Ghost of a Chance Read online

  Frank landed on his side and rolled a couple of times. Dazed, he watched his attacker run into the forest. He could barely make out the hulking shape.

  He pulled himself to his knees and gasped for a breath of putrid air. After shaking his head a few times, he stood up and headed on toward the set at a slow trot.

  “Frank!” Sassy called from behind. “Wait a minute. What happened?” she asked when she reached him. “Did you trip or something? I saw you get up.”

  “You didn’t see me hit the ground?” Frank asked as they kept going. “You didn’t see whoever—or whatever—it was that decked me?”

  “What are you talking about?” Sassy asked. She sounded a little breathless, maybe from trying to keep up with Frank. “Someone knocked you down?”

  They finally reached the edge of the location set. “Mmm-hmmm,” Frank mumbled. Ahead, he spotted Joe and Lloyd. He really didn’t want to get into a big conversation with Sassy right then. He wanted to find out who screamed—and why.

  “There you are!” Joe said when Frank and Sassy joined them.

  “What happened?” Frank asked. “We heard someone scream and got here as fast as we could.” He decided to tell Joe about his attacker later.

  “It was Cleo,” Joe said, nodding toward the pretty young star. They watched as she paced back and forth. Cleo’s personal assistant, Carmen, paced with her, and a small group of cast and crew members stood around, whispering to one another. Sassy wandered over toward the others.

  “We don’t know exactly what happened,” Joe said in a low voice as he, Frank, and Lloyd sidled over toward Cleo. “That’s the director, Dustin Bird, with her now.”

  Frank watched as the director started talking to Cleo. Dustin Bird was about sixty years old, dressed in jeans, a denim shirt, and a baseball cap. He had a rich British accent. “Come on, Cleo,” Dustin said. “It’s just a stupid joke. You know—everyone keeps talking about how this shoot is jinxed. Someone’s just acting on the rumors, trying to rattle you, that’s all.”

  “Well, it’s working!” Cleo said, glaring at Dustin. She clenched and unclenched one hand over and over. As she resumed pacing again, a small wad of paper tumbled out of her hand.

  As if he were picking up a grounder in left field, Joe scooped up the crinkled paper and stepped away with it. Turning his back, he smoothed the note and read it quickly.

  Frank read over his brother’s shoulder. The message was short and to the point. “Get out of this movie. Your life is in danger!”

  Joe wadded up the note again and took it to Cleo. “You dropped this,” he said.

  Cleo gave Joe a shaky smile. “Thanks,” she said. She started to stuff it into a leg pocket of her cargo slacks but stopped abruptly, glancing at the others.

  “Did you all hear this?” she asked, her voice agitated. She read the note aloud. Several people gasped and some actually appeared afraid. Others chuckled.

  “Cleo,” Dustin said. “I’m telling you it’s just a gag. Someone from publicity probably wrote it. It’s good for business if we’ve got a threat in the news.”

  “Do you have any idea who wrote the note?” Frank asked Cleo. He and Joe moved closer. Carmen put an arm around Cleo’s shoulders.

  “No,” Cleo said. “But whoever it was, he’ll be sorry,” she added.

  “Where did you find the note?” Frank asked. “Was it delivered to your RV?” He knew that major stars had their own RVs when they went on location. The vehicles were personal retreats for the stars, somewhere they could go when they weren’t needed for a particular scene.

  “Yes,” Cleo said, nodding at Frank. “I was over in makeup, and when I got back to my RV, this note was stuck under my door.”

  “Are you sure you don’t know the handwriting?” Carmen asked.

  Cleo’s answer was cut off by Dustin. “Okay, that’s it,” he said. “Enough questions, enough excitement.”

  He took Cleo’s hand and led her away. “Come on, dear,” he said in a soothing voice. “Let’s have some tea. I want you a little agitated for the next scene, but not hysterical.” Carmen followed closely.

  “Well,” Frank said. “It looks like there’s more going on here than we thought.”

  “Yeah,” Lloyd added. “The movie plot isn’t the only mystery around here.”

  “A weird thing happened to me, too,” Frank said. “Let’s get some supper at the truck and I’ll tell you about it.”

