Page 16 of Knocked Up by Mr. Grump Lawyer

“Maybe another time,” I said. “We’re already here.”

The compound was massive, with a large parking area, several buildings, an open field, and some warehouses.

We told the guard that we were from Lee and Emery Law Firm and we were meeting the owner, Mr. Miller. After someone guided us to a parking slot, we were given welcome drinks and snacks in the lobby. Then we were led to a huge luxurious office on the top floor of one of the buildings.

Mr. Miller was already in his sixties but still looked healthy, handsome, and fit. I remembered seeing him in some of the reruns I’ve watched on TV. Even though he wasn’t active as an actor anymore, he’d built this company to become quite popular and profitable.

Fantasy Flicks was well-known worldwide for providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences to those who wished to get immersed in particular movies — as the lead actor, part of the crew, or just an audience. They usually hired real-life celebrities to act out some roles in the scenes they reenacted from movies.

The meeting went very well. Mr. Miller was quite pleasant despite the severity of his concern.

“Isn’t Don Belmont from a well-off family too? Old money, as I understand?” I asked with curiosity. “Why did he work here and run that scam?”

Mr. Miller shook his head in disbelief as he recalled the events. “I often played golf with his father. Bernard would usually complain about his kid Don, who sounded like the family's black sheep. So he asked for a favor to get Don trained here because the kid seemed interested in becoming an actor and a director…”

He described how Don had shown potential in acting and even as a director. He also developed leadership skills and became more responsible as time went by.

“But then…” Mr. Miller continued his recount. “He got involved in fights with various people, sometimes even guests. We had to let him go. His father understood, but Don took it really badly. I guess he wanted revenge and the money from the scam.”

“But doesn’t he have a huge inheritance?” Robert wondered.

Mr. Miller shrugged. “I’m not so sure what happened between him and his dad. Maybe his father refused to give him money because of what happened.”

Robert and I looked at each other. That made sense, indeed. He definitely had a motive.

Eventually, the meeting concluded. Mr. Miller thanked us and offered a free tour of the grounds. “You can check out the sets and productions,” he said. “There’s even a show that’s about to begin. I’ll have my assistant accompany you.”

His assistant was a young man who turned out to have the looks of a Hollywood actor too. And he kept on flirting with me throughout the tour, which seemed to annoy Robert.

“I think we can take it from here,” Robert suddenly butt in while the assistant was explaining about one of the sets located inside a building. “We can find our way back.”

“We can check out the Titanic set in the warehouse,” he suggested. He obviously wanted to stay with us. “You’ll love our realistic-looking ship. Someone there can show you how they do the graphics and effects.”

“Wow, I’d love to see it!” I said ecstatically. “Atty. Emery said we don’t have to go back to the office anymore, right?”

Robert nodded and smiled. Then turning to the assistant, he dismissed him again.

I grinned.He’s acting like a jealous boyfriend, I thought. It was heartwarming.

We went on our way toward the warehouses, discussing the details of the case while there was no one around.

“Maybe this is it,” Robert said, pointing to the nearest warehouse. The surroundings were quiet.

“It seems to be empty,” I said. “There’s not even a car in the parking area.”

“Well, let’s check it out,” he said. To my surprise, he took my hand and pulled me toward the large warehouse. My heart began racing once again.

From the outside, it looked like any normal storage facility. But once we got inside, we were blown away.

The large space with the high ceiling had two movie sets. One side had been designed like a real garden with a lovely picnic set up in the center, surrounded by a bunch of colorful flowers. On the other hand, the other side was like the interior of a sixties diner with red and white decor and many movie posters on the walls. There was even an old jukebox!

“Whoa!” Robert exclaimed, looking around and admiring the two completely different man-made settings. Even the ceiling had been painted like a bright blue sky. It looked amazingly real.

“This is so cool,” I whispered.

“Is there anyone here?” Robert wondered then. “Hello? Anyone?”

His voice reverberated a little. The place looked empty.

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