Ghost of a Chance Read online

  Joe followed Gene’s gaze to the small building. He recognized it as a model of the abandoned shack Terry had taken them to see. It was a replica of the cabin that supposedly was Jumper’s hideout.

  As Gene talked through the scene, Lloyd held Omar’s leash loosely in his hand. Joe got the cooler of small pieces of raw chicken that would serve as Omar’s food rewards during the shoot. He stuffed a plastic bag with several hunks in it into his jacket pocket.

  “ ‘As Jumper is looking for the bag,’” Gene concluded, reading from the script, “ ‘Omar stalks him. At first he remains hidden, weaving in and out of the trees. Then he becomes more aggressive, growling and threatening. Finally, he crouches and leaps toward Jumper. Jumper is startled, then terrified. Omar brings him down in a terrifying wrestling match.’”

  “Then we switch Jumpers,” Joe remembered.

  “Right,” Lloyd said. “I’ll be the stunt double for Berk during the wrestling scene.”

  “We may not even get that far today,” Gene pointed out. “Dustin may want to shoot that scene separately, without a lot of onlookers.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be more like playtime at home,” Lloyd said, giving Omar a friendly pat. “Right, pal?”

  They ran through the scene a couple of times, then stopped. Omar was acting restless. “Looks like he knows his big scene is coming up,” Joe said, grinning at Gene. The golden tan puma paced back and forth. Slowly curling his tail from side to side, he strained at the leash Lloyd held.

  “I’m going to take Omar back to the trailer for some water and a rest,” Gene said. “The crew won’t be arriving for half an hour. I want to talk to the cameraman, too, to make sure he knows what to do if Omar gets distracted.”

  “Great,” Lloyd said, handing Gene the leash. “When you see Dustin arrive, just take Omar into the woods and wait for the cue.”

  “Sounds good,” Gene said, walking Omar off.

  Joe was beginning to feel pumped. It was Omar’s biggest scene in the movie, and his job was to make sure the mountain lion had plenty of treats to make him comfortable.

  “I wonder where Frank is,” Joe said. “He thought he’d be here for the shoot.”

  “He said he was going to sign on as an extra,” Lloyd said. “He might show up later.”

  “Could be,” Joe said, looking around. “He was also going to do some investigating. Maybe he’s on the trail of a good lead.”

  Gradually the film crew began showing up, and at last Dustin arrived. As soon as he settled into his director’s chair, everyone quieted down and got ready to work.

  “Okay, now, everybody, you all know the scene,” Dustin said. “Berk,” he called to the star, “are you with us?”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Berk walked onto the set, and applause rippled through the cast and crew. The transformation of the actor into the character was amazing.

  “Wranglers, are you ready?” Dustin asked. “Is our stand-in here?”

  “Ready,” Lloyd answered. Joe walked to the mark Lloyd pointed out to him. Joe looked into the distant woods. The puma’s golden tan face peeked out between the trees.

  “Okay, once with the stand-in,” Dustin called out. “Then we’ll try it with Berk.”

  “Listen up, everyone,” Gene said. “Omar is a safe animal, as safe as a mountain lion can be, but he’s still a lion and a wild animal. The first rule is this: whatever happens, don’t run. If you run, you become prey.”

  Joe heard a murmur of anxiety ripple through the crew.

  “If there’s a problem, don’t run,” Lloyd repeated. “Just stand still and then do whatever we tell you. Our number-one goal is your safety. This is a difficult scene. Omar will be unleashed briefly. When he’s off the leash, there’s a chance he’ll get curious and wander off the path. I repeat once more—if that happens, don’t move. We’ll take care of it.”

  When he finished his announcement, Lloyd took his place at the edge of the set.

  Dustin nodded at Joe. “Let’s do it,” he said.

  While Dustin walked Joe through the scene, the crew took light readings and adjusted camera settings. Finally the moment came for Omar’s appearance. “Okay, wrangler, it’s time for the cat,” Dustin called out.

  At that moment Joe’s back was to the film crew. He was facing Lloyd. The puma would sneak up behind Joe, moving toward Lloyd.

