I’d chatted with Cass earlier this morning, and he’d confirmed that he’d received the tox screen, and Bill hadn’t had drugs or alcohol in his system when the accident occurred, so that much was consistent.
Once Darcy pulled away, I headed back to the crowd to find Hope. Cass and I planned to meet up in less than an hour, so I hoped she was done with me for the day. With the exception of the haunted barn, the other Harvest Festival activities were to be wrapped up by five o’clock, so I was fairly sure she wouldn’t reassign me. By the time I managed to find Hope in the crowd, Cass had arrived, and the two were chatting.
“How did the pumpkin toss go?” Hope asked.
“Everything went perfectly,” I answered. “It was exhausting, but Darcy and I really had a good time.”
“Did Valerie show up to do the closing shift?”
“She did,” I confirmed. “She had her boyfriend with her, so I think they’ll be fine.” I looked toward Cass. “You’re early, but I think I’m done here.” I glanced at Hope for confirmation.
Hope smiled. “Yes, you are finished for the day, and again, thank you so much. Are you still on for a shift at the haunted barn tomorrow?”
“I am,” I confirmed. “You had me scheduled in the ticket booth from four to ten. Is that still what you need?”
She nodded. “That would be perfect.”
Hope put her hand on Cass’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I need to go and check on some of the others, but if you hear anything, call me.”
“I will.”
“Bill Fuller?” I asked as Hope walked away. I assumed that was what they’d been discussing before I arrived.
He nodded. “Hope had heard about Bill and wanted to fill me in on a rumor she’d heard.”
“Rumor?”
Cass took my hand in his and started walking toward the parking area where we’d both left our cars. “As you might expect, everyone in town has been talking about Bill’s death and whether or not the accident really was caused by a misjudgment on his part or something more.”
“Yeah. I’ve picked up quite a few tidbits throughout the day as well. What did Hope have to say?”
“Hope heard from several people that Bill was seen having dinner with Robert Harrison, or I guess I should say Harrison Roberts, and a woman with long red hair.”
“I spoke to Darcy Rosenthal,” I said. “She worked the pumpkin toss with me. She’s a waitress at the steakhouse. She told me that Bill was dining with Harrison and a redhead. She said that while their conversation started off cordial enough, as it went on, the tension between everyone involved seemed to increase dramatically. Darcy wasn’t certain, but she thought that the redheaded woman might have come with Harrison. She also thought she might be in town with the production company.”
“She is,” Cass confirmed. “I did some research and was able to verify that the redheaded woman seen with Bill and Harrison is an actress named Jennifer Ashford. She’s playing a supporting role in the movie, as is Harrison.”
“I remember seeing her name on the list Dex gave me. If I remember correctly, Victoria Medford has been cast as the female lead, and Jennifer Ashford is starring as her sister. I know Logan Underwood was cast as the male lead, but I’m really not sure what sort of role Harrison was cast to play. Dex gave me a packet of information, but it was incomplete. He said he’d send over an updated cast list once he had one.”
“Harrison has a minor role,” Cass informed me. “Based on what I’ve been able to find out, the movie is a murder mystery, which involves a group of people who, for one reason or another, find themselves trapped at an isolated resort. There’s a murder, and the character played by Underwood, sets out to find the killer while keeping everyone else safe until help can arrive. I’m pretty sure Victoria Medford plays one of the guests who ends up helping Underwood with the investigation. I assume there’s a romance between the two at some point. Jennifer Ashford plays Medford’s younger sister, which I suppose would qualify her for the supporting actress role.”
“Is there a supporting actor?” I asked.
“Vince Ravenwood. He plays the groundskeeper, who, according to the gossip mill, turns out to be the killer.”
I knew that Vince Ravenwood was a seasoned actor who’d starred in many movies in his youth. I’d loved everything he’d done and found I was even more excited about meeting him than I was about meeting Logan Underwood.
“Anyway,” Cass continued, “I guess one of the men Hope spoke to, Jason Winters, told her that he’d left the steakhouse just behind Bill and the two people he’d dined with. He told her that Bill and the woman were standing near Bill’s car, arguing when he arrived in the parking area. He didn’t hear everything that was being said, but the woman was waving a document of some sort in Bill’s face and demanding that he sign it.”
“A document? I wonder what sort of document.”
“I don’t know,” Cass answered. “I spoke to Jason, and he didn’t know. Jason told me he came out of the steakhouse, noticed the argument but didn’t linger, got into his own vehicle, and left.”
“And Harrison?” I asked. “What was he doing during this altercation?”
“Jason said he didn’t see him, but he also admitted that he was mostly trying to mind his own business, so he wasn’t looking for him.” Cass stopped walking when we arrived at my car. “Do you want to drop your car at your house? I thought we could go out for a nice dinner rather than gorging ourselves at the food court. It might work best with one car.”
“Yeah. I like that plan. Do you want to take Milo home?” I glanced at the dog who was poking his head out the backseat window of Cass’s truck, which was parked two spots over from where I’d parked.
“I do. How about I follow you to your place, we can drop off your car, and you can change if you want to. Then we’ll head out to my place, so I can drop Milo off, and change out of my uniform. Then we can figure out where we want to eat.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I opened the driver’s door of my SUV. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Chapter 6
After a brief discussion, Cass and I decided on an upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican food. I chose the shrimp enchiladas with a creamy white sauce, which was served with a black bean and avocado salad, while he chose a shredded beef burrito with traditional red sauce and refried beans. The restaurant was perched on the edge of Foxtail Lake, and while the sun had already set, the moon was high in the sky, creating a very romantic setting, especially when the real wood fire and soft lighting were taken into consideration. It seemed a waste of atmosphere to discuss the ins and outs of the case Cass was working on, so by mutual consent, we decided to focus our conversation elsewhere.
“This is nice,” I said after we’d placed our orders. “It’s been a while since the two of us have had a chance to really talk.”
“It does seem as if we’ve been going in different directions as of late.” Cass took a sip of his margarita. “I chatted with Gracie while you were changing your clothes. She told me that Ethel is going to be moved to rehab, and that it might be quite a while before she’s well enough to come home.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “It isn’t looking good. She survived the stroke, which we’re all so grateful for, but according to what her doctor told Gracie, Ethel has a long road ahead of her in terms of recovery.” I paused and then continued. “Actually, at her age, there isn’t a guarantee she will ever fully recover.” I leaned back in my chair. “Gracie and I both think it’s only a matter of time before she’s going to be facing the realization that she’s no longer healthy enough to continue as Paisley’s guardian.”