Echoes of a Violin

Chapter 6: Stage Tricks

After chatting with David and Billie, Neal was ready to sign up for his new life as a stunt double. But it was only a matter of time till his TARDIS would plummet to earth.

The actors had just departed when a young guy in a brown pinstripe suit and tennis shoes ran up to the soundstage. He was panting and needed a moment to catch his breath. "Sorry I'm late," he wheezed. "My car died on me. Is this where the stunt double tryouts are being held?"

Upon questioning, they learned this was the applicant Bridget had been looking for when she latched onto Neal. When Neal explained who he was, Colin didn't seem to mind. Quite the contrary. He gave Neal his card and suggested he fill out an application form. Bridget couldn't stop laughing about it and even gave him a sales pitch about how the life of a stunt double was much more glamorous than working for the FBI. Neal had no intention of filling out the form but he didn't need to leave for his train yet. He could enjoy the fantasy for a few more minutes.

"The snack trolley's just around the corner," Bridget said. "The next appointment's not for a few minutes. Fancy a soda?"

They sat on a bench to drink while Neal explained how he'd won a tour of the facility.

She popped the top of a lemon soda and clinked cans with him. "So, you know Alistair Chapman? He's a regular charmer, that one. You might think he'd be unapproachable—he's such a bigwig—but he's sweet as licorice to all the personnel. Some of the directors stay in their offices and rarely mingle with us lowborns, but not him. He takes a personal interest in every facet of the production. He's even involved with music production."

"I didn't realize Scima handled the music as well."

She nodded vigorously. "That's not always the case, but for Doctor Who, Scima's in charge of both the special effects and the music."

"What kind of music does Chapman like?"

"For the Doctor, he generally goes for the latest pop hits. Weird, huh? He doesn't look the type at all. I'd assumed he liked high-brow stuff. A few weeks ago, I found out I was right. I picked up his iPod by mistake and didn't recognize any of it. Classical piano music. Not at all like the Doctor."

Chapman and classical piano music? It suited him. He had a sophisticated look about him. Neal could picture him at the piano ... Now why did he think of that? Perhaps it was his fingers. They looked like the fingers of a pianist.

Bridget continued to rattle on. "Last week I overhead Alistair lecturing a set designer about medieval astronomy instruments."

"Really? Like old telescopes?" Neal prompted, suddenly much more curious about Chapman.

"No, these were funny contraptions. They looked a little like globes but were circled with brass rings. I can't remember the name, but it sounds a little like 'armlets.' Apparently Alistair is an expert on those too."

What she'd described sounded like armillary spheres such as the one Diana had been given at the speakeasy party. Azathoth had used them in his house of horror last fall where Peter had to manipulate the rings to solve the puzzle. Could Chapman be Azathoth after all?

"I have a couple of forms for you to fill out," Bridget said. "They're back at the costume warehouse. Colin was most insistent. Quite a surprise, that. Usually we're doing the opposite. It seems like every day someone is trying to sneak on set to get a job or sell their script."

As they headed back to the warehouse, Bridget continued to reel off stories. Between the latest James Bond movie, the School of Wizards movies, and Doctor Who, their campus was the constant target of people aspiring to be in the movies.