The Last Chance Matinee

by Mariah Stewart

  “I like it pretty well. Aside from its obvious shortcoming, that is.”

  “What shortcoming?”

  “There’s no animal shelter.”

  “What?”

  “There’s no rescue shelter for animals in Hidden Falls. I asked Barney about it the other day and she said there wasn’t a shelter of any kind for lost, abandoned, or abused animals.”

  Seth appeared to reflect on what she’d said. “The police pick up lost dogs and take them to the station until they can track down the owner.”

  “What if they can’t?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “And animals that have been abused?”

  “Anytime anyone sees anything going on that shouldn’t, they call Ben—that’s the chief of police—and he personally looks into it.”

  “And does what?”

  “Whatever needs to be done.”

  “He’ll take a dog away from someone who’s abused it?”

  “I guess so.”

  “And where would he take it?”

  “You’d have to ask him that.”

  “Dogfights?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Cockfights?”

  A smile had played on his lips, but he just shook his head no.

  “No strays?”

  “Well, sure. From time to time we’ve had some strays. People sometimes do stupid things, like bring their dogs up into the mountains and let them go.”

  “What do you do in cases like that?”

  He’d rubbed his stubbled chin. “I think the last time, someone took the dog in. Or maybe took it to the SPCA over in Harlow Park. Not sure, now that you ask.” He stared at her with dark eyes. “Where are you headed with all this?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what Hidden Falls does with animals that need help.”

  “What would you like to see done?”

  “I think this town should have a rescue shelter. What would someone do if they wanted to start one?”

  “I guess they’d look into the ordinances regarding kennels or keeping animals.”

  “Maybe the library has that information,” she’d said mostly to herself.

  “And if there are no ordinances, I guess the next step might be to bring it up to the town council.”

  “Right. That makes sense. Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m sure Barney knows when and where the town council meets.”

  “There’s a meeting on Wednesday. Seven p.m. The conference room in the back of the police station.” He’d smiled again. “If you’re thinking about going, go early if you want in. The place fills up fast.”

  “There are that many people in Hidden Falls who show up for these meetings?”

  “Not much else to do on a Wednesday night around here.”

  Right then, an older man had come up behind them and slapped Seth on the back and begun to rail about something. Des turned away so as not to appear to be eavesdropping. She tried to ignore a ping of disappointment because she’d been enjoying the conversation with Seth. He’d seemed genuinely interested in her thoughts about a shelter and had given her what sounded like good advice. Despite his tough appearance, he was soft-spoken and thoughtful and cute in his own way. That is, if a bald giant covered with tattoos could be considered cute.

  Once the idea of setting up a shelter took hold, Des had had a hard time thinking about anything else. She sat up half the night making lists of the steps she might take. She had the time, the resources, and the experience to run a shelter. All she needed was the place.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself, she warned herself. She already had one big project on her plate. She wasn’t sure how much of her time it’d take to keep the theater’s records and paying the contractors’ bills once they started on the actual renovations.

  She’d check the internet to find the closest rescue group and see if they could use her services. She missed having a furry friend by her side. Maybe at some point she’d talk to Barney, find out how she’d feel about Des possibly bringing a dog into the house. Hypothetically, of course.

  But right now, there was the job of locating the photos. She’d love to find pictures of the opening night to share with the local newspapers, maybe even the TV stations in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. It would be great publicity to drum up interest for the theater in Hidden Falls, and publicity could increase their chances of getting those grants if need be.

  And wouldn’t it be great if they took photos all throughout the renovation process, maybe put them together in a book with some of the older ones? Des could see pictures of the boarded-up front door side by side with a shot from the 1920s showing the door partially open for a handsomely dressed patron going in. The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. The book could be an effective fund-raiser, and they needn’t wait till they were running out of money to put the book on sale.

  She’d have to discuss it with the others, of course, but she was pretty sure they’d agree it was a great idea. And she’d probably have to turn the actual design process over to Allie, who had a much better sense of such things. But as long as it brought in funds they might need and generated interest in the theater within the community, Des didn’t care if her sister got all the credit. The important thing was that it was done, and done right.

  But first, she had to find those photos.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cara was five minutes early for her meeting with Joe and the exterminator, so she sat in her car rehashing her phone conversation with Darla. There really wasn’t anything new in Devlin’s Light, Darla had assured her.

  “Is the wedding still the big topic of conversation?” Cara had asked.

  “In my shop, it is,” Darla grumbled. “Honestly, ever since I sent in my regrets to the wedding, Angie has been impossible. I mean, seriously. Why would they even invite me? I was your matron of honor, for crying out loud, and I’m still your best friend.”

  “Amber was one of my bridesmaids,” Cara reminded her, “but it didn’t stop her from stealing my husband. I’d say that ranks way above accepting their invitation.”

  “You don’t really think I’d go, do you? I’m much too loyal. And then there’s the cake. Angie promised Amber that we’d do the cake. Which I’ve already told her I won’t do.” Darla paused. “Not only do I not want to be a part of their festivities, but the temptation to put something nasty into it would probably be more than I could resist.”

