Wilmington, NC 10 - Much Ado About Murder

had changed?
    I invited them back to the library which is the hub of my home, the official gathering place for family and friends. I am Ashley Wilkes, historic preservationist. Together with my husband, architect Jon Campbell, I restore old houses in the historic port city of Wilmington, North Carolina. And my own house, although rather small, is a historic treasure: antebellum, Queen Anne style, lovingly restored.
    Jon jumped up from the computer as they entered the room, gave them both quick hugs, then asked, “What are you guys up to? You look like you just won the lottery. Come on in and sit down.”
    “How about some iced tea?” I asked. “I just made a pitcher of my favorite herbal tea, lemon ginger. And the boys are down for a nap so we’ve got about an hour of sanity before all hell breaks loose again.”
    “We’ve got fantastic news,” Ray said with a grin.
    “But you’ll have to wait till tonight,” Cam said. “We’re breaking the news after Scarlett’s show. We have a big announcement to make. Don’t we, Ray?”
    “Way big,” Ray replied.
    “Can’t you give us a hint?” Jon asked.
    “You can tell me,” I said. “I won’t tell. Cross my heart. Does Melanie know?”
    “No one knows. Just us.” Cam was tormenting us.
    “Later,” Ray teased.
    Cam shot Ray a look of pure brotherly love and admiration. “We don’t know why we didn’t think of this sooner. You may not have noticed, but I’ve been at loose ends since the filming of Iron Man 3 began and I’m not involved.”
    Oh, we noticed, all right, I wanted to say but did not.
    “Seeing the cast around town - you know, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow , and Scarlett Johansson – hearing exciting progress reports from just about everyone in town about the filming on the city streets or at the back lot at Screen Gems – well, it’s been hard on me.”
    “It has to be,” I commiserated.
    Ray added, “And with the stock market just holding its breath waiting for the other shoe to drop over there in Spain and Greece. And then Scarlett and I here all summer, well, I’ve been at loose ends too. So we’ve come up with a plan. But we can’t tell until later.”

    So now it was later. Now the big news would be revealed. What were these two up to? What was their plan?
    “Do you know what this is about?” I asked Melanie.
    She shook her head. “He won’t tell me. But whatever it is has got him in a better mood. Thank goodness.”
    “Ladies and gentlemen,” Cam began formally. “We have exciting news. Scarlett and Ray have formed Barrett Enterprises and together with my studio, Gem Star, we have formed a partnership. We . . .”
    “We’re going to make a movie,” Ray blurted out with more enthusiasm than I’ve heard in his voice in a long time.
    Cam stepped back and stared at him, then laughed. “Well, heck, Ray, don’t hold back.” Then he turned to the audience. “Yes, friends, we’re going to make a movie. Now, as you may remember, my TV series had a successful run. But a full-length feature film of my own? Well, I’ve never attempted that. But now the time is right.
    “For years, I’ve been producing Hollywood motion pictures. They come here to film, bringing their cast and crews. And while we’re all grateful to them for the boost they give the local economy, Ray and I feel we can do more for our town. We can create our own motion picture.”
    “I’ll manage the business side,” Ray interjected. “Line up other investors, handle the distribution, that sort of thing. And Cam will manage the creative side. Scarlett will be involved too.” Ray extended his arm to our row where Scarlett had taken the seat next to Melanie. “With her experience as a Broadway star, she’ll be indispensable.”
    “And here’s the best part,” Cam interjected. “We’re going to keep this local. There’s so much talent in this little town, we don’t have to go outside. We’ve decided on a musical. A big production type musical. Scarlett can have the lead role if she wants it. And with all the singers, dancers, actors, directors, choreographers and tech crews we’ve got right here, we don’t need to bring talent in from out of state. Scarlett Barrett’s name is big enough to carry the show.”
    I turned to Jon. “I love musicals. I don’t understand why Hollywood stopped making them.”
    Ray leaned forward over the podium. He was so wound up, he waved his hands as he spoke. “I’ve been doing some research.