The cold morning air condensed my breath when I stepped out of my car. In front of me towered the old Regal Theatre. The fog had slowed me down, but I still managed to arrive ahead of Tim and the demolition team.
I knew, twenty years ago, a fire broke out during the premier of the movie `Love Lost`. A major portion of the Regal Theatre and the owner`s office were burnt to ashes. The manager of the theatre, Bill, fled after the fire broke out. Newspapers reported Bill had issues with the owner, Jack Cooper, and the fire was an act of revenge. The cops kept hunting for Bill in every corner, but Bill was never found.
Suspiciously, the lead pair of `Love Lost`, Larry and Ann, were supposed to attend the movie that evening, but they went missing after the fire and were never ever seen again. The cops searched for them, but never found them or their bodies. Jack Cooper, the owner of the theatre and producer of `Love Lost`, cast away his interest in the theatre, after this incident. Regal never reopened after the fire.
Rumours spread, strange music and the sound of gunshots came from the vacant theatre at night. Over the years, it earned the reputation of being haunted and the property lay deserted. Finally, after twenty years Jack Cooper was forced to sell the property due to bankruptcy. The construction company that bought the property wants to demolish the old structure and rebuild a mall in its place.
Before Tim arrived, I took a walk to the entrance of the empty theatre. A man, I was not expecting, met me at the door.
"Welcome, I am Bill, the manager of this theatre."
I was taken aback at the sudden appearance of this anaemic looking man. His expression was flat, his eyes were mystifying.
"I thought you went missing?" I asked.
"I was always here." He said. "I`ll show you where."
I was unsure, but something strange made me follow him. I heard sounds coming from the theatre and looked at him questioningly.
"Love Lost is playing." He answered my unasked question.
"But the theatre has been closed for years."
The cold smile on his face ran a chill down my spine. He did not answer my question, instead, he opened the doors to the theatre and held them for me to walk inside. On the screen was the famous scene where Larry and Ann meet after a separation and they kiss each other passionately holding each other as if to never let go.
Suddenly the screen went blank and I was standing alone in the darkness wondering whether to stay or walk out.
"Watch the final act." Bill's whispering voice came from behind me.
The screen came to live again. I recognized the beautiful woman sitting in an office as Ann. She did not wear any make-up and looked distressed. A man sat on the edge of a desk in front of her smoking a pipe, the platinum ring on his finger was engraved with a JC. They were having a heated exchange.
"You were nothing, I made you a heroine investing a fortune. Now you act like a slut!" Jack Cooper shouted.
"You used my talent Jack and earned many times your investment. I am not your property. I love Larry and we want to be together. I`m finished with you; I`m done with all this." Ann attempted to leave the room.
Jack Cooper tried to make her sit and there was a struggle. He strangled her with the telephone cord when she fought back. Ann`s body slumped over in the chair.
Jack Cooper, exhausted from fighting Ann, sat in his chair looking at Ann`s still body in front of him, wondering how to get rid of it. Just then, Larry entered the office, "Ann, here you are!" When she did not answer, he ran over to check on her and found her dead. He looked at Jack Cooper, "You bastard! I`ll kill you!" saying this he pounced on Jack Cooper.
There was a scuffle in which Larry had Jack Cooper nailed on the table throttling his throat with one hand. Just then Jack Cooper managed to pull a gun from his desk drawer and fired one shot at his head.
Larry`s still body dropped on the floor, a pool of blood growing around him. Bill, hearing the gunshot, ran in and was surprised at the scene. Jack Cooper was still coughing from the choked throat but spun a story that Larry killed Ann during a lovers quarrel and shot himself.
"I will give you $5000, to help me clean this up."
Bill did not look convinced at Jack Cooper`s story, but the offer made him agree to wipe off the scene.
In the darkness, Bill and Cooper carried the two bodies through the back door of the office and dumped them into the unused underground water tank.
"Bill, is it properly done?" Cooper asked.
Bill bent down to check inside the dark tank.
"Sorry, Bill! Witness in the crime must be locked forever." Cooper said as he fired one shot in Bill`s head, pushed him into the tank and shut the heavy lid.
He came back to his office and sprinkled gasoline all around and set it on fire and waited to see the fire catching up before leaving through the back door. Nobody knew Cooper was in the Theatre on that day.
Tim called the cops when he saw my car and could not find me. They found me unconscious in the back of the theatre near the water tank. I do not remember how I reached there.
I still felt like I was in a dream. Tim`s voice brought me to the present. "Hey, the cops searched the dry tank and found some skeletons."
As I was carried to the ambulance, I heard a cop speak on the phone, "Keep a close watch on Jack Cooper, we have a lot to know from him."
****