“Evie Johnstone is working on the tombstones for the outdoor graveyard. She mentioned earlier that she could use some help,” Hope answered.
“I’ll be happy to help her. Where is she?”
“The shed next to the barn has been cleared out and is being used for preparation and assembly. Check there. If she’s not in the shed, she’ll be outside in the area reserved for the cemetery.”
After a quick search, I found Evie in the field behind the barn. The field would be utilized for the line leading up to the ticket booth. The idea of the tombstones was to have the line wind through a fake cemetery with tombstones painted with custom epitaphs providing a source of entertainment while the masses waited. I suspect that Evie had ended up with tombstone duty due to the fact that she had excellent penmanship. She was working with a man named Dave Partridge to set the wooden markers throughout the field to make the area appear as if it had actually been used to bury the dead.
“Everything looks fantastic,” I said. Like Naomi, Evie had attended the local high school along with Cass and me. Dave, however, had moved to Colorado a few years ago.
“Are you here to help out?” Evie asked as she held in place one of the personalized tombstones while Dave held it to the base. The tombstones had been part of a fundraiser and local folks could have them personalized with a quote or message.
“Actually, I am. What do you need me to do?”
“Even though I spent almost the entire night in my barn working on these tombstones last night, I still have another couple dozen boards to paint. I brought the paint and wood from home and planned to finish them once I got here, but Dave needs someone to hold the finished tombstones steady while he sets them. If you can help him, I can return to the painting.”
“I’d be happy to help Dave.”
“Great. Be careful of the paint. Some of these boards are still damp, although most are fine.”
I looked at the neat black lettering so detailed that a computer might have printed it. “I’ll be sure not to smudge anything. This must have taken you forever.”
“Almost. I considered just putting out what I had and finishing the rest as I could get to them. I figured I’d just put them out over the next few days since the event runs all next week, but my sister called yesterday afternoon to inform me that my grandmother is really sick, so now my plan is to do what I can today and then take an evening flight to Cincinnati. I’m totally exhausted, but if I don’t finish these now, they may not get finished, and then I’d feel bad for those who bought a stone but never got one.”
I wished my own penmanship was better. I’d offer to help with the painting if it was, but there were times when even I could barely read my handwriting. “I’m so sorry to hear about your grandmother,” I offered. “I hope she’ll be okay.”
She took a breath. “Yeah, me too.” She ran a hand across her face in a look of total exhaustion. “I’ll be in the shed if you need me.” With that, Evie trotted away.
Dave owned the local lumberyard. I suspected that he’d been the one who donated the wood for the props. That was one of the nice things about Foxtail Lake. Everyone pitched in and did whatever was needed to make our frequent community events a success.
“So, how are things going down at the newspaper?” Dave asked after Evie left. I appreciated the fact that he was willing to initiate the conversational thread.
“Things are going well,” I answered as I held the next tombstone in place while Dave secured it to the base he’d already pounded into the ground. “I’m not sure if you heard, but I’ve been made a full-time reporter in addition to writing my column.”
“I had heard about your promotion. I run a full-page ad once a month in the business section and usually meet with Dex to update the material, although he hasn’t contacted me yet this month.” He frowned and then continued. “He did mention that he’d made you full time the last time we spoke. He’s very pleased with your work.”
I smiled. “I’m glad to hear that since I love my job.”
We both moved down the row to the next tombstone that was waiting to be installed.
“My friend, Myra, who spoke to Gabby, told me that you’ve been assigned to cover the movie that’s going to be filmed in the area,” Dave said as he pounded the base into the dirt.
“I have. I’m really excited about this opportunity. Dex is even planning a special press run to handle the event.”
“Evie and I were chatting about it before you arrived. She told me that the two of you went to high school with one of the costars.”
I was surprised that Evie knew that Harrison Roberts was actually Robert Harrison from chemistry class. “Apparently, that’s true. I’d had no idea that Harrison Roberts was actually Robert Harrison from Foxtail Lake until Naomi filled me in. To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one. I don’t remember much about the guy other than the fact he was quiet and super smart. I’ll have to ask Evie what she remembers.”
“Evie didn’t seem to be a fan of the guy,” Dave informed me. “In fact, she went so far as to say that even if he did grow up to be famous, in her eyes, he would always be the pond scum who’d ruined the life of someone she cared about.”
“Wow. Really? Did she say whose life he ruined or what he did?
“She didn’t specify, and I didn’t ask, but she did mention that whatever went down occurred during her junior year. I guess you can ask her if you really want to know more about it.”
“Yeah. Maybe I will.” I stood up and moved down the row to the next marker. “It’s really strange that Robert grew up to be an actor. I don’t remember him being outgoing or in any way interested in theater. I’d have to check to be certain, but I don’t remember him being in school plays or anything like that. He was really into science. He was sort of secretive, and everyone said he did all these weird experiments in his garage. I have no idea what sort of experiments since I wasn’t really all that interested in what he was doing, but he was definitely the nerdy sort and didn’t have a lot of friends.” I held the tombstone still while Dave attached it to the base. “I really can’t imagine how the guy I knew in high school transformed himself into an up and coming actor. I suspect there’s quite a story there.”
“Maybe he’ll agree to an interview and tell you all about it,” Dave suggested.
I grinned. “I hope so. I really want at least part of what I write to be personal. The actor behind the scene sort of thing. Uncovering the journey that took Robert from class nerd to superstar would be just the sort of thing to draw my readers in.”
“It’d be cool to get similar stories about all the actors and actresses. There might be a few who grew up in Hollywood, but chances are that most started off as regular people like you and me before getting their big break.”
“It would be an interesting twist to take for the series. A who they are now and where did they come from perspective.”
“I read an article about Victoria Medford a while back. I guess she grew up in foster care. She’d been passed around from home to home, never really settling, but when she was thirteen, she was placed with a family in Bellaire who happened to live in the same neighborhood as a scriptwriter who was fairly famous at the time. I guess the scriptwriter introduced her to some folks who helped her to get a bit part in a sitcom. She really had a presence and stole the show. The next thing she knew, she was well on her way to becoming the next big thing.”
“Can you imagine having that sort of luck?”
“That would be something all right.”
Dave and I continued to chat until he needed to take a call. I checked my phone to see that I had a text from Cass informing me that he’d had something come up and wasn’t going to make it to the barn decorating party. He did still hope to make it to the shelter for our volunteer session. I usually worked with the dogs one on one for training before Cass arrived for our play session, so I texted him back and told him to meet me in the training room if he got there early. By the time I left, the barn was looking awesome. Fake cobwebs with fake spiders were made to look even more legit when intertwined with the real cobwebs and real spiders that lived in the normally deserted barn. All sorts of props, lights, and secret passages had been set up to create a horror house sort of setting that kids from twelve and up tended to enjoy.