Exposed Negative: A Small Town Cozy Mystery (Shot & Framed Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Exposed Negative

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  One More Thing

  Disclaimer

  Contact Nancy

  SHOT & FRAMED

  BOOK 2:

  Exposed Negative

  By

  Nancy McGovern

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  At the end of this story, there is an offer to join my mailing list, through which you will receive updates, special offers & discounts on my future books as well as information about joining my Street Team. Plus, you will receive a FREE BOOK from my series, A Murder In Milburn, as a Thank You for signing up! If interested, the link is immediately after this story…

  Chapter 1

  Chamberlain

  “Celebrity worship!” Harry Hedley exclaimed, banging his hand on the table. “That’s the problem with the world today. In my day, we used to talk about sensible things. But, the papers today, they’re only filled with junk.”

  Dani, who had grown up stealing and reading her father’s copies of Entertainment Weekly side by side with his copies of The Economist, nodded along in an effort to placate him. He was a big man, with a round face, sharp eyes and a belly that looked like a basketball was being smuggled under his shirt. Like Dani, he had dark hair and brown eyes. Unlike her, he had a loud and definite opinion about most things.

  “I’m telling you, it’s ridiculous,” her father continued. “Nobody cares about facts or wants an intelligent story anymore. It’s all about what brand some fifteen year old wore or who some football player kissed.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t just angry about the flowerbeds being trampled?” Dani asked. “All thanks to your new tenant?”

  “My tenant is exactly the kind of man I can’t stand.” Harry rolled his eyes. “What has he ever done? Acted in a few plays and movies? So what? My poor roses didn’t deserve to be trampled on!”

  Dani bit back a smile. The tenant, Arthur Chamberlain, was the kind of actor whose face was instantly recognizable across the country, even if people were left scratching their heads afterwards, trying to figure out exactly where they’d seen him and what his name was.

  In a career that spanned three decades, Arthur had been in a total of 72 movies, and 31 plays, never as a lead character, but always as the “character” actor integral to the plot. Dani herself had grown up seeing him star as “the dad” in romantic comedies or “the hapless but good-hearted inspector” in various action-adventures. Once she’d googled him and figured out exactly who he was, she’d been thrilled that Arthur had rented a suite in the third floor of their mansion. Her father had been thrilled at the extra rent he’d be getting, but less than thrilled with the man himself or with the retinue of paparazzi who had followed him into town and trampled over their flower garden in their haste to get pictures.

  “Why do they even care about him?” Dani mused. “Surely, they could have found some young, attractive actress or, well, someone more tabloid-friendly.”

  “Well, as I found out well after he’d paid me the advance, Arthur was involved in some sort of scandal back in New York,” Harry said.

  “What was it?” Dani asked.

  “Something about drugs. I didn’t bother to find out.” Harry shrugged. “That’s why he came out here, at any rate. To wait until the fuss died down.”

  “You sound like you can’t wait for him to leave,” Dani said.

  “It’s not like I don’t appreciate the extra money.” He shrugged. “It’s just that the man is an absolute boor! I was having a peaceful breakfast the other day and, before I knew it, I was caught in a monologue about how evil butter is. This was at 6am, before I’d properly digested my coffee even!”

  “Butter? Evil?” Dani looked confused. “Is he very health conscious, or just mad?”

  “Worse. He’s a vegan,” Harry sighed. “You know I’ve never been very fond of eating meat, but I’m tempted to have steak for dinner every day just to spite him!”

  Dani’s father, who had at various points in his life, gone through “phases” of being vegetarian, eggetarian and then bacon-etarian, was outraged at the fact that someone could comment on his food habits.

  “Clearly a terrible man,” Dani said, patting her father’s hand. “You must have been so traumatized.”

  “Watch it, young lady. I mastered sarcasm when you were toddling around in diapers.”

  With a laugh, Dani pushed back her chair and stretched. She’d only been back in town for twelve hours and, already, she could feel more and more of the stress and grime of the big city lifting from her shoulders with each passing day. Until a few years ago, she’d viewed her hometown of Innocence, California, as a place to be escaped from. She’d longed to escape to a bigger city and had launched herself with great dedication into a career as a travel and fashion photographer. At a younger age, having grown up all her life in one place, nothing had seemed quite so exciting to Dani as the prospect of travelling the world. And she’d done it. And, now that she had visited more than thirty different countries on her assignments, Dani found herself, more and more, longing for a simpler life, surrounded by the people she loved.

  In fact, she had tried to return home two years previously. The isolation of waking up in hotel rooms had slowly overpowered the thrill of new lands, new faces, new foods and new cultures and she’d simply decided it was time for a break. But when her homecoming was met with a murder in which her sister had been falsely-implicated, she’d found herself disenchanted with the idea of hanging around. So, after helping to clear her sister’s name, she decided to throw herself back into her career and give it another chance.

