“But after that, we’ll go to the set, right?” asked Becca.
“Definitely,” said Charlotte.
Shannon laughed. It looked as if the girls were off and running, and her role was just to follow them. “Okay, then, let’s go!” she said.
“Hold on,” said Charlotte. “I’ll be right back.” She ran into the house and came back out with three pairs of sunglasses. “These’ll help disguise us,” she said. “Plus, they’ll help us blend in with all those movie people.”
“Good thinking,” said Shannon gravely. Keeping a straight face, she chose a pair with pink hearts on the corners. Becca took the blue-and-white striped pair, and Charlotte slipped on a pair with sparkling rhinestones all over them.
Charlotte grabbed her bike. “Ready?” she asked.
As Charlotte had said, there are three motels on the outskirts of Stoneybrook. There’s the George Washington (I always wonder if he was supposed to have slept there!), the Sleepy Bear, and the Kozy Kabins. Shannon and the girls checked out the Kozy Kabins first, but there was absolutely no action there. The Sleepy Bear was busier. A salesman was lifting suitcases into his car outside room 10, and a family with four kids — two of them screaming toddlers — was unloading their overstuffed van. But Zeke Hill was nowhere in sight.
Shannon and the girls hit pay dirt at the George Washington. First, Shannon spotted Zeke’s van in the parking lot. Then, when they crept up to peer through a row of bushes that shielded the pool, they saw a red-haired man lying on one of the lounges. “That must be him,” hissed Shannon. “Look, he has a phone right next to him. I bet he’s waiting to hear from the director.”
“He looks more like he’s sleeping,” whispered Becca, with a giggle. “I think I can even hear him snoring.”
“Well, whatever he’s doing, he’s not creeping around making trouble on the set,” said Charlotte. “But somebody else may be. Let’s go!”
They rode over to the elementary school, where filming had moved back outside. The scenes being shot that day were of a community picnic at the ballfield, and there were lots of extras on hand. The casting people had rounded up a whole bunch of Stoneybrookites, promising them a good lunch and a possible shot at a few seconds on the screen. Stacey was there with the Perkins girls, and Mary Anne had brought Matt and Haley Braddock.
I had my hands full watching Derek that afternoon, since between each take he was mobbed by kids and their parents who wanted autographs. Even with Claudia’s help (she was there to take care of Todd) there were times I lost sight of him. Plus, I kept being distracted by Cokie Mason. Even though we’ve never gotten along, that day she was acting like we were best friends. Ugh! She followed me around, begging me to introduce her to Carson Fraser. And when she wasn’t bothering me, she was making a fool of herself trying to attract his attention. Every time she was anywhere near him, she would smile and pose and let out these loud, fakey giggles. It was embarrassing.
I was relieved when Shannon, Charlotte, and Becca arrived, since I figured they could help me keep an eye on Derek. “Hi!” I yelled, waving them over. But they pretended not to see me. “What’s with them?” I asked Claudia.
“I bet they’re playing detective,” said Claudia. “Notice the sunglasses?”
I nodded. “You must be right,” I said. “Okay, I’ll pretend I don’t know them. Maybe they’ll pick up some clues.”
Later, I found out that Shannon felt terrible about ignoring me. “Charlotte insisted on it,” she explained. “She said if we talked to you we would ‘blow our cover.’ Sorry!”
Shannon and the girls spent the whole afternoon on the set, tailing first one suspect and then another. Becca was a little starstruck, and kept getting distracted when the actors walked by, but Charlotte was very intent on her detective work.
“There’s Carson Fraser,” she said. “And that must be his manager — the one talking to him.” Carson was emerging from his dressing room, with Frank Bottoms (Shannon knew it must be Frank, from my description) trailing behind him. “Quick! We can follow them both,” said Charlotte. She fell into step behind Carson and Frank, and Becca and Shannon followed her. Carson and Frank were deep in conversation, but it was impossible for Shannon and the girls to hear what they were saying.
