Unfinished Business

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"Unfinished Business"
By J. B. Tilton
Email: [e-mail]
Rating: K+ (for mild language)

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 2 episodes “Animal Pragmatism” and “Pardon My Past ”.)

* * *

Prue is hired as a technical advisor on a film that begins having more than its share of “mishaps”.

* * *

ONE

Piper came into the manor and dropped her purse on the entryway table. She looked in the living room and saw Prue sitting on the sofa watching television. She looked at her watch. It was nearly four o’clock. Prue was still in her pajamas and bathrobe.

“Hey, what’s up?” Piper asked, walking into the living room.

“Apparently,” Prue responded, “Melissa is married to Glen but having an affair with Thomas. Only she doesn’t know that Thomas is secretly seeing Margaret but doesn’t know that Natalie is really his long lost half sister. At the same time Jennifer is thinking about leaving Carl for Patricia only she doesn’t know how to tell her sister, Ann, that she’s actually gay.”

“I beg your pardon?” Piper asked in confusion.

“Oh, just these stupid soap operas,” Prue said turning the television off. “Since I’ve been out of work I’ve been watching a lot of them. It’s amazing how caught up in them you can get.”

“Shouldn’t you be out looking for a job?” Piper asked, sitting on the sofa next to her.

“I mailed out twelve applications this morning,” Prue said. “I swear if I don’t find something soon I’m going to go stir crazy.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something,” Piper said. “You’ve got a lot of experience. And you have a good reputation in the business world. I’m sure someone will snatch you up any day now.”

“I hope so,” Prue said. “Sitting around all day mailing out resumes gets really old really fast.”

“Where’s Phoebe?” Piper asked.

“Oh something about a big shoe sale at the mall,” Prue said. “Honestly, I think that girl has more shoes than Imelda Marcos.”

“She does love her shoes,” Piper laughed. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you come help me with dinner? I’ll make something special tonight. Something extravagant.”

“It beats watching soap operas all day,” Prue said.

Prue and Piper were in the kitchen when they heard Phoebe come in the front door.

“Prue?” Phoebe called into the house. “Prue, are you here?”

“In the kitchen,” Prue called out.

“You’re still in your pajamas?” Phoebe questioned, coming into the kitchen. “Hurry upstairs and put on something nice.”

“Why?” Prue questioned. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Just hurry up and do it,” said Phoebe pulling her up from the chair. “Someone’s coming to see you and he’ll be here any minute. Now hurry up and get dressed. Put on that black strapless dress. And your makeup. No, wait. No time for makeup. You look fine.”

“He who?” questioned Prue.

“No time for explanations, big sister,” said Phoebe, pushing Prue to the entryway. “Just get upstairs and get dressed as quickly as you can. I’ll stall while you do. You’ve got five minutes. Not get a move on it, sister.”

Completely baffled Prue hurried upstairs to her room. Phoebe was not usually so forceful. Oh, she could be when she wanted to. And apparently this was one of those times. Prue had no idea what was going on but she knew one thing. Phoebe had better have a good reason for this.

Prue was dressed in record time. She heard the doorbell ring while she was just finishing. She contemplated putting her makeup on but decided against it. That would take her too long. And she was very interested in this “he” that Phoebe had alluded to.

As Prue came down the stairs she saw a man sitting in the living room talking with Piper and Phoebe. As they noticed her coming down the stairs, the man stood up. Phoebe jumped up and ran over to Prue.

“This is Prue, my big sister,” said Phoebe. “But then, you all ready know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” said the man. “It’s good to see you again, Ms. Halliwell.”

“I’m sorry,” said Prue. “Have we met? I really don’t remember.”

“It was several months ago,” said the man. “My name is Harold Bennings. You handled the auction for my late grandfather’s estate several months ago.”

“Oh, yes, the Bennings estate,” said Prue. “I remember. Quite a collection your grandfather had.”

“Only one of many,” said Harold.

“So,” said Prue, looking suspiciously at Phoebe, “to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

“Well, if I may be blunt,” said Harold, “I’ve come to offer you a job. If you’re interested.”

Prue just looked at the man, speechless.

[Cara Halliwell]

ooooh. love it. sounds just like the real thing, too! i don't know how you do it, noazmale. but keep up the good work!

[noazmale]

TWO

“A job?” Prue questioned.

“I ran into him at the mall,” Phoebe said. “Literally. I spilled coffee all over him. When he heard my last name he asked if I was related to you.”

“Really?” Prue questioned suspiciously.

“Yes,” said Harold. “Phoebe told me that you had quit Bucklands. I remember what a magnificent job you did with my grandfathers’ estate and, since you aren’t working at the moment, I thought I could interest you in a job.”

“What kind of job?” Prue questioned.

“One right up your alley, so to speak,” said Harold. “You see, one of my grandfathers’ holdings is a small independent film company. I’ve been running it since his death and I have a position that you would be perfectly suited for.”

“Independent film company?” Prue questioned. “Look, Mr. Bennings….”

“Harold, please,” said Harold.

“Harold,” said Prue. “I think you have the wrong person. I’m not an actor. I wasn’t even in our school play. I’m sure there are a hundred other people who would be better suited for whatever role you have in mind.”

“Actually,” said Harold, “it’s not a role. You might call it more of a technical position. You see, we’re filming a movie in which the main character runs his own antiques business. The director wants everything to be absolutely authentic. Now, our props man is the best in the business. But I’m afraid he doesn’t know squat about antiques.

“When Phoebe mentioned you were no longer at Bucklands, I thought you might like to be a technical advisor for the movie. All you have to do is make sure that the antiques we’re using are genuine antiques. You could help provide background on some of them and maybe some history. There are points in the film where the actors discuss some of the antiques and I would really love it if we could have accurate information instead of having to make something up.”

“Technical advisor?” questioned Prue.

“Yes,” said Harold. “I’m afraid it only pays about five hundred dollars a day and it’s going to take about three weeks to complete the film. I would need you on the set every day to provide your expertise whenever it was needed. And the writers would probably have all kinds of questions about the props for the dialogue.”

“Three weeks?” Prue questioned.

“Yes,” said Harold. “Now, I know you’re probably sending out resumes looking for a new position. And when someone hires you you’ll be free to just walk away at any time. But I could really use the help on this. The director is such a stickler for details. And he insists that we use genuine articles, not something made up in our shops. You would really be doing me a favor if you’d agree.”

“Well, I suppose I could give it a try,” said Prue, trying to control her enthusiasm. “I do seem to be free at the moment. When do you want me to be there?”

Harold took a card out of his pocket and handed it to her.

“Monday morning at eight a.m.,” he said. “The address is on the back of the card. I’ll leave your name at the gate so the guards will let you pass. And I’ll leave your sisters’ names, too. You can bring them along if you want.”

“That’s Piper,” said Piper, smiling.

“Prue, Piper, and Phoebe,” said Harold. “Three Ps.”

“Yeah, sort of a family tradition,” said Prue.

“Great,” said Harold. “I’ll let the director know we got our technical advisor. Don’t be surprised if he tries to test you when you first get there. He likes to make sure everyone involved knows their jobs.”

“No problem there,” said Phoebe. “Prue knows antiques better than anyone.”

“Fantastic,” said Harold. “I’ll see you on Monday morning then. I’ll show myself out. And thanks again for helping out. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” said Prue.

“Phoebe,” Prue said after Harold had left.

Phoebe knew that tone. She had heard it countless times growing up. It was the tone Prue used when she was angry or upset. And she always seemed to be one or the other – and many times both – with her youngest sister.

“Prue, I thought I was helping,” Phoebe pleaded in self-defense. “You’ve been complaining about being so bored since you quit Bucklands and I thought this might give you a chance to get started again. Really, I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Prue just grabbed Phoebe by the shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her squarely on the forehead.

“Thank you, little sister,” Prue said. “I’ve been going nuts with nothing to do. At least I’ll have something to do for a few weeks. And five hundred dollars a day. That will really help out, too. My savings is beginning to look pretty bare.”

“Anything I can do to help,” said Phoebe smiling.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Piper announced. “I suggest we all sit down and enjoy it while it’s still hot. Looks like we have a little celebrating to do.”

“So,” said Prue to Phoebe as they headed for the kitchen, “any idea what this movie is supposed to be about?”

“Not really,” Phoebe said. “From what Harold told me it’s supposed to be based on a true story. Something about an unsolved murder about thirty-five years ago or something. Apparently this real wealthy guy got his head cut off with a Samurai sword that he had in his collection. It’s all really gory.”

“And you’ll be the first in line to see the movie, no doubt,” Prue said.

“Absolutely,” Phoebe returned, smiling at her sister.

[noazmale]

THREE

Getting onto the movie lot the following Monday had been easy. Prue gave the gate guard their names and he had checked a list on a clipboard. Smiling, he had even given them directions to the sound stage where the movie was being filmed. As they entered the sound stage door they noticed a red light over the door that was currently turned off.

The inside of the building was a bustle of activity. People were busily arranging all sorts of equipment on the stage. It was decorated to look like the library of a private home. A woman was hurriedly putting books in a bookcase while two men were moving a large desk into place. On a table near the back of the room sat a small holder with what appeared to be a Samurai sword with a smaller dagger. Obviously the murder weapon for the movie. Hanging from the ceiling was a very large crystal chandelier.

Standing to one side was a man. The man was about thirty, needed a haircut, and had a couple of days growth of a beard. He was dressed in a work shirt and jeans. He was extremely attractive and he seemed to be busily watching all the activities going on at the sound stage.

“Excuse me,” Prue said walking up to the man, “do you know which one is the director for this movie?”

The man seemed startled for a moment. He eyed the three sisters before he spoke.

“You’ll find him behind the set with the writers,” said the man. “I understand he takes a very active part in even the smallest aspects of his films. My name is Charlie Parker. I’m a…. stagehand.”

“And just what does a stagehand do?” Phoebe asked in her most flirtatious sounding voice.

“Whatever the director needs,” said Charlie. “I help build sets, move furniture, get lunch, run errands, that sort of thing. Not a glamorous job but I enjoy it.”

“I’ll bet you do,” said Phoebe.

“Excuse me,” said Charlie still looking at Prue. “I need to get back to work. It was nice to meet you. I hope we’ll see each other again.”

“I’m sure we will,” said Prue.

“Rorw,” said Phoebe, growling like a lion. “I think I need a few errands run.”

“Down girl,” said Piper. “He obviously was more interested in Prue.”

“Of course,” Phoebe pouted. “You get Leo and Dan and Prue gets the stagehand. What do I get?”

“Left at home if you don’t behave yourself,” said Prue. “Come on. Let’s go find the director.”

They were just approaching the stage when a man in his fifties came out from behind the stage. He had a clipboard in one hand and was shouting orders to some of the workers. He noticed he girls and immediately turned his attention on them.

“What are you doing here?” he shouted at them. “No spectators on the set. Get out. Get out immediately.”

“I’m Prue Halliwell,” Prue said. “I’m looking for the director.”

“The technical advisor?” questioned the director. “I’m the director. So, you’re supposed to be an expert on antiques. Well, impress me. What can you tell me about that desk?”

