The Clue at Black Creek Farm (Nancy Drew Diaries #9)(32)

“I guess those are for the actors, then.” I pointed toward the parking lot entrance, where three long, white trailers were lined up. One of the trailers had two doors labeled “Dylan” and “Malika.” The door to an especially tall trailer was cracked open slightly, and I could see racks of clothes lining the walls. I figured that was the costume trailer.

It was impressive, really: the vehicles, the bright lights, the crew members wheeling crates and trunks of equipment around, the tangle of wires running all over the ground.

“Wow,” I said. “Making a movie is a lot more complicated than pointing a camera and yelling, ‘action!’?”

“No kidding,” George muttered. “I just wonder how they feed all the actors.”

Ned grinned. “There are pots of coffee and pastries, George.” He pointed to a table covered in breakfast goodies that was set up near the entrance to the train station.

“For us?” George’s eyes widened with joy.

“That’s what I heard!” Ned laughed. “Plus, isn’t that Mayor Scarlett chowing down on a bagel over there? She isn’t part of the crew.”

“If you say so, Ned!” George trotted off happily.

I smiled at Bess. We both knew that the best way to improve George’s mood was by promising free food.

As George waited in line for breakfast, I noticed a fortysomething woman in a wide-brimmed straw hat and brightly colored floral pants speaking angrily to Mayor Scarlett. I toyed with the idea of trying to get closer to hear what she was saying when something bumped softly into the side of my head.

“Oops, sorry,” a voice apologized.

I turned to see a pale girl in her early twenties holding a metal pole with a professional-looking video camera attached to the top of it. I could barely see her features underneath her heavy dark-rimmed glasses. A lone wisp of her chestnut brown hair was visible from underneath a white baseball cap.

I suddenly recognized the girl’s face. “Cora? Cora Burgess? Is that you?” I asked.

She nodded, eyeing me suspiciously.

“I’m Nancy Drew, Carson Drew’s daughter. Alex used to work for my dad.” I stuck out my hand.

She raised her eyebrows in recognition. “Oh, right. Hi, Nancy.” After a few seconds of awkward silence, she took my hand in a feeble shake. Cora was Alex’s younger sister, and I’d met her a few times when she visited her brother in my dad’s office. As I remembered, she hadn’t been terribly friendly back then either.

Just then, George returned with a cinnamon roll in one hand and a croissant in the other. “You guys should get over there if you want some. All the good stuff is going fast,” she announced.

“No thanks,” Cora replied, looking disgusted. “That food has been sitting out since, like, six a.m.”

“Hey, if I remember, it was your dream to go to film school, Cora,” I said, changing the subject.

Cora nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m in my second year. I’m doing a behind-the-scenes documentary about Alex’s movie this summer.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Bess exclaimed, clearly impressed. Before I could introduce my friends, Cora said, “Excuse me, I have to get back to it. Nice to see you, Nancy.” She disappeared into the crowd.

“You’d think she’d be more excited about being behind the scenes on a real film set,” George remarked. Flaky bits of croissant fell onto her shirt, and she brushed them off.

“Well, it was her dream to be a filmmaker.” I shrugged. “Maybe she’s jealous that her brother just changed careers,” I snapped my fingers, “and is already directing a movie of his own.”

Ned smiled and patted my shoulder affectionately. “That’s our Nancy,” he chuckled. “Always looking for motives, even when there’s no mystery.”