The Cinema of Lost Dreams Read online

  THE CINEMA OF LOST DREAMS

  Also by Alli Sinclair

  Burning Fields

  Midnight Serenade

  Under the Spanish Stars

  Under the Parisian Sky

  Novellas

  Dreaming of Spain

  Table of Contents

  Also by Alli Sinclair

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Acknowledgments

  THE CINEMA OF LOST DREAMS

  Alli Sinclair

  LYRICAL PRESS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  LYRICAL PRESS BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

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  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2019 by Alli Sinclair

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  First Electronic Edition: November 2019

  ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0918-0 (ebook)

  ISBN-10: 1-5161-0918-X (ebook)

  First Print Edition: November 2019

  ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0919-7

  ISBN-10: 1-5161-0919-8

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedication

  For my brother, Dave

  Chapter One

  1994 – Ashton, Queensland

  Claire Montgomery sank against the cushions of the rattan chair on the veranda of the Queenslander guesthouse. Her legs were weary, but her heart was full after a long day of filming. She gazed at the moon shining bright in the inky sky—the one constant in her hectic, nomadic life.

  Closing her eyes, Claire allowed the symphony of cicadas to lull her as she inhaled the magnificent scent of the myrtle nearby. Soon she could reward herself with a beach vacation in Bali—a stark contrast to her chaotic life in Melbourne. Not that she’d been in her hometown often since entering the film industry. These days, she spent a vast amount of time flying or driving, scouring the countryside for the perfect location for whatever TV show or movie she was working on at the time. One day, she’d secure the role she’d dreamed about since she was a child—a documentary producer—although this had proved harder than expected.

  Right now, though, she had to concentrate on the job she was hired to do, and so the long days of negotiating and troubleshooting whizzed by in a blur. She cherished this rare moment to get her mind and body ready for another day of filming Little Cinema, Big Dreams, a TV miniseries set in the 1930s that dramatized the life of architect Amelia Elliott. Getting permission to film in one of Amelia’s renowned Art Deco cinemas had cemented Claire’s position as location manager for Wattle Films. She’d just been promoted from location assistant and it felt like she’d finally taken one huge step up the rickety ladder she’d been clinging to the past three years.

  She sipped her ice-cold glass of chardonnay. The taut muscles in her neck finally relaxed.

  “Claire!”

  She jerked forward. Wine sloshed out of her glass and onto the floorboards. Peering at the figure in the shadows, she spotted her longtime friend from film school, Phil Aitkens. He’d been living his dream of becoming a well-respected cameraman, and she loved that they were working together on Little Cinema.

  Phil stood with his hands on his hips.

  “What is it?” She put down the glass and rubbed her eye.

  “You need to get your butt down here. Now!”

  “Huh?”

  “Nigel’s on the warpath!”

  “What for?” Claire grabbed her satchel and slung it across her body. So much for a night off. Clunking down the wooden stairs, she made her way to Phil. “What’s happened?”

  “You are never going to believe it.” He took off, and she had to rush to keep up. “Actually, you probably will.”

  “James has been boozing and started a fight?”

  “No, though it does have to do with our leading man.”

  “He’s been caught with his pants down?” She laughed but stopped when she saw Phil’s serious expression. “Who with? And why is Nigel in on it?”

  “Given that Nigel is the director and James is the actor, Nigel gets to stick his nose in whenever he wants. Especially when James gets caught having sex with Annalise, the cinema owner’s just-turned-eighteen-year-old daughter.”

  The tension that had slipped from her shoulders returned. “Oh no.”

  “Oh no, indeed. And the ten-year age difference doesn’t help.”

  Claire kept pace with Phil as they hurried toward the cinema. Even a block away she could hear a commotion of deep voices, and a high-pitched female one screeching indecipherably.

  As she drew closer, Claire noticed James slip away from the small cluster of mayhem and disappear into a dark alleyway.

  Tony Karter, the location assistant, stepped in front of her. “Nice mess, Montgomery.”

  “It’ll be fixed.” Claire went around him, then stopped. “Perhaps you’d like to offer a solution?”

  Tony shrugged, and it took all her willpower not to explode. Ever since she’d gotten the promotion over Tony, he’d had it in for her. Being location manager was hard enough without having someone like Tony trying to undermine her every move.

  Claire tried to shake off the negativity and approached Nigel, who clenched and unclenched his fists.

