Chapter 9

Five minutes after lunch hour starts on Friday, we’re all sitting at a table in the library. I set The Atlas of Cursed Places in the middle of the table.

“Thought this might help us out.”

Destiny grabs it. “Whoa. Awesome! Have you read it yet?”

“Nope. Just grabbed it off the shelf a minute ago.”

“Find Arizona,” says Gabby.

Destiny gives her a duh look. She flips open the atlas and skims through the pages.

“There’s got to be an index at the back,” Gabby says impatiently.

Destiny sighs. Turns to the back of the book. Runs her finger down the index listings. Flips through the book. “All right. Arizona. Annnnd . . . bingo.” She rests her finger on a tiny skull icon right in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, about twenty miles from Tucson. A split-second later, she’s flipping pages again.

“Aha. Look, there’s an entire entry on Sanford’s Folly.” She starts reading out loud.

The curse of Sanford’s Folly dates to 1961. That year, Hollywood director Martin Feeney filmed Man with the Silver Star at this well-known Arizona movie set. The film starred African American actor John Willis as US Marshal Cheswell. The character was based on real-life African American lawman Bass Reeves.

“Whoa,” Gabby cuts in. “That must’ve been super controversial back in 1961. I mean, there are racist idiots freaking out right now about the black main character in Spy Masters. I’m going to look up this Willis guy.” She starts swiping at her phone screen.

Willis. The name sounds familiar for some reason. I have no idea why.

“Anyway,” says Destiny. “Where was I?”

 . . . Acclaimed actor Earl Morrison was cast in the supporting role of Sheriff Corley. Morrison was reportedly outraged to be given a secondary role. He demanded that Feeney change the script to make Sheriff Corley the movie’s hero. Feeney refused. He reportedly said, “May I be forever cursed if I let your vanity destroy this story. May we all be cursed if I allow that! May this whole place be cursed!”

On the last day of filming, Morrison shot Feeney in the shoulder on set.

“Whaaaaat?” Ahmed jumps in.

“Oh, yeah,” I say. “Morrison went full-throttle Wild West. And Feeney didn’t even press charges. Crazy, right?”

“Celebrities have gotten away with worse than that,” says Gabby, looking up from her phone. “I’m sure the heads of the movie studio told Feeney to drop the whole thing. They wouldn’t have wanted their biggest star going to jail.”

“Soon to be their biggest failed star,” notes Destiny. “Thanks to this curse.” She keeps reading.

Due to pressure from his studio bosses and his own fear of Morrison, Feeney reworked the film. Most of Willis’s scenes were cut. Footage of Morrison from previous films was added. (Morrison refused to work with Feeney again, even on a reshoot.) The original version of the film was never shown or distributed. The recut film was a critical and box-office failure. It also marked the beginning of professional and personal troubles for Feeney, Morrison, and many others involved with the film.

Destiny pauses and gives Gabby a pointed look.

“Gloat later,” Gabby says grimly.

“On that note, what happened to Willis?” I ask her.

She glances back at her phone. “Never got another acting job after that movie. Died young. Nothing ultra-dramatic or unusual.”

“Sad, though,” I say. “I mean, it’s hard to feel too sorry for someone like Morrison, since he was a complete jerk. But you have to feel for guys like Willis, who didn’t do anything wrong except show up for work.”

“And Feeney,” says Ahmed. “He was just trying to be true to his artistic vision.”

Gabby shoots him an impressed look. Maybe they have more in common than I thought.

“Is there more to the atlas entry?” I ask Destiny.

“Tons more. It goes through a whole long list of other things that went wrong at Sanford’s Folly after 1961. Up to and including the fire, when almost every building except the mission burned down. Oh, hey. Listen to this!”

In Feeney’s later years, he was often asked about the curse. He told one reporter, “The key to breaking the curse is in the film itself.”

Gabby chews thoughtfully on her thumbnail. “An Easter egg. A hint that you’d only notice if you were looking for it.”

“Have you seen Man with the Silver Star?” I ask Gabby.

She shakes her head. “Never bothered. It’s on every list of worst films ever made.”

“Well then.” I stand up. “Who’s up for a Friday movie night?”