Murder Take Two Read Online Free PDF Page B

then turned her attention to Robin McCormack.
    He thrust out his jaw. A rangy young man in cutoff jeans and a T-shirt with the sleeves ripped out, he looked sullen and every inch belligerent, from his longish hair, closely trimmed red beard, and turquoise earring right on down to once-white Nikes now coming apart at the seams.
    She invited him inside the trailer. Parkhurst stayed on his heels, avoiding her glance.
    McCormack shot her a confused look and demanded of Parkhurst, “What the hell happened?” His fists were still clenched at his sides and he seemed to bounce on tight springs.
    â€œHave a seat, please.” Parkhurst aimed an index finger at the couch.
    After a moment of internal struggle—which she thought he would lose and end up taking a swing at Parkhurst—McCormack did sit. Barely. Feet planted, ready to leap up, fists on his knees.
    â€œWhat’s your job?” she asked quietly. She’d do the questioning on this one. With this kid’s attitude, Parkhurst’s manner would strike sparks. The matter of a marriage they’d go into later.
    â€œYour job?” she repeated to get his attention.
    He looked at her. “Props. I want to know what happened to Kay.”
    â€œHow long have you known Ms. Bender?”
    â€œTwo years, a little more.” Short words, clipped.
    â€œYou were friends?”
    â€œYeah, friends. Now will you tell me?”
    â€œClose friends? Lovers?”
    â€œSo what?”
    â€œWe’re trying to find out what happened, Mr. McCormack. It seems to have been an accident.”
    â€œThe hell it was! Kay was an athlete. Physically fit. She didn’t have accidents. She was careful. She always checked everything. Always.”
    She undoubtedly did, Susan thought, but stunt people got injured, it went with the job, and Kay wasn’t expecting to go through a railing, or to hit a pitchfork when she landed. “Have there been problems in making this movie, Mr. McCormack?”
    Parkhurst, once he decided the kid was going to keep his fists to himself, drifted to the kitchen area and slid onto the padded bench at the table.
    McCormack made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a snort. “There are always problems. Actors get moods. Weather doesn’t cooperate. Directors have fits. Things break. Props get lost. Doors don’t open.”
    â€œWas Kay blamed for any of these things?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWho didn’t like her?”
    Robin glared with such fury she could see Parkhurst set himself to intervene. “Nobody. Kay was a stunt double. They can’t afford anybody not liking them. They don’t have tantrums. No matter how bad it gets, they just do the job.”
    â€œOther boyfriends? Someone she rejected?”
    â€œWho left a pitchfork lying around? No!”
    â€œIt wasn’t lying around, it was below the railing hidden under straw.”
    He winced.
    â€œWhere did it come from?”
    â€œThe prop cart.” That probably played over and over in his mind.
    â€œIt was yours.” Accusation in her voice.
    â€œIt was a prop, yeah. Used in a scene this morning. When we broke for lunch, I left it on the cart for a scene coming up this afternoon.”
    â€œDid you notice it missing after lunch?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you look for it?”
    â€œI did.” He rubbed a hand, hard, over his face. “Fifer told me to stay out of the way and shut up, he was filming.” He pressed thumb and forefinger against his eyes. “She wasn’t supposed to fall.”
    â€œIf Kay wouldn’t have an accident and nobody would want to hurt her, what do you think happened here?”
    He took in air to prevent an explosion. “Laura Edwards.”
    â€œWhat about her?”
    â€œShe was supposed to be there, wasn’t she?”
    â€œYou’re suggesting someone wanted to harm Laura Edwards?”
    â€œI’m not suggesting anything.