The Cinema at Starlight Creek

by Alli Sinclair

  ‘Your career’s shot now,’ said Tony, looking down on her.

  ‘Are you serious?’ Claire stood so she was eye to eye with him. Her mouth fell open. ‘Was it you? Did you sabotage me?’

  Tony laughed. ‘I don’t need to sabotage you—you’ve done a good enough job yourself. I doubt you’ll ever work in this industry again so you can kiss being the boss of me goodbye.’

  ‘Tony, if you …’ Claire stopped herself. She clenched her fists. As much as she wanted to rant and scream, she didn’t need Nigel and team to witness her losing her cool. ‘Forget it.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You can’t bait me. Go on,’ she flicked her hand in the direction of the street, ‘go to the pub and start some rumours. They’re not going to affect me in any way. Nigel knows the real me and he knows this was not my fault.’

  ‘That’s what you think.’ Tony marched off, leaving Claire bewildered. What more could be piled on this already cruddy day?

  Claire sunk back onto the step. A few seconds later James plonked beside her so hard the wood rattled underneath her. ‘I’m so sorry, Claire.’

  ‘About being so drunk? The fire? What?’ she snapped, still rattled from her run-in with Tony. She couldn’t bear to think about the impending conversation with Hattie. After she’d called Luke and he’d arrived in a cloud of dust, he’d donned firefighting gear and disappeared into the cinema. She’d been surprised by his familiarity with the equipment and later found out he was a volunteer. That was the last time she’d seen him.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ James rubbed his head, as if trying to dispel a headache. ‘I have no idea what happened. I wish I could remember …’

  ‘It doesn’t change anything,’ she said, not quite sure how she felt about James right now. The poor guy had been doing it tough and she was sure that whatever had caused the fire was an accident, but now she had to face the wrath of Hattie and Luke. She was the one who’d made the deal with them, not James. And it had been her responsibility to keep James in line, not give him enough rope to go and get drunk. Whatever the fallout, she had to face it head on, even though she dreaded the final outcome.

  ‘We’ll figure it out.’ She squeezed his shoulder. ‘Will you be okay?’

  He nodded. ‘I’m really sorry.’

  Claire stood and took a deep breath. ‘There’s something I have to do.’

  * * *

  Claire had her feet firmly planted at the base of the stairs leading up to Luke’s house. She’d been standing there a good five minutes, her legs like concrete.

  ‘This is not going to fix things,’ she mumbled and clenched her fists, taking the steps slowly. When she reached the front door, she knocked.

  No answer.

  Knocking a little harder this time, she waited. Heavy footfalls echoed down the hallway. A second later, the door swung open and Don stood in front of her, his eyes red.

  Claire opened her mouth. ‘I’m—’

  ‘Forget it,’ he said, his tone cold. ‘You’re too late.’

  ‘Too late? For what?’

  ‘She’s gone,’ he spat out.

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘She’s gone to hospital.’ Don spoke to her like English was her second language.

  ‘Hospital? What’s wrong with Hattie?’

  Don sighed, his contempt obvious. ‘As soon as she heard about what happened she took a turn.’

  ‘Oh no.’ Claire wasn’t sure her legs would hold her.

  ‘Luke’s gone with her while I hold the fort here.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ She seemed to be saying this a lot lately. Claire hitched her handbag back on her shoulder. ‘Which hospital?’

  ‘Don’t bother,’ said Don. ‘You’ve done enough damage.’

  ‘But the police say it was an accident. They’re running tests now but they’re pretty sure it was an electrical fault. They also said—’

  Don held up his hand. ‘We don’t need to hear it. You promised Hattie you’d look after the place and this is how her trust is repaid. Robert said you were trouble.’

  ‘Robert Dennis?’ She nearly choked on the words.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You know him?’

  ‘He made himself known after your production moved in to film. Hattie and Luke convinced me to trust you. We should have known better.’ He looked at her car. ‘It’s time you left.’

  Arguing would be futile so she walked back to the ute, her chest hurting. How sick was Hattie?