Prue looked the desk over carefully.

“It’s a Louis XVI desk,” Prue said. “Very valuable. It was produced in France for King Louis XVI, of course. At first glance it appears to be genuine.”

“Okay,” said the director. “That was easy. What about that painting on the wall?”

Prue walked over to the painting that was hanging directly over the Samurai sword. She glanced down at the sword momentarily and then studied the painting.

“Van Gogh, if I’m not mistaken,” she said. “Obviously painted during his blue period. It looks like the original but without specific testing I can’t be sure. It sold at auction a couple of years ago for just over two million dollars.”

“And damn well worth every penny, too,” said the director. “Okay, you seem to know your stuff. We’re about to do a dress rehearsal. Just stay out of the way for now. When we’re done you can check our antiques.”

“How authentic do you want them to be?” Prue asked.

“Absolutely authentic,” said the director. “No reproductions I don’t care how good they are. Gabriel Manning never owned reproductions.”

“Gabriel Manning?” questioned Prue.

“He’s the person this movie is about,” said the director, annoyance in his voice.

“Well, if you want authentic then you’d better replace this,” Prue said looking at the Samurai sword.

“What?” the director asked. “I was told it was an authentic sword handcrafted in Japan by a master sword maker.”

“Someone lied to you,” said Prue, picking the sword up. She carried it over to the director. “See here?”

She indicated the point where the blade was attached to the pommel.

“Yeah, so?” questioned the director.

“Real Samurai swords have a button here,” said Prue. “It’s a locking mechanism that keeps the sword from falling out of the sheath. You have to depress the button to remove the sword. This doesn’t have the button. It’s a good reproduction but it’s still a reproduction.”

The director snatched the sword out of Prue’s hand.

“Mac?” the director called out, turning and walking away from Prue. “Mac, where are you? Get this piece of crap off my set. I told you, authentic. Do I have to do everything myself around here?”

“A bit high strung, isn’t he?” Piper asked Prue.

“Yes,” said a voice behind them, “but he’s one of the best directors in the business. I can tell you that you impressed him, though. He was almost civil to you. That’s very rare for him.”

The sisters turned to see Charlie standing behind them.

“Thanks,” said Prue.

“My pleasure,” said Charlie smiling.

He turned and headed for the bookshelf where some women were still stacking books. Prue just watched as Charlie walked over and disappeared behind the set.

“I think we’d better get off the set,” Phoebe said. “Atilla may be back and even if you did impress him I’m just a visitor here. I don’t want to be thrown out of here my first day.”

“Good idea,” said Prue. “Let’s go see if we can find some more of these antiques I’m supposed to authenticate.”

As the sisters turned and headed for the back of the sound stage none of them noticed a dark figure standing in the shadows off to one side. The darkness obscured the features of the individual making it impossible to tell who it was.

[noazmale]

FOUR

That first morning had been hectic for Prue. The director had insisted that she check each antique for authenticity and accuracy. She checked each one very carefully and, other than the Samurai sword, found that most were genuine antiques. Some turned out to be collectables rather than antiques and it took her a while to explain the difference to him. In the end he seemed satisfied with her evaluations.

After the dress rehearsal the director went directly to shooting the scene. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe had little to do but stand and watch as everyone did their jobs to film the scene. They were told that during the filming they had to be completely quiet. It was just past eleven o’clock and they watched in fascination as the actors played their roles for the cameras. Suddenly a very loud creaking sound could be heard.

“Cut,” screamed the director annoyance in his voice.

“Bill,” said the main actor on the set at the moment, “what was that?”

“I don’t know,” said a man standing off to one side.

“Well, it broke my concentration,” said the actor, walking toward the director. “How am I supposed to film this scene if I can’t….”

The actor had not taken more than three steps when the chandelier suddenly came crashing to the floor. It shattered on impact sending glass flying in all directions. Everyone dropped to the floor or raised their arms to protect themselves from the flying debris. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, including the main actor who the chandelier had missed by mere feet.

“Is everyone okay?” screamed the director when the commotion had subsided. “Anyone hurt?”

When it was discovered that no one was seriously injured, the director flew into a rage. Bill seemed to take the brunt of his anger. The director screamed about wasted time and putting the project behind budget. Bill simply apologized and stood patiently while the director ranted. Finally the director called for a lunch break and stormed off the set.

“Boy, that was rough,” said Prue as she watched several other stagehands cleaning up the mess. “Is he always like that?”

“I guess,” said Bill, looking the chandelier over. “Looks like some of the bolts holding the chandelier sheered off.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Guess I misjudged the weight of the thing. If you’ll excuse me I need to get another one into place. He’ll want to start again right after lunch.”

“Boy, that was close,” said Piper. “Someone could have been killed when that thing fell. If that actor hadn’t walked off when he did it would have fallen directly on him. That thing must weigh several hundred pounds. He could have been killed.”

“That was probably someone’s intention,” said Phoebe looking at a bolt she had picked up from the floor.

“What do you mean?” Prue asked.

“This,” said Phoebe, showing them the bolt. “These didn’t sheer off. They were cut. See these grooves here? A saw made those. If all four of the bolts holding the chandelier were cut through as far as this one was then there’s no way they could support the weight of the chandelier.”

“You’re saying this was deliberate?” Prue asked.

“It looks that way,” Phoebe said. “This Bill should have noticed that.”

“Maybe he didn’t get a good look at the bolt,” offered Piper.

“No, I saw him pick one up and stick it in his pocket,” Phoebe said. “I think he knows this was deliberate. The only question is why would he pretend it was an accident?”

“If you’re right,” Prue said, “and this was no accident, that means someone deliberately made that chandelier fall. That can mean only one thing. There’s a murderer on the set.”

* * *

“What do we do?” Piper asked as the girls sat in the studio cafeteria eating lunch.

“We could tell Darryl,” Prue offered. “If someone is trying to kill someone he should know about it so he can investigate. Maybe he can catch the person responsible.”

“We need more than what we have,” said Phoebe. “One bolt isn’t any evidence even if it does appear to be deliberately cut. We need something that definitely shows that someone is sabotaging this place.”

“Like what?” Piper asked. “You think whoever did this is just going to walk up and admit it?”

“No,” said Phoebe, “but if someone is sabotaging this set there has to be more evidence. The first question we have to ask is why? Why would someone want to sabotage this set?”

“Maybe they were after that actor?” Prue said. “The chandelier did almost fall on him.”

“She’s right,” Piper said. “If he hadn’t moved he would have been crushed by it.”

“That’s true,” said Phoebe. “But we also have to consider other possibilities. It might be that someone is after someone else. Like the director. Maybe someone has a grudge against him and is sabotaging the project to get back at him.”

“How did you get so smart all of a sudden?” Piper asked.

“I like murder mysteries,” Phoebe said, smiling. “I think I’ve seen every movie about a murder mystery ever made.”

“Well, what you say makes sense,” Prue said. “And I think you’re right. That bolt isn’t going to convince anyone. Which means we have to figure out what’s going on. Or at least find enough evidence to take to the police.”

“Wait a minute,” said Piper, “we’re witches, not detectives. We’re supposed to fight demons, not solve murders.”

“Piper,” said Prue, “if we walk away from this now, someone is going to get hurt. Or killed. I don’t want that on my conscience, do you?”

“No, I guess not,” said Piper.

“Okay, then,” Prue said. “We need to find enough evidence to take to Darryl so he can investigate. Phoebe, you seem to be our expert at the moment. Any ideas where we start?”

“We should start by finding out as much about what’s going on as we can,” Phoebe said. “That means we need to find out about the real murder. The one the movie is based on.”

“I can do that,” Piper said. “I can talk to the writers. I’m sure they know what really happen since the director seems so bent on authenticity.”

“Good,” said Phoebe. “Now, we need to know if there have been any other accidents. Charlie should be able to tell us that.”

“What if he’s the murderer?” Prue asked.

“Well, if any other ‘accidents’ have happened he can’t hide it,” Phoebe said. “Others would know about them, too.”

“He seems to like you,” Piper said, looking at Prue. “Maybe he’ll tell you about any other mishaps.”

“I’ll see what I can find out,” Prue said. “Phoebe, what are you going to be doing?”

“I’ll talk to some of the actors,” Phoebe said. “Try to find out if there’s anyone who might want to hurt them. Or if there’s anyone who might be out to get the director. He does seem a bit abrasive.”

“A bit?” questioned Piper. “The steel wool I use to scrubs the pots and pans seem less abrasive than he is.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe, “try not to be too obvious. If the murderer gets wind we’re on to him we could become his next targets.”

“You seem to know a lot about this type of thing,” Prue said.

“Like I said, I like murder mysteries,” said Phoebe. “It’s elementary, my dear Prudence, elementary.”

Prue just glared at Phoebe. She knew how much Prue hated the name Prudence.

[Cara Halliwell]

ha! i love the part where Phoebe quotes Sherlock Holmes. she would do that.

[noazmale]

FIVE

That night at dinner the girls compared notes on what they had discovered.

“Well,” said Piper, “according to the writers the movie is based on a true story. Apparently a man named Gabriel Manning was murdered in San Francisco in 1965. He was some kind of philanthropist who spent his spare time collecting antiques. Had quite a collection, too, from the sounds of it. He owned an antique store in town and sold a lot of them.

“Anyway, he was found in his library decapitated. The police identified the Samurai sword he had as the murder weapon. They never did find out who did it but a handyman who worked for him was the prime suspect. Only the handyman disappeared the same night. Along with about twenty thousand dollars Manning had in his safe.”

“Was he the only suspect?” Prue asked.

“No,” said Piper. “Manning’s partner, Stefan Linscomb, was also considered a suspect at first. But there wasn’t any evidence against him. The police centered in on the handyman, a guy named Charles Denmore. But the police couldn’t find any trace of him after that night.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “What about the actor the chandelier almost fell on? Anyone got a beef with him?”

“Not as far as I can tell,” said Phoebe. “All the other actors like him. Even the stagehands had nothing but good things to say about him. Now that director, he’s a different story. He’s made a lot of people angry. He’s kind of a totalitarian when he’s filming. And he has a habit of firing people that tick him off.”

“Well that wasn’t the first accident this movie has had,” Prue said. “Charlie told me that there have been several other mysterious happenings. Nothing specific but a lot of ‘accidents’ that keep putting them behind schedule. He also said there have been a couple of near misses like the one we witnessed today. So far no one has been seriously hurt but if this keeps up it’s only a matter of time before someone is.”

“You think one of the people involved with the movie could have had something to do with the original murder?” Prue asked.

“The original murder took place in 1965,” said Phoebe. “That was thirty-four years ago. A lot of the cast and crew aren’t even that old so I doubt they were involved. Some of the older ones could be, I suppose. But there’s no way to find out where they were back then.”

“I talked to that stagehand, Charlie,” said Prue. “We talked about the original murder some. Apparently it’s a major topic of discussion on and off the set.”