  “Come on, let’s go, fellows.” Dustin’s voice sounded behind Joe.

  Then he heard Lloyd call out from the edge of the set. “Gene! Let him loose! We’re … Okay, there he is. Omar just stepped out of the woods, Joe.”

  Joe felt a rush. In his mind’s eye, he pictured Omar stalking toward him.

  Lloyd’s voice pierced the image in Joe’s mind. “Hold it, everyone,” the wrangler said.

  Something about the change of tone in Lloyd’s voice made Joe catch his breath. He heard a gasp from behind him, and then another. He turned slowly. The puma was walking toward him. Even though he knew it was a just an act, Joe still felt a spark of adrenaline shoot through his body.

  “Joe, stop,” Lloyd murmured. “Don’t move. That’s not Omar.”

  Lloyd’s words sliced through the air. The puma paused and gazed at the wrangler. Then the sleek head turned back, its eyes focused on Joe. The puma’s head was raised into the air, its chest billowing as it caught a scent. Then it hunched its head down into its shoulders. Staring steadily at Joe, it stalked toward him.

  It was very quiet, and Joe felt drops of sweat break out on his temples.

  “What’s happening, Lloyd?” Dustin asked in a low voice. “What’s going on?”

  “Don’t anyone move,” Lloyd repeated. “I’m right behind you, Joe. I’ve got the tranquilizer gun. Do not raise your arms. I’m going to knock the cat out. Everyone stand very still.”

  Even though Lloyd stood nearby, his voice seemed so far away to Joe. It was almost like an echo. Joe took small breaths, barely moving his chest. His body told him to run, but his mind knew he had to follow Lloyd’s command.

  The mountain lion stopped abruptly. Then, with a low rumbling growl, it pounced in a graceful arc aimed sraight for Joe.

  Joe was trapped. The puma was in the air, leaping toward him. Lloyd was standing behind him, about to shoot the tranquilizer dart. If Joe moved, he’d be shot. If he stood still, he was lion lunch.

  9

  Where’s Omar?

  Joe stood transfixed, watching the puma fly through the air toward him.

  “Now, Joe!” Lloyd called from behind. “Roll!”

  Joe heard the ping of the tranquilizer dart gun firing. Remembering his training, he dropped to the ground, kicked out his feet, and rolled to one side.

  Surprised by the dart’s sting in its flank, the pouncing puma twisted and missed a direct hit on Joe. It bounced off Joe’s legs and thudded to the ground.

  Joe jumped to his feet. He could hear Lloyd’s voice in his mind as he remembered the first day of training. “If you’re threatened by a mountain lion,” Lloyd had said, “try to make yourself look as big as possible. Open your coat out to make the puma think you’re wider.”

  As Lloyd had taught him, Joe took the corners of his open jacket and held them out wide like huge wings. Never taking his eyes off the lion, he slowly backed away.

  The puma tried to rise to launch another attack on Joe, but its legs were wobbly, and it fell once more to the ground. This time it stayed.

  “Everyone back away,” Lloyd said, “and leave the area.” No one needed to hear that order twice. The set was cleared in just a minute.

  “Man, that was close,” Lloyd said as he lay his head on the puma’s chest to double-check its heartbeat. Then he touched the puma’s left ear. “This is how I knew it wasn’t Omar.” Joe looked at the edge of the ear. There was a piece missing, as if something had bitten out a small hunk.

  “It’s a good thing—” Lloyd started to say.

  “Lloyd, Omar is missing,” Gene interrupted, racing onto the set. “When I went to
pick him up for the scene, he and his cage were missing. I turned to yell at you and someone punched me.”

  “Are you all right?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah, it was a body blow right to the gut,” Gene said. “It took all my wind. By the time I could get back here, it was too late. This puma was leaping straight at you, Joe.”

  “And the chicken in your pocket,” Lloyd pointed out. “That’s probably what attracted him.” He stood up as he spoke. “We’ve got to get this cat locked up for now and then find Omar!”

  “The trained animal’s missing, and a wild animal shows up for the shoot,” Joe said. “Way too much coincidence. Someone had to set the whole thing into motion—just another way to disrupt the filming.”