  She got into the driver’s side, her mind numb. Don was right. When Claire had promised Hattie she would look after the cinema, Claire had believed she was in control, that everything would be absolutely fine under her watch. She’d been an idiot to think just because she wanted something one way, it would work out perfectly. It didn’t matter that the fire wasn’t her fault, she’d made a promise and now it had been broken and Hattie had suffered because of it.

  Claire got out the map and studied it, trying to figure out the closest hospital.

  Oh, great. Ashton.

  Throwing the car into gear she drove down the gravel drive and turned right. ‘Last Goodbye’ by Jeff Buckley came on the radio and Claire punched the button to turn it off.

  The road to Ashton felt longer than it actually was, as thoughts about Hattie’s state of health flew through Claire’s mind—and heart. She didn’t doubt for a second that her arrival at the hospital would result in Luke turning her away, but she had to try. She’d never forgive herself otherwise. Though what would she say if she did get in to see Hattie? Sorry just wouldn’t cut it.

  Claire pulled to the side of the road. This was ridiculous. Showing up at the hospital could make things a million times worse than they already were. Perhaps she could write another letter? It had worked once. Though would her new letter be passed on? Could it make things worse?

  She thumped the steering wheel so hard a sharp pain reverberated up her hand and arm.

  What to do?

  Her phone rang and she reached into her bag. ‘Hello?’

  ‘You need to get back here. Now!’ Nigel barked.

  ‘On my way.’ Claire threw the phone on the passenger seat and hightailed it to Starlight Creek.

  * * *

  Claire pulled up at the town hall in a state of anxiety. Phil ran towards her, opened the door and gave her a massive bear hug.

  ‘What’s going on?’ She wrestled out of his grip.

  ‘They’re not so sure it was an electrical fault now.’

  ‘What?’

  He ushered her up the stairs and to the doors of the hall. ‘They think there was foul play.’

  ‘No way.’ As if things couldn’t get worse.

  ‘James’s drunkenness may have contributed because he could have set off something. Or it could have been an electrical fault but the police and fireys don’t think it’s as simple as it looks.’

  ‘Robert Dennis.’ She gritted her teeth.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Robert Dennis and Brody Hall from Ashton. The disgruntled cinema owner and Annalise’s ex, current, whatever boyfriend.’

  ‘That’s too obvious,’ said Phil.

  ‘You’d think so, right? Especially after Robert threatened me and said he’d make sure this production fails.’

  ‘Did you tell anyone before this?’ he asked.

  ‘Only James.’ She covered her face with her hands. ‘Oh man. I thought I’d dealt with it.’

  ‘Apparently not.’

  Surely it couldn’t have been Tony. He didn’t hate her that much. Or did he? Claire inhaled slowly and let it out. ‘I better go see Nigel.’

  ‘Good luck.’ Phil squeezed her hand.

  ‘Thanks.’ She refrained from adding ‘I’m gonna need it’. Claire went up the stairs and into the hall that was now empty except for Nigel and the policeman she’d met earlier. They waved her over and she crossed the floorboards, feeling guilty—of what, she wasn’t sure.

  ‘Take a seat, Miss Montgomery,’ said the policeman.
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  She did so, hoping this might stop her shaking legs. ‘How can I help?’

  ‘We’ve received some information about some trouble that you were at the centre of.’

  ‘Me?’ She looked at Nigel whose expression was neutral. ‘If you’re talking about Robert Dennis, then I can assure you everything has been above board.’

  ‘What about the altercation in the street with Brody Hall? There are allegations you threatened him.’

  ‘Pardon?’ she squeaked then quickly cleared her throat. ‘Brody threatened me. He wanted to see James and I suggested it wasn’t a good idea and that he should work things out with Annalise.’

  ‘Colin Dawson from the newsagency said it was a heated argument.’

  ‘If he thinks that’s heated he’s never been to one of my family’s Christmases,’ she muttered. ‘Look, I get that from an outsider’s point of view it might have looked like a huge argument, but it wasn’t. I was just trying to reason with him because he wanted to blame everyone except himself for his failed relationship with his ex-girlfriend.’

  ‘Would he be angry enough to cause a fire in the cinema?’ asked the policeman.

