Mia was red-eyed and weary by the time she arrived at Kilcohy Castle. Flashing her security pass at the gate she careered towards the costume truck, hardly noticing Courtney Wild desperately trying to flag her down. She screeched to a halt.
“Have you come into money?” He gave the car the once over.
“Belongs to a friend. You needed me back, food poisoning?”
“And the rest, this place is jinxed.” He jumped in beside her. “Stuff’s gone missing, props damaged, it’s a right mess.”
“Vandalism?” she asked.
“Seems like it, but targeted, like someone’s making a point.”
“Why? The project’s hardly controversial.” Parking next to the caravan, she switched off the engine.
“Dunno. Someone trying to spice things up? Give it more of a profile than it deserves?” Courtney looked even more stressed than usual. Mia punched him playfully in the chest.
“Hey, I’m here now, all will be well. Besides, you take things too seriously, Court. Always have.” She changed the subject. “How’s your beautiful baby girl?”
“Okay, I think. Rehearsals are going well but Shelley’s so tired, she’s usually asleep when I ring, so I try not to disturb her. I can’t wait to get home and all this stuff just keeps holding things up.” He gave her a grateful look. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”
Promising she would get things back on track Mia went to find Lol.
“What kept you?” Lol demanded, eyes bright with relief at the sight of her. “I’m guessing the old bugger is still going strong?”
“For now,” Mia replied. Archie’s penchant for drama off-stage was well known.
“Heard you were called to a meeting to see who’s getting what and just for devilment he’s made a will telling no one what’s in it.” Lol extracted herself from a rail of tailcoats. Mia was just about to ask how she knew, when spotting Mia’s bandaged leg Lol shrieked.
“Fell down a hole on the beach, gashed it,” Mia explained. “How do you know about the will?” Tittle-tattle travelled at the speed of light in this business.
“We’d fresh supplies delivered, driver came up from the harbour, said everyone’s agog to know who’s getting Galty House, it’s a stately home isn’t it?” Despite her injury, Lol was thinking how well Mia looked; shining face brushed with freckles, turquoise eyes sparkling. “He knows the family lawyer, small world isn’t it?”
“This is Ireland, it is a small world,” Mia pointed out. “I hope they’re in for a long wait, Archie’s still running around, playing the squire, doing his ‘country house by the sea’ programme, you know the kind of thing, lunch in the summerhouse, tea in the library ‒ he’s even bought a new boat.”
Lol chortled. “He’s incorrigible, always has been.” She lifted the kettle. “Tea?”
Mia gave their workspace a sweeping look; everything appeared orderly.
“Did you really need me back?” Mia started unloading the washing machine.
“Looks better than it is. It’s been awful, first food poisoning ‒ nearly everyone has had it ‒ then this.” She waved an arm encompassing the truck.
“What?” Mia was flummoxed.
“Sabotage, didn’t want to go into details on the phone but someone’s been interfering with the costumes.”
“Interfering? In what way?”
“It’s weird. We’d be shooting a scene and things would start to unravel, literally. Like all the buttons coming off a uniform or a gown splits apart, just like we’re jinxed or the place is haunted.”
“Nonsense,” Mia laughed, but Lol was not joking. “You really think it’s sabotage?”
“Has to be.” Lol looked stricken, she took her work seriously, they both did. “We were shooting the ball, you know, the night before the wedding scene, the soldiers in uniform, full on, gowns, wigs, tiaras the lot when everyone and I mean everyone, from the leading man down to the dailies were squirming like crazy, no one in the entire cast could stand still.”
“How come?” Mia had never heard anything like it.
“Itching powder. Old trick. Someone put itching powder in anything that would touch the skin. Cost a fortune to set that scene, lights, props, orchestra, everything. You know the script, it’s pivotal to the whole movie.”
Mia was picking through rails.
“Tried to salvage what I could but it’s gone into the seams and with so much of it vintage, I can’t just machine wash it.” Lol was despairing.
