“He wasn’t a nice man, Mace. Lots of people on this set could have wanted to kill him.’’

“It’s weird, Savannah. When I try to think about which of these stars might have done it, it’s hard for me to see them as real people. I keep getting them mixed up with their public images.’’

Those larger-than-life movie posters in Tilton’s trailer ran like a slideshow behind my eyes. I blinked them away.

“I know what you mean,’’ Savannah said. “I’ve been part of the industry for a long time; now mostly by marriage. But when I look at Toby, for example, I see him the way he’s usually cast: a troubled boy turning into a man, who always ends up doing the right thing.’’

“Right,’’ I said. “I saw him just like that, playing a part in a TV show where he was in a juvenile detention center. He ended up saving a younger kid from a brutal guard.’’

“Locked Up,’’ Savannah said. “What’s Kelly Conover’s image?’’

“Fragile, but with deep reserves of inner strength,’’ I supplied.

“Exactly. Like the beaten single mother who had to track down the molester who kidnapped her daughter.’’

“The Screwbox,’’ I easily filled in the title, even though I’m not as big a movie buff as Mama and my sisters. “How about Jesse?’’ I asked her.

Savannah’s pretty face darkened. “Jesse’s got a big problem. No one even remembers she was a talented young actress once. All the public sees is her climbing out of a car without undies, or shoving drunkenly at the paparazzi as she stumbles out of some nightclub.’’

“You know, Jesse’s a lot smarter than she lets on.’’ I told Savannah about Jesse’s father, the emergency room doctor, and the girl’s own medical expertise.

“You’d never know it. Jesse better figure out whether she wants to be Jodie Foster or Lindsay Lohan.’’ A brief flash of anguish crossed Savannah’s face. “Jesse told Paul she wanted this role to help her get back to practicing her ‘craft.’ I hope she can do that, become a respected actress again.’’

I wondered about that flicker of pain. Had Savannah once had her own Hollywood dreams?

“Did you ever want to be an actress?’’ I asked.

“Hell no!’’ She chuckled. “I’d rather die than drag my ass down a red carpet.’’

“What about Tilton? Did he want this movie for the same reason as Jesse? Did he want to stretch as an actor?’’

“No, it’s simpler for him. He needs a hit.’’

“Barbara doesn’t think it will be a hit,’’ I said. “She also said Tilton’s not happy that Toby’s getting more and more screen time.’’

Savannah shrugged, raked her fingers through that glossy hair. “That’s the business, Mace. Movie stars age in dog years. And there’s always another young pup barking at the old dog’s heels.’’

“But Tilton is a legend. He’s saved the world in about a million different ways. The guy is always the hero.’’

Savannah clucked her tongue, just like Mama does. “C’mon, honey, you aren’t that naïve, are you? You do know that real life is nothing like the movies, right?’’

A ring of masked bandits surrounded Kelly Conover and Greg Tilton. The thieves were insistent, demanding the two stars hand over the good stuff.

Tilton tossed an apple slice at one of them.

Kelly squealed. “Ohmigod, how cute is that?’’

“That little guy should go out for the Yankees,’’ Tilton said.

Sitting back on its hind legs, a raccoon had snagged the snack in a front paw, like Cal Ripken Jr. at shortstop. He’d already polished off that slice, and was angling for another one. I’d seen enough.

“Those are wild animals, not pets.’’ I could hear the lecturing tone in my own voice, but I didn’t care. “You two are turning them into beggars.’’

“Oh, but look how sweet they are! See their little black masks?’’ Kelly asked.

“Yeah. They’re wearing them because they’re embarrassed. Raccoons are only a step up from rats. Keep giving them food, and they’ll have all their buddies swarming the place before you can say ‘suckers.’’’

“You’re nothing like a rat, are you, buddy?’’ Tilton threw another piece of apple.

With a threat of rain in the air, I’d been taking a wooded shortcut to check on the horses in the corral. I came upon the two stars and their pack of raccoons in a clearing. Like everyone I ever caught at Himmarshee Park trying to feed the alligators or any other animal, Kelly and Tilton wanted to convince me they weren’t doing any harm.

“It’s just a few pieces of fruit,’’ she said. “No big deal.’’

“It is a big deal,’’ I said. “Wild animals are meant to forage for natural sources of food, not depend on humans for hand-outs. You’re making them dependent, and also taking away their fear of humans. That’s not good for people, or for the animals.’’

“Who made you boss of the forest?’’ Tilton asked, crossing his arms. Kelly giggled.

I was going to scare them with a story about a seventy-four-year-old woman in Lakeland, Fla., who’d been mauled by a gang of wild raccoons. All she’d tried to do was shoo them from begging for food at her front door. I was distracted, though, by a quick flash of pink and a blur of movement through the woods.

Peering into the trees, I saw the tall, good-looking guy who had tried to calm Kelly after Mama and I discovered Norman’s body.

He crouched, and watched us from the shadows. Apparently he didn’t realize his bright pink shirt made him easier to spot than a city slicker at the rodeo. When he saw me staring, he stood up and emerged from the trees into the clearing.

“I heard arguing,’’ he said. “Is everything all right, Kelly?’’

Tilton’s mouth tightened. “Everything’s under control, Sam.’’

“I’m fine, sweetie.’’ Kelly gave him a warm smile. “We’re just getting yelled at about how we’re destroying all of the outdoors by feeding a couple of pieces of fruit to a few raccoons.’’

“Just watch,’’ I said. “This handful here will turn into a crowd by tomorrow. By the next day, it’ll be a mob. You’ll wish you’d never seen their little masked faces.’’

Sam didn’t say anything. His eyes bored into Tilton. The star took an uneasy step away from Kelly, putting some space between them.

Brushing some dirt off a fallen pine tree, Kelly sat. “What are you working on?’’ she asked Sam.

“Not much, yet. Between the weather and … well, what happened … Paul’s only been able to shoot a few scenes. There’ll be some good stuff from that scene Johnny Jaybird shot, though.’’

“How is Johnny?’’ I asked.

All three of them turned to me, blank looks on their faces.

“As a director?” Tilton asked.

“Noooo, as the victim of a gunshot.’’ These Hollywood people were too much. Unless something directly involved them, they weren’t interested.

“Oh, yeah. Of course,’’ Kelly said. “He’s doing well, thank God. They say he’ll only be out a couple of days.’’

“So Jesse was right when she said it was just a flesh wound. He’s lucky,’’ I said.

She shrugged, and tossed one of the raccoons a slice of the orange she was eating. Tilton laughed, and gave her arm a playful jab. “You’d better watch out. Mace is going to take you to the woodshed.’’

I glanced at Sam. Brow furrowed, body tense, he looked like he’d like to launch Tilton to that same woodshed from the end of one of his clenched fists. Kelly’s gaze followed mine.

“Sam, I missed lunch. Would you be a sweetheart and go back to my trailer and make us something? I’ll meet you there in a little while.’’

Sam smiled at her. “You’re hungry?’’

“Starving!’’

“That’s a good sign. I’ll grab some stuff from craft services. How about one of my famous cheese and veggie wraps?’’

“Yum, yum, yum.’’ Kelly licked her lips. Both men stared at her tongue.

As Sam went off down the trail, she called after him. “Don’t forget to use low-fat cheese. And put the sugar-free salad dressing on the veggies, okay?’’