The Magic Of Halloween Night

Chapter 2

After I dropped Paisley off at school, I headed over to the library, where I hoped to speak to Hope Mansfield about the haunted barn for the Halloween Festival. In addition to being the local librarian, Hope was the volunteer coordinator for the community.

“Morning, Hope,” I greeted, pausing to nod toward the group of volunteers who were working their magic with Halloween decorations.

“Callie.” She smiled, setting aside the construction paper pumpkins she’d been cutting out. “I’m glad you’re here. Did you get my message about the time change for the barn decorating party?”

“I did, and nine o’clock will be fine. Did you end up with enough people to get things handled in one day?”

“I think so.” She reached under the counter and took out a list. “I have to admit that only having one day to do everything has left me pretty tense, but Nora got on the phone and rounded up a few additional volunteers, which should bring us up to the minimum number we need to get everything done.”

Nora Nottaway owned Nottaway General Store along with her husband, Ned. She’d been battling cancer but seemed to be doing a lot better.

“I could use a few additional people to work the event itself, however, so let me know if you think of anyone,” Hope added.

“I can’t think of anyone offhand, but I’ll let you know if I think of someone. Did you put up a notice on the community bulletin board?”

“I did. I thought I might go out to the senior center and see if anyone there wants to help with the ticket sales.” Hope looked up as a group of high school students walked in through the front door. “Maybe I should talk to the principal at the high school as well. We have utilized older teens in the past to help out with crowd control.”

“Maybe one of the service clubs.” I leaned an elbow on the counter, which had been decorated with autumn garland and bright yellow pumpkins. “By the way, I love all the decorations you set out, but I really love the Halloween themed fantasy scene you painted on the wall in the reading room. I noticed it right away when I walked in.”

“My new assistant did everything.” Hope waved to a woman in a gray wool skirt topped with a dark green sweater. “I want you to meet her as long as you’re here.” We waited as she walked toward us. “Vonda Robertson, this is Callie Collins.”

“I’m happy to meet you,” I smiled at the woman with short blond hair with light brown lowlights, which did a lot to offset her huge brown eyes, full lips, and high cheekbones.

“You work at the newspaper,” she said after we shook hands. “I’ve read your columns. They are really very good.”

“Thank you. I enjoy writing them. They help me to feel connected both to myself and to the community.”

“Have you always wanted to be a journalist?” she asked.

“Not at all. In fact, until a year ago, I was a concert pianist, but after a car accident left me with a permanent injury to one hand, I decided to move back to Foxtail Lake. I wasn’t certain what I wanted to do with my life when I first arrived, but I sort of fell into the newspaper thing.”

“Well, you’re a natural.” She grinned. “Your columns are warm and entertaining. Reading them feels like sitting down with a close friend and learning about their latest adventures.”

“Thank you so much,” I said. “That means a lot.”

“Will you be doing another holiday series like you did this past Christmas?” she asked. “I think I loved those columns most of all.”

I really hadn’t thought that far ahead and told the woman as much, but it had been fun researching Secret Santa last year. Maybe I could dig up another feel-good Christmas piece to feature this year, perhaps either the annual toy drive or the food baskets that were given to Foxtail Lake residents who seemed to be having a hard time making their own Christmas miracle happen.

Vonda and I chatted for a few more minutes, then she wandered off to help the teens who seemed to have congregated in the reference section, and I returned my attention to Hope. “She seems nice.”

“She is. The customers really like her, and so far, she’s done a wonderful job with the book clubs. I know you usually volunteer at the animal shelter on Tuesdays, but if you ever have time, you should come by and join our mystery lovers group. We have a very involved membership, and they actually seem interested in solving both real and fictional mysteries. You’d fit right in.”

“Real mysteries?” I asked. I had to admit the idea intrigued me.

“It’s not like the group physically investigates anything, but there have been a few instances when they’ve chosen to read true crime books relating to an unsolved murder or kidnapping. I can think of one incident in particular where one of the members postulated a theory as to what might actually have occurred, which caused several others to jump in with their own ideas. The group spent weeks digging up old news articles, trying to figure out what the police couldn’t. I’m not saying they solved the crime, but they sure had fun trying, and they did come up with some interesting theories.”

“That does sound fun. I’ll keep that in mind.” I glanced at my watch. “Right now, I need to meet with Dex. He has an assignment he insists we need to discuss in person, and then I need to pick Paisley up from school at three o’clock, so I suppose I should get going.”

“How’s Paisley doing? I heard her grandmother was in the hospital.”

“She’s doing as well as can be expected,” I answered. “It’s been hard on her since her mom died. It’s natural that she would feel out of sorts after her loss, but then to have her grandmother take a turn for the worse has been really difficult for her. Gracie and I have both assured her that she can stay with us as long as she needs, but I think she can see the handwriting on the wall.”

“Do you think the grandmother will decide she can no longer act as her guardian?”

I nodded. “I think that is exactly what’s going to happen at some point. I suspect it’s really only a matter of time before Ethel is going to need to move into an assisted care facility.”

“And Paisley? What will happen to her?”