  But it didn’t work. She continually found herself longing for the small town feel of home and waited for an opportunity to arise that may lead her back to the place and the people she loved. So, when Innocence’s local theater group, Mace and Cage, had contacted her on a whim and asked if she’d be interested in becoming their theater production photographer, she jumped at the chance. It was only a temporary assignment, she wouldn’t be there more than a month or so, but she was thrilled.

  And her father’s usual drama only made her feel more at home.

  “You haven’t met Arthur yet, have you?” Harry asked. “Do me a favor and be sure to eat a ham sandwich in front of him when you do.”

  “Honestly, Dad! I will do no such thing. He’s entitled to his opinions,” Dani said, laughing.

  “I’m all for people who want to save nature by eating only leaves and fruits,” he explained. “But not when they invade my house and tell me about the sins of the dairy industry at six in the morning!”

  *****

  The theater group operated out of a building only a street away from Innocence’s downtown area. The building was rather plain from the outside, looking more like a strip mall than a place of great culture. The only thing that distinguished it, in fact, was the row of cherry blossom trees that grew on its perimeter.
Flowering as they were now, the trees managed to transform the drab building into a place that promised wonders.

  Inside, the theater had a small hall lined with photographs of various plays, all dominated by glamorous headshots of the two co-founders of the group. The main hall had a counter that sold both tickets and snacks and two doors gilded with bronze that led the audience to a spacious auditorium.

  When Dani entered, the theater was in its usual state of chaos. She nearly stepped into a puddle of paint as she opened the door, turning to see two men screaming at each other about who was at fault for the spill. In the auditorium, technicians yelled to each other from the catwalks while actors were scattered all over the house rehearsing their lines, muttering to themselves in an attempt to commit them to memory.

  “Dani!” Allie Franks, the director for the new play, rushed over to shake hands with her. Tall and well-proportioned, with a nose that dominated her face and dark curls bound up into a fluffy ponytail, Allie radiated intelligence and wit. She wore no-nonsense jeans and a dark t-shirt, although her pastel shoes with their neon laces hinted at her essential playfulness.

  “It’s been years, hasn’t it? I haven’t seen you since, well, you know.” Allie smiled uncomfortably.

  “Two years now,” Dani replied, nodding and smiling back.

  “Yes. Quite the tragedy. But how is your sister now? Has she quite recovered?”

  “Caroline’s doing well,” Dani said. “She’s actually on a well-deserved vacation with her husband at the moment.”

  “Excellent. Good on her.” Allie’s smile widened. “Now, here’s the thing. You’re quite clear what we want from you, I hope?”

  “Stills that can be used for marketing?” Dani confirmed. “You want me to capture the most intense moments of your play for use in promotions?”

  “Exactly.” Allie nodded. “There’s also another thing. You know we’ve pulled off quite the coup, right? Arthur Chamberlain, of all people, will be playing the character of Othello for us!”

  “So I heard.” Dani smiled. “I also heard that your original actor wasn’t too pleased to be booted out last minute.”

  Allie winced. “Booted out isn’t exactly the phrase I’d use. Besides, Paul understood. Or, at least, he does now. A chance like this doesn’t come around every day. What a magnificent coincidence that Arthur should be in town. And even more magnificent that Othello is one of his favorite plays!”

  “How did he ever agree?” Dani asked.

  “Well, when we heard he was in town, Dante and I went down to see him. You know Dante, right? The producer?”

  “We’ve met,” Dani nodded.

  “Yes, well, Dante can be very charming when he wants to be and I think Arthur was impressed with us. He agreed almost instantly! Besides, Arthur isn’t going to be working for the next three months, what with the scandal, you know.” Allie lowered her voice a little as she said this. She was walking Dani down to the basement as she spoke, where the production department’s offices were located.

  “What was the scandal anyway?” Dani asked, lowering her voice to match Allie’s. “Drugs? Women?”

  Allie sighed. “I take it you haven’t read the papers?”

  “No.”

  “Well, there was an actress named Radiance Mahone once upon a time.” Allie said.

  “Radiance! Of course, I know her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, straight nose, small chin… what a beauty she was! Everyone’s heard of her! She was Broadway’s biggest star. And, oh, the parties she gave. Stuff of legends.” Dani sighed. “She died at age fifty, around five years ago, right? It was a big scandal. A drug overdose at one of her parties.”

  Allie nodded. She shifted uncomfortably.

  “Arthur’s being investigated for his involvement in her death, apparently,” Allie said. “Utter nonsense, I’m sure. I’ve met Arthur and he’s a proper gentleman. Extremely polite and professional.”

  Dani’s eyes went wide as she realized her father’s new tenant was being investigated for murder. She noted how the director’s lips had drawn together into a thin line as her eyes flashed with irritation. Considering Allie’s reputation as a lover of gossip, Dani was surprised to find her dismissing the allegations so easily. Then again, she supposed that some people were willing to shift their beliefs the moment they were ill-suited to the situation. The current situation was that Allie’s play could well be a big hit simply because of Arthur’s presence. So, naturally, it was in Allie’s interests to dismiss the allegations.

