Page 69 of Secrets in the Dark
“No online payments straight into a bank account?” Edmund said.
Stacey shook her head. “Not with extras—checks just written out for a day’s work.”
“You said that you talked to him. Did he tell you anything about where he was staying, what he was doing?”
“He said that he was a tourist and working on the movie in any way was just cool. I asked him where he was from and he told me that he’d grown up outside of Chicago.”
“That was a lie. He’s English,” Edmund said quietly.
“Really?” Stacey asked. “He sounded so—so Chicago!”
“He can change his accents as easily as his appearance,” Mason assured her.
“Did he say what he was doing as a tourist? Did he mention anything that he likes to do?” Della asked.
“Yes, he said that he loved just walking the streets and seeing where things had taken place throughout history. Come to think of it, he was familiar with British history.”
Della glanced at Mason.
Of course. Jack the Ripper history!
“Jack the Ripper history?” she asked aloud.
“Yes, of course—most young Americans like to take the Ripper tours,” Stacey told her. “But he knew a lot more British history. Okay, now I know he is a Brit. But he talked about kings and queens from the past, World Wars I and II—he was a fan of Queen Victoria and... Oh, wait! When he talked about Queen Victoria, he went back into the Ripper thing. He said that the theory that the Crown might have had something to do with the killings made sense. Victoria was so very proper and her grandson, Albert Edward, wasn’t. He supposedly had an illegitimate child, and maybe Mary Kelly was the mom’s friend and maybe she intended to blackmail the Queen! I personally think that a woman like Victoria ordering heinous murders is ridiculous. I said that to him. We talked about other suspects...and he suggested that if I didn’t believe that one, maybe it was Montague Druitt. From a good family, educated and then—oh! Then he suggested that it was probably a bobby—a cop who could walk through the streets and not be noted. Cops always act so good and they’re usually messed up people who want to be cops because they need to find power somewhere. Or, he told me, maybe it was just an average guy—a butcher or such—who wasn’t cool and so news media didn’t pay any attention to that idea.”
“Did you go out with him?” Mason asked her.
“Oh, no, and thank God!” Stacey said. “But I did sit with him at lunch when we had a break and, as I said, he was nice.”
“Besides being a tourist and seeing the sights, did he say anything about where he was staying or what he did at night?”
She frowned, thinking.
“I’d assumed that he’d be back when another call went out for extras. This isn’t Hollywood big budget as you may have ascertained—”
“But you must be very good,” Edmund told her.
Stacey smiled. “I am and thank you. Experience. And while this may be low-budget, I’m well paid, and when it came up, I was looking forward to spending time in London. I’ve only been here once before, and I do love seeing iconic treasures like the Tower of London, Big Ben—and we got to see Stonehenge on a day off!”
“Have you put a call out for extras again?” Mason asked.
“I don’t do that, I get notes each night about what’s going on the next day. There’s a schedule, but it changes. Weather can cause changes, and sometimes, a lead player gets sick... Every night we get a sheet that schedules the next day. There are things about filming a move that stay the same—and things that change at the whim of the producers or directors.”
“I’ll check and see if I can find out about the next call,” Edmund said, leaving them.
“Can you think of anything else?” Della asked her.
She frowned and shook her head. “Not really. He said that he just likes to walk...people watch, see what’s different here from other places. Oh, and guess nationalities of people on the streets. I’m sorry, I can’t think of anything else.”
“What about pubs?” Mason said. “Did he mention any pubs specifically?”
“No. He just said that he loved pubs and pub meals. Pubs tended to be warm and friendly places that he really enjoyed.”
“Thank you so much,” Della said, noting that Mason had nodded to her; they had gotten what they could from the young woman.
But Della was compelled to speak again as she rose. “Stacey, please, this man is a killer and he is going to kill again. Be careful. We think that he’s working alone, but... You know faces, but you know, too, that he is good at changing himself.”
Stacey smiled. “Not to worry. I am a complete coward. I go out at night when my call isn’t ridiculously early or we don’t film too late, but never ever alone. Mike Gantry—our vampire—is a total sweetheart in real life and he and Jon Lund—the human hero—are always with me and few of the other support crew. We’re never alone.”
