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“That would emphatically cause us to lose the Weiman contract,” Asher agreed.
“We’ll just have to keep our eyes and ears sharp,” Rogan said firmly. “Heather will be giving out autographs right after the pyrotechnics scene. Be ready.”
“Should I try to spot the two agents he said he has outside the roadblock?” Asher asked.
“Don’t bother,” I replied. “I’ll bet a thousand bucks it’s a distraction.”
Rogan nodded. “I agree with Brady. Everyone keep focusing on your assignments.”
I found the computer screen showing the director’s location. Heather was standing a few feet back, shifting from one foot to the other in her green dress. I clenched my jaw so tight that my teeth began to ache.
We’ll protect you, Heather.
“Ready in the control room,” one of the film guys said behind the desk. He was speaking into a walkie-talkie. “All cameras in position.”
I had never seen a movie being filmed before. It was pretty cool listening to the film guys coordinating with the pyrotechnics team and the individual cameramen all around the set. A forty-foot-tall pillar of stone and glass was the focus of everyone’s attention, a structure that was designed to look like the corner of a skyscraper. Men in hardhats spooled wire away from it until they were a hundred feet away, over with the director and Heather and the rest of the crew. A sound like a tornado siren blared outside, warning everyone to keep away.
One of the guys in the trailer spoke into his walkie-talkie: “Prepare for demolition in four, three, two…”
There was no big explosion, just a sudden flash of light around the base of the stone pillar. I felt the concussive blast in my feet, and then the whole structure began to collapse in on itself. The screens in the trailer showed the scene from a dozen different angles. The film guys spat out a flurry of commands into their radios.
“Demolition was clean, but airborne debris is larger than anticipated.”
“Shot completed—get clear of the dust cloud.”
“Wind has shifted to the south-west. Move north to avoid.”
I saw what they were talking about on the screens: the demolition had created a huge grey dust cloud. It spread out in all directions, but mostly to the south and west—toward the director and his crew.
“No! No! No!” the director was shouting. “You said the wind was to theeast.”
The crew began scattering. The food truck behind Heather quickly began closing its windows like it was preparing to leave, scattering condiment jars and napkins in all directions.
“I don’t like this,” I said.
Rogan continued staring at the screen, eyes wide and intense.
“Could this be the attack?” Asher asked. “Airborne particles in the dust cloud?”
“Get her out of there,” Rogan spoke into his radio. “I repeat: extricate Happy Holiday immediately. Abort the mission.”
On the screen, Cooper put an arm around Heather and began leading her away, but by then it was too late. The huge cloud of dust and debris was rolling over them like waves over a sand castle, veiling everyone in a thick grey haze.
“Visibility is decreased,”Cooper said. “Extricating Happy Holiday south to…” He cut off in a fit of coughing.
The film guys in the trailer were laughing at the scene. “Sherman’s going to be pissed!”
In any other context, it might have been funny: a bunch of Hollywood elite suddenly engulfed in a cloud of dust, ruining whatever designer clothes they might be wearing. The dust wasn’t filled with fiberglass or other particles that might be dangerous to inhale. It would just cause some discomfort for a day or two.
But Rogan, Asher, and I were beginning to panic.
“I’ve lost visual on Happy Holiday,” Asher said. He tapped one of the film guys and said, “Can you zoom in on screen six?”
“Sure, buddy, but it won’t do any good…”
I pulled out my phone, which had the tracking app on it. Heather was still smack in the middle of the dust. She had moved a few feet, but otherwise hadn’t gone anywhere.
“Cooper: get her back to the trailer!” Rogan shouted into his radio.
