Chapter Three
True to his word, Gary came back over to Jim and company once the indoor filming wrapped up. "Well," he said, seeming energetic and buoyed up, "that was a good day. Do you still want to hear about the prop chicken?"
"We certainly do," said Jim.
Gary nodded and started walking towards the back of the building. "Then come over to this food cart and we'll talk about it." He grabbed several donuts as they reached the cart. "Oh, and feel free to help yourselves."
Coley immediately snatched a donut. Amused, Jim took one as well. Arte examined every type of food on the cart before at last selecting some.
"Well," said Gary, his mouth full of donut, "so when I decided to make this story, I wondered what kinds of props were available from the original television series. I thought it would be amazing if I could find some to use. Of course, many things have been destroyed by now or naturally deteriorated. Some are with the cast and crew or private collectors. But the very one I wanted, the toy chicken, didn't seem to be anywhere.
"Since classic television series often reused old props, I started wondering if the chicken could have ended up on another series. Once I started investigating, I soon found that I was exactly right. It had appeared on several different shows as a children's toy before vanishing into the prop box for one of those other shows."
"And you dug it out of there," Arte surmised.
"I tried to," Gary said. "Someone else had already taken it. But I kept searching and finally had a lead. It was with one of the then-child actors on the last series the chicken had appeared on. He still owns the chicken, but he agreed to let me borrow it for this film. I've had several back-up copies made and I'll give him the original once filming concludes."
"That's quite a history," Jim said.
"Isn't it?" Gary said proudly.
"Do you know what happened to it before it was ever on The Wild Wild West television series?" Jim asked.
Gary blinked. "Why, no. As far as I know, it was made for that." He paused. "But I guess it's possible it was being recycled even then. That's an interesting thought. I'll have to see if there's anyone still around who might know the answer to that question."
"Mr. Lindsey . . ." Arte started to say, then hesitated. Did they really want to tell this man that there was a chance the chicken was the genuine philosopher's stone before they had the opportunity to investigate it themselves? ". . . What do you do with the chicken between filming?" he queried instead.
"Back to the prop room, of course," Gary said. "And since it's on loan, it's under lock and key."
"I'm sure the owner appreciates that," said Jim.
"Oh, he does," Gary nodded. "It wasn't one of the stipulations of the agreement, but it's just a little something extra to show our good intentions."
"So is this thing actually worth something being so old or is it just a keepsake?" Coley wondered.
"It's worth quite a lot, considering its condition and its past," Gary said. "We had it appraised before filming began. You'd be amazed by how much objects from that era go for, Mr. Rodman."
"Yeah, I probably would be," Coley grunted.
"People always like to hold on to their past," Gary said. "That's why antique shops are perennially popular."
"Hopefully no one has designs on the chicken," Jim spoke up. "With it being so valuable, someone might decide to steal it and try to sell it to an antique shop."
"I don't think anyone involved with this production would do such a thing," Gary frowned, "but of course the thought has occurred to me. I've done all I can to keep it safe. Including keeping one of the decoys where the real chicken is supposed to be."
Arte started to smile. "Mr. Lindsey, you're our kind of man!"
Jim looked impressed too. "And where do you keep the real one?"
Gary glanced around. "I won't say in here, just in case the wrong person might be listening. But the decoy chicken is always discreetly switched for the real one immediately before filming begins each day and switched back at the end."
"What about in a situation like today's, where you're going to pick up filming again after dark?" Jim wondered.
"It's still put away for the time being," Gary said. "You never know what could happen during the interim."
"No, we certainly don't," said Arte. "By the way, what scenes are you planning to film tonight?"
"Mainly some of the early stuff with Count Manzeppi's search for the stone," Gary said. "We don't film many scenes in order, you know; we try to catch all the scenes in each location at once, no matter how far apart the scenes will actually be in the movie."
Jim nodded. "That makes sense."
Arte, however, was both confused and amazed. "Your actors must be highly impressive, to be able to film scenes out of order and have their reactions make sense when the scenes are shown in order," he declared.
"Yes, very," Gary said proudly. "All movie and television actors have to be able to do that. Of course, some are better than others. And I have to admit, for good or bad, Mitch is one of the best. He takes direction just like that and you never have to tell him twice how you want a scene done."