  “Montgomery, you need to sort this out. He’s threatening to pull out of the contract.”

  “The cinema owner?”
>
  “Who else do you think? You need to get him back on board.” He paused and peered at her over his glasses. “I don’t need to tell you the significance of this, do I?”

  Her jaw tightened. Negotiating came naturally to Claire, which is why she’d gotten the promotion. Already there’d been challenges in her new position, like making sure production staff didn’t damage property and securing all the right permits with local municipalities. But dealing with the irate father of a daughter who had succumbed to the charms of an international playboy was not an everyday affair—thankfully. “Where’s Robert?”

  Nigel cocked his head in the direction of the cinema owner, Robert Dennis, whose arms flailed as he yelled, “This is a disgrace!” A few feet away, his daughter Annalise sobbed in the arms of her mother. Camille Ford, the actress playing the role of Amelia, looked on, her expression one of helplessness. Tony sidled up to Camille and whispered in her ear. They both looked at Claire.

  Steeling herself, she approached Robert, who now stared at his feet.

  “Robert,” Claire said quietly. Then she cleared her throat and said a little louder, “Robert.”

  He looked up, his face creased with anger. “I trusted you.”

  “I’m sorry, I—”

  “Save your apologies. It’s over. I want everyone off my property and out of Ashton by the end of tomorrow.”

  “Robert, please—”

  “Forget it.” The streetlights reflected in his eyes. “She is eighteen. Eighteen. What does she know about the world? How could he do that to her?”

  Since James had broken up with his fiancée six months ago, he’d left a trail of booze and women in his wake. His agent and Nigel had thought working in remote Queensland might put James on the straight and narrow. So much for those grand plans.

  Robert rested his face in his hands.

  “Robert, I absolutely understand why you’d be upset—”

  “Don’t give me your understanding, just get the hell out of here.” His expression was set hard, his eyes unblinking.

  She drew a long breath. This was the part of her job she dreaded. “I really don’t want to remind you about the contract you signed—”

  “I don’t give a damn about the contract! You broke that contract when you let my daughter be dazzled and seduced by that playboy!”

  “Mr. Dennis, if we can just talk about this, find a way—”

  “I’m done talking.” He turned and stormed past his wife and daughter. Annalise’s mother followed him into the cinema while Annalise stood outside, her eyes puffy.

  Claire turned to her. “Are you okay?”

  “Everything’s been blown out of proportion,” Annalise said.

  “Just give your dad time to cool off. Maybe he’ll—”

  “I’m done for,” said Annalise. “Now he knows I’m not the virginal daughter he thought he had. He walked in when…” She gulped back a sob.

  “All fathers want to think their girls are pure, even if their daughter is forty.”

  Annalise sniffed. “I’ve ruined everything.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Annalise stared into the distance. “I’m not even his type.”

  “James’s?”

  “Yeah. We’re so different yet…” She shrugged. “We work, you know? I’ve never met anyone like him.”

  “James is a great guy, but he’s got a lot going on. I’m sure he wouldn’t deliberately hurt or upset you. It’s just—”

  “He’s been nothing but kind and sweet to me!” Annalise raised her voice, then softened it. “We’re in love.”

  Claire wanted to wrap her arms around Annalise, the young girl with stars in her eyes. Her life was so very different from James’s. She’d just finished school and was working in the cinema. James had been acting all over the world since he was fourteen. The pair were a complete mismatch, so how on Earth could they ever work as a couple? Claire prayed this wasn’t a one-sided love affair because if it was, poor Annalise was about to get her heart trampled on.

  “Annalise!” Robert stood in the doorway of the cinema. “In here! Now!”

  She gave Claire a sad smile, then hightailed it inside. The door slammed shut and the lights under the marquee turned off, leaving most of the street in darkness.

  Phil stood beside Claire and gently nudged her with his elbow. “Sorted?”

  “About as sorted as a bag of pretzels.”

  * * * *

  Claire gripped the steering wheel of the ute as she negotiated the winding road that took her out of Ashton and away from the small town’s unease. The beauty of the cane fields, towering eucalyptus trees and rolling hills did nothing to allay her rising anxiety. She’d done her best to negotiate with Robert Dennis, but he’d refused to give in. He didn’t care about the production company’s legal team threatening him, as his pride and willingness to fight for his daughter’s heart overrode everything else. Claire admired his resolve in trying to protect Annalise, but if he didn’t rethink things, he’d end up with nothing but the shirt on his back. He was a good man with a lovely family who deserved to catch a break. His cinema had been on the verge of closing until the production company hired it. A legal battle and knowing about his daughter’s torrid affair were the last things he needed.