“The writers have a bunch of news clippings from papers back then,” said Piper. “They let me look through them. This Manning was apparently going through a rough time just before he got murdered. His wife left him or he kicked her out. The clippings weren’t clear on that point. Something about Manning having suspicions that she was having an affair with the handyman, Charles Denmore.”

“Oh, a love triangle,” said Phoebe. “That’s juicy.”

“Yeah, but the police couldn’t prove anything,” said Piper. “And Manning apparently had an argument with his partner the day of the murder. He was their first suspect. But it seems he had an alibi for the murder. Something about a charity event he was at when the murder took place.”

“So that leaves the handyman, Charles Denmore,” said Prue. “Seems everything points to him. And he disappeared the same night as the murder with twenty thousand dollars. Back then that was a lot of money. He could have gone anywhere with it.”

“Well the police weren’t able to find any trace of him after that,” said Piper. “They suspected he fled the country. Probably went to Canada or Mexico since it was easier to go to those countries without a passport. There was never any record of him using any flights out of the city. And there doesn’t seem to be any record of him after the night of the murder.”

“Which doesn’t mean he didn’t go to another city and use a fake passport,” said Phoebe. “Twenty thousand could easily buy him whatever identity he needed to get away.”

“What did the police think happened the night Manning was murdered?” Prue asked.

‘They theorized that he confronted Denmore about the affair,” said Piper. “They think Denmore may have killed Manning when he lost his temper. They theorized that Manning probably fired Denmore and that set him off. So Denmore killed him and then took off with whatever he could find around the house. Namely the twenty thousand dollars. The police thought that Denmore set fire to the house to cover up the murder and give him time to get away.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “So Manning kicks his wife out or she leaves. He probably confronted her first. They had this big argument and she storms off. What was her alibi when Manning was murdered?”

“She was getting at ticket,” said Piper. “A police car clocked her doing nearly eighty in a residential zone. That was about eight miles from the house so there’s no way she could have done it.”

‘What about this charity event the partner was supposed to be attending?” Phoebe asked.

“The paper didn’t say what it was,” said Piper. “But two dozen people told the police they had seen him there. It was on the other side of town and started about two hours before the murder took place. And it didn’t end until nearly an hour and a half after the murder.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “Anything that made the police suspect this Denmore except the fact that he disappeared the same night?”

“His fingerprints were found on the murder weapon,” said Piper. “They think after he murdered Manning he set fire to the house to cover his tracks. Most of it burned but the fire department was able to save a lot of it. After the police did their investigation Manning’s wife had the entire place bulldozed under. Seems she was the sole beneficiary of his will. Apparently not everything was destroyed in the fire. She salvaged what she could and got rid of the rest.”

“Well, she has an alibi,” said Prue. “So does the partner. Which leaves just the handyman. But that doesn’t get us any closer to finding out who’s been causing mishaps on the set. Maybe it’s not even connected to the original murder.”

“Most of the cast and crew can’t stand the director,” said Phoebe. “But he’s one of the best. And none of them struck me as hating him enough to want to kill him. Most of the other actors don’t seem to have any substantial enemies. At least none I could find out about. Other than the original murder there doesn’t seem to be any connection between this set and the mishaps.”

“Maybe someone doesn’t want the movie made,” suggest Piper.

“Why?” Prue asked.

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “Maybe whomever it is might be afraid that someone will find something that will solve the murder. After all, it’s still an open case. And there’s no statute of limitations on murder. The murderer could still be prosecuted. Maybe this Denmore has come back to keep the movie from being made so there won’t be any evidence to connect him to it.”

“Assuming it was the handyman,” Phoebe said. “From the looks of things he seems to be the only suspect. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be someone else.”

“Well, if you like murder mysteries so much,” Prue said, “you should know that the most obvious suspect is not always the culprit.”

“That’s in the movies,” Phoebe said. “It doesn’t always work that way in real life.”

“Well,” said Piper, “we need to investigate some more. Someone is out to sabotage this film and if we don’t find out who it is soon someone is going to get hurt. Or worse.”

“Right,” said Prue. “Let’s keep our eyes and ears open at the set tomorrow. There has to be something that will lead us in the right direction. Denmore was about thirty when the murder took place. That would make him about sixty-two today. Let’s see what we can find out about anyone that old connected to the movie.”

[noazmale]

SIX

Phoebe did an Internet search and discovered more about the original murder. It was rumored that Marie Manning, the murdered man’s wife, was having an affair. She had been seen at a local motel on several occasions with a man who was not her husband but the man was never identified. Apparently Manning had hired a private investigator to follow his wife.

“The investigator is still alive as far as I can tell,” said Phoebe. “He’s retired and lives here in San Francisco in a nursing home. I think we should go talk to him.”

“I talked to Darryl,” said Phoebe. “Technically the case is still open but it’s what they call a cold case. It’s been filed away and no one has even looked at it in years. When Manning died his wife inherited his considerable estate. She moved away to Los Angeles or something. No one knows exactly where. But apparently she died about twelve years ago.”

“Anything more on Denmore?” Piper asked.

“No,” said Prue. “His trail ends on the night of the fire. No record of him exists after that. The police think he fled the country. Chances are he’s dead by now.”

“He’d only be 62 today,” said Phoebe. “He could still be alive.”

“Possibly,” said Prue. “If he is he might be the one sabotaging the movie.”

“You girls really shouldn’t be getting involved,” said Leo. “This wasn’t why you were given your powers.”

“We’re supposed to help the innocent,” insisted Piper. “Those people on the movie are innocents so we’re just doing what we’re supposed to do.”

“But there’s no indication of any demonic activity,” said Leo. “And you haven’t mentioned anything about Phoebe having a premonition. As far as I can see this is a job for the police if there’s anything going on at all. So far all you have are some suspicions that something is going on.”

“What about this?” Phoebe asked, holding up the bolt from the chandelier. “It clearly shows that the chandelier was cut through so it would fall.”

“Did you check to see if that wasn’t something that was supposed to happen later in the movie?” Leo asked. “You said that this Denmore apparently burned the house down after the murder. Are they going to show the burning in the movie? If they are they might have planned to have the chandelier fall during that scene. Maybe the stagehand just cut the bolts too much and it fell early.”

“No one mentioned anything like that,” said Piper.

“But did you check to find out?” Leo asked. “Look, I know you guys want to help. And I think it’s laudable. But I think you’re tilting at windmills here. It’s just a movie. For all you know the ‘accidents’ they’ve suffered are normal types for movie making.”

“But what if we’re right?” insisted Prue. “If someone is trying to shut down this film someone else might get hurt or even killed. Aren’t we obligated to prevent that if we can?”

“I agree with you,” said Leo. “If someone is trying to shut the film down you should do something about it. Like informing Inspector Morris and let him do his job. That’s what he gets paid for. Your job is to fight demons, not play detective for a crime you aren’t even sure is happening.”

“But,” Phoebe started to protest.

“Listen,” said Leo. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep your eyes and ears open. Just that you’re investing a lot of time and effort in this for something that has no demonic implications to it. You’re not trained police officers and there are other types of evil out there besides demons. If someone is trying to shut down this film and if you discover something that points to that then you should turn what you find over to Inspector Morris.”

“Maybe we are getting a little involved,” said Prue. “Leo’s right. We really don’t have anything but that bolt Phoebe found. And I imagine most films have their share of accidents. Some more than others.”

“That’s all I’m saying,” said Leo. “Look, you guys are supposed to help the innocent. But innocent means mortals without special powers or abilities to protect themselves against demons. Not against normal types of criminals. That’s what the police are for. You’re only supposed to get involved if there’s demonic activity and if there’s no other way to handle the situation. This isn’t one of those situations. Talk to Inspector Morris, let him know what you know and what you suspect, and let him handle it.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Piper. “I guess our imaginations just ran away with us.”

“We can’t just drop this,” protested Phoebe. “Someone could get hurt. Or killed. We can’t just stand by and let that happen.”

“We aren’t,” said Prue. “Like Leo said, we keep our eyes and ears open. If we find anything we let Inspector Morris know about it. I’ll talk to Morris and fill him in on what we suspect.”

“Well, okay,” said Phoebe, pouting some. “I guess you’re right. I was just so excited to be involved in a real mystery. It’s kind of exciting.”

“You’re involved in mysteries all the time,” said Leo, smiling at her. “Demons rarely come right out and let you know what they’re going to do.”

“It’s not the same thing,” said Phoebe.

“It’s almost time for dinner,” said Piper. “And I have to get to the club soon.”

“I’ll see you guys later,” said Leo. “I do have things to do.”

Leo orbed out of the manor as the sisters went to enjoy their dinner.

* * *

The next day on the set of the movie was very similar to the previous day. The director was constantly yelling at people as if they had just committed the most grievous sin for what appeared to be the most insignificant offenses. Most of the cast and crew simply took the yelling in stride as if it were commonplace. After the dress rehearsal the director called for lunch and said they’d begin filming after lunch. As the sisters headed for the cafeteria they ran into Darryl.

“Inspector Morris,” said Prue. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Just thought I’d take a look around,” said Darryl. “And please, call me Darryl. I kind of feel like I know you because of Andy.”

“If you insist,” said Piper.

“After Prue told me about your suspicions I thought it warranted a look around,” said Darryl. “There may not be anything here but I figured it couldn’t hurt to check it out.”

“You seem awfully interested in this case,” said Phoebe.

“Yeah, well, I kind of have a personal interest in this case,” said Darryl. “When I first came on the force my partner was the lead officer on that case. He was never truly convinced that Denmore was guilty of the murder but he couldn’t find anything to prove he wasn’t.”

“Really?” Phoebe asked. “Maybe he knows something that wasn’t in the papers.”

“I wish I knew,” said Darryl. “Unfortunately he died a few years ago so I can’t ask him. He spent the rest of his life trying to find something that would solve the case but was never able to. After thirty years I doubt we’ll find anything new but I had to come look around. If for no other reason than to say I tried. I owe him that much at least.”

“Well, you’re welcome to join us for lunch,” said Piper. “We can tell you what we’ve found out and maybe that will help some.”

“Sounds good,” said Darryl. “I’ve never eaten on a movie lot before.”

As the four headed for the cafeteria Charlie stood off to one side watching them.

[noazmale]

SEVEN

When lunch was over everyone gathered back on the soundstage. As the stagehands finished setting up the props for the shot Prue looked over the antiques again to make sure everything was perfect. Piper, Phoebe, and Darryl stood off to one side talking. Suddenly the director noticed them talking and headed straight for them.

“Who are you?” the director demanded. “This is a closed set. No spectators allowed. Get out immediately.”

“Oh, he’s with me,” said Prue. “He’s a close friend.”

“I don’t care if he’s your father,” said the director. “He has to leave the set immediately.”

“Actually,” said Darryl, showing his police identification, “I’m Inspector Morris of the S.F.P.D. You’re shooting a movie based on an open case. I’m just here checking around. This is official business.”

“Oh, well,” said the director, “just stay out of the way and keep quiet. We’re about to shoot a scene and the mic picks up every little sound.”

“No problem,” said Darryl. “I’ll be as quiet as a church mouse.”

“Okay, everyone,” shouted the director, heading back onto the set, “let’s get going. Time is money. I want this scene in the can before the end of the day.”