I frowned. “I wish I knew. She has a second cousin who lives on the east coast, but Paisley doesn’t really know the woman, and she definitely doesn’t want to move away from Foxtail Lake. I suppose that Ethel might be able to name someone who isn’t a blood relation to oversee Paisley’s care. Gracie is going to meet with both Ethel and her doctor today. She plans to bring it up if the situation presents itself. I guess at this point, all we can do is take it one day at a time.”

“I’m sure it will all work itself out.”

I smiled. “I hope so.” I leaned away from the counter. “I really should get going, but I’ll be at the barn in the morning.”

“Okay, see you then.”

After I left the library, I headed down the street to the newspaper. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm with the scent of wood smoke in the air, so I’d decided to walk. I knew that snow and winter were just around the corner, but for today, I’d enjoy the gorgeous color of the fall leaves as they gently fell to the ground and covered the sidewalk like some sort of wonderful fall blanket. I loved all the seasons here at Foxtail Lake, but I was pretty sure I loved autumn the most.

“Morning, Lorraine,” I greeted Lorraine Boxwood, the owner of a cute boutique featuring clothing not always practical for mountain wear but perfect for a special event.

“Callie,” she said as she pulled racks of sweaters marked for quick sale onto the sidewalk. “Those cardigans you’ve had your eye on are fifty percent off this week.”

“That’s tempting, but I’ll need to come back by. I’m on my way to chat with Dex right now, and then I need to pick Paisley up.”

Her lips tightened as her smile turned to a scowl. “When you see that boss of yours, will you please tell him to call me? I’ve left four messages about my ad, which he totally messed up, but the man has yet to call me back.”

“Something was wrong with your ad?” I asked.

She nodded. “When he was in last month, we worked out ads for each of the five Fridays in October. I figured that would save us both time in the long run, and I knew which items I planned to have on sale each of the five weeks, but the ad that was supposed to run on the sixteenth ran on the second, so I had people coming in all week looking for sale items that weren’t actually on sale yet.”

I winced. “I’m sorry. I bet that was a real hassle.”

“It was.”

“And last week’s ad? Was it right?”

“It was, but now I’m wondering what’s going to happen Friday. The last thing I need is for the ad that was supposed to run on the second to run on the sixteenth.”

“I’ll make sure Dex calls you, and I’ll check on the ad copy myself. I’m so sorry about the mix-up, and I really can’t explain why Dex hasn’t returned your calls.”

“I’ve spoken to some of the other merchants. It seems I’m not the only one who has had a problem of one sort or another with our ads in the past several months. I’m not sure what’s going on over at the newspaper to cause so many mistakes, but if you want the income provided by local advertising, you best get it fixed.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It does sound like there’s a glitch that needs to be attended to. I’ll check on your ad and have Gabby send you a proof. Again, I’m sorry about the error on the second.”

As I continued toward the newspaper, I thought about the fact that Dex had not only messed up Lorraine’s ad but hadn’t called her back either. It did seem like something was going on with him lately. I’d asked him about it a few times, and he’d assured me that everything was fine, but if my conversation with Lorraine was any indication, things were apparently far from okay.

“Morning, Gabby,” I said to Gabby King, the receptionist for the Foxtail News, after I walked into the small reception area.

“Morning, Callie.”

“I’m here to see Dex, but before I head back, I wanted to ask about Lorraine’s ad. I ran into her on my way over here, and she said she’s left four messages for Dex, but he hasn’t called her back.”

Gabby frowned. “I gave him the messages. I even emphasized how important it was that he return her calls. He said he would.”

“Apparently he didn’t. Lorraine is really upset and concerned about this week’s ad. Do you have a proof?”

“I can get one.”

“Great. It would go a long way to put her mind at ease if you would email it to her.” I plucked a piece of hard candy out of the dish on Gabby’s desk. “Don’t we usually email our advertisers with a proof copy even if they don’t ask?”

“That has been our policy in the past, but Dex has been off lately. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but he just isn’t himself.”

“What do you mean by isn’t himself?” I asked.

She shrugged. “He seems distracted and absentminded. Lorraine’s ad isn’t the only one he’s messed up. I offered to help him with the layout, but he insists everything is fine and that I don’t need to worry about it. I think things got away from him after Paul left.”

Paul had been in charge of advertising since before I came to work for the newspaper, but Paul and Dex had had a falling out a few months ago, and Paul quit. I expected that Dex would hire someone to replace him, but when I asked about it, he’d made a comment about just taking over the task himself and had never done anything about replacing the full-time employee. “I’ll talk to him,” I offered, realizing that if someone didn’t get through to him, none of us would have a job.

“Is he expecting you?” Gabby asked. “He’s been weird lately about people popping into his office without an appointment.”

That really had me frowning. Dex was a friendly guy who’d never minded a pop-in before. “He is expecting me. He texted earlier and asked me to stop by. He mentioned something about a special assignment.”

“I bet he wants to talk to you about the production company from Hollywood that’s going to be in town next week.”

“Production company?” I asked since I hadn’t heard the news. “Are they making a movie here in town?”