“It is sabotage then?” Mia looked around gloomily. “And very expensive.”
“And this gig was low budget to begin with, what do you think’s gonna happen?” The kettle boiled.
“They’ll never find the money to reshoot.” Mia took the mug from Lol’s slightly shaking hand. “We’ll be out of work again.”
“Short of sleeping on the truck, who could have stopped it? Especially if it’s an inside job.” Lol sighed.
“But we’re the only ones with keys, aren’t we ..?” The door burst open. It was Courtney, looking worried and relieved at the same time.
“Everyone, sound stage two in ten.” He made to dive back down the steps.
“Courtney!” Mia hobbled after him. “What’s happening? It is over?”
“Just be there, Mia. I know you had to leave your post but it was a bad move. Your team fell apart, time to face the music, I’m afraid.”
“Charming,” Lol scoffed. “Trying to lay the blame at our door. Where was security, that’s what I want to know?”
“Good point,” Mia agreed, turning pale beneath her freckles. She checked the door. “No sign of a break-in, unless they came in through the skylight.” No response. Mia looked up, squinting at the ceiling. “Did they come through the skylight?”
“Er … I might have forgotten to lock up one evening.” Lol muttered.
“What?” Mia was shocked. Lol was conscientious, she never forgot to lock up. “How could you? What was going on?” She looked directly at her colleague of more than ten years.
“Don’t lay this one on me, you’re the one who pissed off to a family reunion.” Lol turned away.
“Lol, tell me the truth, now.”
“What?”
“Were you … partying?”
“No, I wasn’t ‘partying’ as you call it.”
Mia gazed into her face. “Please don’t say …”
Lol ferreted for sunglasses in her pocket. “We’d better go. Might not be as bad as we think.”
Mia ran a hand over a rail checking her fingers for goodness knows what, what did itching powder even look like? Her leg ached and a band of tension was tightening over her eyes; despite Lol’s uncharacteristic optimism, the situation was already far worse than she had imagined.
The entire crew ‒ actors, technicians and every other movie trade ‒ bustled into the large barn adjacent the castle. Mia cast about; many of the props; furniture, mirrors, chandeliers, were in crates by the door. It looked far from promising.
James, sans fangs and vampire cloak, nipped through the crowd to stand beside her.
“What about this then? You’ve only been gone five minutes …” He stopped. “And Fitz? What news of the old roué, is he really ill?”
“Very. In good spirits though. Asked after you particularly.”
“Did he?” James was flattered. “He must be ill, we haven’t spoken in years. Can’t remember what we fell out about … probably your mother.”
“Ancient history.” Mia replied, she had more to concern her than their bygone grievances.
“Well, he scuppered my chances anyway, I recall that much.” James was still miffed.
Michel de Banville, the director took centre stage. Renowned for his smooth, Gallic charm everyone could see he was struggling to maintain his cool in the light of recent events. He looked anxious, weary, he raised his hands.
“It is with a great sadness and ‘eavy ‘eart, I am today announcing the end of our project.” Communal intake of breath. “I am sorry, but it
is over.”
Gasps. Mumbling.
“We have been the target of an unscrupulous prankster, who ‘as determined to ruin the production. And now, we have run out of both time and money.” He gave an expansive gesture of despair. “We will salvage what we can back in the studio but as of now, your services are being dispensed.”
“What about our pay?” shouted the head electrician.
“’Eads of department will discuss the details, you will be paid and if we can secure any compensation, rest assured we will.” The director gave a frowny smile, but anyone who had been in the industry for any length of time knew claims could wrangle on for years.
“If all department heads, could follow me,” called Courtney, as De Banville made a hasty exit, his two assistants barely able to keep up.
Lol was on the steps of the truck, cigarette butts at her feet. “What’s the story?”
Courtney had dropped Mia back in one of the estate’s golf buggies. She limped towards her friend.