“Boy, he chanced his tune pretty quickly,” said Piper. “That was quick thinking.”

“The badge can carry a lot of weight,” said Darryl. “Besides, I didn’t lie to him. I am investigating this case if even unofficially. I don’t expect anything to come of it but it can’t hurt.”

“Okay, quiet,” shouted the director, “quiet on the set. Roll cameras. Lighting. And action.”

The scene they were filming was the apparent argument between Marie and Gabriel Manning. According to the statement that Marie had given to the police after the murder Gabriel had accused her of having an affair with the handyman, Charles. She admitted that during the argument she had thrown a paperweight at her husband but had missed him. Then she had stormed out of the house.

The scene went exactly as it was planned. The sisters and Darryl watched in fascination as the two actors produced a very believable fight scene. When it came to the appropriate moment, the actor portraying Marie picked up the paperweight from the table and flung it toward her “husband”. The paperweight missed him and went crashing into a mirror behind him, shattering it.

“What the hell?” the director screamed. “Cut, cut. Mac, what’s going on? Why the hell did you put a real paperweight on the table?”

“I didn’t,” called out the prop master as he rushed over to the shattered mirror. “I put the fake one out just like you said. I don’t understand this. I don’t know how it could have gotten switched.”

“What’s going on?” Prue asked an older assistant nearby.

“The paperweight was supposed to be a fake,” said the assistant. “So that no one would get hurt in case of a mishap. Apparently the real one was put on the table by mistake.”

“I find it hard to believe that Mac would make a mistake like that,” said Prue. “I’ve talked to him and he’s been doing this for twenty-seven years. It’s hard to believe he’d make a mistake between a prop and the real item.”

“He probably wouldn’t,” said Darryl. “I did some checking before I came over here. The entire crew working here are the best in the business. That director won’t work with anyone else. Someone that good wouldn’t make a mistake like that.”

“You think the switch was deliberate?” Piper asked.

“I don’t know,” said Darryl. “But it is suspicious. You girls might be onto something here. Someone might be trying to stop this film from being made.”

“Is that a crime?” Phoebe asked.

“That depends on how they do it,” said Darryl. “If that paperweight had hit the actor he could have been injured. Or even killed. And that is a crime. At the very least it’s criminal mischief. I think I’ll look around some. I may not get any information on the original murder but if someone is doing something here I might find out who’s sabotaging the film.”

“I told you something was going on here,” said Phoebe. “Darryl even said so.”

“He said that maybe something was going on,” said Prue. “For all we know the switch with the paperweight was simply an accident. Let’s not go jumping to conclusions.”

“I’m not,” said Phoebe. “I still think something is going on here.”

“Some excitement, huh?” asked Charlie, walking up to the girls. “The director is going to be fit to be tied.”

“Yeah,” said Piper. “It’s just lucky that no one was seriously injured.”

“Yeah, lucky,” said Charlie. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, that’s Inspector Darryl Morris of the San Francisco Police Department,” said Prue. “He just stopped by to say hi.”

“Really?” questioned Charlie. “He’s not allowed to wander around the set, you know? If the director catches him he’s likely to have him physically removed.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” said Piper. “Darryl can take care of himself. Besides, the director has all ready met him. He seemed almost conciliatory when he found out Darryl was a policeman.”

“I’m sure,” said Charlie. He glanced over and saw Darryl talking to one of the other stagehands. Apparently he finished talking with the stagehand and turned to walk back toward the girls. “Well, I’d better get back to work. The director is going to want that mirror replaced so they can shoot the scene again. I’ll talk to you later.”

Quickly he turned and walked away from the girls disappearing behind the set. As Darryl walked up to the girls they turned toward him.

“That was an interesting conversation,” said Darryl. “That stagehand told me some interesting things about what’s been going on with this film. Pretty much the same things you told me but with one distinct difference.”

“What’s that?” Prue asked.

“Apparently Stefan Linscomb is a technical advisor on the film,” said Darryl. “He’s been helping with details about the house, their joint business venture, personal things the police didn’t know, things like that.”

“That’s interesting,” said Piper. “Prue, did Charlie mention anything about Linscomb being part of the film?”

“Not a word,” said Prue.

“Charlie?” questioned Darryl.

“Charlie Parker,” said Phoebe. “Prue has a crush on him.”

“I do not,” protested Prue.

“Who’s this Charlie Parker?” Darryl asked.

“He’s one of the stagehands,” said Prue. “We were just talking to him.”

“When?” Darryl asked.

“Just now,” said Piper. “He went back to work just before you came back over here.”

“You weren’t talking to anyone,” said Darryl. “You’ve been over here by yourself the entire time.”

“No we weren’t,” said Piper. “He was just here.” She looked around and saw one of the writers walking past carrying some blue papers with him. “Mr. Collins, do you know where Charlie Parker is right now?”

“Who?” the man asked.

“Charlie Parker,” Piper replied. “He’s one of the stagehands.”

“We don’t have a stagehand named Charlie Parker,” said Collins. “In fact, I don’t know of anyone involved with the film by that name. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get these rewrites to the director for his approval.”

The girls just stared at Collins as he rushed off to find the director.

[du1387]

Oh wow. This is turning into quite the mystery. I guess we know who it is that's been going after the actors, etc.

Great story! I can't wait to see what happens next.

[noazmale]

EIGHT

“Mr. Collins was right,” said Piper, walking back up to the others. “I just checked with the production assistant and she confirmed it. There’s no one named Charlie Parker connected with this film.”

“Darryl said we were over here alone,” said Prue. “Which means he didn’t see Charlie or whoever he is while he was standing right here with us. That can mean only one thing.”

“Charlie Parker isn’t human,” said Piper.

“That’s crazy,” said Phoebe. “We’ve all talked to him. He’s just as real as we are.”

“I didn’t say he wasn’t real,” said Prue. “Only that he wasn’t human. We can see him but apparently Darryl can’t. Which means that this Charlie Parker must be something supernatural. Apparently he can block Darryl’s senses but not ours.”

“Well, Darryl has gone to see if he can find out who this Charlie Parker really is,” said Prue. “But things have changed now.”

“How so?” Phoebe asked.

“Remember what Leo said?” Prue questioned. “This wasn’t our business because there was no demonic activity indicated. Since we now know that Charlie isn’t human that means it is our business. No one on this film is equipped to deal with a demon. We are.”

“We aren’t sure he’s a demon,” said Piper. “Maybe he’s something else altogether.”

“Whatever he is I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s here at the same time they’re having so many problems on the set,” said Prue. “We need to get home and check the Book of Shadows to see if we can figure out who – and what – Charlie Parker really is. Maybe Leo can even help us.”

“What about the movie?” Phoebe asked. “The director isn’t going to be happy if you just suddenly disappear.”

“We can’t worry about that now,” said Prue. “There’s a demon or something on this set and that means innocents are in danger. I think that takes precedence over being a technical advisor on some movie.”

“Let’s go,” said Piper. “We need to find out what this thing is and vanquish it before someone really gets hurt.”

The three sisters headed for Prue’s car to return to the manor.

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” Leo asked after the girls had summoned him.

“Totally sure,” said Phoebe. “We were standing there talking to this Charlie Parker but Darryl said when he looked over the only ones he saw standing there were us. If he couldn’t see Parker doesn’t that mean that Parker is some kind of supernatural being?”

“Probably,” said Leo. “The question is what kind? I suppose it could be a demon but I’ve never heard of a demon being as friendly toward witches as you say he was to you.”

“Maybe he was just being nice to throw us off,” suggest Prue. “So that we wouldn’t know what he really was?”

“That’s certainly possible,” said Leo. “Demons can be very devious. And as you’ve found out, high enough level demons do have a human form. It just doesn’t make sense, though. What possible benefit could a demon gain by preventing this movie from being made?”

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “But I checked with the production staff and they told me that no one named Parker was associated with the film as far as they knew. And they’re the ones who should know.”

“It might not be a demon,” said Leo. “There are any number of supernatural beings it could be.”

“Like what?” Prue asked. “We didn’t find anything in the Book of Shadows that was like Parker.”

“It could be a shape shifter,” said Leo. “Like the ones who tried to steal the Book of Shadows a while back. The ones your father was mixed up with.”

“Don’t mention him,” said Prue, anger in her voice. “I still haven’t forgiven him for walking out on us like he did. I don’t think I ever will.”

“I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories,” said Leo. “I just wanted to point out that there are other beings besides demons who have an agenda.”

“Any others it might be?” Phoebe asked, trying to change the subject from their estranged father.

“Maybe a vengeful spirit,” said Leo. “Maybe this Gabriel Manning has come back to avenge his murder.”

“By stopping the film?” questioned Piper. “I don’t see how that would avenge his murder. Besides, Manning was near fifty when he died. Charlie is only about thirty or so.”

“It might not be that,” said Leo. “Maybe he has something else in mind. I’m just pointing out that Parker could be a demon but he could just as easily be something else. As for the apparent difference in ages it’s possible he looks different as a spirit from what he did when he was alive.”

“You aren’t going to tell us it’s none of our business again, are you?” Prue asked.

“No,” said Leo. “It appears this is definitely supernatural in nature. Which means it’s something you should check into. Whoever or whatever this Parker is you need to find out what he is and what he wants.”

“And then what?” Piper asked.

“That depends on what he’s after,” said Leo. “But I agree with you about one thing. I don’t think it’s coincidence that he’s around and they’re having all those mysterious accidents. My guess is he’s responsible for the accidents.”

“What I don’t understand,” said Phoebe, “is if he is a shape shifter or vengeful spirit or whatever, why doesn’t he just use whatever powers he has to do whatever it is he wants? All of the ‘accidents’ have involved sabotaging props and things in the film itself. There’s no indication of supernatural interference other than Darryl apparently can’t see him.”

“He may not have any special powers,” said Leo. “Being supernatural doesn’t guarantee that he has any powers. Or he may want it to look like an accident. Like that chandelier. If anyone had been hurt or killed by it everyone would just have thought it was a senseless accident. Maybe he needs it to look like an accident so that no one will discover that he had anything to do with it.”

“Well, I called the set to find out what was going on,” said Prue. “Apparently the director was so upset about the ‘accident’ with the paperweight he just called the whole days’ schedule off. He sent everyone home and told them to come back tomorrow. Apparently he never even knew we had left.”

“Well, that’s good, anyway,” said Piper. “At least you didn’t get fired.”

“I’m not worried about that,” said Prue. “I’m worried about Parker hurting or killing someone. And now that we know he’s not human I’m twice as worried. As far as we know he doesn’t know that we’re aware he isn’t human. So we’re going back there tomorrow and see if we can figure out who he is and what he wants.”

“And just how do you suggest we do that?” Phoebe asked. “Are you just going to walk up to him and ask him?”

“I don’t know,” said Prue. “Yet. But Darryl said he’s going to check and see what he can find out about Parker. That might help some.”

“Assuming he can find out anything,” said Leo. “If he is a demon he may not have a human cover identity. In which case there won’t be anything to find out about him.”