  ‘I’ve no idea,’ she said. ‘He was furious, no doubt about it, but enough to cause damage and ruin the production? I really don’t know. Besides, how would he get in? There wasn’t any evidence of someone having broken in, was there? There was only one other person in the cinema that night … James. He was really drunk and absolutely not capable of setting fire to anything,’ she added quickly. ‘He could barely string a sentence together.’

  ‘Colin saw you leave his house in the early hours,’ said Nigel.

  ‘I took James home after I found him in the cinema.’ Claire leaned forward. ‘We’ve been over this already.’

  ‘We just want to be sure we’ve noted everything down correctly,’ said the policeman.

  She doubted that was the case. It felt more like they were trying to trip her up on a lie. The room suddenly felt smaller. ‘Do you have everything now?’

  ‘Yes,’ said the policeman, exchanging a look with Nigel. ‘We’ll be in touch.’

  Claire stood, her legs feeling like jelly. She hated having to prove her innocence. All these allegations and question marks over her head did not bode well. Not just for her current situation, but for future employment. Any blemish on her record, any gossip in the industry, even if unfounded, would destroy her career and any hope of realising her dreams. Although all that paled with her concern for Hattie.

  CHAPTER 27

  1952 – Hollywood

  Lena steered the Buick towards the studio gate and had to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing into a large black Ford. Two men in ill-fitting suits leaned against the vehicle as they spoke with Barney, the security guard. A moment later all eyes focussed on her.

  The taller of the two strode over and indicated she should roll her window down. She did so but only a few inches.

  ‘Miss Lena Lee?’ His muscular build and scowling face were intimidating.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘We’d like you to come with us.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  He handed her a card:

  Ned Ramsay

  Representative of the House Un-American

  Activities Committee

  She forced herself to sound calm. ‘Why do you want to talk with me?’

  ‘We have some questions we’d like you to answer.’

  Lena’s clammy hands gripped the steering wheel and she took a moment before replying. ‘I’m sorry, now is not the right time. I have many appointments today that can’t be moved.’

  Which was true, but she doubted they cared if her costume fitting was delayed. The take-no-prisoners air they exuded did not instil confidence in her ability to fob them off until she could make enquiries as to why they wanted to talk with her.

  ‘Miss Lee, we have already spoken with Mr Cooper and he has assured us that a delay of a few hours will not hinder.’

  ‘A few hours?’

  He motioned for her to roll down the window all the way. She did so reluctantly.

  ‘Yes, now if you can park your car and please come with us to our office—’

  ‘If you want to talk with me then we’ll find an office in the administration building,’ she said.

  ‘Miss Lee—’

  ‘I am sure you can understand that in this industry time is money and I do not want to waste it travelling to the other side of town.’ She managed a haughty tone and prayed it brooked no argument. Lena hated the idea of two men in suits interviewing her in an office in full view of the studio gossips, but she had no intention of leaving Fortitude Studios with two men she didn’t know. ‘I will also need time to call my lawyer and for him to arrive.’

  ‘There will be no need for that.’

  ‘I’ll decide if there’s a need.’ Lena waved her hand at Barney to open the gates and let her in. As she drove past he mouthed ‘sorry’ and she gave him a half-smile, hoping he understood she didn’t blame him. Her mind went into overdrive as she wound her way through the lots towards the main administration office. Why would HUAC want to speak with her? Had Pierre said something? If so, what was it because she’d never given any reason to be under HUAC’s spotlight.

  Dotty?

  Oh no.

  But that whole incident with her brother had nothing to do with the film industry. Argh! What did they want?

  Lena looked in the rear-view mirror. Ned Ramsay and his offsider were following close behind in their black beast of a car. A small laugh escaped her lips. Just like in the movies.

  She pulled into the nearest vacant parking spot and the HUAC vehicle came to a stop just outside the door. Apparently, they wielded enough power to park wherever they wanted.

  The men followed her into the foyer and waited with her by the lift. Her heart smashed against her chest. Waltzing into Stuart’s office probably wasn’t the best plan, but she needed someone looking out for her, especially as she’d heard about HUAC investigations going south very quickly.

