You two were an item once, right?”

  “A long time ago,” Trudy said. “Terrell wanted every woman he met.”

  “Throw nothing back,” I said with a nod. I’d known guys like that.

  “Sort of, but he was happy to throw them back after he’d had them.”

  “Do I detect a note of animosity?”

  “Hardly,” she said. “You should talk to Meghan about how she felt when she was one of his conquests and he moved from her directly to the script girl.”

  “Meghan has her own problems right now. She’s not much of a multi-tasker.”

  “The script girl led to Diana in accounting. Diana led to Barbara in wardrobe. Barbara led to Mary who led to Consuela who led to Paula.”

  “Not sure I need a Genesis-style genealogy of who begat whom here,” I said. “Can we jump to the part where you tell me who was most upset?”

  “Safe to say all of them,” Trudy said.

  “But not you.”

  She waved off my comment. “I knew how he was. I didn’t care. We had our moment, and he moved on. So did I.”

  “Healthy attitude.”

  “I maintain my health in all situations,” she said and covered Kelly’s hand with her own.

  Kelly did not pull away, and simply smiled.

  I sighed. “How many of you are there?” I asked.

  “Terrell slept with at least fifteen women in the cast and crew.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said. “How many witches?”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  I pointed to her hand on Kelly’s. “You enthralled Kelly. Not smart.”

  “Kelly is lovely.”

  “Thank you,” Kelly said.

  “Kelly doesn’t swing that way.”

  “How do you know?” Kelly asked.

  “Daniel Kingston,” I said.

  Kelly frowned.

  “Trudy is using magic on you, Kelly.”

  “She is magical,” Kelly said.

  Trudy rose and started around the table. I rose and met her behind Kelly, who turned to watch.

  “Let her go,” I said.

  “I’ll let her go back to my room,” Trudy said. She touched my shoulder, channeling more magic at me. “Maybe I’ll let you watch.”

  I grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. “I don’t think so,” I said.

  “But—”

  I shook my head. “Your magic is weak. Might need to boost it with hex bags.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

  I walked her back to her chair. “Have a seat, Trudy. We need to have a real discussion. Drop the pretense. You’re a witch, but you don’t seem to require hex bags, so you’re natural.”

  She laughed. “I’ve been called worse. Most men call me a bitch.”

  “They don’t know you like I do. Have you been making hex bags for other people?”

  “Why are you talking about hex bags?”

  “Drop the act,” I said. “I know you’re trying to blast me with your magic. It won’t work because I’m far more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

  “You’re a witch. Stop denying it.”

  “I’m not denying it. I’m a witch. I even dress up like one on Halloween.”

  “You’re a real witch.”

  “Oh, baby.”

  “Did you murder Terrell Williams?” I asked. I figured going direct was best.

  “No,” she said. “I would never kill anyone.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “Leave her alone, Jonathan,” Kelly said.

  “She’s funneling magic to you, Kelly. Making you want her.”

  “It’s harmless,” Trudy said. “She’ll have some fun.”

  “I could use some fun,” Kelly said.

  “That’s the magic talking.”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Trudy said. “I bring out feelings people already have. I can’t create them.”

  “Kelly wouldn’t want you.”

  “Why? Because I’m a woman?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I say again,
you’re an idiot.”

  “I wouldn’t mind spending some time with Trudy,” Kelly said.

  I met Kelly’s gaze. “She’s making you feel that way.”

  “Maybe I don’t mind,” Kelly said. “It’s been a while.”

  “Every guy likes some girl on girl action,” Trudy said. “I don’t mind if you watch. I get off on it, in fact. And if Kelly is amenable, I don’t even mind if you join in. You’re a good looking man, and I’m open to both sides.”

  “Tempting,” I said, and it was. Give me a break. I’m a guy. The problem was that I’d been with a different version of Kelly and while they looked identical, I felt I’d be cheating on her memory. It felt wrong, so I shook my head. “But that’s not going to happen. Kelly is my friend, not my lover.”

