Photoplay: A Short Tale of Suspense
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About this ebook
Duane Foley thought shooting movie star Bunny Nichol's glamorous Hollywood party was going to be just another job. All the A-listers will be there, of course: Rock Hudson and Doris Day, not to mention Bunny herself and her current Argentine playboy, Tito Acevedo. And Duane's being paid up front, not working on spec like he usually does. (He's still smarting over having gotten that shot of Jack Kennedy and Marilyn all lovey-dovey over dinner, only to have a pair of goons tackle him in the parking lot and smash his camera.)
Bunny's party is about what Duane expects—too many beautiful people, too much alcohol, Bunny's 15-year-old daughter looking too grown up—but what he doesn't expect is the shot he gets at the end of the night: a dead body. Nor does he expect to be left with an unsettling question: Is getting the shot his lucky break, or is he being played?
Hallie Ephron
Hallie Ephron is the New York Times bestselling author of Never Tell a Lie, Come and Find Me, There Was an Old Woman, and Night Night, Sleep Tight. For twelve years she was the crime fiction reviewer for the Boston Globe. The daughter of Hollywood screenwriters, she grew up in Beverly Hills, and lives near Boston, Massachusetts.
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Photoplay - Hallie Ephron
CONTENTS
Photoplay
About the Author
Also by Hallie Ephron
Copyright
About the Publisher
Photoplay
THERE WERE MIRRORS everywhere in Elenor Nichol’s house, reflecting the perfection of the glamorous movie star’s life. It would be a challenge, Duane Foley thought as he dropped his camera bag in the front hall, to keep the flash from bouncing off them, wreaking havoc with the carefully composed shots he had been hired to take during the party.
Duane lit a cigarette, inhaled, and gave a wet cough as he stooped to check his gear. He was winded from lugging his camera bag up the long driveway from the carport near the bottom of the driveway off Sunset, where they’d asked him to park. Felt like he’d run a mile by the time he’d finally reached the front steps of the white house with its colonnade and Palladian windows—Gone with the Wind meets Giant, with a cast to match.
This gig was more than a few cuts above his usual: stalking celebrities and taking pictures on spec,
as they said in Hollywood. Maybe he’d find a buyer, maybe the celebrity would pay him not to. His most fruitful venue was Holiday House, Malibu’s exclusive celebrity hangout. His best get so far was Frank Sinatra and Juliet Prowse, walking arm in arm through the parking lot. Not because their affair was secret, but because the picture showed how much she towered over him. That same day, on a roll, Duane had snuck into the restaurant and scored a close-up of Jack Kennedy and Marilyn all lovey-dovey over dinner, only to have a pair of goons tackle him in the parking lot and smash his camera. Wiped out his profit on Frankie. Some days it was zero-sum game.
Duane checked his watch and stubbed out his cigarette in the base of a