  “But this time it was dangerous and could have been deadly,” Gene pointed out. “Although this couldn’t be an entirely wild puma,” he added.

  “What do you mean?” Joe asked.

  “A really wild puma would never wander into an area with people standing around,” Gene said while Lloyd checked the lion’s pulse and examined its eyes. He wanted to make sure it wasn’t having a bad reaction to the tranquilizer.

  “He would have stayed hidden or run away,” Lloyd added.

  “Are you saying it’s someone’s pet?” Joe asked.

  “Not necessarily a pet,” Gene said. “But it’s definitely used to being around people or it never would have walked out here in the first place.”

  Joe, Lloyd, and Gene dragged the tranquilized cat to the wranglers’ trailer. The animal was heavy, but they finally managed to secure it in one of the cages. Lloyd put a pan of water in the cage and locked the trailer.

  “We’ve got to find Omar!” Lloyd said. Joe could hear the worry in his voice. “Who knows where he’s been taken.”

  “I’m worried about Gus now, too,” Gene said. “What if they’ve gone to the compound and taken him? We’ve got to get back there.”

  “Look, if the catnapping was just a prank, they might let Omar loose,” Joe said. “What would he do? Where would he go?”

  “He won’t run away,” Gene said.

  “He’ll try to follow our scent or the scent of his trailer,” Lloyd said. “If we drive back to the compound, that’s where he’ll go if he can.”

  “So it’s not necessary for one of you to stay here in case he comes back?” Joe asked.

  “Not if we move the trailer down the mountain,” Lloyd answered.

  “All his feed is in the barn down there, too,” Gene pointed out. “That will also be a draw. I’ll check in with Dustin, and then let’s go,” he said, running off toward Dustin’s RV.

  Lloyd showed Joe the part of the mountain forest where the puma had made its entrance. The two explored the woods, but found only a red bandanna, which Joe stuffed into his jacket pocket.

  Joe and Lloyd also checked the area around the trailer very carefully. But they didn’t find anything that might tell them who had taken Omar.

  The sun had warmed the mountainside, and Joe peeled off his jacket. One pocket held the red bandanna he’d found in the woods. He pulled the stillcool chicken pieces out of the other pocket and returned them to the cooler. Then he threw the jacket into the wrangler truck and locked the door.

  “Wait a minute, there’s only one truck here,” Joe said. “Did one of you drive the other one some-place else today?”

  “No,” Lloyd answered. “Why?”

  “Well, if none of us drove it away, it was either stolen along with Omar, or Frank’s taken it somewhere.” He combed his hand through his hair and looked around. He saw people rehearsing, repairing sets, adjusting cameras, talking and eating, but no Frank.

  “I’ve got to find Frank,” Joe told Lloyd. “He should be around here somewhere. I also want to talk to studio security to see if they saw anything funny.”

  “Good idea,” Lloyd said. “We’ll take the trailer and see you back at the compound.”

  “You go straight back and check on Gus,” Joe said. “Frank and I will stop in town and report the catnapping—and maybe a truck theft—to the Crosscook sheriff.”

  Gene rejoined them, saying that Dustin had revised the shooting schedule. The wranglers were free to search for Omar.

  “We’re out of here,” Gene said, sprinting toward the trailer. “We’ll see you at the houses.”

  Joe watched the wranglers drive off and then headed to the security trailer.

  “Joe!” Sassy called from behind. “Wait! I have to talk to you.”

  “I’m in a big hurry, Sassy,” Joe said, turning.

  “Well, I heard what happened on the set,” she said. “Are you all right?”

  “You’d make a good reporter,” Joe said, smiling. “Nothing happens around here that you don’t find out about—almost immediately.”

  “Hey, that’s my job—folklore, remember?” Sassy pointed out. “I have to be on top of all the rumors and tales and find out which are true and which aren’t. So is your story true? A wild puma stalked you while you stood in for Berk?”

  “That’s pretty much it,” Joe said. “You didn’t see what happened?”

  “No,” Sassy replied, obviously disappointed. “But everyone’s talking about it. So now we need to find out whether the mountain lion was sent to do damage or was just after the food in your pocket.”

