That role hasnt been cast yet, Madison told him. Theres a mannequin over by the wall with a mock-up of the robe hell be wearing. Its an homage to the original film. Almost exactly the same.
Where? Show me.
Madison walked over to the mannequin that stood behind one of the jackal-like monsters created for the movie.
There was nothing but a plain brown monks robe on it.
She looked at Sean as shivers of fear streaked down her spine.
The robeit was just a mock-up. But its gone, she said. I suppose someone might have taken it. Mike Greenwood could have shown it to someone. Ill ask Mike and Eddie where it is.
Sean shook his head. They wont knowand the robe isnt coming back. Its been used, he said grimly, by the killer. He turned to look at her. Find that robe, and well be on our way to finding a killer.
3
Hey! Sean touched her cheek. This is a good thing. Seeing that the robe is gone actually helps. Im almost astounded that everyone assumes it was Alistair, to tell you the truth. The girl was killed in front of the Sam Stone tableau, the studio is doing a remake, the robe is gone. To me, all of that points to someone with an agenda against the studio or the movie.
Madison nodded. But she didnt agree that the robes disappearance was a good thing! A killer had been here, where she worked. A killer had used the robe shed made to sneak onto a tableau or into the tunnel and slice open a young womans throat.
Sean turned her to face the construction area. What are they working on here? he asked.
An old Western scaffold.
For The Unholy?
No, thats the tail end of our last projectWays of the West. She gave herself a mental shake and turned toward the sewing machines and a rack of clothing. Projects overlap, but you know that. Or sometimes we work on several at the same time. Right now, though, as soon as the scaffoldings out of here, well be doing nothing but The Unholy. OrI assume well still be working on it.
The world goes on, despite murder, Sean said. He motioned to the far wall of the construction area. And theres the door that leads from the tunnel.
It wasnt really a question. She said, Yes, anyway.
He walked over but didnt touch it. Madison followed him and saw powder all over the whitewashed floor nearby. Black powder.
The police dusted here, he said.
Madison felt a moments discomfort. Her prints were on that door.
Theyll get a lot of prints, she said. Including mine.
He looked at her, the curl of his lips gentle, slightly amused. Elimination, he told her. Theyll take everyones prints for the purposes of comparison.
Elimination? Butyou believe the killer works here, or is close to someone here? That means weve all known him or her. Actually, any of us might have been killed.
No, I dont think any of you could have been killed. The killer didnt want the police running around looking for a murderer. The killer wanted them to arrest Alistair. His habits were knownhe was being watched way ahead of time.
Are we going through there? she asked, nodding at the door.
No, well let the police find everything they can with their forensic units. Ill go into the tunnel soon. You dont have to come with me.
An uncomfortable sensation crept over her. A horrible murder had just taken place there, in the tunnel. Shed only seen crime scenes on television or at the movies. She didnt want to see the real thing.
But she was here to help. Help save Alistair. He couldnt be guiltyand Eddie had called her to assist this man who was somehow going to prove it.
She had to go to the site. If what shed experienced during her life, the ordeals that had made it so painful, were worth anything at all, the one benefit might be that she could reach the dead girl. Did Jennys spirit somehow remain, although her mortal life had been stolen? If so, wasnt she obliged to try to speak to the girl, to connect with her?
She shook her head, responding to Seans comment. Noif Im going to help you, I should go all the way.
He didnt reply. He was staring at the area around the door. Close to it on the left was another rack of costuming, while a supply of wood had been stacked up on the right. She began to wonder if anyone could have hidden behind the racks of clothing or the wood, staying out of sight of the video cameras. But if someone had been there, waiting, how had that person gotten into the building? Some of the construction crew had been working Saturday; shed been off herself, as had most of the shop. Sunday, as far as she knew, no one had planned on coming in. So that wouldve meant the person had hidden behind the rack of clothing overnight, with the intent of killing someone who might or might not have been in the tunnel on a night when no one should have been there?
