“Of course. We’ve had security all over this place, so no one unauthorized can get close,” Carlton said. He was medium to tall in height, lean and wiry. Bryan figured him to be somewhere in his midforties, a decent-looking man, and—being a working producer—probably fairly popular and quick to accrue friends: real ones, along with those just desperate for stardom.
“So, I’m open to a lot of things. Bridget, glad you’re here. I’d love to get you in my writers’ room. As you can see, we’ve got the basics and the groundwork for what we need. I’ve even received a few treatments and spec scripts. We’re still in negotiation as to whether we’d reboot the series or perhaps pick it up for a few special shows.” He paused, looking at Marnie, and then continued, “Obviously, we would honor Cara Barton. We would not replace her with another actress. We will have new characters.”
As he spoke, another car pulled up.
“Ah, yes, and here is one of those characters,” Carlton said with pleasure. He sighed softly. “Nothing like when timing works—and on the fly like this!”
The car was a limo with a driver.
The driver hopped out and opened the back door. The passenger was Malcolm Dangerfield. He looked at the group and grinned. “Hail, hail. The gang is all here. Marnie, Roberta, Jeremy, Grayson, hi! Mr. McFadden, we met at the funeral. I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. Will you two be on the show?” He was addressing Jackson and Angela.
“No, we’re investigating,” Jackson said, taking Malcolm Dangerfield’s hand, which went a little limp.
“Angela Hawkins and Jackson Crow are FBI,” Bryan explained to him. “They’re here working on the Cara Barton case.”
“FBI,” Dangerfield said. “Oh, my God, yes, of course. Because first there’s poor Cara—and then that was your pool that man was found in, right, Marnie?”
He looked over at her with very wide eyes.
Such a pretty boy.
Bryan lowered his head, drily amused with himself. He didn’t have anything against Malcolm Dangerfield. The man had checked out okay. He wasn’t known for tantrums or being difficult to work with. He didn’t seem to have any scandalous relationships in his past or bad habits to hide.
He just really was...pretty. And it was obvious that Malcolm was here to be Marnie’s love interest on the show.
“Yes,” she said, and she sounded strong. “It was my pool. And whatever is going on, my friends here will stop it. And catch the killer or killers responsible.”
“Bravo,” Carlton said. “Excellent. For now, let’s look forward. Let me talk to you all about the various possibilities of what might happen if everyone is willing.” He proceeded to walk into the center of the studio.
“You all remember your living room!” he said dramatically.
As he spoke, a technician somewhere started up the fire in the “living room” hearth.
It was a nice effect.
“Concept one for the show. In a segment that honors Cara Barton, Mrs. Zeta has passed away. But with her passing, Marnie suddenly acquires the ability to speak with the dead. Along with that, she also has tremendous strength—not just physically, but with the power of her mind. There is a touching scene where the family is at the graveyard, in tears. It’s there that Marnie sees her mother. By the family tomb, we discover Archibald Dixon—you remember him? The vampire with a bloodlust who disappeared in a cloud of smoke from season four, episode six, ‘Blood!’ He’s back. Marnie is in mourning when she discovers he has been killing again, and he comes after her in the graveyard. Because of her mother’s warning, she is able to turn and see him in time! With her newfound strength and the help of the man who has been falling in love with her—werewolf Oliver Douglas, Malcolm here—she defeats the vampire at last!”
“Exciting. What does it have for the rest of us?” Roberta asked drily.
“Oh, well, you are acquiring the same abilities as Scarlet. She doesn’t want to believe in herself. Roberta, your character, Sonia, has to convince her it is all real, and she does have strength and power. Jeremy, your character is devastated by the loss of the love of his life, and you’re lost when it comes to protecting your family because you’re in so much pain. And, Grayson, as Nathan Zeta, you have to deal with the fact the women in your life tend to inherit more strength than the men. Some of the writing really is great. There is so much in this that follows the paranormal trend that is always lurking out there, and then the emotions we all have to deal with.”
“So, it’ll be the ‘Marnie’ show,” Roberta murmured.
“Look, Scarlet Zeta was always the sweetheart of the show,” Carlton said. “But please know you’re all incredibly important to me—especially now...now that we’ll have to go without Cara Barton. Rest assured, all the details will go to your agents so that you can discuss the various options and possibilities.” He stopped for a moment, looking at Roberta. “I hope you realize what a tremendous opportunity this is for all of you. I’ve come this far, aware I would not be taking you from any other major commitments at the moment.”
“Ah, Roberta!” Jeremy said. “Life isn’t fair, and acting sure as hell isn’t fair.”
“What would you do with the show if you had the rest of the family but didn’t have Scarlet Zeta?” Marnie asked. “There could be a long-lost sister who appears at the funeral. There’s a plotline for you.”
“There is no show without Scarlet Zeta. We’ve done market research. It could be a massive hit, but only with Scarlet.”
“Marnie, we need you,” Roberta said, the sound of her voice a little desperate.
“And Malcolm,” Carlton said.
“I am...high on every chart out there,” Malcolm said flatly.
“Ah, to be young again!” Grayson said and shrugged. “I’m just an old hack myself, Mr. Carlton. Ready and willing to do what’s offered. You have me.”
“I never said I wasn’t ready and willing,” Roberta said. She brightened. “Maybe Marnie could be a fool and not see what’s right in front of her. Maybe, in his torment, Scarlet’s lover turns to her sister, needing a kind touch.”
She grinned and looked at Bridget. “If you were writing on the show, you could write that magnificently, right?”
Carlton didn’t react to Roberta’s comment. “Scarlet turns to her sister for help. She doesn’t understand her new power or her feelings for her lover. Trust me, we want a lot of family issues involved, as they were before. People loved the show because they loved all the characters and the way the family in the show—paranormal though they might be—interacted. The Zeta family had all the usual situations—falling in love, getting hurt, hurting others...the kids on the show grew up on the show, and people loved it.”
“It will still be an ensemble cast,” Malcolm said.
Bryan had been observing silently. He meant to do nothing but protect Marnie—to make sure everyone knew she had people looking out for her.
This was Marnie’s work. But he’d grown up with Maeve and Hamish McFadden, and had an inkling of how the business worked, and so he had to ask, “Malcolm, you are at the top of your game. Are you sure this is something you want to do?”
Carlton cleared his throat, annoyed.
“Ah, clearly he’s being offered a great deal of money,” Roberta said sagely.
“Listen, if this show comes back, I do believe it will be a massive hit again. Marnie was actually voted one of the sexiest up-and-coming stars about a year before the show folded, but we need to attach a really big name to it to make it a guaranteed success. Putting Malcolm Dangerfield into a cult show brings together two huge fan bases,” Carlton said.
“Aha,” Jeremy Highsmith murmured. “Hey, the boy is looking like son-in-law material to me!” he added.
“Look, you all know this isn’t the way things usually work. I call your agents, they get the offers, you take them or pass. That would be the usual. Negotiation would take place before you all ever looked at each other again. The agents would be in play, not you in a group, here like this. I’m offering you this first look because—as a series again, or even as a series of specials—this could be good for everyone involved. Today is a courtesy. And yes, I’d love to see this happen. But I have a lot of irons in the fire.”