Several birds had gathered again near the young star’s trailer. She’d probably scattered more bread on the ground. One particularly bold cattle egret stalked through the small flock with purpose. Its spindly legs propelled it past the other birds, as it snatched up crumbs with its sturdy yellow bill. It strutted closer and closer to the trailer, as the other birds hung back.
I almost laughed out loud, imagining the bird hopping up the steps to peck at Jesse’s door, demanding more bread. I elbowed Marty so she could watch the bold egret, too. Just then, the bird stepped even closer, and stretched its neck out to snatch a soggy chunk of bread in a puddle at the bottom of the trailer’s steps.
Electrical sparks spit and flashed. The cattle egret rocketed backward through the air. The acrid smell of burned feathers reached my nose. The bird was dead before it hit the ground.
Almost before I’d had a chance to process what happened, the door to Jesse’s trailer swung open. The pointy toe of her boot appeared on the threshold. Like jigsaw pieces, several images instantly combined and shifted through my mind: the long-beaked bird, the puddle, and a black electrical cable snaking through the water from under the star’s trailer.
“Don’t move, Jesse! Stay where you are,’’ I shouted. “Somebody’s trying to kill you.’’
“You saved my life, Mace.’’
Jesse’s face was pale. Her hands trembled. She kept looking over her shoulder at her trailer as a crew member examined the cable that had charged the puddle at the bottom of the steps. After the bird was electrocuted, the generator that provided power to the trailers in base camp was cut off.
“Actually, that cattle egret saved you. If I hadn’t seen the poor bird get fried, I’d never have known to warn you not to come down the steps.’’
“I’m just glad I listened.’’
“For a change,’’ Greg Tilton said. “You picked a pretty good time to start heeding sound advice, Jess.’’
She narrowed her eyes at him. But he was smiling, and his voice had a gentle, teasing note. It seemed to defuse her will to fight. She chuckled softly. “You got me there, Greg.’’
I noticed him scratch at an ugly red rash on his wrist. I should have felt bad about the poison ivy, but I didn’t.
Jesse glanced over her shoulder again. A second electrician had joined the first. He donned a pair of reading glasses and bent over at the waist to get a better look at the power cord by her trailer. She returned her attention to us.
“What you said is true, Greg. And there are a lot more things about me that could use changing, too. I guess a near-electrocution sparks thoughts about personal improvement.’’
Once I'd realized what had happened to the bird, all hell had broken loose. My sisters and Mama joined me in shouting to Jesse to stay in the trailer. Greg Tilton had come running when he heard the commotion. He quickly summed up the situation. While my sisters, Mama, and I fanned out to keep people from straying too close to the puddle, he raced off to find somebody on the electrical crew to cut the power.
“What the hell?’’ Barbara had stormed out of her office, yelling from the top step. “Everything went dark. Did some asshole forget fuel for the generators? Whoever it was, he’s fired.’’
I thought it was odd that even after Barbara learned why the power was off, she didn’t stick around to make sure Jesse was okay. She’d stomped away toward the parking lot. She was probably sitting in that Jaguar right now, phoning some reporter with details of the latest deadly development.
Jesse sat now on top of a picnic table, cupping a mug of hot tea to keep her hands from shaking. The rest of us surrounded her on benches and outdoor folding chairs.
My sister Marty had barely said a word. Finally, she asked Tilton: “Are electrical accidents common on movie sets?’’
“Nothing like this,’’ he said. “There are a lot of backup safety measures so people don’t get hurt.’’
Maddie said, “But Jesse could have been killed.’’
The young star’s hands trembled. She put her cup on the tabletop, liquid sloshing over the sides.
“Do you suppose it was intentional?’’ Mama asked.
Jesse glanced at the electricians, whose faces were etched with deep frowns. She looked at me, her eyes full of questions. I shrugged, unsure about the answers.
“Can you think of anybody who’d want to hurt you?’’ Maddie asked.
Jesse and Tilton exchanged grins. “Where should I start?’’ she said.
“I’ll get a box of pens and a carton of paper to make the list,’’ he added.
“Well, like who?’’ I pressed them.
They looked at each other again. Were the two stars closing Hollywood ranks against the outsiders?
Finally Jesse said, “I’d rather not speculate until we’re sure of what’s happened. It could have been just an innocent accident.’’
From my vantage point, I could see the two men at the star’s trailer. As one shook his head, the other snuck furtive looks at Jesse. When he saw me watching, he averted his eyes.
“Speculation or not,’’ I said, “it seems somebody’s targeting the stars of this movie: Toby in the parking lot; that sandwich Greg had; and now you, Jesse.’’
Mama gasped, “What if I’m next?’’
Maddie snorted. “I’d say Kelly Conover has more to worry about than you do.’’
“I just hope I’ll still get to do my scene,’’ Mama said.
“Putting aside my mama’s narcissism for a moment, what do y’all think?’’ I asked the two actors. “Will this shut down the movie?’’
“No way,’’ Jesse said.
Tilton agreed. “Not with just one day of filming left. There’s way too much money tied up in the project to shut it down now.’’ Grinning, he pointed at me. “You better stick around, though. No telling who you’ll have to rescue next.’’
Was he making fun of me? I searched his face for that trademark smirk. It wasn’t there.
“I’m serious,’’ he said. “You saved Jesse’s life.’’
She beamed at me. Tilton’s eyes were full of respect. Marty and Mama proudly clutched their hands to their chests. Even Maddie looked impressed. Outwardly, I cringed at the attention. Inwardly, it fed my savior complex. It felt good.
“I’m not surprised my sister saw the bird. She always sees things no one else does,’’ Maddie said. “It’s because she spends so much time alone, thinking instead of talking. Mace isn’t a people person.’’
I was actually thinking at that moment—thinking I’d like to change the subject before Maddie moved on to more personal details. I could just hear her telling them next about my sorry love life: not a “people’’ person, not a romantic person, and apparently not a “relationship’’ person.
“Honestly, it was nothing,’’ I said. “Anyone would have done the same thing.’’
“I’m not so sure about that,’’ Jesse said. “I owe you one, Mace.’’
Tilton scratched at his elbow, and then whispered in my ear. “I do, too. The other day, I acted like a complete jerk. Thanks for putting me on my ass. You knocked some sense into me.’’
Both my sisters had tensed up when he moved in close. I gave my palm a tiny lift, our barely perceptible sisters’ signal to stand down. I wasn’t sure how this change had come over Tilton, or even if it was a real change. Still, I wanted to play it out to see where it led.
Besides, if worst came to worst, I already knew I could whup him.
Watching him with Jesse, it was easy to forget how crude he’d been with me. He seemed now like an older brother: both teasing and caring.
He nodded at her cup, empty on the table. “You want another one, Jess?’’
When she hesitated, he said, “It’s no trouble. I promise I won’t tell everyone that you were like some junior diva, ordering me to run and fetch it.’’