"Too bad he has such an attitude problem," Coley remarked.
Gary sighed. "That, unfortunately, is a plague with many actors. Mitch certainly isn't the only one."
"And it didn't start with this modern age, either," Arte remarked. "Jim and I have both known some stage actors who really took the cake."
"You said something earlier about someone having wanted to kill him," Jim remembered. "What was that all about?"
Now Gary looked awkward. "Well . . . that was . . ." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Someone kept setting up these 'accidents' to try to get rid of Mitch. A private detective was hired to look into things and he eventually turned up the truth that it was Mitch's only really close friend. See, there was this incident sometime back with a woman killing herself over Mitch dropping her, and it was the friend's wife."
Arte grimaced. "And said friend wanted revenge, of course."
Gary nodded. "But only after Mitch was an even bigger star, so he'd have so much more to lose. The friend bided his time for five years, all while pretending to feel perfectly fine about things to Mitch's face."
"He must have been quite an actor himself," Jim remarked.
"He was, obviously." Gary sighed. "If only he would have put his full talents to use for the studio and not against Mitch. He was Mitch's original stunt double, but he could have been a star in his own right."
"Is he dead now?" Arte cautiously asked.
"Oh no. He's in prison," Gary said. "I'm glad he's not dead, honestly. There's a lot of men who would have easily snapped given the same circumstances. I'm the first to admit that Mitch is no prize as a person." He glanced to Jim, looking embarrassed again. "But he's got a home here at Majestic for as long as he wants to stay. And I mean that quite literally; he actually lives on the lot."
"Seriously?" Coley raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like he finds the movies more real than real-life."
"I think he does," Gary admitted. "But all actors are a little eccentric in some ways."
"Or a lot of ways," Arte muttered. Louder he said, "Well, thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Lindsey. We've really enjoyed ourselves, for the most part."
"You're most certainly welcome, but really, I should be thanking you," Gary gushed. "This picture wouldn't exist without both of you and your adventures. Feel free to stick around or come back for the nighttime filming, even though neither of you will be in the scenes."
"We wouldn't miss it," Jim said. "But tell us, Mr. Lindsey, how did you come up with your ideas for these early Count Manzeppi scenes? Did you make it all up yourself or did you have some inside information on what really happened?"
"Well . . . mostly I'm basing it on what Manzeppi said in the television episode," Gary said. "And then Mr. Robespierre has provided some intriguing tips."
"I'm sure," said Jim.
"If you have anything to add yourself . . . ?" Gary added hopefully.
"We might," Jim said noncommittally. "But it would help if we could look at the script. Then if we had any advice on certain scenes, we could tell you before you're actually filming those scenes."
"That's an excellent point," Gary agreed. "I'll see that you get a copy of the script tonight."
"Thank you," Jim said with a nod. "How long is it before you start filming again?"
"Oh . . ." Gary glanced at the clock. "Two, three hours. Maybe four."
"Then I think we'll leave for now and come back later," Jim said.
"Of course," Gary said. "You're special guests of Majestic from this time on. You'll be welcome to come and go as much as you please, gentlemen. I'll have passes for you when you come back."
"That's very generous of you, Mr. Lindsey," said Arte. "Really, thank you so much."
"Could we bring one or two people with us when we come back?" Coley wondered. "I'd like to show this to a couple of my friends."
"The other hostages from Dr. Loveless's zeppelin scheme?" Gary asked.
"Uh . . . yeah," Coley said, still feeling a bit strange for everyone to be remembered because of that.
"I'd love to meet them!" Gary declared. "Please bring them. I'll have passes for them as well."
"Thanks," Coley said.
Jim glanced to him and then back to Gary. "So that would be three more passes," he said. Deadpanning, he added, "I think we'll be leaving the cat home."
"Hmm? Oh. Yes." Gary grabbed another donut and stepped away from the food cart. "I'm sure she's a very well-behaved feline; she sounded like it from the news coverage of the zeppelin situation. But it might be better to leave her off the studio lot, at least for now."
