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Page 27
to scout locations for a film whose script had touched her like no other ever had.
She rubbed lotion onto her smooth, youthful hands, her one vanity. She kept her nails short and unpolished but perfectly shaped. When she returned to the bedroom Pierce was staring out the window toward the Point and the view that had enchanted her.
"That's a wonderful sight," she said, cramming her camera into her handbag. "A marvelous town."
"Yes," he said. "It is."
Mariah quizzed him over toast and juice at the hotel coffee shop. He was self-effacing, though his eyes, set in folds of wrinkles, regarded her with an unwavering stare, as though testing her. She kept herself from squirming uncomfortably in her chair, unsure of the yardstick he was using or how she measured up. She only knew she had to make a good enough impression so Pierce would let Lemoncake Films shoot his screenplay.
They briefly discussed a few of the scenes. "I'll show you where most can be filmed," he said. Mariah stopped herself from contradicting him, though she would be the one to contact the local film office for suggestions and make recommendations to Angela, not him. Plus, even though the story took place here, it did not necessarily have to be filmed in this town. It probably wouldn't be.
The most important site, Pierce said, was across the street from the hotel. He would take her there first thing. In his nasal, sniffly voice, he thanked her profusely for her compliments about the script as he dug into a hearty, fat-laden breakfast of ham and eggs. His nose was long and as pointed as the chin that dipped with determination as he chewed. "No, I'm not originally from Pittsburgh," he said after they'd conversed for a while, "but I am a student of history. The script is based on a true story."
Ah-hah! This was the reason for Thorn's death. But history could be rewritten for fiction. "I loved everything about the story except the end," she began.
He held up a knobby hand. "It cannot be changed. Not by me or anyone elsefor now."

 
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