  Nigel and the team had rearranged the schedule and started shooting scenes outside Ashton, taking James far, far away from Annalise and her irate father.

  She guided the vehicle north, hoping that each passing mile would lead her closer to a solution. But her belief that she could fix this problem dwindled dramatically as time wore on. If she couldn’t get a yes from Robert, then Plan B had to come through. If it didn’t, then…

  Her mobile phone rang, and she jumped. Would she ever get used to being contactable on the road? Although it was convenient not having to find public phone booths every step of the way.

  Pulling over to the side of the road, she answered.

  “Hello?” She was met with intense crackling. “Hello?”

  “It’s me,” Phil said through the noise. “Any luck?”

  “I’m ten minutes away.” Claire took a long swig from her drink bottle. “Please tell me you’re ringing to say Robert’s changed his mind.”

  Silence.

  “Phil?”

  A distant voice came down the line. “No chance.”

  She didn’t know why she’d thought it would be any different. “How’s Annalise?”

  “She’s fine. Furious with her father. Embarrassed.” Phil faded in and out. “Swears that she seduced James and not the other way around. I have a feeling it was fifty-fifty.”

  “But she’s okay? She’s not traumatized?”

  “She’s fine, don’t worry.” Phil paused. “I hate to say it, but everything is—”

  “Up to me, I know.” The incessant headache she’d endured for the past twelve hours reminded her exactly how dire this situation was. “So, none of the location scouts have had any luck?”

  Crackle. Crackle. Weren’t these mobile phones supposed to make her job easier?

  “Not a thing. It appears that the only other surviving cinema is the one in Starlight Creek.”

  “I’ll call you once I find it. Hey,” she said, “thanks for being such a great support.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? You spend all your time helping everyone else, it’s about time something went your way—I just hope it’s in time. Good luck!”

  “I’m going to need it.”

  * * * *

  The scent of eucalyptus flowed through the open window as Claire drove past trees and sugarcane swaying in the gentle breeze. A flock of bright green parakeets squawked as they flew in changing formation, dipping and rising across the clear sky. Stoic wooden Queenslanders sat back from the road, their beauty reminding Claire why she loved this region so much. The hot
and humid days were a stark contrast to Melbourne’s dry summers and cold, wet winters.

  She passed a beautiful old red-brick building that hinted at secrets behind its dark brown doors, while the next property had gigantic metal sheds that reflected the sun and dominated the landscape. A stench of burnt caramel filled the air as she crossed the rail tracks that brought cane from the farms to the mill.

  Farther down the road was the Starlight Creek township sign. It leaned heavily to the left, its paint peeling. The numbers stating the population had been spray-painted over with leave while you can. Any other time Claire would have found it amusing, but the current pressure had quashed her ability to find anything humorous.

  Her chest tightened, and the headache returned once more.

  Slowing the vehicle down, she drove through the main street, surprised at how run-down most of the shops and buildings appeared. The haberdashery store’s corrugated iron roof was rusted, and the materials in the window were faded floral prints. The newsagents had a Coca-Cola sign that looked like it was from the 1970s and the bakery needed a good slap of paint. She reached the end of the shops and did a U-turn, taking her time driving back in case she’d missed the cinema. Surely a cinema would stand out in a town like this. Where on earth was it? Had it been torn down like the others?

  Bright colors caught her eye and she pulled over, taken by a rainbow of ribbons, spinning mobiles and lush plants in ceramic pots. Claire got out of the car and looked for traffic. The road was deserted. She quickly crossed over to the shop and was immediately drawn to a collection of metal sculptures of native animals and bas-relief murals.

  Claire gently touched the gray, shiny metal, her fingers relishing the coolness.

  “They are spectacular, no?” asked a short woman with thick black hair. She stepped out from behind the counter and stood next to Claire. The woman gently touched a life-size wallaby. “Such talent.”

  “They’re incredible.” Claire had spent many hours wandering through galleries and art shops throughout Australia when traveling for work, but these sculptures were like nothing she’d seen before. It was as if the pieces had a living spirit. She could spend hours studying each groove, every curve…. What on earth was she doing? Since when did she have time to dawdle? Turning to the woman, Claire said, “I’m hoping you can help me.”