Free Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff Page A

phone.”
    â€œIt’s not . . .” The ring cut her off. “How did you . . . ?”
    Tony shrugged, turned, and headed out of the office, the familiar “CB Productions” sounding behind him. A no brainer on the phone ringing since it rang every thirty seconds eight to ten hours a day.
    Before something happens.
    He had no fucking idea what Amy was talking about. All that dye was obviously affecting higher brain functions.
    The red light went off as he passed the women’s washroom and the sound of flushing followed him out onto the soundstage. The living room set for the whatever-the-hell-they-decided-to-call-it estate looked incredible even though it was the same old furniture from Raymond Dark’s living room, jazzed up with a couple of cushions, a blue-and-yellow sheet, and some duct tape. One of the electricians was already sound asleep on the couch. Had Peter called lunch? Tony checked his watch, the movement dumping papers out of the file and all over the floor.
    â€œSon of a fucking bitch.”
    It had just been that kind of a day. Nothing had gone right from the moment he’d woken up in Henry’s condo. Between the whole déjà vu of that and the forgotten toast problem with his memory, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything. Fortunately, they were killing Catherine this morning and once Nikki’s replacement had been safely delivered to the set, he didn’t have a lot to do.
    Dropping to his knees, he started gathering up the papers.
    One of them had slid almost to the edge of the fake hardwood floor. He stretched out his hand and froze as a line of shadow crossed the piece of paper and was gone. His heart started beating again as he realized the sleeping electrician’s boot had moved for a moment into the light. Boot shadow. That was all.
    Given the variety of lights in play, the soundstage was filled with unexpected shadows.
    Tony had no idea why the thought made him feel like running.
    From the corner of one eye, he caught sight of another shadow moving past him, moving out toward the offices. He whirled around too fast for balance and nearly fell. The shadow was attached to a sound tech. Probably heading in to jiggle the toilet handle.
    This is insane.
    His fingers closed around the last piece of paper and he refused to turn as a second shadow slipped along the concrete heading for the door. A darker shadow. Its edges more defined.
    Hurrying to catch up as the door whispered closed.
    A quiet click as it latched.
    There, and he hadn’t looked.
    Clutching the file, he stood, took half a dozen steps toward the set, and realized he’d only heard one set of footsteps go by. The sound tech.
    The second shadow had been moving in total silence.
    Something . . .
    Peter’s voice jerked him away from the thought. “That’s it for now, people. Lunch!”
    Thank God. He really needed to get some more sleep.

Four
    T HE BODY lay crumpled against the side of the building, a smear of blood against the bricks tracing its trajectory toward the ground. Shadows hid most of the details, but an outstretched arm placed one pale hand, like a crumpled flower, out into a spill of light.
    â€œAn inch more to your left.”
    The hand moved.
    Tina consulted the photograph she’d taken before lunch, cocked her head to check the body from another angle, and finally straightened out of her crouch. “That’s got it.”
    â€œGood.” Adam took the picture from her as she passed and shoved it into the continuity file on his clipboard. “Let’s freshen up the blood and I want a warm body in there to check Lee’s light levels. Mouse . . .”
    The camera operator looked down from his rig. “What?”
    â€œYou’re six one, right?”
    â€œSix two. And I’m twice his size horizontally. And I’m working.”
    â€œFine. Dalal, hit Lee’s marks beside the body.”
    Looking like he was wishing