“We’ll just have to play it by ear,” said Piper. “Plus we have to do all this without letting on to Darryl that we’re witches. In the first place I don’t think he’d even believe us. In the second place he’d probably think we’re off our rockers.”

“We’ll just have to keep him busy until we can deal with Parker,” said Phoebe. “That shouldn’t be too hard to do.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Leo. “He seems pretty intelligent to me. Just don’t do anything that might make him suspicious.”

“Don’t worry,” said Piper. “We don’t plan to.”

“We’d better get some sleep,” said Prue. “I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

“Any idea what scene they’re shooting tomorrow?” Phoebe asked.

“Something about the cellar,” said Prue. “I’m not sure exactly what it has to do with the whole murder and everything but apparently it’s important to the film.”

“Well, like I said,” said Leo. “Just be careful. Until you find out what Parker is you all might be in a lot of danger.”

“Oh, that’s a happy thought to go to sleep on,” said Phoebe.

Leo just smiled and then orbed out of the manor. The girls all headed for their rooms to get some sleep for what they expected to be a very hectic day the next day.

* * *

Darryl met them at the set the next morning. The stage had been changed to represent the cellar of a house. There was a water heater in one corner and several shelves containing a variety of items. To one side was a table piled with some books and other items. In the center of the room was a table that had what appeared to be a variety of tools on it.

“Manning would tinker in his basement in his free time,” Piper explained. “According to the writers, some of the antiques he had weren’t in perfect condition. He’d spend hours in his basement repairing them and making them look brand new.”

“Well, I didn’t find out anything about Charlie Parker,” said Darryl. “From all indications he doesn’t exist. He has no social security number, no driver’s license, not even a library card. Needless to say there are no employment records for him.

“I also checked with the main studio offices. Not only is there no Charlie Parker working on this film, there’s no Charlie Parker working anywhere in the studio on any project. Nor is there a Charlie Parker in any administrative or support positions. In short, this Charlie Parker doesn’t exist.”

“He must exist,” said Phoebe. “We’ve met him. We’ve talked to him.”

“I didn’t say the man you talked to didn’t exist,” said Darryl. “Only that Charlie Parker didn’t exist. He’s obviously going under an assumed name. Now that in itself isn’t illegal. But it’s my experience that the reasons people go by an assumed name usually are illegal. He’s probably wanted somewhere and doesn’t want anyone to know who he really is.”

“So what’s he doing here?” Prue asked. “He seems to know a lot about what’s going on. Any idea why he’s working on this particular film?”

“Not yet,” said Darryl. “It might be he just happened to get a job here. Sometimes the studios hire temporary workers for some of the manual labor stuff. Since the workers aren’t usually here for very long they don’t check their references very closely if at all. A lot of them are day-to-day workers. But it doesn’t explain why he’s here and there’s no record of him.”

“Maybe Parker isn’t the name he’s really going by here,” suggested Piper. “Maybe he’s here under a different name and just told us it was Charlie Parker for some reason.”

“I thought of that, too,” said Darryl. “From your description he could be any number of men that work for the studio under a different name. I can’t check them all out. But most of them are working on other projects. I don’t know why he’d be here instead of working on the project he’s been assigned to.”

“We’re going to keep our eyes and ears open,” said Prue. “Maybe we can learn some more about him that can help.”

“Just be careful,” said Darryl. “Like I said, if he’s here under an assumed name it’s probably because he’s wanted for something. He could be dangerous. Don’t take any chances with him. If you find out anything else about him let me know. I’ll handle it.”

“Don’t worry,” said Piper. “We promise not to tangle with any criminal types. They’re all yours.”

“Good,” said Darryl. “I’m going to go check around some more. I’ll let you know if I find out anything. And you do the same.”

“We will,” said Prue.

“We aren’t going to tangle with any criminal types?” Phoebe questioned after Darryl had left.

“Well, we won’t,” said Piper. “Like Leo said, criminals are the responsibility of the police. Besides, I’m not sure demons could actually be considered criminal types.”

“Hey look,” said Prue.

Piper and Phoebe looked where she was pointing. They saw Charlie Parker walking across the soundstage and enter a room off to one side.

“I think I’ll have a talk with Mr. Charlie Parker,” said Prue. “Maybe I can find out something we can use to go on.”

“Be careful,” said Piper. “We don’t know what he really is or what his powers are. If he suspects you know something he might consider you a danger to him.”

“Don’t worry,” said Prue. “I’ll just make chit chat like I’ve been doing. He won’t suspect a thing.”

“Even so,” said Phoebe, “we’ll be right here in case you need us.”

“Thanks,” said Prue. “But I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

Prue followed Parker over to the room and opened the door. She walked through the door expecting to see Charlie inside the room. She knew from being on the set for several days that it was a kind of storeroom. It often held items that would be used during scenes that were being filmed. She put on her biggest smile. As she entered the storeroom she started to say hi to Charlie. She never got the words out. When she entered the small room, it was empty. Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

[noazmale]

NINE

“What do you mean he just disappeared?” Piper questioned. “Prue, that door is the only way into or out of the storeroom. There’s no place for him to go.”

“No place for a human, you mean,” said Prue. “But that wouldn’t be a problem for a demon. A demon could get out of there in any number of ways?”

“You man like shimmering or orbing?” Piper asked.

“Not orbing,” said Phoebe. “According to Leo only White Lighters can orb. But if Charlie is a demon he probably can shimmer. Leo said that’s a standard ability of most demons.”

“Well I think that proves that Charlie isn’t a human,” said Prue. “Which explains why Darryl didn’t find out anything about him. Like Leo said, he probably doesn’t have a human cover identity. The question now is what is a demon doing on a movie set? What’s he after?”

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “But he must be after something. We just have to find out what.”

“Who’s that?” Piper asked, looking over at two men standing near the soundstage talking.

“Oh, that’s Terry Garber,” said Piper. “He’s the head writer for the film. He’s responsible for al the rewrites of the scripts.”

“No, the other man,” said Phoebe. “He looks familiar but I can’t quite place him.”

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “I never saw him before.”

“Well, that’s an expensive suit he’s wearing,” said Phoebe. “He must be one of the studio executives.”

“No, that’s Stefan Linscomb, one of the technical advisers,” said one of the electricians who happened to be walking by at that moment. “He stops in every couple of days to check on the progress of the movie. He can be a real pain in the neck. He was hired to make sure the settings were accurate but he’s as much a stickler as the director. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to change an entire set because of some minor thing he claimed was wrong.”

“Oh, thanks,” said Prue. “We hadn’t seen him around before.”

“Take my advice,” said the electrician, “avoid him. He’s pretty condescending. Like he thinks he’s better than everyone else. He gets annoying real fast.”

“Thanks,” said Piper as the electrician went on to do whatever job he was currently working on.

“Hey, he’s coming over here,” said Phoebe.

Prue and Piper looked over and saw Linscomb walking toward them. He appeared to be about Gram’s age when she had passed away. And he was, indeed wearing a very expensive three-piece suit. He was also wearing a very expensive watch and two diamond encrusted rings. His hair and nails were immaculately tended.

“Hello,” said Linscomb, walking up to them. “Ms. Halliwell? I’m Stefan Linscomb. I understand we have something in common. We’re both technical advisors on this film.”

“Mr. Linscomb,” said Prue, shaking the man’s hand. “These are my sisters, Piper and Phoebe. Yes, I was hired to authenticate the antiques for the movie. I understand you provide technical aspects on the house and things like that.”

“Yes,” said Linscomb. “Gabe was a very good friend of mine. Horrible business the murder and all. I always told him that Charles was bad news. But he wouldn’t listen to me.”

“We understand you and Mr. Manning had an argument just before he died,” said Piper.

“Oh, nothing serious,” said Linscomb. “Just a disagreement about business. Gabe and I often disagreed on business. Much, as I’m sure, many partners disagree. We had planned to meet the next morning and work out our differences. Unfortunately we never got the chance. He was murdered before we could.”

“So we understand,” said Piper. “So, were you and Mr. Manning very good friends?”

“Yes, actually,” said Linscomb. “We met in college. We found we had a lot in common and decided to open the antiques shop together. It was doing very well. In fact, that’s what we were arguing about just before he died. I wanted to expand into another store and he felt we should have been a bit more conservative. Wait another year or so to build up our resources.”

“I understand you did expand after he died,” said Phoebe.

“You seem to know something of my history,” said Linscomb. “You aren’t old enough to have been around then.”

“Oh, I did some research when Prue got hired for this film,” said Phoebe. “I was curious about the background on the film.”

“Of course,” said Linscomb. “It was pretty straightforward. Charles was having an affair with Marie, Gabe’s wife. When Gabe confronted him about it, Charles murdered him and then escaped with twenty thousand dollars Gabe kept in the safe. I guess he went to Mexico. The police weren’t able to ever locate him again.”

“So we understand,” said Prue. “I imagine this movie must bring up a lot of bad memories for you.”

“Oh, time has a way of dulling the pain,” said Linscomb. “After he died Marie let me run the business as I wanted. I seem to have made the right decision. I’m one of the largest distributors of antiques on the west coast. Marie was able to live quite comfortably until she passed away.”

“Congratulations,” said Piper. “You must be doing very well.”

“I am,” said Linscomb. He turned to Prue. “I understand you’ve done a very good job authenticating the antiques on this film.”

“Oh, it’s not hard,” said Prue. “Most of them have been pretty straightforward. It’s actually a very easy job.”

“I understand,” said Linscomb. “Once you’re finished here come by my office and see me. I can always use a good appraiser with your expertise. And I can assure you the pay is quite good.”

“Thank you, Mr. Linscomb,” said Prue. “I’ll certainly think about it.”

“Good,” said Linscomb, looking at his watch. “Well, I have to be going. It was nice to meet all of you. I do hope we get a chance to chat again soon.”

“I’m sure we will,” said Prue.

“Well, he seems nice enough,” said Piper, as Linscomb headed for the exit.

“Maybe,” said Prue. “He didn’t seem at all condescending like that electrician said.”

“I don’t think he was being completely honest, though,” said Phoebe. “According to what I found out on the Internet he and Manning had been fighting for several days. There were rumors that Manning had planned to dissolve their partnership.”

“Hardly the good, close friends he pretended they were,” said Piper.

“I suppose he’s simply remembering the good times,” said Prue. “When they were good friends.”

“You don’t believe that,” said Piper.

“No, not really,” said Prue. “But I do wonder why Linscomb would lie about it. I can’t see any reason for him to lie. It’s been over thirty years. What possible difference could it make now?”

“Maybe just trying not to tarnish Manning’s reputation,” suggested Phoebe. “After all, it wouldn’t do any good to lie about any problems they had now. After thirty years any problems they had can’t seem very important.”

“Possibly,” said Prue. “But we still need to find Parker.”

“Any ideas where to start?” Piper asked. “The last time we saw him he just vanished into thin air.”

“I suggest we just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” said Prue. “They’re still making the movie so if his objective is to stop the film he still has work to do. Which means sooner or later he’ll be back.”

“Great,” said Phoebe. “So all we have to do is hang around until he shows up again.”

