His eyes narrowed. “You trying to be funny or something?”
“It’s no joke.”
“I don’t believe it. It’s another script change, right?” Bill’s eyes darted back and forth between Dirk’s lifeless body and me.
“I’m afraid not.” I watched his face for any sign of deception, but he appeared genuinely surprised.
Bill paced back and forth, his face pale. “How could this have happened? Who shot him? Where are they?”
I lowered my voice. “I don’t know, but the bullet seems to have come from one of your guns.”
“That’s impossible,” Bill said. “My guns weren’t loaded, never are. They don’t have bullets, only blanks.”
“You sure about that?” I scanned the street where I had last seen Aunt Pearl and Steven. They were having a heated discussion about something, both seemingly oblivious to the tragedy now before us. I turned back to Bill.
“Of course I’m sure. I checked each gun myself before I handed them out. I don’t even have bullets.” He glared at me. “You think I had something to do with Dirk getting shot? Why the hell would I do that?”
I waved my hand in dismissal. I could think of a lot of reasons. “Nobody’s accusing anyone. Just stating the facts. Dirk was shot.”
Arianne walked quickly towards us. She halted abruptly in front of Bill and glared at him. “You gave us loaded guns? We could all be dead right now. How could you be so stupid?”
“Of course I didn’t give you loaded guns. What do you think I am, an idiot? The guns only had blanks.” Bill scratched his head. “I don’t get this.”
“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Bill,” Arianne said. “You’re the only one who touched those guns.”
“We don’t know that they all were loaded. Only one bullet was fired,” I said. It was a moot point, one that could only be verified later, but I didn’t want everybody panicking and jumping to conclusions.
Bill raised his arms, palms out. “They weren’t loaded, I swear. Somebody loaded the gun after I handed it out.”
“If anyone tampered with them, we would have seen them,” I said. “You gave them out just before the filming started. All eyes were on the set.”
“Well, somebody did something. Maybe Pearl had something to do with it. Where is she?”
“She never touched the guns. I’m sure of that.” Bill’s desperate attempt to deflect blame really irritated me. I couldn’t blame him for being angry, distraught, or both, but that was no excuse to make Aunt Pearl a scapegoat for his carelessness. I was thankful she hadn’t heard his accusations. She could certainly take care of herself, but that was exactly what I was afraid of. I didn’t want to give her any excuses to set something on fire.
His face flushed with barely contained anger. “You must have looked away for a minute.”
“No, I saw her the whole time. Go ask her yourself. Maybe she saw something I didn’t, though.” I tilted my head in the direction she had gone. “She’s across the street talking to Steven right now.”
No doubt Aunt Pearl was angling to get Bill’s job, but that was pointless now. Without Dirk Diamond, the movie couldn’t go ahead. Bill’s Prop Manager role was no longer needed either. A dead megastar meant no movie, at least not anytime soon.
Arianne trembled and sobbed into her hands. “How could this happen? One minute Dirk was running and full of life. The next minute he’s dead.”
The timing was troubling. First Rose Lamont, Dirk’s wife and co-star, and now Dirk. While Rose had supposedly died from a brain aneurysm, it seemed too coincidental—and unusual—for a married couple in their prime to both die within a day of each other. Was Dirk’s death a tragic coincidence, or did someone want both of them dead?
A loaded gun and real bullets instead of blanks implied that someone had tampered with the guns. Yet Bill insisted he had checked each one of them, and I had watched him hand out the guns. Aside from dozens of witnesses, the whole thing had been captured on film. It would be a simple matter of reviewing the footage to identify the shooter.
Supposing it was murder, why commit the act in plain view of dozens of people? The killer was either extremely brazen or incredibly stupid. Or possibly trying to frame an innocent person.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping against hope that my intuition was wrong.
7
I grabbed my cell phone and punched in Sheriff Tyler Gates’ number. “Come to the movie set, quick. Dirk Diamond’s been shot.”