  Cara laughed. “I’m not even going to ask what nasty ingredients you had in mind. But really, I wouldn’t think less of you if you went, or if you made the cake.”

  “Yes, you would.”

  “Well, yeah, I probably would. Though I have to admit it’s getting easier, being away and out of the loop. I don’t want to know what color the bridesmaids’ dresses are and I don’t care what’s on the menu.”

  “Well, that’s another thing. When Carol Cramer found out that her assistant had booked Carol’s inn for the reception, she made the woman call back and tell Amber, ‘So sorry, I made a mistake. We’re already booked for that day.’ ”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. No reception for you.” Darla mimicked the Soup Nazi from the old Seinfeld show. “So they’re scrambling to find another place, which has Angie crazy, since the wedding is so soon. Everyone knows the place in Devlin’s Light is Carol’s on the Bay.”

  “Just like everyone who’s anyone has their special-occasion cakes made by Darla’s Delectables.” Cara smiled.

  “Right. Shut out all around. Carol said she didn’t feel right since you’d had your reception there, and besides, she was too close to your mother.”

  “It’s so weird that Drew would even want to have the reception in the same place we did.”

  “I know, right? It seems just a little creepy to me.” Darla seemed to hesitate for a moment. “But you’re really okay?”

  “I’m even a little more okay after this phone conversation. It’s nice to know t
hat my friends have my back.”

  “Totally.”

  Cara hadn’t been lying when she told Darla she was feeling a lot better about her life. Just hearing about the loyalty of her friends had boosted her mood, and having other things to do had shifted her focus from her broken heart and all the gossip to getting to know her newly found family. Every day drew her more deeply into Hidden Falls, and farther from Devlin’s Light. Though Drew and Amber’s wedding hung over her like a storm cloud, she was hoping that once the day came and went, the storm would pass and the clouds would clear from her head.

  A door slamming brought her back to the here and now. She looked up as Joe emerged from his truck and headed directly toward her car. He was smiling and looked happy to see her.

  Joe always looked happy to see her, and that was a fact. One she didn’t really want to deal with.

  Cara turned off the ignition, grabbed her bag, and swung the car door open.

  “Good afternoon,” Joe said as she slid from behind the wheel. “Sorry I’m a little late.”

  “Not all that late.” She looked around. “I don’t see the exterminator.”

  “He’s just pulling up.” Joe gestured to the old station wagon that was parking in front of his truck. “Let’s go open up the theater and we’ll let him do his thing.”

  Cara followed Joe to the sidewalk, where he made introductions.

  “Cara McCann, meet Eddie Waldon. Ed, Cara McCann.”

  “Joe tells me you’re one of Fritz’s girls. Good to meetcha. Me and Fritz went back a ways. I was sorry to hear he’d passed.” The man looked to be in his late sixties, with thinning brown hair gone to gray. His deep frown lines made his face appear droopy, but his eyes were alert and sparkling.

  “Thank you. It seems everyone in town knew him and my aunt.”

  “True enough. Fritz was quite the guy. I remember seeing him in a couple of plays at school and right here at this theater.”

  “Barney mentioned that he’d started acting in high school,” Cara said.

  “He was real good, too. I always thought we’d be watching him on the big screen one day. Big surprise when he married Nora and she went on to be the star.”

  “I didn’t realize he’d been that serious about it.”

  “Oh hell yeah. He was as good as anyone I’d ever seen, and back in the day, there were lots of good actors coming through Hidden Falls to do summer stage.” Ed gestured to the theater. “I really thought Fritz would hit the big time.”

  “Well, he did that, but as an agent instead of a performer,” Cara said.

  “Guess he wanted Nora more than he wanted a career as an actor. Yep, they were a pair. He had the talent and she had the ambition. Nothing would do for her except to go to Hollywood. He figured the only way to get her was to take her there, so he became her manager and off they went to the West Coast.”

  “But she must’ve been good or she wouldn’t have been cast in all those films.”

  “She was good. He was better.” Eddie turned to Joe. “You didn’t call me down here for a lesson in local history. Let’s go inside and take a look around.”

  “I have some big flashlights in my truck,” Joe said as he unlocked the door. Let me get them.”

  “No need,” Eddie told him and took off into the building. “I always come prepared.” His voice trailed away as he went into the lobby.

  “Looks like Eddie’s off and running,” Cara said.

  “Let’s catch up.”

  In the dark, they could see Eddie’s flashlight beam disappearing into the lobby.

  “Actually, I think I’ll skip the part where I trail behind the guy who’s looking for things that live in there.” Cara hesitated in the doorway, then backed out.

  “Well, he’ll let us know what he finds.” Joe closed the door behind them.

  “I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t—”

  “I wouldn’t be of any use to him,” Joe said. “But hey, I have some good news for you. Mack called while I was on my way over here. He only needs one more day to get the main electrical up to snuff. Then we can get the power back on.”

  “That’s great news. We want to explore more of the building, but it’s tough when you can’t see. I’ll call the electric company today.”

  They stepped out onto the tiled area where the ticket booth once stood. “So, boss. What’s next on the agenda?” Joe said.