  “Your loss, big boy.”

  “Maybe, but I want you to let her go. If she wants you then you won’t need magic to land her.”

  “Fine.” She waved her hands and Kelly blinked a few times.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  Kelly nodded. “I’m fine. That was strange.”

  “You still want Trudy?”

  Kelly hesitated. “I’m open to the possibility.”

  “Good enough.” I focused on Trudy. “You need to talk to me now, and you’d better not try to hide anything.”

  “What do you want to know?” Trudy asked.

  “First, have you made any hex bags for the women Terrell scorned?”

  “Scorned or scored?” Trudy asked.

  “I didn’t misspeak.”

  “Are you sure?” She tried to channel more magic in my direction. I let it wash over me.

  “You’re wasting your time and energy on me,” I said. “You need to just open up and tell me what I need to know or I’ll repurpose all that magic you’ve been throwing around and use it to burn out your brain.”

  “You don’t have any magic,” Trudy said. “I sense nothing inside you.”

  “Because my magic is everywhere,” I lied. “Answer my damn question.”

  “Yes. I’ve made hex bags for the women. I also made them for the men. Bill wanted one.”

  “What?”

  “Terrell was bisexual,” Trudy said. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know about him and Bill Dolan. Those two have been buddies for years. And by buddies, I mean in the biblical sense, of course. I thought I’d best spell that out for you since you don’t seem very quick on the uptake.”

  “Are you making this up?” I asked.

  She sighed. “Believe whatever you want.”

  “I just want the truth.”

  “The truth is that I made hex bags for most of the cast and crew, I always do that because when people are getting laid, they tend to be happier. A happy cast and crew leads to less friction on set, and a better crew overall. The studio approved it. What I did not do was generate anything specifically tailored to Terrell or any other person. My hex bags are all generic, designed to lower inhibitions.”

  “But they can be tailored.”

  “Not without blood.”

  “There was blood in the hex bag I found on the set,” I said.

  “I don’t put hex bags on set,” Trudy said. “I put them in the gift bags we give to cast and crew. Most of them think it’s potpourri. And it’s always harmless.”

  “The bag I found had blood in it, and the contents were burned up from use.”

  “Don’t look at me. I don’t have access to anyone’s blood but my own, and I would never use my blood in a hex bag. If anyone with any power got hold of it, they could destroy me.”

  That was true.

  “All right,” I said. “I believe you. Who else in the cast or crew is knowledgeable about magic?”

  “Angela, and maybe Jean since he knows Angela uses magic for the effects and camera moves.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Who else knows you supply the hex bags?”

  “A few of the producers. Carter and Shelly.”

  “I guess I’ll start with them,” I said.

  “They won’t be on set until we head back to L.A. Next week.”

  “Fine. I’ll talk to Angela.” I turned to Kelly. “You coming?”

  “I’m going to stay here,” Kelly said.

  Trudy smiled.

  I frowned. “Don’t you dare try to enthrall her with your magic again.”

  “I won’t do anything she doesn’t want,” Trudy said.

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I. It’s not like I can command her to do anything. I’m not a vampire.”

  My phone rang. I pulled it out. “It’s Brenda,” I said. “I need to take this.”

  Kelly nodded.

  I left them there and accepted the call. “Hey, gorgeous,” I said.

  Brenda laughed. “Keep talking like that and I’ll get your sister to let you live in Manhattan.”

  “Make sure you specify New York instead of Kansas.”

  “Funny. I thought you’d like to know that I looked at those pictures of Terrell, and I brought in a few other wizards to get their take.”

  “Aneurysm?”

  “Maybe, but when we blew up the image, we saw signs that are also in line with burns from a spell. It’s not conclusive, but I will say it’s at least possible that magic was involved.”

  “Is there any way to verify that?” I asked.

  “Sure, we have a guy who can tell, but he’d need to see the body in person, and he’s here in New York.”

  “He could fly down,” I said.

  “Is it important?”