Dozens of cast members stood in stunned silence, forming a wide circle around Dirk Diamond’s lifeless body. Word had spread quickly amongst the crew. Everyone had drifted back to the set, silent and stunned at the enormity of what had just happened. Reality sank in that someone had shot the leading man, and in the process, dashed any hope of future paychecks. It also eliminated any chance of Westwick Corners becoming Hollywood North anytime soon.
“Already here.” Tyler’s voice echoed as he strode towards me and Dirk’s lifeless body just a few feet away. His expression was blank except for his mouth, which was set in a thin hard line. “Amber just told me.”
“Aunt Amber? I guess news travels fast.” I frowned. “I thought she had already left the set.”
Tyler tilted his head to a few feet away where Amber stood. “She said she was right here when it happened. She ran over to City Hall to get me.”
I followed behind Tyler as he walked towards Dirk’s body. He called the crime scene investigation unit on his cell phone. Westwick Corners was too small to have its own forensics and investigative staff, so as sheriff he had to rely upon the CSI unit in Shady Creek, an hour away. Tyler would have to manage on his own until his backup arrived.
I was relieved but confused to see Aunt Amber back on the set. “I was so busy watching the filming that I guess I didn’t notice her here.”
“There must have been a lot going on with the filming and everything,” Tyler said. “Tell me what happened.”
I recounted what I had seen. “There wasn’t anything amiss as far as I could see. The gunfight scene followed the script, except that Dirk Diamond never got up when the filming stopped.”
Bill shouldered his way in front of me to get Tyler’s attention. “Just in case somebody’s pointing fingers, it wasn’t me. I didn’t kill Dirk.”
“Nobody said you did.” Tyler stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Why did you think that?”
“Because somebody sabotaged one of my guns by loading it with real bullets.” Bill rubbed his palm over his half-bald head with its disheveled comb-over. “I don’t know how or when it happened, but I’m being framed. My guns weren’t loaded.”
Tyler raised his brows. “Where were you when the shooting happened?”
Bill looked sheepish. “Out having a smoke. But only after I handed out the guns. I personally checked each gun to make sure they only had blanks. Somebody must have tampered with them after that.”
“Any witnesses?” Tyler pulled a notepad from his shirt pocket. “Who had access to the guns?”
Bill glanced around nervously. “Well, Pearl was helping me.”
“She never handled your guns, though.” I glared at Bill, furious at his repeated insinuation that Aunt Pearl was somehow involved. I was also a little annoyed that she had chosen now to disappear, leaving me to defend her.
In fact, I was so mad at Bill for throwing Aunt Pearl under the bus that I was tempted to curse him. But evening the score didn’t help matters any. At any rate, I only knew white magic, so a curse was impossible. If only I knew of a truth spell that I could blanket over all the people here. Aunt Pearl would know, if in fact such a thing existed.
On the other hand, it was irresponsible to tamper with what was likely a murder investigation. I wondered who had a motive. Though just about everybody hated Dirk Diamond, he was the sole reason for their livelihood. With his death, everybody stood to lose.
At least, everybody that I knew of.
I refocused on Bill and Tyl
er. Their discussion became more heated with each passing moment.
“All I meant was that Pearl was helping me out in general,” Bill admitted. “I checked the guns at the trailer before bringing them here on set. Go ahead and search my trailer if you want. You won’t find any bullets.”
“I’ll do that,” Tyler said. “In the meantime, don’t go anywhere. I’ll need a statement from you once I clear the scene.” He was careful not to call it a crime scene, but judging from his expression, he had already concluded that Dirk’s death was no accident.
“Uh-oh.” I glanced across the street and saw Mayor Brayden Banks walking briskly towards us. He looked strangely out of place amongst the casually-dressed crew. His shoes, trouser legs, and even his dark suit jacket sported a thin sheen of beige from the dusty street.
The last thing Mayor Brayden Banks wanted was bad publicity. The second last thing he wanted was Tyler Gates’ continued employment as sheriff. Tyler and I had started dating a few months after I had broken off my engagement to Brayden. In a small town you couldn’t get much more awkward than that.
“Cen.” Brayden nodded curtly at me before turning to Tyler. “Any leads, Sheriff?”
