5

Theresa Crawley was the last person I wanted to think about. I’d used the car ride to the medical center to fill in Lenny on the gist of my encounter with Theresa Crawley. We hadn’t had time to discuss it in detail, and he was keen to learn more.

“Okay,” I said. “At least it’s a change of topic from the movie.”

I sank onto the saggy sofa, ignoring the loose springs sticking into my back. The added discomfort fit my day so far, and I was beyond caring. A fish tank divided this area from the rest of the room, affording us a modicum of privacy. As long as I was away from questions about my sister’s movie, I’d deal with loose springs and sore wrists and obnoxious food truckers.

Lenny flopped down beside me. “People are losing their minds over this film shoot.”

“I’m so over that darn movie.” I shifted my position to give him more space and gasped when I hit my wrist off the arm of the sofa. “I don’t even like modern rom-coms.”

He grinned. “This one describes itself as a ‘woke’ rom-com.”

“What does that even mean? It sounds like marketing speak for trying to tap into pop culture.”

“I think the ‘woke’ part refers to the diverse cast of characters. Which is a joke because both of the leads are white and straight. Your sister plays a gossip columnist who agrees to marry her gay best friend to help him inherit an Irish castle.”

“As one does,” I said, deadpan.

“In true rom-com fashion,” Lenny continued, “havoc ensues when the heroine falls in love with the best man, and the groom reunites with his ex.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad, actually,” I conceded with reluctance, “but the only movie I’m interested in seeing is this month’s Movie Club pick.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to rewatching Some Like It Hot,” he said. “Plus, we always get a bigger crowd attending the meetings when we show rom-coms.”

“I’ve noticed that.” A thought intruded through the cloud of pain. “Why didn’t you apply to be a movie extra? It’d be right in your wheelhouse, especially with Storm as part of the crew.”

Storm MacKenzie, an American makeup artist, had recently moved into one of the holiday cottages next to mine and scored a job on Con’s movie set. Storm and Lenny had formed an insta-bond over their shared passions for horror movies, disguises, and special effects makeup. 

“They’re hiring extras,” Lenny said, “not amateur makeup artists.”

“I was wondering if being near her would be an added incentive for you to apply to be a movie extra.”

I was fishing for info. Lenny had invited me to join him and Storm for a couple of movie nights, but the invitations coincided with evenings I had to babysit Hannah. Due to Storm’s severe cat allergy, we couldn’t relocate the movie nights to my place. I wondered if my assistant and the makeup artist had moved out of the friend zone.

Lenny’s cheery expression didn’t provide enlightenment. “Storm won’t have much time for hanging out once the shoot starts. This is her first job on a movie set. She wants to make a good impression.”

I sighed. Why were men so dense? “You two seem pretty close, Lenny. How does Sile feel about you spending so much time with Storm?” 

As his fledgling relationship with Whisper Island’s youngest police officer never seemed to get off the ground, I was hazy on their current status. Lenny and Sile had met during a stint of juvenile community service. They’d reconnected when Sile had been posted to Whisper Island Garda Station.

Lenny’s face clouded at the mention of his not-so-secret crush. “I have no idea. Sile met up with her ex recently. I guess she’s busy with him.”

This was not good news. Sile was small and fine-boned with a penchant for Goth hair and clothing when she was out of uniform. She was also prickly and quick to take offense. Underneath her awkward exterior lay a smart, kind, young woman. Unfortunately, Sile’s tendency to pull back and Lenny’s to get goofy when under stress, hadn’t helped them launch their relationship.

“Did Sile meet up with her ex or get back together with him? There’s a significant difference.”

Lenny fiddled with his fingers. “I don’t know. Sile got annoyed when I asked for details, and I backed off.”

“Sounds like you more than backed off. If you want to persuade her to date you, spending all your free time with another woman won’t help your cause.”

“Storm’s a friend. No more, no less. Yeah, she’s good-looking, but she’s only on the island until the shoot wraps.”

“Then make sure Sile knows that.”

“She ought to,” Lenny muttered. “I’ve made my feelings for her pretty clear. If she’s not interested in a relationship, I’m not going to push her.”

“Your idea of making your feelings clear and Sile’s might mean very different things,” I observed dryly. “And you’re even worse when you text. Talk to her in person.”

“Okay, I’ll sit her down this weekend. She’s away on a training course until this evening, but she’ll be back at work tomorrow. I’ll stop by the station and ask her out for dinner.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan. Now that we’ve sorted out your love life, you still haven’t told me why you didn’t apply to be an extra.”

Lenny gave a rueful smile. “I would have, but I didn’t want to abandon the bus company case.”

I frowned. “The movie only wants extras for a couple of days. I’m okay with you taking off Friday, and you don’t need to work on weekends.”

“I do if we want me to clear the bus company case and get paid before the end of the month.”