  “It will tell me whether or not there’s actually a case here. I’ll pay for the plane ticket and for the wizard’s time.”

  “Is the body still at the morgue?”

  “No. It’s at the funeral home now. I don’t know if they’re going to bury him, cremate him, ship him back to California, or what.”

  “Which funeral home?”

  I gave her the information.

  “All right. I’ll send Gibson down to check it out.”

  “You want me to have someone pick up Mr. Gibson?” I asked.

  “Gibson is his first name. Gibson Davies. He’ll rent a car. I’ll tell him to check in with you once he’s seen the corpse. And Jonathan? Don’t joke around with Gibson. He’s sensitive.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  After I hung up, I returned to the table, but Kelly and Trudy were gone.

  “Kelly went off with Trudy,” Esther said. “They were holding hands.”

  I grinned. “Don’t worry about it, Esther,” I said. “Kelly’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”

  Whether or not Trudy used any magic to entice her, I don’t know, but when I next saw Kelly, she was smiling, so whether or not it was natural, there was magic in the air.

  CHAPTER NINE

  A driver picked me up at four and took me to the rooftop set where Fournier moved around blocking shots and making notes on the script. Like most afternoons, it rained then cleared, but the roof still had puddles of water here and there. As I approached, Fournier looked up.

  “Here,” he said, and handed me the script and a pen.

  “What am I doing with these?”

  “New pages in blue,” he said. “Writers came up with a new sequence we need to shoot.”

  I glanced at the blue pages. “This looks like the same scene where Terrell died.”

  “Producers wanted to change it. Don’t want to use the sequence we shot.”

  “So reshoot it.”

  “That’s what I said. Instead, they had the writers change it up. Now it’s a jump from this building to that one, but not to the balcony. They want a shootout and fight sequence between here and that rooftop.” He pointed across the alley.

  I walked to the edge of the roof. Terrell had made the jump and hit a balcony across the way. I wasn’t sure which one, and from here, it could have been any number of balconies. I’d need to watch the video agai
n to be sure.

  “You’re making the jump tomorrow,” Fournier said.

  “Taking Terrell’s place?”

  “Sort of. Cole Mitchell will stay here on the roof, and his partner Davidson will make the jump first. He gets shot in midair and smacks into the wall over there then falls to the alley below. We may have you hit a balcony on the way down.”

  I studied the rooftop and the wall across the alley. It was a long jump.

  “Will I be on wires?” I asked.

  “Fuck no. What’s the matter? Can’t make the jump?”

  “Of course I can make the jump,” I lied. There was no way I could make that jump.

  “Good. Let’s block out those shots. We’ll do the shootout first. We can set squibs here, here, and here.” He walked along the building tapping chimneys. If we play our cards right, we’ll have enough light to get all the shots for that sequence in one day. Then we’ll have the actor run toward the edge so we can get a full face and body shot. We’ll cut and do the reverse angle showing you running to the edge and jumping. Angela will have the camera follow you the way she did with Terrell.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “Then we’ll set up on the opposite roof and film you doing the jump again from that angle. If your face is too clear, we’ll CGI the actor’s face onto yours.”

  “So I’ll be doing the jump twice.”

  “However many times it takes to get the shots.”

  “How far is the other building?”

  “Twenty-five feet. Is that a problem?”

  “You sure you don’t want Carl Lewis?”

  “I thought you could handle it.”

  I stared at the distance. That would take an Olympic qualifying jump. “I think it would be best to use wires.”

  “For one of our normal stunt guys, sure, but you’re not on the insurance policy. I made a call and found that your insurance is through some company called DGI, whatever that is. And when I spoke to Carter, he said we could use you any way we saw fit because injuries won’t count against our policy.”

  “I’m not saying I can’t make the jump, but I’d feel better if we had wires. You can digitally erase them in post.”

  “No reason to spend money on those effects when you can make it. Angela might be able to give you a magical boost.”

  He didn’t know magic wouldn’t work on me. There was just no way I could make that jump. My heart raced as I thought about it. “I want wires.”