  The lift pinged and they got in, the stale air suffocating. They ascended to the top floor, and she stepped out with the men right behind her. Lena walked straight towards Stuart Cooper’s secretary, Lorraine, who pushed her glasses back on her face and buzzed her boss. ‘Mr Cooper, Miss Lee is here with some men—’

  The intercom clicked off and a moment later Stuart Cooper’s door flung open. ‘In here. Now.’

  Lena walked through the door and saw two of the studio’s lawyers sitting at a small table near Stuart’s desk. A wave of relief swept through her. Whatever the issue was, Stuart could help her sort it out. Though why hadn’t he warned her if he’d known they were looking for her?

  Stuart took a seat on the other side of the desk. He motioned for the men to sit but they shook their heads.

  Stuart addressed them. ‘Miss Lee has many, many things to get done before we start filming tomorrow so let’s make this short and sweet.’

  ‘We are aware of this,’ said Ned Ramsay, his tone relaying that he couldn’t care less about Lena or the studio’s tight schedule.

  ‘Well then?’ asked Stuart.

  ‘We’d prefer to talk to Miss Lee alone.’

  ‘That won’t be possible.’ Stuart crossed his arms.

  Ramsay exchanged looks with his companion who gave a short nod. ‘All right. We have questions for you, anyway.’

  Stuart nonchalantly lit a cigarette. How could he be so calm when she felt like she’d explode from panic?

  ‘Miss Lee.’ Ramsay turned to her. ‘I believe Mr George Barrett is an acquaintance of yours?’

  ‘George?’ she rasped.

  ‘Is he an acquaintance of yours?’ Ramsay repeated, his tone one of annoyance.

  ‘Yes. Why?’

  ‘Is he now, or has he ever been, a member of the Communist Party of the United States?’

  ‘What?’ She looked at Stuart who appeared as surprised as her.

  ‘We need an
answer, Miss Lee.’

  ‘That’s none of your—’

  ‘It absolutely is our business. Now please, answer the question.’

  ‘No, he’s not.’ Not that she was aware of. How could you ever know someone fully if they chose to keep aspects of their life secret? It really wasn’t that hard if you were determined enough.

  ‘Are you aware he is a homosexual?’ Ramsay’s face contorted as he said the last word.

  ‘What does this have to do with being a communist?’

  Ramsay powered on. ‘You are aware that homosexuality is a psychiatric disorder?’

  ‘I don’t believe it is and I object to this line of questioning. I will not talk behind my friend’s back.’

  ‘We don’t care whether you’re comfortable with this or not, Miss Lee. The fact of the matter is that we have reason to believe George Barrett is a communist.’

  ‘Because you think he’s a homosexual?’

  ‘It is a well-proven fact that homosexuals are susceptible to blackmail and therefore targeted by communists to carry out their work.’

  ‘So says Senator McCarthy,’ she said. Ever since McCarthy had made his 1950 speech, saying that homosexuals working for the foreign policy bureau were prime candidates for blackmail by the Soviets, people had hit the panic button and the fear had spread far and wide. Now anyone who was homosexual was considered a communist.

  ‘We have a copy of the script he has been writing and there are many aspects that are of great concern to HUAC.’

  ‘He’s a writer. He makes things up. Just because I play the role of a murderess doesn’t mean I go around killing people. Life does not imitate art.’ Stuart shot her a ‘keep your mouth shut’ look. She planned to ignore it.

  ‘And what about his …’ Ramsay twisted his lips. ‘Lover, Oscar Connor?’

  ‘Oscar?’ Lena nearly choked on the name. He and George had kept their relationship under wraps. Aside from Lena and Yvonne, the only other person who knew about it was Jeanne.

  Jeanne. Could she be at the bottom of this? Why would she target George?

  Oh no.

  Jeanne knew very well that George and Lena were best friends. Jeanne had already caused trouble for George by getting Oscar fired. Though how could Jeanne stir the pot when she was in rehab, supposedly sheltered from the outside world? What if she’d gotten hold of the news about Lena taking on the role meant for Jeanne? What if—