“Investigation,” Mia said, dully.
“No way,” Lol replied. “Insurance or police?”
“Both. We’re not to touch anything.”
“Too late,” Lol told her. “We’ve fixed most of the damaged costumes already, the hired stock too. I’ve been through the inventory twice, we’re more or less sorted.”
Mia gave Lol a look. Cleaning, repairing and packing at the end of a shoot was proper procedure but all the dressers were involved. It was the wardrobe supervisor’s responsibility to oversee things, Lol had overstepped the mark.
“I’m supposed to sign everything off, remember.” Mia went into the truck, surprised at how empty it was, rails cleared, shelves tidied. Lol stood in the doorway.
“Thought we’d get on with it, we’re ready to go home, no point hanging around.”
“We’ll have to give statements.” Mia was uneasy.
“What’ll you say? You weren’t here. The quicker this is dealt with the better. Let’s get done and gone.” The base of Lol’s throat glowed red.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Mia was holding the clipboard with the inventory neatly ticked off. She waited.
“Look, I may have been duped, is all I’m saying.” Lol was finding it hard to look her in the eye.
“In what way?” Mia glared back.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lol said.
“It obviously does matter and if you’re involved we need to get our story straight, accidents happen, if that’s what did happen?”
Lol sat down on a trunk.
“Alright, I got pissed. I went out for dinner with someone and before I knew it, I was drinking wine, dancing and one thing led to another and …”
Mia was stunned. She could not remember the last time Lol had gone out on a date but far more disturbing than that, Lol did not drink; could not drink. A recovering alcoholic, Lol had been dry for eight years. Mia knew this, because Mia had been there. They had been working on an epic historical drama, when Lol had fallen asleep in a drunken stupor with a cigarette in her hand. Mia arrived back in the nick of time and managed to douse the flames but valuable costumes had been damaged. It could have been worse, it could have been fatal.
It was a turning point; shocked by her actions, Lol made her mind up to take control and Mia had stood by her, helping her through her darkest moments, it had sealed their friendship.
“I guessed as much.” Mia did not know what else to say, she was devastated. Lol’s sharp little face had fallen in on itself. “And the man?”
Lol sighed. “Someone from years ago.”
“One of the crew?” Mia was intrigued.
“No. He was long gone by the time I came round and when I got here the truck was unlocked, someone had taken the key and caused havoc.”
“Your date?”
“Could have been. Or he distracted me and someone else seized the opportunity. I don’t know, Mia, I was so blitzed I could hardly remember what day it was.”
“Oh, Lol.” Mia put her arms around her friend.
“I’m so sorry. I feel dreadful. I can’t believe it of myself and worst of all I can’t believe I let you down; us down.” She looked at Mia, bitter tears spilling from her eyes.
“Hey, come on, we’ve been through worse,” Mia said, pushing back a great despairing lump in her throat.
“Yeah, but if we tell the truth we’ve had it.” Lol knew Mia was on the side of the angels, she always told the truth.
“Look, I need this job,” Mia reminded her. “We both do. We can’t have our reputation as the best goddamn dressers in the entire universe besmirched in any way. Someone wanted the movie stopped, not our problem. We’ll tell whoever asks, the truck was vandalised. They broke in through the skylight and did their worst.” She grabbed a pack of wet wipes and started cleaning the padlock and door handle. She wiped the key, passing it to Lol.
“Put your prints all over it, so there’s only ours on everything,” Mia instructed.
“But the skylight?” Lol was bemused.
Mia looked up. It was too high for them to reach. She raised her stick and bashed it against the frame. One of the panes of glass popped out. She pushed it to one side with the nose of the fox’s head and dropped the latch.
“They broke in there, must have been wearing gloves and shoe covers, no prints anywhere.”
“Genius!” Lol declared, beginning to look marginally less frazzled.