Or did she know the killer? Was it someone who walked among them, someone she saw on a day-to-day basis, worked with, laughed with?
Lets take a walk through the rest of the place, he said.
Madison turned and headed back to the hallway, then passed by the reception area and went on to the offices. There were two on the ground floor, both conference rooms more than offices but supplied with computers, printers, screens and other work equipment. The walls were lined with movie posters; the hallway had two circular areas decorated with mannequins, all from different movies. There was an adolescent werewolf, a beautiful evil witch, a torn-up robotic trooper, a vampire complete with cape and golden eyes that seemed to follow you and a zombie, a poor girl from one of those park by the lake and make out even though a dozen couples have already been killed there movies. This girl had not done so well; she was missing most of her face, and the one blue eye that stared out at them was pretty gruesome.
Actually, with the exception of Myra Sue, their creatures rarely bothered Madison. She was accustomed to them. But there were a few mannequins in the offices that were far more upsetting. They were incredibly realistic. In the first office, there was one on an autopsy table, the sheet drawn up, eyes glazed and open, blond hair streaming around a beautiful face. She was the first victim in a murder mystery. In the second office, there was a mannequin of a beautiful, terrorized woman peeking out from the leaves of a bush. Neither victim had been played by a living actress; the work was so good, it just looked like theyd been real.
Entering the second office, Sean commented, So Matilda is still here.
Matilda?
He flashed a smile. We dubbed her Matilda. She didnt have a name, even in the script. She was just devoured victim number one. But we all liked her when my crew was around, and we called her Matilda. She used to really creep out a lot of people. A guy named Harry Smith was working on digital back then, and he used to swear that he hated being in the office alone. He felt like Matilda was watching him.
You can feel like our characters are watching you, Madison said. The studios always done great work. And when its great, it looks real.
I agree.
Sean left the office, and for the first time, Madison felt that Matilda was watching her and she, too, hurried out.
In the second hallway circlecomplete with vampire, witch and slasher-movie victimSean paused for a moment, then headed to the hall with the elevator and the emergency exit that led to the fire escape outside. He didnt touch the door; he saw that the police had dusted here, too. Instead, he returned to the elevator, then saw that the police had dusted there, as well. Well take it. He pushed the button and they waited for a moment, listening to the whir of motors.
When they were inside the elevator, he said, Did you know theres a key to get to the basementor the end of the tunnel?
What? Madison asked, surprised. As far as she was aware, the elevator only went down to the main level. There were two buttons to push in, for the first and second floors.
Sean pointed to a little metal piece where a key could be inserted. The elevator can go to the first and second floors and to the basementor to the tunnel entrance. As far as Im aware, no ones used itexcept for Eddie Archer, maybesince Eddies owned the place. I think theres only one key and he has it. But I saw the plans once, and this elevator will go to the basement. I wonder if Eddie thought to mention that to the police.
I dont know if he did, Madison said. I have my keys with me, of course. And I have keys to almost everything, but not the elevator.
I dont want to try getting down to the basement yet. Im going to ask if anyones checked it out. For now, well stay clear until the crime scene units have gotten what they need.
Upstairs, the basic floor design was the same. They passed by a circle of prop creatures and came to Eddies officehome to several charming little gnomelike beings from a childrens fantasy movieand then moved on to the large office occupied by Mike Greenwood, managing artist of the studio. Mike liked aliens, and his office was filled with sci-fi and space creatures and miniatures of a spaceship that appeared several stories tall on film.
A window in the back of his office looked over the rear of the property; it was high enough that the cemetery in back with its historic family vaults and funerary art could easily be seen. Sean paused there, gazing out.
Peace Cemetery, he murmured, glancing at her. Did it ever disturb you to work in the midst of a cemetery?
No, she said curtly, perhaps too curtly.
Thats an old, old place.
And still accepting burials, Madison said. I think Eddie loves that its there. He says its a place where history and contemporary life meet. She hesitated a moment. Eddie knew she had a sixth sense, as he called it, because of the cemetery, because of the times theyd walked there togetherand the day hed caught her talking to a ghost. There are dozens of stories about the cemetery, secret burials and, of course, ghosts. Naturally, its got a reputation for being haunted.
