WHO: Camila Marple & Rhett Wyatt. WHEN: Friday August 3rd. WHERE: On set, in Rhett’s trailer. SUMMARY: Camila needs to speak with Rhett about something important. WARNINGS: None.
It was press day, Camila reminded herself for the umpteenth time as she knocked on the door of Rhett’s trailer where he was relaxing between interviews.
It was press day and the worst possible timing for this conversation, but she was running out of other options. It had to happen now.
Relaxing was a generous word. Rhett was preparing for the next interview by going over his publicist’s notes about the previous one. He looked up when he heard the knock. “Come in!”
Camila entered without hesitation but as she slowly started to remove a folded slip of paper from her bag her movements grew more cautious. “I need a minute. Does now work?”
Rhett blinked confused, but put down his study materials. “Of course. What is it?”
“I received this in the mail, on my birthday,” Camila slowly unfolded the note and offered it to Rhett. “It sounds like the other one I was sent back when filming started.” She cleared her throat in an effort to remove the shaky edge that was creeping in. “I -- I’m going to give it to the police, but since your name is mentioned in it, I thought you had a right to see it first.”
Rhett looked at her, immediately concerned. “You were threatened?” He took the note and started to read, eyes quickly scanning the cutout letters, while his other hand reached for his phone to call his security team to come and protect her. He looked up at her when the note threatened to expose her secret, but kept reading. It was a long note. When he got to the instructions, Rhett paused.
“They’re trying to blackmail you into...putting down pennies?”
“I -- guess so.” Camila hadn’t really understood that one either. It seemed more designed as an easy attempt to get her to do something foolish. “It’s a lot like the last letter,” she reiterated. A lot like the first letter and nothing like the cute little watercolor that had come in the mail yesterday. “Only that one didn’t tell me to do anything.”
Rhett understood why the pennies, but he didn’t like it. “It does look like it’s from the same person,” he agreed. She’d told him about the other note when he’d received his. “It looks as though they’re trying to use you to get me to quit the production.” To what end? Who knew. “I’ll take you to the police station,” Rhett said. He stood to get his coat. This was much more important than the interviews.
A small part of Camila’s mind considered this new idea, the letter writer wanted Rhett to quit, wanted the filming to end. It wasn’t a new idea exactly but it was one that she didn’t have time to puzzle out right at this moment. The bigger worry was the other note, the cute painting of the red car, the promise that the writer would be in touch. “Oh,” Camila looked flustered even if she didn’t feel it. “I didn’t mean to disrupt, I can take it in after work --” but she was already obediently reaching for her jacket, re-adjusting her purse strap, and thinking that it might look better if he did take her in.