Brayden stood out in Westwick Corners even without the filming, but his dressed-for-success image was carefully cultivated. I should know. My former fiancé had always felt he was destined for greater things than Westwick Corners.
“I’m just getting started here,” Tyler said. “The Shady Creek techs are on their way.”
“Good. You’ll need all the help you can get.” Brayden’s thinly-veiled threat wasn’t lost on me or Tyler. Being Westwick Corners’ mayor was simply a stepping stone on his journey to political greatness. At least that was how Brayden saw the world. Any obstacle in his way had to be quickly removed.
Brayden’s gaze shifted to Dirk’s lifeless body, then to the set. He waved his right arm in a sweeping motion. “I want all these cameras gone, everybody’s cell phones seized. The press will be on this like flies to honey. The last thing we need is a bunch of media looking to sensationalize everything.” Mayor Banks didn’t want any bad publicity for Westwick Corners. Not for the town’s sake, but for his own. And he would do whatever was needed to come out ahead.
Tyler seemed to take Brayden’s micromanaging in stride, but I fumed inside. I was part of the press too. I didn’t know which was worse: Brayden forgetting that I was a journalist or being referred to as an insect.
I really had to get over myself though. Tyler needed my help if he was to keep his job. Brayden was ready to pounce on any opportunity to fire Tyler if the investigation wasn’t quickly concluded.
Brayden glanced around the set to make sure no one else was within earshot. “You’ve got until midnight tonight to find and arrest the killer. If you don’t find him, you’re fired.”
8
The Shady Creek crime scene techs arrived in record time to process the scene while the medical examiner examined Dirk’s body. While the Shady Creek Police provided CSI assistance, the only investigative feet on the ground were Tyler’s.
Murder or no murder, our small town simply didn’t have the budget for more officers, whether hired or loaned from Shady Creek. Part of it was that we simply couldn’t afford it, but it was mostly due to a more sinister reason. Brayden Banks was setting up Tyler for failure, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I turned to Tyler. “You’re not really going to seize everybody’s phones like Brayden asked, are you? I know that’s what he wants, but that’s sure to start a revolt. If anything, that will get all the publicity he says he doesn’t want. I think it will backfire.”
Tyler shook his head. “It will just shine the spotlight on us. But I’ve got to keep him from interfering.” He winked at me. “Maybe you can help me out a little?”
“I can.” I never frivolously applied my magic, but if any occasion warranted it, this one did. I focused my sights on my former fiancé, thinking it wasn’t often I got to use a spell twice in one day. I glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot, then refocused on Brayden.
I whispered the spell:
* * *
Foggy mind, foggy numbers
Forget your cares, just sleep and slumber
Soon you’ll wake and remember nothing,
Not a care in the world, no trouble faced,
The last ten minutes, all erased.
* * *
It worked on Brayden just as it had on Aunt Pearl earlier. I felt proud and guilty all at the same time as I watched Brayden leave. He sauntered slowly across the street towards City Hall, rubbing the side of his head.
“Well done, Cen.”
I jumped at the sound of Aunt Pearl’s voice. I hadn’t noticed her and Steven walking back towards us. Judging by Steven’s carefree expression, he was completely unaware of what had just happened to Dirk.
“Your lessons are paying off,” she said in a low voice. “Maybe you can be a witch after all.”
I grabbed her arm as she walked by. “I need to talk to you. Dirk Diamond really is dead.” I pointed towards Dirk’s body, which was now covered with a blanket.
Aunt Pearl spun around to face me. Her face was expressionless, so I couldn’t really tell if she was joking or serious. “What on earth do people see in that Dirk Diamond? He exaggerates so much that it doesn’t even look real. Even his corpse pose is lousy.”
“This is no yoga class, Aunt Pearl. It is real,” I said. “Dirk is really dead.”
“I’m not surprised, with that attitude of his.” Aunt Pearl shook her head. “This film’s going to be a box-office dud.”
