Murder on Location by Howard Engel

tower on the rise up the street and overlooking the falls. The sea urchin was tied to this with a heavy black line. And that was all. I put it in my breast pocket, paid my bill and nodded to the suit of armour on my way out. I might not know at that moment where to find Billie Mason, but at least I had a pocketful of brand new leads. Then I remembered that one of the places they might lead me was to the morgue.

FIVE
    Armed with a handful of change and a fresh pack of Player’s, I tried once more to locate Norman Baker, the CBC television producer who’d sent a crew to interview Billie. I couldn’t help feeling that when a professional outfit like the official Canadian broadcasting network points its lenses at you, it might turn your head if it happened to be as pretty as Billie’s was. At the very least, Baker should know the trouble he’d put me to.
    â€œNorman Baker here,” said a voice with an English accent as sticky as a hunk of Brighton rock. I told him who I was, that I was trying to locate Billie Mason, and that I knew about the film his crew had done in Grantham.
    â€œWhat else do you know?” he said in a voice that had suddenly lost its friendly edge. “Who did you say you were again?” I ran through my story again and hoped that he was now tuned in with both ears.
    â€œWhen is that piece of film going to be used?” I asked.
    â€œWell, that’s up in the air at the moment. We’ve technically been fired from the project, but we’ve got an injunction against the CBC cutting the film themselves. It’s a no-win situation.”
    â€œThis isn’t just about a small-town actress. What’s all this about?”
    â€œI’m sorry but I can’t talk about it. It’s part of a project that has been kept highly secret. And now we are in a very sticky bind with the Corp. Sorry, I’d like to help.”
    â€œWhat’s the CBC trying to take away from you?”
    â€œFor over a year now we’ve been collecting information in a certain area. That actress was just one of the people we talked to. She’s small potatoes, really.”
    â€œSmall potatoes to you, maybe. But her husband thinks she’s been murdered. How big do things have to get before they catch your interest?”
    â€œHold on. Whom does he say he thinks is responsible?”
    â€œHe won’t say. But I can guess that it doesn’t have much to do with acting.”
    â€œOf course not.”
    â€œIf she gets killed, and you know something that could have prevented it …”
    â€œI hear what you’re saying, Mr. Cooperman. I know all about being an accessory after the fact. I’m thinking.”
    â€œA woman’s life is at stake here, not just ratings.”
    â€œPoint well taken. I’m still thinking. Do you think there is a potential for media attention here?”
    â€œWhat? I can’t understand you. If you mean is there a story here, I’m guessing that there is.”
    â€œGood. That might give me the leverage I need with Kellogg.”
    â€œYou’ve lost me again.”
    â€œAnd then with Kellogg siding with me against the brass …”
    â€œHey! Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
    â€œI think you may have just put me back in business, Mr. Cooperman. I don’t know how to thank you.”
    â€œWell I do. Tell me what this is all about.”
    â€œI suppose it can do no real harm. I can tell you the part that affects your case. The rest is too hot to carry around. You’ll see it all explode on television in less than three months unless I miss my guess.” He took a breath, and paused to find a place to start.
    â€œBillie Mason’s husband is laundering money for the mob. If she’s disappeared, it’s probably mob-connected. In our film we tricked her into talking about this side of her life, as she thought, between takes in the interview about her career.