Red Herrings Act 1

RED HERRINGS

 

 

There is a certain upper class jewelle emporium with a branch located in a rather large modern shopping centre. A while back, across the way, a fancy dress shoppe opened that custom tailors one of a kind party dresses, gowns and tuxes at prices only very few could afford.

 

The managers of the two stores came up with an idea to primp up sales on weekends by having their male employees dress in the dress shoppes tuxes, while the predominately female clerks would wear gowns and dresses designed by the dress shoppe designers. With the female attendants from each upper crust establishment wearing the jewelle emporiums’ glittery offerings in an added enticement to attract sales.

 

The concept turned out to be a smashing success, with a marked 10 % increase in the fancy dress shoppes revenue, and a 17 % increase of revenue in the jewelle emporioum branches’ till in the first month alone!

 

However, success does not always come without its little drawbacks….

 

One weekend just after term, a female university student hired on at the dress shoppe. This day she was an absolute vision, resplendent in a long flowing gown of satin and lace, wearing a rather regally shimmering diamond pendent with matching earrings and bracelet! Midway in into her shift, she waited upon a smartly attired long haired, mid aged lady in search of a long dress to wear at an affluently posh affair. As she tried on a satin number that made her look like a movie star (which she decidedly was not) the lady could not take her eyes off the clerks jeweles.

 

The clerk let her have a closer look and informed her exuberantly that they could be purchased at the Jewelle Emporium across the way, where there was a wide selection to be had for a stealing price…..!

 

The lady soon had a far off look in her eyes…

 

Apparently she was the ex-wife of some quite high ranking police official, having been replaced by a much younger version trophy wife some years before….. This lady, who, shall we say, had a grudge to bare, would certainly not be attending the wake of her ex once he passed on!

 

Holding up the diamond pendent to eye level, She began to tell the young, excitable clerk a story that would have the young student forever more keeping a keen eye about whenever out for a posh night of it……

 

Now, we are not sayin the tale below is loosely based on that chic shoppers’ story, but it definitely is not a story, if true, that the police would be willing to have tossed about in the publics’ realms …….

And one does not simply want to be accused of telling porkey pies, now does one?

 

 

Red Herrings :

Act One - Herrings best served cold

 

The Director, down from London, had done a good sell of his rather unique Idea.

 

The Bishop listened eagerly, not necessarily because he was as interested in the gentlemen’s request, as much as his Holiness was interested in the carrot that had been dangled, all £ 8000 pounds worth. All one was to do for it was just to allow the Director, his small camera crew and 3 actors to do a bit of test screen movie making.

 

Filming would take place at the Upper Eastminster Catholic Diocese’s Charities Ball , annually held at St Davids .. As it turned out, £ 8000 pounds was exactly the amount needed to do some majored repair work on the Cathedrals’ slate roof, so the Bishop agreed to give it a listen.

 

It would be quick, the Director assuredly promised, in and out, only about 90 minutes needed to film in 2 locations. A dance scene inside, and a tryst in the extensive gardens outside.

 

Not a naughty tryst, the Bishop asked, concerned about the church’s reputation. Not atoll the Director assured him, just a bit of light snogging with an embrace or two , no one’s clothes will come off in the process… Just think of the love scene in Casablanca, nothing more harmless than that will be filmed in the gardens I dare say!

 

Would the guests be put out? The Bishop asked, concerned because he knew that they would be paying out a lot for the tickets to attend the event. The good Bishop was reasonably concerned with losing an amount of profit equal to , if not greater than , the check the Director was dangling.

 

 

Nobody’s nose would be put out of joint, and the news of the filming may prove to be a great draw..The producer convincingly put the Bishops concerns at ease, almost like he was just as worried as his Holiness about losing money. But it was only a screen test, was it not? Was one question that was left unasked….so what money was the Director worried about?

 

 

All the guests had to do was ignore the filming as it was going on, although they could gather and watch off screen, and there would be also a £ 5 payout to anyone caught on camera as an extra, £15 per couple used on the dance floor … The Director added, trying to lay all further misgivings to rest.

 

 

His concerns finally nullified, The Bishop happily took the pre-offered check and gave his blessing to the producer and his good works.

 

 

Word spread, like wildfire around the Diocese, and soon the good Bishop had received an unprecedented number of reservations for the annual formal event, filling the large ballroom of St David’s to the max.. which was actually quite a feat in and of itself!