His words were a mental sucker punch. In the unlikely event that I found Quibbles, the prize-winning runaway Maine Coon, Trudy Nelson’s finder’s fee would barely cover next month’s electricity bill. I sucked at hustling, but hustle I must if we were to keep Movie Reel Investigations afloat.

“The movie shoot doesn’t wrap for weeks,” Lenny said, correctly reading the guilt on my face. “Maybe they’ll need extras for later scenes.”

“I hope so. I don’t want you to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” The clinic’s sliding doors opened, and a group of new arrivals bustled inside. I stretched my neck to see if I recognized them and then sank back on the sofa. “Still no sign of Theresa.”

“She might’ve been exaggerating about her bad back for effect. She was pretty mad at us.”

I patted the pocket of my ridiculous pants. “Maybe, but if Theresa doesn’t show, I’ll have to hunt her down to give her back the letter.”

“I don’t get why she didn’t go to the police,” Lenny said, frowning. “I mean, the letter you read was a full-on death threat.”

“Theresa seemed more annoyed than scared,” I mused. “Not the reaction I’d have to a death threat. I’d like to know if the previous letters contained similar threats.”

“If they did, maybe she stopped taking them seriously when nothing happened,” he said. “Like online trolls who are big on talk but small on action.”

“Yeah, maybe.” I fingered the envelope in my pocket. “If she doesn’t show up here, I’ll have to swing by her food truck later and try to persuade her to talk to the cops.”

Lenny grinned. “With that busted wrist, you won’t be doing any swinging.”

Before I had the opportunity to respond with a fitting retort, Luke Vaglietti strode into the medical center, phone clutched to his ear. Luke was the personal bodyguard to the director of Wedding Belles and my sister’s current squeeze. He fit the stereotypical “tall, dark, and handsome” description. He also matched my mental image of a bodyguard, right down to the burly figure squeezed into a suit.

“Hey, Luke.” I waved my uninjured hand.

The man stopped and stared at me as though he couldn’t place me. His gaze traveled over my wild hair and wilder clothes, and his eyes widened. “Maggie?”

“Guilty as charged,” I quipped. “I hope you’re not sick.”

A smile broke through his confusion. “No. I’m here to collect a crew member who has an appointment. Funny seeing you here.” He held up his phone. “Con and I were just talking about you. That’s why seeing you caught me by surprise.”

“Seriously?” I’d met Con Ryder, the movie director, over the holidays. He was a decent guy, but we weren’t friends. I hadn’t seen him since he’d returned to Whisper Island to shoot Wedding Belles.

“Hang on a sec, Maggie. I need to ask Con a question.” Luke pressed the device back to his ear and disappeared outside. A moment later, he returned and held the phone out to me. “Con wants to talk to you,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Would you mind taking the call outside for privacy?”

It was my turn to stare. I indicated my sore wrist. “I’m waiting to see a doctor.”

“No worries,” Lenny said. “I’ll let you know if you’re called.”

My pain-addled brain finally connected the dots. If Con Ryder wanted to talk to me in private, either my sister was in trouble, or he wanted to hire Movie Reel Investigations. After a momentary surge of panic, I dismissed the first idea. Luke was acting way too chill for that scenario. So did it mean Con wanted to hire me? And if so, why?

My hand tingled with anticipation when I took the phone from Luke. I retraced my steps through the medical center’s foyer. Once I was safely on the other side of the sliding door from Rita and the other town gossips, I held the phone to my ear. “Hey, Con.”

“Maggie, you’re just the person I need to talk to.” Con’s strong American accent elicited a pang of homesickness. Although I loved living in Ireland, there were times I missed the other side of the pond.

“What’s up?”

To my relief, he cut straight to the chase. “I’d like to hire you. Any chance you can swing by my hotel and discuss the details?”

“Now?” I glanced back at the sliding doors. “I have a doctor’s appointment. Can it wait until later?”

“Sure. I have video conferences all afternoon, but I’m free this evening. Want to meet me at my hotel at eight o’clock? I’m in the John F. Kennedy suite.”

I was dying to pump him for more info, but experience had taught me to read people’s cues. Con didn’t want to divulge the details over the phone. If I pushed him to talk, he’d clam up. The last thing I needed today was another lost client. “Eight sounds good, but there’s a chance I’ll have to travel to the mainland today, and I don’t know how long my trip will take. Can I confirm the time with you later?”

“Sure. I’m a night owl. I rarely sleep before midnight.” Con’s casual tone turned somber. “And Maggie? Please keep our meeting under wraps, okay? Not even your assistant needs to know at this point. I’m relying on your absolute discretion.”

Excitement bubbled in my stomach. “Of course. I won’t breathe a word.”

“Good.” His relief was palpable. “See you later.”

After I disconnected, I ambled back to the waiting room, turning the conversation over in my mind. With a huge budget and a security team at his disposal, why did a hotshot movie director want to consult a small-town P.I.?