Most cemeteries do, Sean said. Eddie told me once that if he ever had time between the projects that paid the bills, hed love to do a documentary on the cemetery. She had the uneasy feeling that he was looking inside her soul. Good Lord, Eddie hadnt told him she was some kind of a freak who talked to ghosts, had he?
Does it mean anything to you? she asked. The cemetery being there?
He shrugged. Right now? I see it as a place where a killer could escapethats what I see. Lets keep going, shall we?
They returned to the first floor and stopped at Baileys station. Sean thanked him and asked, Youre not working around the clock now, are you?
No, but Ive always taken on the Sunday evening shift. You know how Eddie Archer loves his cinema. And its not even like we have break-ins or anything of the kind, but I take over for Winston Nash at five in the afternoon on Sundays and work until morning. Today Im in because I was already here, and because Id do whatever I could for Eddie Archer.
And Nash didnt report anything?
No, Nash said it was quiet as a tomb all day. I saw Alistair when he went into the Black Box.
Did you see when Ms. Henderson showed up? Sean asked.
Bailey flushed. He shook his head. But she knew I was here. Even if I werent, thered still be a guard watching over the place. I think she parked on the other side of the cemeterywell, thats where they found her carand came around through the graveyard. The front of the cemetery is only on the one side, but the graves stretch around to the back. I assume she slipped around the building. We mustve caught her entry on the security cameras, but I admit I wasnt watching that screen when she got in. From what I understand, Alistair told his father that Jenny Henderson said hed forgotten to lock the front door.
And had he forgotten? Sean asked.
I havent talked to Alistair since I raced over to the Black Box when he came for me. He washe was crazy, hysterical, when I saw him. He was screaming that a monster killed Jenny. I went back to the tunnel with him He shook his head. It was a pure zoo here last night! When Alistair ran up to this door it was as if he was being pursued by demons. I saw the blood on him and hit the call button for the police, and they were here within minutes. I tried to calm Alistair down enough to talk, but he just kept screaming about the priest and the mummies.
Did you go down to the tunnel?
Yes. I walked in, saw Jenny Henderson and the blood and walked out again. But I had to check it out because he was so hysterical. Its my job.
Sean was thoughtful. Silent.
Bailey continued. It was a slip-and-slide of blood down there. A slip and slide. When I saw the way the girl was lying there. Well, I knew she was dead. I backed out, not wanting to mess anything up for the police.
That was the right thing to do, Colin.
I never had anything that resembled a coherent talk with Alistair. He was in shock. And then the police got hereand Eddie. Eddie seemed to be in shock, too, and they arrested Alistair. Eddie told me not to leave my post, and its been a long time now, but I havent left, Bailey said, nodding with determined loyalty. I havent left, he repeated doggedly.
Thank you, sir, Sean said. He handed Colin Bailey a card. If you think of anythingeven something that might seem unimportant, will you call me?
You bet, Sean. You know the police interviewed me for more than an hour. I think I said everything. But, Sean, yeah, you bet. Ill call you.
They walked out into the dying sunlight. Sean paused. Some of the police cars were gone; they could see that Benny Knox was still standing outside the entrance to the Black Box Cinema, like a sentinel.
Im going in, Sean said. They should have finished up with the crime scene evidence by now. He turned to her. Theres no reason for you to come.
Yes, there is. The reason Eddie picked me to be with you.
She studied him, wondering how to explain that she somehow knew it was important that she go in without sounding like a fool. She didnt want to say she might get some kind of feeling from the place. Hed probably look at her as if she should be committed if she said, Theres a slim possibility that theres a ghost in there now, and that she might talk to me.
What would happen? This man wouldnt really react. Hed hold his thoughts, be politeand then see that she was committed.
I really love Eddie Archer, she began. He gave me my life. I want to go in, I dont know if itll help, but maybe