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

The evening of the ball was a warm autumn one, with a full moon promising to soon peek over the horizon. A weak gusting wind blew through, cutting down the light fog attempting to rise, and gently blowing the dresses and gowns of the female guest, like so many coulorful and shiny flags, as they excitably emerged from their Limos, Rolls and other rather pricy fancy sports automobiles.

 

 

The setting sun played of the jewels specially worn out for the occasion, creating a show of colourful sparks from the expensive pieces. For the wealthy guests had dressed to the dashing nines with regal displays of an almost absurd amount of jewels and expensive gowns brought out or brought for the occasion…. Not for the Charity Ball in as much as hopes of getting on cameras….

 

 

Soon the large Ballroom Chambre at St David’s was filled with guests; dancing, drinking and waiting hopefully for the evenings’ main entertainment to come soon.

 

 

They were late, almost nine before the filming crew, consisting of the Director, an assistant, his crew of two cameramen, and his 2 actors, (1 quite attractively attired and professionally made up Lady and 1 rather dashing male who looked quite a bit like a young William Powell ) waltzed in. The Ballroom was still filled, most guests waiting in eager anticipation for them to arrive.

 

 

A young priest with thick glasses met the Director and crew outs side as they arrived, thanking them graciously for the donation and the extra money earned through the publicity. He quite amicably chatted with the crew as they unloaded, following them back inside, before reappearing where a group of young ladies and woman had gathered around the rather handsome actor. Breaking through he took the actor by the arm and whispering in his ear, led him gratefully through the throng of dolled up females, and inside the chambre where the director was waiting. The actor thanked him, as all eyes were now upon him, with the level of chattering that could be heard in the background noticeably had risen when the actor had walked in. Taking his leave, the young priest slipped unnoticed disappearing into the background.

 

 

There was a lot of interest for the mulling crowd of sparkling well-heeled gusts as the filmmakers set up the 2 cameras around the dance floor.

 

The director go right to it.

 

A song was requested and the Director selected a large group of couples from the crowd to participate. Picking out a different group each time they replayed the same song between takes. Quite a few of the ladies he selected as dancers were younger, obviously single, and had to scamper about in a whirlwind of swishing gowns to collect men to dance with. This flurry of activity created a great source of amusement to the crowd whom had gathered around just to watch with upmost attention.

 

 

All eyes were upon the actor as he escorted the actress to the floor. The actors filmed several different dance scenes to the same song, in and out of the extras dancing on the same floor. Quite a few of the guests, against the Director’s admonitions, stole looks at the actor and his actress partner. But it was only for a screen test he reasoned, and let it go unchallenged, or reshot ….

 

 

Then, at the end, the Director asked for a young volunteer to dance with the actor, a semi well known man known for playing a supporting role on a new tele-drama.. A flurry of ladies raised their primly satin gloved hands(their dangling bracelets and rings sparkling like so many fireworks out of control) and finally , after much deliberation, the actor chose one, and they danced for almost twenty minutes in order to get the extra footage just right… The whole ballroom scene took about 80 minutes to shoot, the band played the same song almost 7 times through. But no one really noticed or cared, they were all so absorbed and caught up in the thrill of things that time, and most other distractions, went unnoticed.

 

 

Then came time to film the garden tryst, and the majority of the guests filed out and crowed together to watch the filming through breaks in the hedges. The scene was to take place in a far corner of the garden, next to an old ornate wrought iron gazebo that was the center point of the extensive gardens, both being some 300 years old. It took almost 90 minutes of shooting with the scene repeated several times with the actress meeting the handsome actor in three different takes on the same play…

 

 

To the discern of many of the young female guests, still gripped in the fanciful mood of the evening, and still quite drooling over the handsome actor so near, there was no asking for an amateur volunteer to shoot a kissing scene!

 

 

So it was now going on past midnight before they were finished filming the screen test. The camera crew started packing up, as the Director, actor and actress signed autographs. The young priest with thick glasses reappeared to hand out some tablets for the signatures, suggesting their use.

 

 

After this ritual was finished, the crew filed into the black van and a limo and left the gathering.

 

 

The crowd watched until the last tail light turned the corner than began to break up.

 

A few left for the evening, exhausted by the long night of it, and facing a dark drive home to their mansions and town houses.

 

But quite a few dispersed back inside for a final dance to properly end the quite exciting events of the evening ….!

 

Unbeknownst to them, the evening was quite far from being over !

 

End of Act 1

“Quand on rencontre un mystère, on croit généralement être scélérats cachés “

Author Unknown

 

To be Continued 😉

Done