  Food for the cast and crew was served several ways, depending on where they were filming. In the main compound, food was always available in the commissary, one of the temporary steel buildings the studio had brought in and set up.

  When filming was on location up on the mountain, the studio set up a tent or parked a large catering truck nearby. Hot food, hot and cold drinks, and snacks were available at the truck all the time. Specific meals were very elaborate and delicious.

  This time Frank, Joe, and Lloyd decided they just wanted tacos from the food truck. They parked themselves at one of the tables and dug in. A tall heater stood near them, keeping off the mountain chill.

  “There you are,” Gene said as he walked up a few minutes later to join them. “I figured I’d find you near the food,” he added with a grin. “I heard what happened with Cleo. Did any of you see the note?”

  “Joe and I did,” Frank answered. “It was printed in block letters in pen, and the letters looked pretty shaky.”

  “Like maybe it was written with the left hand by a right-handed person,” Joe added. “You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Gene said. “Gus broke my arm in a training session one time. I had to write with my left hand for a few weeks. It was pretty bad.”

  “Maybe the author was afraid Cleo might recognize the writing,” Lloyd suggested.

  “Or the note writer is simply smart enough to disguise himself—or herself,” Frank suggested.

  “So what do you think?” Gene asked. “Is it a real threat or a joke?”

  “I don’t know,” Frank said. “I’d like to talk to Cleo again. I want to know whether this is the first threat she’s had.”

  Joe turned to Frank. “Hey, you said you had another weird thing to tell us about.”

  Frank’s attention went immediately to his encounter at the edge of the forest. Just remembering that gamy, wild smell seemed to fill his nostrils.

  As Frank told the story, the animal wranglers exchanged glances. Finally Lloyd spoke up, “It was a bear, Frank. The size, the smell—it had to have been. It was probably startled by Cleo’s scream.”

  “And you were lucky,” Gene added. “It had to be either a young bear or a very old one. You might not be here to tell us about it otherwise.”

  “What’s the matter, Frank?” Joe asked, studying his brother’s puzzled expression.

  “I thought it was a bear, too,” Frank said, “until it ran off. It loped away—on two feet.”

  “Bears will do that once in a while,” Lloyd said. “They get up on their hind legs as a sign of dominance and power. Maybe it stayed up a bit longer to make sure you got the message.”

  “Or maybe you didn’t see it clearly,” Gene offered. “It was pretty dark by then.”

  “You don’t look convinced, Frank,” Joe said. “Do you think it was a man?”

  “I don’t know,” Frank said, shaking his head. “It was so big. It smelled like a wild animal, so you guys are probably right.”

  “Of course, there is another possibility,” Joe said with a grin. “Big, hairy, smelly, runs on two legs, lives in the mountain forest …”

  “I see where you’re going,” Frank said. “Bigfoot, right?”

  As Joe shrugged his shoulders and grinned, a voice came over the loudspeaker, telling the crew to report to the location.

  “Come on, guys, that’s us,” Gene said. “We’ll get Gus and meet you on the set.” They dumped their trash in the bin, and Gene and Lloyd left to get Gus from his trailer.

  When Frank and Joe reported to the lo
cation, the film crew was gearing up to finish shooting the scene.

  “So, it looks like Cleo’s feeling better.” Terry said, joining them. They all looked at the young star. A makeup artist was brushing powder on her face as the light director checked his settings.

  “Did you hear about the note?” Joe asked.

  “I sure did,” Terry answered. “I kind of thought she might not want to finish this scene tonight. “She’s got to be fully focused on the action, or it could be a disaster.”

  “How come she’s doing her own stunt, anyway?” Joe asked.

  “She’s a gymnast, remember?” Terry reminded him. “Silver medal in the Olympics. She’s stayed in shape and has it written into her contract that she does her own stunts if she wants.”

  “Here comes Gus,” Frank reported.

  The crowd assembled for the shoot formed a wide path for the wranglers and their charge. Gus was in a harness and leash, but he was calm and quiet. Whatever jumped me didn’t look like Gus, Frank thought. He watched the large bear saunter by.

  “Well, it’s show time,” Joe said, clapping his brother’s shoulder. “Let’s get to work.”