As they neared the set, Frank and Carson separated. “You follow him,” Charlotte hissed, pointing Shannon and Becca toward Frank. They stopped where Frank did, near the catering truck, but Charlotte kept up with Carson. Shannon kept half an eye on Frank, but she also watched Charlotte — after all, she thought, she was Charlotte’s baby-sitter. Charlotte marched right after Carson as he walked past the makeup trailers, past wardrobe, past the circle of cameras and lights — and onto the set!
Shannon watched in horror as Harry, the director, stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Little girl!” he yelled. “Hey! Little girl! No extras on the set right now, please. We’re about to shoot a very important closeup.”
Charlotte turned toward Harry and pointed at herself. “Me?” she asked. Her face was beet red.
“Yes, you!” he yelled. “Off the set, please.”
Charlotte slunk back to where Shannon and Becca were waiting. “Why didn’t you warn me?” she asked miserably.
“Sorry! I didn’t know,” said Shannon. Then, trying to help Charlotte over her embarrassment, she said, “But hey, in those sunglasses, you looked like you belonged in front of the cameras.”
Once Charlotte had recovered, the three of them went in search of Sheila Mayberry. Before long, they spotted a woman Shannon was sure must be Sheila, because of her fancy jade-green outfit, near the makeup trailer. She was deep in conversation with Missy, the woman who does Derek’s makeup. Charlotte whispered to Shannon that she thought the two of them might be plotting Derek’s next accident. But as the girls drew nearer, all they heard was Missy telling Sheila about a new blusher she’d discovered. That was the last straw for Charlotte. “I’ve had it,” she said to Shannon. “We picked the wrong day to come. There hasn’t been one accident, and nothing suspicious happened. I’d rather go back home and blow bubbles.” So, as Shannon reported later in the club notebook, after a whole day of sleuthing, the mystery on the set was still just that — a mystery.
“Boy, did I need that day off,” I said to Charlie, as we drove to the set two days later.
“Don’t rub it in,” said Charlie, yawning. “A day off sounds great, but there’s no such thing for the crew. I had to work yesterday.”
There had been no filming the day before while the crew relocated. Harry was done with the scenes at the elementary school, and now he was ready to put in a few days filming at the house in Mary Anne’s neighborhood. I had spent the day before lazing around, enjoying both the free time and the chance to take a rest from keeping an eagle eye on Derek. Mrs. Masters had phoned me to say that Derek’s agent had said not to worry, but that wasn’t so easy for me. We were still no closer to solving the mystery of who was out to get Derek, so while I was on the set, all I could do was watch him, and try to prevent any more accidents.
As soon I arrived on the set, I spotted Claudia. “Hi!” I said. “Are Derek and Todd here yet?”
“Nope,” she said. “But I think we’re early. I can’t believe I’m actually getting up at six every morning during summer vacation!” She yawned and smiled.
I looked around the set. The house they were using is an old white one, with green shutters. It’s a little rundown looking, which might be why the location scouts picked it for the movie. I remembered that an old man used to live there all alone, but now it looked as though the house was empty and waiting to be sold. The front yard and porch were where the shooting would take place, and the big side yard was totally full of people and equipment. Not every truck and van had been brought over (some were still parked at the elementary school) so it was kind of a miniversion of the set I’d gotten used to.
“Hey, here comes Derek’s car.” I pointed to the black sedan that was pulling up to the c
urb. Derek opened the door, and he and Todd jumped out. “Thanks, Mr. Mead,” said Derek to the driver. “See you later!”
Derek and Todd walked over to join me and Claud. “He’s great,” said Derek, waving as Mr. Mead pulled away. “He used to be a prize-fighter! This morning he showed me how to throw a right hook.”
“Cool,” I said. “But I think right now you’d better throw a right turn and head into makeup. Missy’s waiting for you.” I steered him gently toward the makeup trailer.
“We’ll be over by the catering truck,” said Claud. “Todd doesn’t have a scene until later this afternoon.”
Just then, over Claud’s shoulder, I saw Cokie Mason approaching. “Don’t look now,” I whispered, “but here comes trouble.”
Cokie minced up to us on white high-heeled sandals. She was wearing a white, ruffly peasant blouse that was pulled off her shoulders, and a pink flowered skirt. She looked ridiculous.