"Actually, she wouldn't be any trouble," Coley grunted. "She'd stay with us instead of going off wandering. But I don't know if her owner would want her coming here. At least, probably not without her along too."
Gary considered that. "Well, we'll see how it goes, then. I'll have the passes ready at the front gate."
"Thank you," Jim said again.
They headed outside and over to Arte's car, Coley getting in the back to allow Jim to sit up front with Arte. As Arte drove out of the parking space and over to the gate, Coley leaned forward and crossed his arms on the top of the front seat. "That won't be a problem to bring the others, will it?" he asked. "I thought this'd be something worth showing Lafe. And I figured Ray and Snakes might get a kick out of it."
"If Mr. Lindsey isn't bothered, it's fine with me," Arte said.
"And me," Jim agreed. "Let's go back to the golf club and we'll discuss it with them."
"Maybe we could drop by Snakes' place on our way back?" Coley suggested. "He might already have other plans for tonight."
"Good thinking," Arte said. "We'll try to catch him first." He glanced to Jim. "Oh, James, are we going to tell him and the others our concerns about the chicken?"
"Definitely, Arte," Jim said. "They should all be prepared in case Count Manzeppi makes his move."
They reached the gate and the guard waved them through. Waving back with a smile, Arte then steered the car in the direction of the Gardena subdivision.
"I don't think Lafe would like that," Coley frowned. "He's still having a struggle adapting to this new time."
"He's doing a lot better than he was, though," Arte said. "But strictly speaking, I don't think any of us would like Count Manzeppi's plans."
"And he's definitely going to be enacting them at some point," Jim said. "It may be to our advantage that he wants this movie to finish filming before he steals the chicken." Frowning, he paused and added, "On the other hand, he probably plans to test it either tonight or tomorrow night instead of waiting for the next full moon."
"And we'll have to beat him to the punch," Arte finished grimly.
Jim nodded. "So watch for any point when we might be able to get the chicken and make the test ourselves . . . if they even bring it out tonight. It sounds like the scenes will all take place before the Count commissions Mr. Sharff to put the stone inside the chicken."
"So they'll be using a prop stone that definitely isn't the real thing," Arte nodded. "Well, we'll have to see how it goes."
The drive was smooth and soon they were at Snakes Tolliver's apartment house in Gardena. Arte pulled up in front and he and the others got out, Coley leading the way inside. He quickly jogged up the stairs and to Snakes' door, with Jim and Arte trailing behind him as he knocked.
Snakes opened the door after a moment. "Hey, Coley. What is it?" he asked in surprise. Coley wasn't a frequent visitor; usually Snakes was the one visiting. After their friendship had been fully cemented during the zeppelin case, however, Coley had started to come around more, something Snakes greatly appreciated.
"Well, I wanted to invite you to come watch something tonight," Coley said, "but it'll take some explaining. West and Gordon are here too."
Snakes looked over Coley's shoulder to where the Secret Service agents had stopped and stood. "Come on in then," he said, opening the door more.
The trio entered and went over to the blue couch Snakes was indicating in the living room. Snakes' apartment was small, especially compared to the mansions he had inhabited during his days as a crime boss in the 19th Century. But he said it suited him in his new lifestyle, since he was just a gambler and not anyone with enough money or power to afford a mansion now. Maybe he'd get a house sometime, he mused, but this was enough for now.
Snakes sat on a chair facing the couch, listening while Coley, Jim, and Arte explained the details of what had been happening that day and concluding with the invitation to come watch the filming that night.
"It sounds interesting," Snakes admitted slowly, rubbing his knee. "I heard about the movie in the news and I wondered if you'd be checking it out. But I had no idea this Count Manzeppi character was involved. It sounds like that could get dangerous."
"Yeah, probably," Coley admitted. "But probably not yet."
"It's fine if you don't feel like coming, Snakes," Arte interjected. "We know you try to avoid danger whenever possible."
"That's true, I still want to," Snakes said. "But I don't want to leave my friends high and dry, either. And if there's no immediate danger, watching the filming does sound kind of fun."
"So you'll come then?" Coley asked.
"Yeah, I'll come," Snakes agreed.