  “Me, too,” Terry said. “Now that everyone’s finished fussing around Cleo, I want to check her harness and leash. The script says that the bear chases her to the ravine and she jumps across it to escape. When she goes, I want to make sure she gets all the way across!”

  The Hardys watched Terry as he clipped the wire to the harness Cleo wore under her jacket to support her across the ravine.

  “Everybody ready?” the assistant director yelled. “Let’s go!”

  “Okay, let’s film Gus first,” Dustin said. “Then we’ll do Cleo. Wranglers, are you ready? Let’s do this in one shot. Make it good, Gus.”

  As if he understood, Gus rumbled agreeably and gave his head a mighty shake.

  Frank and Joe cleared the location of all cast and crew. It didn’t take much convincing for them to move way back. As an extra guarantee, Frank and Joe unrolled a coil of heavy metal fencing along both sides of the path Gus would run. Later the fence would be “erased” from the film so it wouldn’t show in the final cut.

  Then Joe and Lloyd walked Gus to the far end of the run, where Gus would begin. When they reached the spot Dustin had marked, they stopped. Lloyd removed Gus’s harness and leash.

  “Whenever you’re ready,” Dustin called to them.

  “Okay, Gus,” Gene yelled from beside Frank. “Let’s go. Come on, boy. Come see me.”

  Even though Frank had seen Gus do this run a half-dozen times by now, he felt a wave of expectation billow in his chest.

  Gus was in rare form—a wild bear determined to defend its territory. Or so it looked to the cast and crew. And so it would seem to the millions of moviegoers who would see Gus on screen.

  Gus’s run was perfect. It was better than it had been at any of the rehearsals. “I know this sounds crazy,” Gene said, “but I swear he knows the difference between rehearsing and filming. When the lights go on, he seems to really understand what’s happening.”

  Gus shook his huge woolly head and shot sprays of drool onto Frank’s shirt. The odor was familiar. Maybe it was a bear that slammed me, Frank thought.

  “That was outstanding,” Dustin called out as the crew applauded. “It’s definitely a keeper.”

  Frank and Joe wound the wire fencing back into a heavy coil and wrestled it onto a dolly. Pushing the dolly, Frank followed Gene, Lloyd, and Gus back to the wranglers’ truck and trailer.

  Next it was Cleo’s turn. She would run the same path Gus had taken before coming to the small ravine for her daring leap. Later Dustin and the film editor would mix the two scenes together. When they were finished, it would look as if Gus were actually chasing Cleo.

  Joe stayed to watch the filming of Cleo’s part of the scene. The young star went to the end of the path Gus had taken during his shoot. Then she made a few practice runs to the edge of the ravine. At last she made the final run.

  Joe admired the way she turned the run into a frightening scene. She looked back in terror, as if she actually saw Gus chasing her. Then her expression changed as she realized the ground ahead of her had opened up and she had to make a horrible decision. As she neared the ravine, she took a deep breath and launched herself over the chasm.

  Joe could barely see the “invisible” cord that supported her. But above her, out of camera range, he could see the crane from which the cord was hung. As he watched the crane move slowly out over the ravine, he heard a gasp from behind him, then a growing murmur rumbling through the crowd of onlookers.

  He looked back at Cleo, and his breath caught in his chest. She was no longer “flying” in a graceful leap over the ravine. Her body seemed to sag, then her legs twitched awkwardly. Her arms flailed in the air.

  “No!” Joe called out. His chest felt tight as he raced to the edge of the ravine. It looked as if the cord holding her harness was giving way. Helpless, he watched as Cleo’s body sagged once more and then plunged into the darkness.

  3

  The Eyes at the Window

  For the second time that evening, a scream rang out through the mountain mist. Cast and crew members raced to the edge of the ravine. It looked as if Cleo were attached to a long bungee cord, but one that wasn’t bouncing back.

  Joe could see that the young actress was still connected to the cord, and the cord was still threaded through the pulley. But the winch wasn’t catching and holding the cord. The weight of her body was lengthening her lifeline as she plunged deeper into the ravine.

  Joe rushed to Terry, who was battling with the mechanism that controlled the flying harness. “Push down this lever,” Terry yelled. “The gear is stripped, and we have to pull her up manually.”