“Out at the Eagle Ridge Ski Resort. I guess they took over the whole place since it’s still closed for the season. The resort, the hotel, the restaurant.”

“Sounds exciting,” I said.

“The fact that a movie is going to be made here in our small town has been the topic of discussion on the gossip hotline all morning. If you get anything juicy out of Dex, let me know.”

“I’ll do that,” I said as I headed down the hallway toward Dex’s office. Once I arrived, I greeted him and then took a seat across the desk from where he was sitting. “So, what’s this about a production company being in town?”

“Sloan Kingston will be in the area to film his new movie.”

“Wow. That’s big news.” Sloan Kingston was a major movie producer who everyone with a pulse had heard of. He’d recently released a box office hit that was raking in millions of dollars. I hadn’t realized that he already had his next movie in the works.

“Most of the interior portions of the movie are being filmed in the studio, but Kingston is going to be in the area for the next two weeks getting the exterior, and some lobby and other interior shots,” Dex continued. “I’ve arranged to have someone onsite to cover the filming, and I want you to cover the process from beginning to end.”

My eyes widened. “Me? Really? That would be awesome. What sort of movie is he here to produce?”

“It’s a murder mystery set at an isolated resort. The film crew and cast will arrive Monday, and they plan to begin filming out at Eagle Ridge Ski Resort Tuesday. I understand that they will be on location for ten days to two weeks, which should give you plenty of time to write an article from a behind the scenes perspective and interview the stars. The film crew and cast are staying out at the resort, but it’s close enough that you can go back and forth each day, which should give you some flexibility in your schedule.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“You will need to put in a lot of hours, so I’m hoping you can work that out.”

“I’m sure I can, and I’m really excited about this opportunity. I won’t let you down.”

Dex smiled. “I know you won’t. I plan to put out a special edition in addition to the regular press runs. I think this series of articles is going to put our little newspaper on the map.”

“I would think so.”

“It will be a lot of work, a lot of hours,” he warned once again.

I had a feeling that while he wanted me to be the one to do the series, he wasn’t certain I was up for it. I guess I understood that. I was the newest reporter on the staff, and it would have made sense for him to assign the movie’s coverage to someone with more experience.

“Features, photos, interviews,” he added. “I’m going to be expecting total coverage.”

“I’m up for it,” I promised, realizing even as I said the words that I had a whole lot of commitments I’d have to unwind for the two weeks the movie was being filmed. “Do you know who’s starring in the movie?”

“Logan Underwood,” he replied.

“Really?” Just the thought of the dark-haired heartthrob made me lightheaded.

“I’m having the production assistant send me a list of all the cast members, filming schedules, and scene locations. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the entire process. I have a few things you can look at while we’re waiting for the rest.” Dex handed me a folder that was stuffed with information. “As I mentioned, you’ll need to clear your calendar beginning with this coming Monday, so you’re available as needed for this project. I know that you’re normally busy at this time of the year with all your various volunteer commitments, but this needs to come first.”

“I understand. I’ll talk to Aunt Gracie and make sure she’s okay taking over the rides and whatnot with Paisley. I’ll make it work. I promise.”

Dex smiled. “Excellent. I’m excited to see what we can come up with.”

I really hated to ruin Dex’s good mood by bringing up Lorraine’s ad, but I had promised her I would. “So I ran into Lorraine on my way over to speak with you. It seems she’s pretty upset about the mix-up with her ad.”

Dex frowned. It almost appeared as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“I guess the ad which was supposed to run this week actually ran on the second,” I continued. “She told me she’s left you a bunch of messages but hasn’t heard back. She’s a good customer, so you might want to call her.”

“You want me to call her about the ad?” he asked.

I nodded. “I spoke with Gabby, and she’s going to send a proof over for this week’s ad, but I still think an apology and maybe some free advertising might be a good idea.”

“Uh, sure. I’ll talk to Paul about it.”

“Paul quit,” I reminded Dex. “Almost two months ago.”

“Oh, sure,” he said. “Slip of the tongue. I’ll check on the ad and call Lorraine.”

“Great.” I forced a smile. “I guess I should be going.”

On my way out of the building, I pulled Gabby aside. “Has Dex been acting this oddly for long?”

“If by oddly you mean confused and forgetful, then I guess it started about two months ago, right around the time he and Paul had that falling out, but it hadn’t gotten really bad until two weeks ago.”

“I think we need to explore the idea that he might have a medical issue,” I said. “When I spoke to him about Lorraine’s ad, he said he’d have Paul look into it.”

“Should we talk to Garrett about it?” Gabby asked. Garrett Heatherton was Dex’s father and the owner of the newspaper. Dex ran things, but Garrett was still in the picture to a degree.

“Maybe. Let me think about it. Right now, if you could get that proof over to Lorraine, that would be great. If she has any other problems, have her call me. I need to pick Paisley up from school, but we should talk again. Dex and Garrett don’t get along all that well, so I hate to throw Dex under the bus by bringing mistakes he’s made to his father’s attention, but if Dex is sick, then I guess talking to Garrett might be a good idea.”