  “You’ve got quite a network, Sassy,” Joe said. “Come to think of it, you can be a real help to me right now.”

  “Wonderful,” Sassy said, taking out her purple clipboard. “What’s my assignment?”

  “Tell me where Frank is,” Joe said. “I’ve lost track of him. Have you seen him?”

  Sassy seemed disappointed that she wasn’t getting a real investigator’s task. “I saw him drive the truck away about an hour ago. I don’t know where he was going. He did have a scuffle with someone earlier, though.”

  “He what?” Joe said. “What are you talking about?”

  Sassy told Joe what she’d heard about Frank and the man with the blue backpack.

  “Do you know who it was?” Joe asked.

  “I heard it might have been a guy who wrote a book about Jake Herman,” Sassy answered. “But I don’t know for sure.”

  “And you haven’t seen Frank since he drove off?” Joe asked.

  “Sure haven’t,” Sassy said. “Just one more mystery to solve. This is the best film I’ve ever been on,” she added, her green eyes wide and round. “It’s absolutely wonderful.” Her rust-colored eyebrows arched high as she smiled.

  “Well, I’d better get going,” Joe said. “Are you going to be around the set all day? I might want to talk to you later.”

  “Sure,” Sassy replied, with a small salute. “Look me up anytime.”

  Joe went to the security trailer and talked to a couple of guards. Neither had seen anything suspicious leading up to the puma’s attack.

  One of the guards was the one who had been with Frank earlier when the backpacker escaped on the motorcycle. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told your brother,” the guard said. “If you see your friend Terry Lavring, tell him he’d better not get caught hanging around these sets.”

  Joe was surprised by the guard’s words but smiled and said, “If I see him, I’ll tell him.”

  As Joe walked back to the truck, he decided to follow Frank’s trail into town. I have to report the theft of Omar to the sheriff, he reasoned. Maybe I’ll see Frank in town someplace and I can pick him up then.

  As Joe approached his truck, his keen eyes saw immediately that something was wrong. Although the door was shut nearly tight, it didn’t quite line up with the rest of the truck. A small dent in the edge of the door told Joe what had happened.

  He barely touched the handle, and the door swung open. It was a little crooked, not enough to attract a lot of attention. It hung at such a weird angle, though, that Joe knew the locked door had been pried open.

  A scribbled note was impaled on the turn signal lever: “Back off—or there’ll be no escape the next time
.”

  Joe reached for his jacket, heaped on the floor. This time both pockets were empty. The red bandanna was gone.

  10

  Crisis in Crosscook

  “Okay,” Joe muttered. He looked at the empty pocket of his jacket where the red bandanna had been. “This is getting personal now.”

  “There he is.” Joe heard Dustin’s distinctive British accent. The director and Berk were heading Joe’s way. Berk still wore his costume.

  “Berk tells me you and your brother were with Terry Lavring when he was informed of his firing,” Dustin said to Joe.

  “That’s right,” Joe said.

  “Did he make any threats?” Dustin asked.

  “No,” Joe answered. “What’s this all about?”

  “We heard Lavring is still in the area,” Dustin said. “Then today we saw someone else prowling around the editing trailer. We’re wondering if the two might be working together to cause trouble.”

  “That puma attack was pretty scary,” Berk added. “I’ve been thinking all along that the problems we’ve had during the filming were just pranks, but this latest thing—that could have been me out there. I could have been attacked by the wild puma.”

  “Exactly,” Dustin said. “The so-called gags have escalated into real danger. And my stars are under attack. First Cleo, then Berk. If Lavring is behind this, I won’t rest till he’s behind bars.”

  “Just let us know if you see him,” Berk added.

  Dustin nodded and the two walked off.

  Joe jumped into the truck and pulled the door closed. It wouldn’t latch completely, so he got a hunk of rope from the metal supply chest and tied it closed.

  Then he headed to Crosscook to find Frank.

  When Frank had pulled into Crosscook a couple of hours earlier, he was determined to find Terry. It didn’t take long. Terry’s sleek red sports car was parked on the main street. Frank guided his truck into a parking place nearby and went inside a small restaurant.