“That’s about the size of it, little sister,” said Piper.

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “I’ll see what more I can learn about how to make a movie. I might be able to learn something we can actually use.”

“I have to check the antiques for today’s shoot,” said Prue. “I’d better get to it before the director looses his temper and fires me.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “I’ll go check with the private investigator that Manning hired to follow his wife. Maybe he knows something that’s not listed anywhere else.”

[noazmale]

TEN

Finding the private investigator that Manning had hired proved to be very easy for Piper. He was in his eighties and confined to a wheelchair. But he seemed as sharp as anyone Piper had ever met.

“Mr. Miles,” began Piper.

“Please, call me Doug,” said the old man. “I was called Mr. Miles most of my life. I find I prefer something a little less formal in my retirement.”

“Okay, Doug. I’m here about one of your cases.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be a bit more specific. I handled a lot of cases in my day. I can’t guarantee I’ll remember anything. After a while most of them start to run together. Specifics, especially at my age, have a tendency to slip away.”

“I understand,” said Piper, smiling. “But anything you might be able to remember could be helpful.”

“So, which case were you interested in?”

“It involved a man named Gabriel Manning. He hired you to follow his wife, Marie. He thought she was having an affair with their handyman.”

“Gabriel Manning,” said Doug thoughtfully. “Now that’s one case I do remember. Certain cases just seem to stick in your mind. That’s one of them.”

“Good. I was hoping you might. What can you tell me about it?”

“Well, as you said, Manning did suspect his wife was having an affair. But it wasn’t the handyman he suspected. In fact, he didn’t know who it was. That’s why he hired me. To find out who she was seeing. And to get proof of her infidelity. He planned to use it to divorce her and cut her off without a dime.”

“Did you find out who she was having the affair with?”

“Oh, I was able to discover that she was having an affair. They always went to the same motel on what was then the outskirts of San Francisco. But she always paid for the room in cash. And it was always dark out. I was never able to get a good look at the man. I tried to follow him a couple of times but he usually lost me when we got back into the city. He either knew I was following him or he suspected someone was.”

“So you don’t know who he was?”

“Not really, no. But I don’t think it was that handyman that the papers accused of having an affair with her. The man that met her at the motel usually wore a suit. I don’t think the handyman even owned a suit.”

“Any ideas who the man might have been?”

“Well, I considered Manning’s partner. Now what was his name? Lipscomb or Linsman or something like that.”

“Stefan Linscomb.”

“Yeah, that was it. I was able to discover that his whereabouts could not be accounted for during some of the trysts Mrs. Manning had. But I never had any proof it was him. Tell me. Why all the questions? This all happened over thirty years ago. What good can it possibly be now?”

Piper told him about the movie and their suspicions that someone was trying to prevent it from being made. She also told them about their suspicions that the person who murdered Manning was the one who was trying to stop the movie.

“Maybe the man she was having the affair with is the man trying to stop the movie?” Piper suggested.

“Well, that’s certainly possible. Whoever killed Manning certainly wouldn’t want anyone dredging up what happened then. It’s possible that someone might actually find something the police missed all those years ago.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell this to the police back then. I’m sure they would have wanted to know that Mrs. Manning was having an affair with someone.”

“Oh, I did talk to them. But they didn’t seem all that interested. They had settled on the handyman as their suspect and were only interested in any information that bolstered that opinion.”

“Really? Why wouldn’t the investigators be interested in anyone who might have a motive for the murder?”

“I don’t know. Oh, I never spoke to the lead investigator. I spoke to some junior officer. He took my statement and said if they needed anything else they’d be in touch. I never heard from them again.”

“And you didn’t go to them and ask about it?”

“Back then it was a different time,” said Doug smiling. “Private investigators and the police weren’t really on good speaking terms then. After I told them what I knew I forgot about it and went on to other cases. I never got paid for that case and I seriously doubt that Mrs. Manning was going to honor her husband’s debt to me. I figured it was just best to drop it and cut my losses.”

“Well, I can certainly understand that. Any idea what happened to the handyman? The police said they weren’t able to find any trace of him after that night.”

“Probably moved to Mexico or somewhere. Even if he wasn’t the one who murdered Manning he must have known he would be the prime suspect. And like I said, the police were concentrating on him to the exclusion of everyone else. More than likely they would just have forced a ‘confession’ out of him and the case would have been closed.”

“Oh, I don’t think that would have happened,” protested Piper. “After all, his lawyer would have prevented that.”

“There’s no guarantee he would have had an attorney.”

“But the law says they have to provide him with a lawyer. Especially if he asks for one. I can’t believe someone facing such a serious charge wouldn’t ask for a lawyer.”

Doug just chuckled.

“My dear, you have to remember the murder happened in 1965. The United States Supreme Court didn’t hand down their ruling concerning Miranda until June of the following year. Before that most law enforcement agencies didn’t feel they had any need to provide suspects with a lawyer even if they asked for one. Now it’s commonplace. A suspect asks for a lawyer and the police have to stop questioning him and provide him with a lawyer. Back then there was no such restriction.’

“I didn’t know that,” said Piper in amazement. “What I do know is that it’s in the constitution and I just thought the police had always followed it.”

“Hardly. Before the Miranda ruling most police just questioned a suspect until they got a confession. So I’m sure you can understand why the handyman would not have wanted to stick around. In the end the police would probably have gotten a confession whether he did it or not.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I can understand that. But if it wasn’t the handyman, then who was it? Both the wife and the partner had alibis for the murder. And the police didn’t have any other suspects. At least none they investigated seriously.”

“Well, just because the police didn’t consider anyone else a suspect doesn’t mean there weren’t any.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say that things aren’t always as they appear, young lady.”

“Don’t I know it? Listen, if there’s anything you can tell me about what happened back then that might be able to help, please tell me. It’s very important.”

Piper listened carefully as Doug explained what he knew.

[noazmale]

ELEVEN

Prue was busy checking over the antiques for the days filming. Her heart really wasn’t in it. Her thoughts kept going back to Parker and what type of being he might be. She invariably thought of him as a demon. Only a demon would be causing all the trouble on the set. Trouble that could conceivably injure or even kill someone. She had just finished checking the last one when she turned around and Parker was standing just a few feet from her.

“Oh,” she said. “You startled me.”

“I’m sorry,” said Parker. “I didn’t mean to. I just finished setting up for the basement scene and saw you over here so I thought I’d stop over and say hi. I’ve been kind of busy lately and haven’t had much of a chance to chat.”

“That’s okay,” said Prue, trying to sound nonchalant. “I’ve been kind of busy myself.”

“So I see,” said Parker, looking over the antiques on the table. “Hard to believe they need so many antiques for the basement scene.”

“Well, as I understand it, Manning did most of his work in the basement. Restoring antiques and such. Since no one knows exactly what he had in the basement I guess the director wants to make it look like he was very busy with his work.”

“I guess so. I trust everything is in order.”

“Absolutely,” said Prue. “I’m just not sure why there’s a scene in the basement in this movie.”

“That’s where Manning kept his safe. It’s also where the fire started.”

“Oh? And just how do you know that?”

“It’s in the script. I get the new script pages at least one day before the actual filming so we can have all the props ready for the day’s shoot.”

“Oh, of course. You think that’s how it really was?”

“Well, according to Manning’s partner, Linscomb, it was. He claimed he never was in the basement himself but he said that Manning told him on several occasions about the safe in the basement.”

“You think that’s what really happened? The handyman murdered Manning and then set fire to the house?”

“That’s what the police report said. There was no evidence found that contradicted it. I guess no one will ever know what really happened. All they have to go on is what the police reports said during the initial investigation.”

“Yeah, right. What do you think happened to the handyman? Charles Denmore?”

“Oh, he’s probably dead by now,” said Charlie glancing around the set.

“It was only thirty four years ago. And he was only about thirty at the time. That would make him sixty-four today. He could still be alive.”

“Maybe. At any rate the truth will probably never be known. Too much time has passed. Witnesses have died. Evidence has disappeared. Unless something new is discovered it will probably go into the books as it is. And after over thirty years it’s very unlikely that new evidence will be found.”

“Well, the set looks authentic enough,” said Prue, looking around the set. “It kind of reminds me of the cellar in my house.”

“Did you know that some of the furniture and fixtures were in the actual house?”

“No, I didn’t know that. Where were they able to find them after all this time?”

“Well, as I understand it, a lot of the furniture were antiques. Mrs. Manning sold most of it after the fire and using her records they were able to track a lot of it down. The rest they used old photos of the house from before it burned. Each set is supposedly an almost exact replica of the room it represents.

“Of course there weren’t any photos of the basement. We kind of had to play that by ear. But I looked at some similar houses that were built around the same time and we patterned the set after those. And you see the water heater in the corner?”

“Yeah,” said Prue. “It looks like it’s seen better days.”

“It has. Actually it’s the same water heater that was in the house. After the house burned Mrs. Manning had it bulldozed under. During our research for the film we visited the old site for the house. While we were checking the site we found part of it sticking up out of the ground. The director thought it would be a nice authentic touch to have the actual water heater from the house in the move. He does insist on authenticity.”

“Yeah, so I’ve noticed.”

“Well, the water heater doesn’t actually work. And I had to put a fresh coat of paint on it to make it look like it hadn’t been through a fire. And I had to replace most of the connections so I could hook up the pipes and make it look like it was working. But other than that it’s exactly as the police found it after the fire.”

“That’s amazing. I guess it was a real stroke of luck that you were able to find it at all.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“Oh, excuse me,” said Phoebe, walking up to the two. “Uh, they just finished refilming the scene from yesterday. Minus the mishap with the paperweight, of course. The director just called for lunch. He said they’re going to shoot the basement scene after lunch.”

“I guess that’s my cue,” said Parker. “There are a thousand small details to attend to before they start actual filming. If you ladies will excuse me.”

“So, did you find out anything?” Phoebe asked as parker walked over to the set.

“He seems to know a lot about what happened,” said Prue. “But the way he described it makes it sound like he was actually there.”

“You think he was?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s possible that Denmore was really a demon and he had some plan for killing Manning. That might explain why he doesn’t want the movie to be made. It might expose demonic activity was involved in the murder and he can’t have that.”

“You think Parker and Denmore are the same person?”

“There’s no way to know for sure. They have the same first name but that could just be coincidence. And I haven’t seen any pictures of Denmore so there’s no way to compare them to Parker. But it would make sense. For whatever reason Denmore kills Manning and then sets fire to the house to cover up whatever he doesn’t want innocents to find. Now, thirty some odd years later he learns that they’re making a movie about the murder and he’s afraid someone might discover something. So he comes back and tries to shut the movie down to hide whatever it was he initially burned the house down to hide.”

“Hey look,” said Phoebe, pointing to the exit doors. Prue looked over to see Piper just coming in the doors. “Let’s collect her and go get some lunch. We can compare notes and see what each other has found out.”

“Good idea,” said Prue.

The two sisters headed over to Piper and then to head to the cafeteria.

[noazmale]

TWELVE

“Doug had some interesting things to say,” said Piper as they ate lunch.