“Isn’t it great to be here early?” she asked. “I just spotted Carson on his way into makeup. He was wearing a black t-shirt, and he looked just —” She sighed, as if she couldn’t find the words to describe Carson’s gorgeousness.
“Are you working here today?” I asked, knowing she wasn’t — not dressed like that.
“Oh, no,” she said. “I just came to watch.”
I couldn’t believe she didn’t have anything better to do with her time than hang out on the set day after day, trying to catch Carson’s attention. Claud and I exchanged glances.
“Well, I better go check up on Derek,” I said, edging away. I felt bad leaving Claudia alone with Cokie, but I knew Claud could take care of herself. “See you later!”
I went into the makeup trailer and watched as Missy put the finishing touches on Derek’s face. As she powdered him, he told me about the scenes scheduled for that day. “The house is supposed to be abandoned, and Laddie has started to use it as a clubhouse. He invites all the boys from the neighborhood to hang out there, in hopes of recruiting them as vampires. In the scene this morning, he tries to convince me to be his blood brother — but I refuse, since I already suspect he’s a vampire. Then, this afternoon, we’ll shoot this, like, club initiation scene with all the boys. That’s the one Todd is in.”
“You’re all set, hon,” said Missy, planting one last puff of powder on Derek’s cheeks. “Break a leg out there today!” She covered her mouth. “Oops,” she said. “Maybe I shouldn’t say that to you. Sorry!”
Derek laughed. “That’s okay,” he said. “I think my luck is changing. I haven’t had an accident in almost a week!” I was glad he could joke about it. Derek seemed oblivious to the fact that he might actually be in danger on the set, and I was happy to keep him in the dark.
We headed over to the space set up for the actors’ lounge, where Claudia and Todd were waiting. Carson and Frank were there, too, but when Derek said hello, Carson barely acknowledged him. A bunch of other actors were sitting around, plus the usual hangers-on, like the blonde girl with the rose in her buttonhole.
“Aren’t we supposed to be starting soon?” Derek asked Carson.
“Shooting’s delayed,” said Carson. “One of those jerky gaffers blew up a light or something.”
Just then, I heard a loud and very fake-sounding giggle. “There you all are,” said Cokie, sweeping into view. She glanced at Carson and blushed. He ignored her.
“I just wanted to make a brief announcement,” said Cokie, wringing her hands nervously. “You’re all invited to a party at my house, on Saturday night. Cast, crew, everybody who’s working on the movie is welcome to attend.” She giggled again, and I figured she was relieved to have made it through the little speech she must have memorized. “We have a pool,” she added, “so bring your bathing suits! And bring a big appetite, too, because I’m going to have tons of food!”
“Sounds great,” said Derek.
“Wonderful,” trilled Cokie, but her smile was even phonier than usual. She glanced once more at Carson, but he didn’t meet her eye.
“I’ll check his schedule,” Frank Bottoms promised, smiling at Cokie. Carson shot him a dirty look. He obviously couldn’t have been less interested in attending a party thrown by some local middle school girl.
Cokie pouted. Claud looked over at me and rolled her eyes. I rolled mine back. Cokie was too much. It was so obvious she was throwing the party just so she could say that a bunch of stars — especially Carson, of course — had been at her house.
As soon as she flounced away, Claudia leaned over to me. “Should we go?” she asked. “I mean, I guess we’re included in that invitation.”
“No way!” I said. “A party at Cokie’s? You couldn’t drag me there!”
* * *
So, guess where I was, two days later? That’s right! I was sitting on a lounge chair, next to Cokie Mason’s pool. Claud and the other BSC members had reminded me that if Derek was going, I should go. That way, I could keep an eye on him. It had been an accident-free week at the set, but I still didn’t feel like I could let down my guard. Claudia had agreed to go with me, and by Saturday afternoon we had both actually started to look forward to the party. After all, we figured, it would be a gas to see who showed up, and to watch Cokie do her hostess act.