  “Once we establish the structural integrity of the building, we can get the other trades in here. I’m assuming you have everyone lined up?”

  “I do.”

  “Then as soon as we get a green light from the engineer, everyone can start to do their thing.” Cara paused. “Barney said the contractors would get the permits?”

  Joe nodded. “That’s how it’s done. Saves you time, and besides, the guys we have lined up to work on this are all very experienced and know how to cut through red tape.”

  “Good,” Cara said. “I can’t wait until the lights are on and we can go through the entire building and check out everything we’ve missed.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I hear from Mack.”

  Cara smiled and nodded, not wanting for even Joe to know how antsy she was to get to work. It’d been frustrating not to see the overall picture inside the building.

  Eddie appeared in the doorway. “You’re going to need some traps set in that basement. There are definitely mice, rats, maybe some squirrels.”

  “Swell.” She grimaced. “What do you suggest?”

  “I like these new electronic traps,” he told her. “Like a tube with an electrical charge. You put your bait in at the far end; the animal follows its nose to the bait, trips the charge, and bam! No fuss, no muss. One less little bugger.”

  “What do you do with the, you know . . .”

  “You take the trap to the trash, turn it upside down, and the animal falls out. Easy peasy.” Eddie headed for his station wagon. “I’ve a bunch of them at home. I’ll swing by later and set them up.”

  “Sounds good,” Cara said.

  “Want to work up a number for the job in its entirety?” Joe asked Eddie.

  “I’ll try to have something for you by Tuesday, but keep in mind I can’t tell how long it’s going to take to clear out that building. You’ve probably got generations of mice and rats in there.”

  A shiver raced up Cara’s spine and she shuddered. “I dislike mice, but I really hate the thought of rats. Especially generations of rats.”

  “These aren’t those big city rats—these are field rats, smaller, not aggressive. But a nuisance all the same. Hard to tell how much damage they may have caused, but you can assess that once you get the electricity working.” Eddie started toward his truck. “Oh, and there’s a piece of clapboard around the back that’s been pushed to one side. Something’s been coming and going would be my guess.”

  “Define ‘something.’ ” Cara resisted the urge to outwardly cringe. It had been bad enough that once Joe had seen her run screaming from the building.

  “Could be a raccoon, maybe even a family of them. They’re not in there right now, best as I can tell, so maybe board up that spot, set out some Havahart traps.”

  “I’ll take care of the board-up. Now, what about insects? Termites?” Joe asked as he and Cara walked the older man to his car.

  “I can do a test on the exterior, but inside looks pretty clean. You got lucky there.” Eddie opened the back of the station wagon and put his equipment inside, then slammed the hatch. “You give me a call when the electric is up and running, and meanwhile I’ll get working on that estimate.”

  “Thanks, Eddie.” Joe watched the car pull away; then he turned to Cara. “Have you had lunch? I got a late start this morning, so I didn’t get much of a breakfast. At least, nothing like what I had yesterday. We can head down the street to the Green Briar and grab a sandwich.”

  When she hesitated, he said, “Oh, come on. I hate to eat alone. Besides, we can talk about what’s going on with the th
eater.”

  “Okay.” Cara shook off the thought of the “somethings” that might be living in the theater and told herself, This is not a date. It’s a business meeting.

  He locked up the building, then said, “Feel like a walk? It’s not far.”

  “Sure.” They crossed the street in front of the gas station. The woman who’d been inside at the counter the night Cara stopped for gas was outside, and she waved to Joe.

  “How’s it going, Sally?”

  “You know, Joe, it’d be nice if just one Sunday morning I didn’t have to pick up litter from Saturday night,” the woman grumbled. “ ’Course that’s pretty much what you get when your business is next to the only bar in town.”

  “If you leave it, I’ll take care of it later.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t stand looking at the mess.”

  “Nice of you to offer to help her,” Cara noted as they kept walking.

  “We all try to give her a hand keeping up the place. Herbie, her husband, built the station back in the late fifties, the first gas station in Hidden Falls proper. Before that, you had to drive out onto the highway toward Powell to put gas in your car, so they say. Herbie passed away a few years ago and Sally’s tried her best to keep the business going, but she’s in her late seventies now and it’s getting harder for her. Their son would’ve taken over eventually, but he went to Iraq and came back in a box.” Joe’s jaw set tightly.

  “Was he a friend of yours?” Cara asked.

  “Everyone in Hidden Falls is a friend. It’s a small town, I’m sure you noticed. Not many moving in, a lot of the younger people moving out.”

  “You stayed.”

  “I have family here. My mom, my sister. Friends.” He didn’t elaborate on why he needed to stay—after all, Julie was an adult, too—and Cara didn’t ask.

  “And you have a business,” she added.

  “There is that.”

  They walked past an ancient drugstore, the front windows of which displayed every piece of equipment that ensured the good health and safety of the town’s senior citizens. Next to the drugstore was a bookstore, a sporting goods store, a beauty parlor, and the Hudson Diner. A parking lot separated the diner from the rest of the stores on the block. The Green Briar was on the corner.