“Doug?” Prue questioned.

“Oh, Doug Miles the private investigator Manning hired to spy on his wife,” said Piper. “He’s a real nice old man. And he remembers the case like it was yesterday.”

“Well that’s good,” said Phoebe. “What was so interesting?”

“He suspected Mrs. Manning of having an affair with Manning’s partner, Linscomb,” said Piper. “He could never prove it but he was pretty sure that Parker wasn’t involved with her.”

“Well, we figure that Parker and Denmore must be the same person,” said Phoebe. “We think he’s probably a demon who committed the original murder and has come back now to keep the movie from being made so no one will discover what he did.”

“It explains a lot of things,” said Prue.

“Not some of what Doug told me,” said Piper. “According to him, Linscomb’s alibi for the night was a charity event he was involved with. Only the event was attended by hundreds of people. Supposedly he spent the entire evening at the event but he could easily have slipped out, murdered Manning, and then snuck back in without anyone noticing.”

“Why?” Prue asked. “What did he have to gain with Manning’s death?”

“Sole ownership of their business, that’s what,” said Piper. “According to Manning’s will, his wife inherited all of his personal assets and Linscomb and Mrs. Manning shared ownership of the business. A business, I might add, that is doing very well.”

“Well, that is a pretty good motive for murder,” said Phoebe. “He kills the partner and gets both the business and the partner’s wife. But how does Parker fit into it?”

“Maybe they were working together,” suggested Prue. “It’s possible that Linscomb knows that Parker is a demon. That’s why Darryl couldn’t find any information on Parker. If he’s a demon he probably doesn’t have a human cover story, just like Leo said.”

“There’s something else,” said Piper. “According Doug, the police found that the safe had been opened and its contents were removed. Mrs. Manning said that her husband usually kept about twenty thousand dollars in the safe to buy antiques he found at garage sales, estate sales, that sort of thing. That’s why they think that Denmore killed Manning and then stole the money from the safe.”

“So?” Phoebe questioned. “We knew that all ready.”

“No, the safe was opened, not broken into,” said Piper. “According to Doug the police didn’t find any evidence that it had been tampered with. Which means that whoever opened it had the combination.”

“And it’s unlikely that Manning would give the combination to his safe to a handyman,” said Prue.

“No, he wouldn’t,” said Piper. “But his wife would almost certainly have had the combination. And Doug suspected that Linscomb also had the combination. Linscomb would often buy antiques as well and according to Mrs. Manning’s statement to the police, Manning usually handled the finances of the business.”

“So if they both had the combination,” said Phoebe, “it would be an easy matter to kill Manning and then clean out the safe. Then Denmore simply goes back to the Underworld or wherever he goes and disappears. So the ‘handyman’ gets the blame for the murder and the robbery and the wife and partner are in the clear.”

“Especially if they have alibis,” said Piper. “Doug said that the cop who gave Mrs. Manning the ticket that day said she was very calm and collected. But according to her statement, she had stormed off after her fight with Manning. She said it was why she was driving so fast. Because she was still so furious with her husband. If she was so furious, why was she so calm when the policeman pulled her over for speeding?”

“Because she did it deliberately,” said Prue. “To give herself an alibi.”

“That’s what Doug thought,” said Piper. “Only he could never get enough evidence to prove it.”

“But why burn down the house?” Prue questioned. “It couldn’t be to cover up the murder. The fire wouldn’t have been hot enough to destroy the body. A demon should have known that. So what purpose could setting fire to the house have served.”

“Once we find out what Parker is doing here we might have the answer to that question,” said Piper. “Presumably it’s the same reason he’s back now. To prevent anyone from finding out why he set the fire in the first place.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, looking at her watch, “lunch is just about over. They’re supposed to be filming the basement scene this afternoon. We’d better be getting back to the set. There’s not telling what Parker is going to pull next. Next time someone could get seriously injured.”

“Let’s go,” said Prue. “If Parker tries anything I want to be there to catch him in the act.”

“But we don’t even know what type of demon he is,” said Piper. “We don’t have a vanquishing potion or spell or anything.”

“We’ll just have to wing it for now,” said Prue. “If he doesn’t try anything we can try to find out what kind of demon he is tonight. Leo might even have found out something by then.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “Let’s get going. We don’t want to be late.”

* * *

The dress rehearsal for the scene went off without a hitch. The girls stood off to one side and watched as the actors went through the entire scene. When it came to setting the fire they only simulated setting the fire. Once the rehearsal was finished the director gave them a few minutes to get ready for the actual filming.

Darryl came in during the break. He had been going through the police records for the original murder and said he had found some interesting discrepancies. Since Linscomb was a technical advisor on the movie he decided he’d see if Linscomb could explain the discrepancies.

Linscomb had arrived earlier and had gone over the set for the filming. He said to the best of his recollection the basement was how Manning had described it to him. Of course, he said he couldn’t speak from personal experience. He had never been in the basement so didn’t know if it was what the basement actually looked like. But, as he said, in those days most basements looked pretty much like every other basement.

Darryl wouldn’t have a chance to interview Linscomb before the filming started. The director, as usual, insisted that only those directly involved with the film be on set while they were filming. Naturally he made an exception for Darryl when Darryl insisted he was on official business. For some reason he all but ignored Piper and Paige.

Prue had looked for Parker but didn’t find him anywhere. She wasn’t sure he’d let an opportunity of an actual fire on set go by without causing some kind of problem. It was just too tempting for the demon to let go by. But so far she hadn’t been able to find him.

Several stagehands stood around the set with fire extinguishers. Mac, the property manager, was also licensed for pyrotechnics and was personally handling the fire on the set. Everything had been carefully choreographed and rehearsed several times to minimize the chances of anything going wrong. Finally Mac said that everything was ready and they could proceed at any time.

“Have you seen Parker?” Piper whispered to Prue.

“No,” Prue whispered back. “But I’m sure he’s here somewhere. I can’t believe he’d miss an opportunity like this. Actual fire on the set? It’s just too tempting for him to pass up.”

“There he is,” said Phoebe pointing toward the ceiling.

Prue and Piper looked up and saw Parker standing on the catwalk that ran the entire length of the building. He seemed intent on the set and appeared not to notice Prue and her sisters.

“Piper, freeze him,” Prue whispered.

“I can’t,” Piper whispered back. “He’s too far away.”

“You two wait here,” Prue whispered. “I’m going after him.”

“You can’t,” Phoebe whispered. “They’re about to start filming. You can’t start anything now. You might be seen.”

“I have to stop whatever he’s going to do,” said Prue. “You two stay here in case he tries to get away. I’ll just keep him busy until they’re finished with the scene. With all the pyrotechnics Mac has set up someone is going to get seriously injured unless we stop him.”

Before either sister could respond Prue turned and headed for the ladder that led up to the catwalk.

[noazmale]

THIRTEEN

Parker was so intent on the scene below Prue was only a few feet from him before he noticed her. He looked up and Prue stopped where he was.

“I don’t know what you’re planning,” Prue said, “but I’m not going to let you do it.”

“You can’t stop me,” said Parker. His tone was strangely reserved. There was no malice in his voice as he calmly stared at Prue. “I’ve waited too long for this. I can’t let you interfere.”

“I’ve faced your kind before, demon, and stopped them,” said Prue. “I’m going to stop you, too. I won’t let you hurt any innocents.”

“I know you’re a witch,” said Parker. “And I know you’re only trying to help. But like I said, I’ve waited too long to let anyone stop me now.”

He turned from Prue and began to concentrate on the scene below. The scene only had a single actor in it. The actor portraying Charles Denmore. He used a crowbar to force the safe open and then turned to the table filled with half-finished antiques. Parker watched as the actor spread some kind of liquid around the room and then started to light a fire.

Prue glanced at the scene below and then turned her attention back to Parker. He was concentrating intently on the scene. Prue noticed that the water heater in the corner of the room was beginning to rock back and forth slowly. She wasn’t sure what Parker had in mind but she knew she had to stop him. She tapped into her telekinetic power and tried to throw him back along the catwalk to interrupt his concentration.

Only the power never affected him. If passed around him as if he wasn’t even there. Parker continued to ignore Prue as he concentrated on the scene below. Prue glanced down at the scene and saw the water heater rocking even harder. Whatever he was doing involved that water heater, not the fire that would soon engulf the stage.

“Something’s wrong,” Phoebe whispered to Piper. “She’s just standing there.”

“She probably tried to use her power on him and it didn’t work,” Piper whispered. “We have to do something. To distract everyone.”

“What?” Phoebe asked. “There are too many people around. If we try anything someone is bound to see us.”

“Maybe not,” said Piper.

She looked around the set. Everyone was intently watching the scene as the actor began the fire. Cautiously she raised her hands slightly and used her freezing power. After a moment one of the cameramen called out to the director.

“Cut,” screamed the director. “What is it?”

“My camera suddenly stopped working,” said the cameraman as the men with the fire extinguishers moved in to put out the small fire that was all ready burning on the table.

“Well fix it,” snapped the director.

“I need to check it out and find out what the problem is,” said the cameraman.

“Great,” said the director. “Okay, everyone take ten minutes while we rest the scene. Get that camera fixed fast. I swear we’re never going to get this movie finished.”

Suddenly the water heater in the corner toppled over.

“For crying out loud,” the director shouted, “isn’t anything going to go right? Bolt that thing to the floor.”

The director stormed off the set as everyone just looked around. Two stagehands moved in to attend to the water heater while the cameramen all gathered around the one camera that wasn’t working.

“That was quick thinking,” said Phoebe.

”I had to do something,” said Piper, looking up at the catwalk. “Now we have a demon to contend with. Come on. Prue may need out help.”

Piper and Phoebe headed for the ladder that led to the catwalk.

“Damn,” swore Parker. “The water heater should have broken open. Guess I’ll just have to do this myself.”

“Oh no you don’t,” said Prue, taking a step toward him. “Like I said, I’m not going to let you hurt anyone.”

“And like I said,” Parker replied, “I can’t let anyone stop me.”

Suddenly Parker simply vanished from the catwalk. Prue looked around in surprise and after a moment located him on the floor below near the side of the set. She saw Piper and Phoebe just reaching the ladder.

“Piper, Phoebe, he’s over there,” Prue called out, pointing toward Parker. “Stop him. I’m on my way down.”

Piper and Phoebe turned and headed to where Prue was pointing. As they rounded the corner of the set they saw Parker starting to head onto the set.

“Oh no you don’t,” said Piper, bringing her hands up.

She brought her full freezing power to bear on Parker. But just as with Prue’s telekinetic power, the freezing power simply passed around Parker as if he wasn’t there.

“What’s going on?” Piper asked. “He won’t freeze.”

“Like I told your sister,” said Parker, “no one is going to stop me. It’s taken me too long for this. I may never get another chance.”

Parker turned and began to head onto the set. He hadn’t taken more than a couple of steps when Linscomb came walking toward them. He stopped and stared at Parker. All of the blood drained from Linscomb’s face and a look of pure terror filled his face.

“No,” Linscomb gasped. “This isn’t possible. You’re dead. I killed you. You can’t be here. You’re dead. You’re dead.”