  The thoughts quickly moved from her head as they reached the basement. Dani recognized Dante immediately. He was tall and slim, wearing a black turtleneck sweater with his long, straight black hair tied up in a man bun. He had a beard that was well-manicured, even if sparse, and sharp black eyes that roamed around Dani’s body with an instinctual interest before dismissing her.

  Allie introduced them and his interest returned though, this time, it was professional. He spent the next hour telling Dani about their vision for the play.

  “Everyone thinks Othello is a play about jealousy,” Dante explained. “But they’re all wrong. What it is, is a play about mental health. All of Shakespeare’s plays are, when you think of it. That’s why the characters are all so tragic. They’re normal people who circumstance pushes until that crack inside them breaks wide open.”

  “Normal people don’t have a crack inside them, Dante,” Allie laughed.

  “Oh, I think everyone does. We all have a single crack, deep inside, that makes up both our greatest strength and our most fatal weakness.” Dante shrugged. “Look, Othello for example. He’s a proud man, and his pride makes him an excellent soldier. But that same pride, when transformed into a jealous rage, results in him murdering his innocent wife. Tragic, yes? But oh so believable!”

  “For the wife, I’d say it was more stupid than tragic,” Allie replied. “Always burnt me up inside that she was killed without even a chance to protest her innocence.”

  Dante ignored this and turned to Allie. “What I need from you is a photograph that will capture Othello as both an honorable soldier and a man transformed by the psychological warfare Iago wages. Ideally, that will be our poster and in all our promo material.”

  Dani nodded. She’d been shooting landscapes all year and, while nature was her first love, this promised to be an exciting assignment as well. Shooting the photo Dante wanted meant dealing with a small stage, quick lighting changes and even quicker emotional shifts. She’d have to anticipate a second in advance what the actor would look like, and then capture the perfect shot.

  Dante seemed to gain confidence in her as she discussed technicalities with him. The color scheme, for example, would heavily favor black and shamrock green. But even as she discussed the photography, part of Dani’s mind lingered on Dante’s words.

  We all have a crack, deep inside.

  “I’ve become obsessed with the play ever since Allie and I decided to tackle it,” Dante said. “I’ve been reading it over and over again, trying to get inside the head of every single character. To feel their pain, you know?”

  “Dante’s both the playwright and producer,” Allie said. Turning to him she added, “You’ll need a long vacation after this, though. You’ve been getting inside Othello’s head a little too much!”

  Dante smiled. “Well, as long as I don’t murder someone, we’re all good, right?”

  “Right,” Allie said. “Come on. We’re late for the party. Let’s wrap this up.”

  “Party?” Dani asked.

  “Oh, yes. Didn’t I tell you you’re invited, too? We’re having a party at Dante’s place to toast Arthur playing the new Othello. If you’re lucky, you might even see a performance, too!”

  *****

  Chapter 2

  Party Time

  Dante’s home was a stately three story house on the same street as Dani’s own home. More than a hundred years ago, Dante’s family and Dani’s had been neighbors, their lands adjoining each other. Time, and
a lack of new income, had forced both families to slowly sell off parcel after parcel of land so that now the orchards that had once stood between them were replaced by a row of McMansions and a grocery store.

  Nevertheless, Dante’s home, like Dani’s had retained a hint of its former grandeur. It sat on top of a slowly sloping hill with beech trees lining the driveway and wild flowers growing all along the house. Behind it, lay some aspect of its past - a green forest that still held foxes and deer within it. In front of it was, well, the future - a busy street lined with cars and a newly constructed block of apartments.

  The party was held in the backyard, facing the forest. The summer sun had not yet set when barbecues were lit up and the delicious smell of grilling meat wafted through the air. About thirty people in all were gathered there, from actors to technicians to the janitors who Dani had seen arguing over spilt paint.

  A lone grill with tofu and mushrooms arranged on it sat away from those stacked with row upon row of steaks and sausages. Arthur Chamberlain stood by it, his swarthy face gloomy above his outfit of white shirt and light blue slacks.

  “A mistake to have a barbecue, considering he’s a dedicated vegan,” Allie mused, catching Dani as she walked by.

  Dani sipped her soda and let a grin cross her face. “My father will be rather happy to hear all about it, I imagine. He had a little tiff with Arthur about some bacon.”

  “Look, Dante’s trying to console him now,” Allie laughed, nudging her.

  All evening, people, including Dani, had tried to draw Arthur into conversation. He had refused, deciding to stubbornly stand aside, until the partygoers had eventually tired of trying to draw him in. He stood with his massive hands now crossed over his chest, glaring down as Dante spoke to him.

  “He does look rather like a soldier,” Dani said. “Do you think he had military experience in the past? Or is he just channeling his role?”

  “Don’t you know?” Allie asked. “He joined the army at 17. He was actually stationed here in Innocence back in the day! That’s one reason he chose to come here when he wanted to hide.”