  Terry led Joe to the fail-safe backup system he had installed. Joe grabbed the lever and pushed down with all his strength. It seemed to be jammed. He took a deep breath and pushed again. Finally he felt it give. Terry turned the wheel that manipulated the cord. Joe took another deep breath—this time of relief—when he saw the cord connected to Cleo’s harness begin moving up again.

  As Joe and Terry strained to turn the wheel, a cheer burst through the mist and echoed around the ravine. Joe felt a rush of adrenaline as the taut cord pulled Cleo up into the light. Once her feet cleared the edge of the ravine, Terry secured the wheel. Then he swung the crane around so she dangled above them and the ground.

  Joe and Terry reversed the wheel, lowering Cleo gently to safety.

  “Good save.” Joe heard Frank’s voice behind him.

  “Thanks,” Joe said as he finally released the wheel. His shoulders ached, but he felt exhilarated. “Did you see that?” he asked.

  “I sure did,” Frank answered. “Gene and Lloyd took Gus back to the compound and released you and me until tomorrow, so I thought I’d watch the stunt. Got here just as you and Terry landed Cleo. What happened anyway?”

  “I’m not sure,” Joe said. “Let’s go find out.”

  “You two go ahead,” Terry said. “I’ll be there in a minute. I have to get this rig secured.”

  Joe and Frank joined the small crowd that circled the young actress and Dustin. The production company’s doctor, who was on-site for all location filming, also rushed to the actress.

  Cleo hopped over to a bench and plopped down. Carmen hovered behind the bench and wrapped a sweater around Cleo’s shoulders.

  “It’s my ankle,” Cleo said in a soft voice. Her eyes crimped nearly shut as she tried to move her foot. “Yikes, I think it’s broken.”

  The doctor gingerly touched Cleo’s ankle and foot. “It’s probably just a sprain, but I want an X ray to make sure,” he told Dustin.

  “There you are,” Cleo said, when she spotted Joe. “One of my heroes. Something happened to the flying harness. It worked perfectly in rehearsal.”

  As she talked, the doctor slipped a temporary cast over her lower leg, snapping it snugly around her leg and ankle. “Ow,
” she complained. “That hurts.”

  “Okay, everyone,” Dustin said to the small crowd. “That wraps it for tonight. Scene thirty-two at six-thirty tomorrow morning here. And I mean six-thirty—I need to get the morning mist.” He and the doctor huddled for a private talk, and the crowd drifted away.

  “Terry’s looking over the rig now,” Frank said, sitting next to Cleo on the bench. He helped her get out of the harness and handed it to Joe.

  “Did you feel anything strange before the cord gave way?” Joe asked. “Was it like a sudden jerk? Or was there a warning?”

  “Everything felt great at first,” Cleo said. “The jump was perfect, timed exactly right.” Frank noticed that even though her words were matter-of-fact, she sounded very shaky and nervous.

  “When did you realize something was wrong?” Joe asked, crouching in front of the bench.

  “It was so sudden,” Cleo said. Frank saw her shoulders ripple with a slight shiver. “I had no warning—not a clue.”

  “I wonder if it was an accident,” Carmen muttered.

  “That’s enough,” Cleo said, her eyes wide. She twisted around to stare at Carmen.

  “What do you mean, Carmen?” Joe asked.

  “I mean what I mean,” Carmen said. “She’s gotten threats, notes, phone calls. Now there’s a so-called accident. What do you think it means?”

  “Carmen,” Cleo said, “I said that’s enough—”

  “Okay, honey,” Dustin interrupted as he and the doctor rejoined them. “Doc’s going to take you to the hospital in Crosscook. It’s small, but he knows the guy who runs it and trusts him. They can do the X ray and if you need any major treatment, we’ll fly you to a city tonight.”

  Before Frank or Joe could question Cleo further, she was carried away by the doctor. Carmen bustled along behind them.

  “So what do you think?” Joe asked his brother as they walked back to Terry. “Do you suppose this is something more than an accident?”

  “I’m not sure,” Frank answered. “I thought I saw something when Cleo looked at Carmen. It was like she was trying to shut her up before she said any more.”