"We can either pick you up on our way there or you could come with us now and have dinner at Oak Bridge," Jim said.
"Dinner at Oak Bridge beats grabbing dinner from a fast-food place and eating all alone," Snakes said. "I'll come with you now." He got up from the chair.
Coley looked pleased. "Good deal."
Jim and Arte were also pleased. Snakes had come a long way from the terrified, broken man Little Pinto had turned him into after three years of steady torture. He had selfishly sought to protect his life no matter who got hurt, until he had found his honor again. Now, even though he still feared death, he could be counted on to come through in a tight spot.
Coley, too, had really managed to turn over a new leaf after living the life of an outlaw. Unlike Lafe, he had become so fed-up with running that he had wanted to make the change. But even in Lafe's case, he would try to stay on the straight and narrow path because he wanted to stay with Coley.
With Count Manzeppi involved, Jim really wouldn't be surprised if all of his and Arte's recent friends would end up mixed up in the case. He would do what he could to ensure they wouldn't have to be, but sometimes things just had a way of going exactly how they didn't want them to go.
xxxx
Count Manzeppi entered his trailer with a sweep of his long cloak. "Luther!" he called. "Have you returned yet from your assignment?"
"Yeah, Boss." Luther stepped out of the shadows, clad in his favorite leather jacket and playing with his favorite combination toy and weapon.
Pleased, Manzeppi pulled up two chairs and sat down, lacing his fingers. "And what was the result?"
"West and Gordon are going around talking to their friends here," Luther said. "They're just leaving Snakes Tolliver's apartment. He's going with them and Coley Rodman, probably back to the Oak Bridge Golf Club."
"Excellent." Manzeppi's eyes glittered. With a wave of his hand, a file folder appeared in it. He opened it, perusing the information inside. "Over the last several weeks we have made an exhaustive study of everyone who has befriended Mr. West and Mr. Gordon in this new time period. And what is the conclusion we have reached?"
Luther tossed the ball into the air and caught it in its cup. "The best choices are probably either Ray Norman, who owns the golf club, or Snakes Tolliver."
Manzeppi nodded, making a note in the folder with a pen that he materialized out of thin air. "Dear Snakes, who has such a long history of cowardice and fear of pain. Miss Posey and Little Pinto certainly brought those feelings out all the more."
"Yeah, but he acts like he's over it now," Luther frowned in confusion.
"Does anyone really ever get over such intense trauma?" Manzeppi answered in a patronizing tone. He stood, crossing the room to a closed and locked cupboard. "Could anyone really forget three years of living among the dead, all because of one foolish act and one very permanent retaliation?" He produced a key and inserted it into the lock. When it clicked open, he removed it and started to open the cupboard doors.
Luther watched uneasily. "What are you gonna do, Boss?"
"When the time is right, I plan to show him that nightmares can always be revisited." Manzeppi stood by the open doors and smiled. "Do you think he will agree to help us if we turn our new weapon against him?"
Luther, staring at what was inside the cupboard, swallowed hard. "I think almost anybody would agree to help us if you turned that loose on them," he exclaimed. "But can we really trust that it won't turn against us?"
"Oh, come now, Luther. My rebuilt and improved Deadeye robot is programmed to always obey me and only me. There is no danger for us, only for our enemies. As that great historian Herodotus once said . . ."
Luther tuned out Manzeppi's recitation, focusing instead on the life-sized machine in the cupboard. Deadeye was turned off right now, but he looked plenty dangerous as it was. Manzeppi had spent many long nights carefully reconstructing the robotic member of the now-defunct Eccentrics. After hearing stories of Deadeye's complete, unapologetic cruelty and his tendency to dispatch comrades who had lost the Count's favor, Luther was not looking forward to seeing the thing in action. Maybe someday Manzeppi would decide to have Deadeye dispatch him.
"What exactly is it you want Snakes to do for us, Boss?" he asked when Manzeppi had finished his commentary.
Manzeppi smiled a deadly smile. "When our Deadeye has had a great deal of fun with him, I will offer him a way out of the pain and out of the threat of a second, more permanent death. To escape that, dear Snakes would do anything, including to kill Mr. West and Mr. Gordon for us."