“Wait—did I hear you right? Dirk Diamond is dead?” Steven’s face flushed as he looked first at me, then Aunt Pearl. “That can’t be right. We just shot a scene minutes ago.”
“That’s exactly when it happened. One of the guns was loaded with live ammunition.” I recounted what I knew.
Steven overheard and retraced his steps. “Th-that’s impossible! He can’t be dead.” He looked as though he was about to faint on the spot. “This changes everything.”
I fought the urge to run and find Aunt Amber. What we had all just witnessed was either a horrific accident or murder. The next few minutes were critical for evidence gathering and witness accounts. That was a job for Tyler and the Shady Creek police, but I had to at least keep everyone from leaving.
Aunt Pearl looked unconcerned. She brushed past me and made a beeline towards Bill, who lingered around his boxes of props and equipment.
Tyler wasn’t the only one who had his work cut out for him.
I followed her and grabbed her arm to stop her so she wouldn’t harass Bill. “Have you seen Aunt Amber?” It occurred to me that I no longer knew what was real and what was magic. I knew that Aunt Amber had used magic to bring the movie to Westwick Corners. Had she gone further than that?
There was a chance, however remote, that Dirk’s shooting wasn’t real. But in my heart of hearts, I knew that wasn’t the case. Aunt Amber always stuck to the rules and did everything by the book. At least—almost always. Though she had used magic to bring the movie to town, she hadn’t interfered with fate when Steven fired her. She hadn’t used magic to get her job back, and she certainly wouldn’t use magic to kill someone.
Still, I had to find her. Maybe there was a way to somehow reverse this tragedy.
“Last time I saw Amber she was by the trailers,” Aunt Pearl said. “I guess nobody’s got a job now.”
I turned my attention back to the scene. There had to be close to fifty people milling around us. The mood was somber. Though everyone was in a state of shock, nobody seemed devastated, or even all that surprised by Dirk’s death. That struck me as odd, given they had all worked together for years on numerous movies.
“How can this be?” A sheen of sweat broke out on Steven Scarabelli’s forehead.
“I can’t believe it. He really is dead.” Rick Mazure shook his head as he stared at Dirk’s body. “Just like that,
he’s gone. What do we do, Steven?”
“We’ll figure something out,” Steven said, though he looked anything but convinced.
Arianne was hysterical. “What the hell just happened, Bill? Didn’t you check your guns before you gave them out? That gun had a real bullet. Any one of us could have been hit.”
“Can’t be one of my guns,” Bill said. “They only had blanks.”
“I’m not sure what we’ll do without Dirk.” Rick stood. “I can’t exactly write him out of the script. He was the star.”
“There’s got to be some way to fix things somehow. Maybe splice the film with some old outtakes?” Arianne turned to Bill. “You really screwed up this time, Bill. The guns came from you and no one else. How could you not know that one of guns had a real bullet? Don’t you ever check them before you hand them out?”
Aunt Pearl’s mouth dropped open. “Uh-oh.”
I spun around to confront her. “What did you do?” What if the fatal shot had been a spell gone terribly wrong? Aunt Pearl wasn’t one to admit mistakes, even for something as tragic as an accidental shooting. Witchcraft or not, Bill was likely to be fired. Aunt Pearl was no doubt angling for his job, a disaster in the making.
Except that without Dirk there was no movie, so what were the odds of Aunt Pearl getting what she wanted?
Zero.
“I don’t understand any of this. I did check the guns.” Bill glared at Aunt Pearl but remained silent. He seemed to be thinking the same thing I was: maybe Aunt Pearl had a momentary lapse in attention while guarding the props. Or maybe something worse, a momentary lapse in morals.
Bill broke out into a sweat, and Arianne shuffled over to a nearby chair and sat down. She cried softly, her head in her hands. Steven and Rick stood together a few feet away. Rick’s back faced me, but I could tell by Steven’s panicked expression that they were discussing what to do next.
The rest of the cast and crew stood a few feet away, huddled together and talking in low voices. Their voices drifted towards us, speculating about what had just happened and what would happen next.
Witch and Famous--A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery Page 6