CASE CLOSED
Garda Regan was delighted; an investigation into a case of vandalism at Kilcohy Castle, that would certainly be a change from another afternoon filing at the station.
“Isn’t that where they’re making the movie?” he asked, reaching for his cap.
“It is.” Sergeant O’Brien remained at his desk.
“Will we have to interview a few of them big name actors and the like? Or would the inspector have to do that, them being famous and all?”
“They’re actors, ya eejit, when they appear in a film as the President or a member of the Royal Family, they’re only acting. Hence the name, actors.” The sergeant turned a page of the newspaper on the desk.
“I heard it’s a horror film, we’ll get to ‘interview a vampire’, so.” Garda Regan rattled the keys to the patrol car, eager to be gone. He held the door ajar as the sergeant stood slowly, folded his newspaper and picked up his cap.
Outside in the yard the sun was blazing. “I hope they’re up!” Joked the young guard, nodding skywards.
“Just get in and drive, will ye? The match is on, I was hoping for a quiet listen of it back at the station and now this, a crowd of luvvies wetting their knickers over a bit of an April Fool’s joke in the dressing up box.”
“But it’s June, sergeant,” Garda Regan pointed out.
“Did you never hear of a figure of speech?” The senior officer said irritated, he hated the heat.
“Of course I did, bet there’s a few nice figures to look at when we’re up at the castle, too.” Garda Regan had not had a girlfriend in a long time and there was little chance of one, the long hours and shifts he was expected to work in this so-called career.
The interviews were short. Mia and Lol as key-holders were questioned more fully but after examining the roof light, the police officers agreed this was how the vandals had entered and exited the scene of the crime.
“Easy enough to break in.” The sergeant closed his notebook. “Have you no security on site?”
“Yes, twenty-four-seven,” Mia replied. “There’s a temporary perimeter fence all the way round, they’re supposed to patrol that.”
“Really?” The older officer gave his colleague a knowing look. He did not like security firms, shifty organisations populated by failed constabulary and ‘lucky-not-to-be-inside’ thugs. “Let’s talk to them, Regan. If they were doing their job properly, these ladies would have been able to do theirs.” He gave the ladies a denture-filled smile. “How’s Archie, by the way?” The sergeant directed his question at Mia. “You’re
Fenella’s daughter, aren’t you? Just wondered how he’s doing.”
She was not surprised, the local constabulary would know all about the comings and goings at Galty House.
“He’s bought a new boat,” was all she could think to say.
“Good man,” said the sergeant. “I’ll warn the Coastguard, so.”
“Are we free to go, officer?” Mia managed.
“Of course, just don’t leave the country,” he replied, then seeing their startled faces, “Only joking. You’re fine, we’ve finished with you here.” They tipped their caps and left.
“Blimey,” Lol exclaimed. “Can’t half tell you’re from theatrical aristocracy, they believed every word you said.”
“Shush,” Mia hissed. “Why wouldn’t they? All perfectly plausible. Now, we just give the same statements to the insurance assessor and we’re in the clear.” Mia sounded a lot more confident than she felt but the encounter with the guards had gone well, it looked like she may have deflected the spotlight and saved the day.
The entire unit breathed a sigh of relief as the police drove away; the last few days had been a nightmare. Down to a man they just wanted to pack up and go home. Garda Regan was disappointed too, the whole scenario had been distinctly lacking in glamour, bright lights or indeed any action. He sighed heavily.
“What ails you?” Sergeant O’Brien sniped.
“I thought it would, you know, be more exciting.”
“Exciting? I told you, it’s only a bit of ole codology, makey-up stuff, it’s only exciting when the backroom boys have weaved their magic, edited and polished. Then it hits the screen, that’s the exciting bit.”
“You seem to know a lot about it?”
“I’ve been around a long time, know lots of stuff about lots of things and that was an inside job if ever I saw one.”
The young Garda nearly ran the car off the road.
That Summer at the Seahorse Hotel Page 9