“Stefan Linscomb,” said Parker. “It’s been a long time. I must admit I was tempted to approach you before now. But I couldn’t, of course. It would have given everything away.”

“You’re dead,” Linscomb kept repeating. “I killed you. You can’t be here. You’re dead.”

“What’s going on?” Prue asked moving up to stand next to her sisters.

“I don’t know,” Phoebe said. “Apparently Linscomb can see Parker. And he keeps repeating that he’s dead.”

“I killed you,” Linscomb said, pointing at Parker. “You’re dead. I killed you. You’re dead.”

“Killed who?” Darryl questioned walking up to the small group.

Parker just looked at Darryl and smiled.

“Him,” said Linscomb, still pointing at Parker. “Charles Denmore. I killed him thirty-four years ago. He can’t be here. He’s dead. I killed him.”

“Denmore?” Darryl questioned looking around. “What do you mean you killed him?”

“I killed him,” Linscomb repeated. “I killed him. He can’t be here.”

“Who’s he talking about?” Darryl asked the sisters.

“Uh, we’re not sure,” said Prue. “He just started saying he can’t be here and that he killed him. You, uh, know as much as we do.”

“Okay,” said Darryl taking out his cell phone, “no one leaves the building until we get this sorted out.”

“Hey Mac,” called out one of the stagehands working on the water heater. “Come take a look at this. There are bones inside the water heater.”

“Bones?” Mac asked heading for the stage. “What do you mean bones?”

“Just that,” said the stagehand. “Bones. A lot of them.”

“No one touch anything,” Darryl called out. “I’m Inspector Morris of the San Francisco Police Department. Leave everything exactly as it is until the crime unit gets here. This is a possible crime scene.” He turned back to the girls. “Does someone want to explain to me just what’s going on here?”

Parker turned to the girls.

“Thank you,” he said. “It’s finally over. My work here is done.”

As the girls and Linscomb watched in horror and fascination Parker simply faded from sight.

[noazmale]

FOURTEEN

“I’m glad that’s finally over,” said Phoebe as the sisters entered the manor. “So many questions we couldn’t answer. I’m not sure Darryl completely believed us.”

“Well, we certainly couldn’t tell him the truth,” said Piper. “That a demon was stalking the set trying to keep the film from being made.”

“I’m not sure he was a demon,” said Prue thoughtfully. “He didn’t act like a demon. And once they found those bones in the water heater he said his work there was done. That doesn’t sound like a demon to me.”

“Who doesn’t sound like a demon?” Leo asked, walking out of the kitchen.

“Parker,” said Prue. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d stop by and see if you needed my help,” said Leo. “You know. With the entity at the film set.”

“Oh, that,” said Piper. “That’s all cleared up. Or kind of cleared up. Actually, I still have some questions about that.”

“I do too,” said Phoebe. “Like how could Linscomb see Parker when no one else could? No one but us, of course.”

“Linscomb was on the set?” Leo asked.

“Yes,” said Prue. “And he called Parker Denmore. But he kept saying he killed Denmore. He just kept repeating it over and over again. But that doesn’t make sense. If Linscomb and Denmore were working together, why kill him?”

“Perhaps I can answer that.”

They all turned to see Parker standing in the living room next to the fireplace. He was smiling at the four who were still standing in the entryway.

“I figured you’d have some questions,” said Parker. “Before I go I just thought I’d try to answer some of them.”

“Okay, just who are you?” Prue asked walking into the living room. “You said you weren’t a demon. Just what the hell are you anyway?”

“I’m a Draelin,” said Parker.

“Well that explains a lot,” said Leo.

“What’s a Draelin?” Phoebe asked.

“It’s a spirit,” said Leo.

“A ghost?” Piper asked.

“No, not a ghost exactly,” said Parker. “A spirit. Normally humans can’t see a Draelin. When you approached me that first day you startled me. Then I realized you could see me because you must be witches.”

“Draelin are people who have died,” said Leo. “But they’ve left something unfinished in life. Something that was so important that they can’t pass over. They’re trapped between this world and the next. And they can’t move on until they’ve completed whatever it was that they left uncompleted.”

“So what was so important that you were trapped here as a Draelin?” Prue asked.

“My innocence,” said Parker. “Linscomb was right. My real name was Charles Denmore. Mr. Manning hired me to be the handyman around his house. He was very good to me. So was Mrs. Manning. They treated me almost like I was family.”

“So you weren’t having an affair with Mrs. Manning?” Prue asked.

“Of course not,” said Charles. “I would never betray Mr. Manning like that. Linscomb was having the affair with her. I suppose I should have told Mr. Manning when I found out about it. But I was afraid it would hurt him too much. So I just kept quiet.”

“And Manning’s murder?” Piper asked. “That wasn’t you? Linscomb murdered him?”

“Yes,” said Charles. “Mr. Manning hired a private investigator to follow Mrs. Manning. The investigator couldn’t find out who she was seeing but what he did learn convinced Manning that it was Linscomb. So he invited Linscomb over one night and confronted him about it.

“Eventually Linscomb admitted it. They had this big fight. Manning said he was going to dissolve the partnership and divorce his wife. He was really angry. Linscomb couldn’t allow him to do that. The business was too lucrative and if word got out about what had happened he’d be ruined.”

“That’s what the fight was about,” said Prue. “The one Linscomb and Manning had before he died.”

“Yes,” said Charles. “Oh, before that he had confronted his wife. She had stormed out of the house before Linscomb had arrived. Linscomb panicked. He grabbed up the sword sitting on Manning’s fireplace and killed him with it. I had been in the next room doing some repairs on stairs to the second floor. When I heard what was happening I went into the library but I was too late. Mr. Manning was dead.”

“What happened then?” Leo asked. “Before I could react Linscomb used the sword and killed me. Then he took my body to the basement and stuffed it into the water heater.”

“That’s why you were so intent on that water heater,” said Prue.

“Yes,” said Parker. “I knew if they could find my body in the water heater they’d know I hadn’t killed Mr. Manning. After all, I couldn’t have killed him if I was dead myself. Anyway, after he stuffed me in the water heater he took the money out of the safe and set the fire. He set the fire in the basement thinking it would burn up the water heater and destroy my body. I guess he didn’t know much about that sort of thing. The water heaters they made in those days were extremely durable.”

“So you weren’t trying to stop the film from being made?” Phoebe asked.

“No,” said Parker. “I really don’t care if they make the movie or not. I just needed to get the truth out so I wouldn’t be remembered as a murderer. That’s why I couldn’t let you stop me from knocking over the water heater. I was sure that when it fell over the top would break off and my body would be exposed. I guess I didn’t loosen the screws on the top enough.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “So, if you weren’t causing the mishaps on the set, who was?”

“I think that’s obvious,” said Prue. “Linscomb. He was probably afraid someone might figure out what happened. So he sabotaged the movie as much as he could hoping they’d eventually stop making it.”

“I want to thank you for your help,” said Parker.

“We really didn’t do anything,” said Prue. “Except try to stop you. Oh, by the way. I’m sorry I thought you were a demon.”

“That’s okay,” said Parker. “I guess I can’t really blame you. I didn’t give you reason to think I was anything else. But you did more than you know. You were interested in the murder, not just the movie. After all these years it was refreshing to know that there are some people who care about justice no matter how old the crime is.”

“Well, that’s sort of what we do,” said Phoebe. “Kind of, anyway.”

“I have to go now,” said Parker. “Your policeman friend will see that the truth gets out. People will know I’m not a murderer. That’s all I ever wanted.”

Silently Parker faded from the living room. The girls and Leo knew they would never see him again. His mission completed he could move on to his final rest. After he had faded the phone rang. Phoebe went to answer it.

“I’m glad he turned out not to be a demon,” said Prue. “He was really nice. I would have hated to vanquish him.”

“Well, it’s almost as bad,” said Piper. “He was a ghost.”

“Draelin,” Leo corrected. “Ghost are transparent and they glow. And most ghosts are evil by nature. They usually hang around to punish someone for a wrong or imagined wrong. Not all, of course, but the overwhelming majority of them are. Draelin are not evil by nature. They just usually can’t move on until some injustice had been corrected. Actually, they’re pretty rare. The desire to correct the injustice has to be extremely powerful to keep them from crossing over.”

“So we won’t ever see him again?” Prue asked.

“Not in this life,” said Leo. “He finally got what he wanted. The truth about Manning’s murder to come out. I guess that’s all he really wanted.”

“If it comes out,” said Piper. “They may have found Parker’s body but they’ll have to prove it’s his. And who’s to say the police won’t just think that he had an accomplice who murdered him for the money? There are still a lot of unanswered questions about this case that the police may never know. And we certainly can’t tell them.”

“Well, apparently Parker feels enough has changed to allow him to move on,” said Leo. “That’s the important thing.”

“Okay, thanks,” said Phoebe over the phone. “I’ll be sure to tell Prue and Piper. They’ll be interested in knowing about it. Thanks for letting us know.”

“Who was that?” Prue asked as Phoebe hung up the phone.

“That was Darryl,” said Phoebe. “Apparently Linscomb broke down after he saw Parker. He confessed to everything. The police think that the strain of keeping his secret all these years had finally gotten to him. He’ll be arraigned tomorrow on a charge of second degree murder.”

“Well, I guess it will all come out,” said Leo. “Linscomb will tell them everything that Parker told us. So I guess Parker got everything he wanted.”

“What about Parker’s body?” Piper asked. “What are they going to do with it?”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “after the coroner is finished with it Darryl said they’d probably bury it in a pauper’s grave. They don’t know of any relatives Parker had and they aren’t really equipped to try and find them if there are any.”

“Piper,” said Prue.

“What?” Piper asked. “He doesn’t have anyone. And it doesn’t seem right that he be buried in a pauper’s grave. I’m not suggesting we do anything fancy or anything. Just that he have a decent place to be buried. It’s not his fault what happened. It seems to me he should at least have a respectable grave.”

“Well,” said Prue, “I guess we could do something. But funerals can be pretty expensive. I’m not sure we can really afford it.”

“Well,” said Leo, “I suppose I could talk to one of my other charges. He’s a mortician. He might be able to help you out there.”

“Is that allowed?” Phoebe asked.

“Technically, no,” said Leo. “But you’re right. Parker does deserve a decent grave. I’ll go talk to him and see what he can arrange.”

“Thanks, Leo,” said Piper. “I think it’s the least we can do.”

“Okay, but it has to be our secret,” said Leo. “If the Elders get wind of this I could be in some real trouble.”

“Our lips are sealed,” said Prue. “Now, let’s go into the kitchen and make some plans. We may not be able to give him a fancy funeral but he should have something besides a place to be buried. Phoebe, get everything you have on Parker. I’m sure we can come up with a respectable service for him.”

As Leo orbed out of the manor Phoebe headed for her room to get the information she had on Parker. Prue and Piper headed to the kitchen to put on some coffee and make arrangements for a funeral that was thirty-four years late.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Charmed” stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own “Charmed” stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.

[Holly Combs]

cool

[Cara Halliwell]

loved it!