“Cokie’s outdone herself,” Claud whispered to me, gesturing to the decorations. There were pink lanterns strung all around the pool, and bouquets of pink flowers on the tabletops. Pink crepe paper dangled from every bush, and there were pink cups, pink plates, and pink napkins.
“Did I ever mention that I can’t stand pink?” I whispered back.
It was a nice, warm summer night, and Cokie had provided the promised “tons” of great food. Claud and I hung out by the pool, eating hamburgers. I was wearing my usual: shorts and a T-shirt. Claudia was looking great in a loose, flowery jumpsuit. And Cokie? Well, Cokie was wearing a tight mini-dress (pink, of course), pink heels, and nail polish and lipstick to match.
“What planet is she from, anyway?” Claud whispered to me, as we watched her walk by carrying a tray loaded with potato salad and other goodies.
I gave a little snort. “Planet Weird,” I said, helping myself to a deviled egg from a nearby platter. “Notice who hasn’t shown up yet?” Carson was nowhere in sight. Instead, the pool area behind Cokie’s house was packed with gaffers, makeup artists, and a lot of the younger actors. I giggled. “Guess the whole thing was a waste, as far as Cokie’s concerned,” I said. “At least Derek and Todd are having a good time.”
Derek was, at that moment, about to do his fourteenth cannonball from the diving board. Todd was waiting his turn. Just as Cokie walked by, Derek bounced on the board, grabbed his knees, and gave a Tarzan yell as he plummeted into the water.
There was a huge splash, and Cokie jumped back — a second too late. She was soaked. Big dark blotches covered her mini-dress, and her hair, once so carefully curled, hung wetly around her face. Claud and I stifled giggles.
“Sorry!” Derek said, hoisting himself out of the pool.
Cokie looked like she wanted to kill him, but she quickly pasted on one of those phony smiles. “That’s okay,” she said. “As long as you’re having fun.” Then she turned and dashed into the house.
“Guess she has to make some repairs,” Claudia said. “In case you-know-who really appears.”
Well, Carson never did show up. The rest of us enjoyed ourselves, though, pigging out on the food Cokie had provided and dancing to the tapes she had made. “Great party, Cokie,” I said, as Claud and I left. She looked tired and disappointed, and I suddenly felt a little sorry for her. “Anybody who didn’t come really missed out,” I added, trying to make her feel better.
But as it turned out, I was wrong. Anybody who didn’t go to Cokie’s party really lucked out. Why? Because almost everybody who did go got sick! I spent most of Sunday lying on the couch with an upset stomach and a pounding headache. Claudia was totally miserable, too. So were Derek and Todd, as I found out when I called the Masterses
’ house to check up on them.
“Do you think Cokie poisoned you all?” asked Mary Anne, when I talked to her later that day. “Maybe she’s the one who’s after Derek. After all, if she thinks so much of Carson, maybe she’d like to see Derek out of the picture, so Carson would get more attention.”
It seemed ridiculous, but in fact the same thing had occurred to me. Was it Cokie who was after Derek? If not, who was it? I promised myself, as I lay there on the couch holding my stomach and moaning, that as soon as I felt better I would do everything I could to find out who was after Derek, and why. And then I’d make sure he was stopped, before something worse than a stomachache happened to him.
By Monday, I had totally recovered. My headache was gone, and I felt like eating again. In fact, at the beginning of our BSC meeting that afternoon I was munching happily on a Twix bar Claud had given me, when the phone rang. “Mmmph!” I said. I gulped and swallowed. “I mean, I’ll get it!” I grabbed the phone.
It turned out to be Mrs. Masters, calling to let me know that both she and Mr. Masters would be on the set the next day. She told me that Claudia and I were still welcome to be there, but that we didn’t have to come.
“Terrific,” I said, as I hung up. “This will give us some time to do a little sleuthing. Who wants to come?”
“Will you be on the set?” Mal asked.
“Part of the time, probably,” I said. “Why?”
She sighed. “Because I’ll be watching Claire,” she said, “and if you’re going to be spending time on the set, that means I can’t come. Oh, well.”
Mary Anne had a sitting job, and so did Logan and Jessi, but Stacey, Claud, and Shanon were all free and excited about doing some investigating.