Lin LaSalle

By Langdon Pierce and Renn Rivers

     Tyler Reed would say that he was an up and coming actor, ready to hit the big time, like his friend, Nick Musgrave.  He might also say that he let Jillian, the love of his life slip away.  But all of that was for naught, when on the set of a Western movie, there was an earthquake and his life got turned upside down.    Somehow, he finds himself in the Southwest of 1882, on the floor of a saloon, accused of shooting a dead man and in the company of a gambler named Sam.  Not only that, he is mistaken for a well-known gunman, Lin LaSalle.  
     Confusing matters further, Tyler meets up with his best friend, Nick, who is known as Rooster Hayes, an outlaw, and his old girlfriend, Jillian, who is now Jewel.  Neither have his best interests at heart.  Further complicating things, he finds that he, as Lin LaSalle, has signed up for a Show Down to the Death in Goliad, New Mexico.  His opponent is none other than Sam, the gambler who saved his life in Red Rock and keeps him alive in the Old West.  And the man who has organized the Show Down is none other than King Cooper, the director on the set of the movie he was filming.  
     Tyler doesn't want to kill or be killed, he only wants to make it back to the 2020's.  Meanwhile, he finds himself falling in love with Tatia, an actress traveling with Sam and his wife, Katie.  
     How is he to get back to his future, while becoming more and more the gunman, Lin LaSalle?  And how can he do it without killing Sam?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Canyon Press
• Release date: Nov 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223417125

Book preview

Chapter One

Slamming the car door shut behind him, Tyler Reed ran up the steps to the terrace, then across the patterned tile to the house.  Before he got to the door, he leaned away and scanned the area.

Manicured grounds with lush greenery lined the driveway and hid the wrought iron fence along the road.  He’d used a code to open the gate and now, he would use another code to get into the house.

Looking upward, he took in the sight of the magnificent mansion his friend and fellow actor, Nick Musgrave called home.  Having had an architecture minor in college, Tyler felt a certain irony in the Italianesque terrace he crossed to the house, a two-story white painted brick Colonial with black shutters.  The multi-paned windows were from a three-hundred-year-old house in Massachusetts, an attempt by one of the owners to give the place an Early American heritage. 

A half dozen movie stars, many of them from the silent film era, had called the place home and much of the remodeling done through the years reflected their tastes.

Tyler punched in the code, heard the resulting chime, and opened the front door.  

You’ve sure done good, Nick, he murmured.

The flooring in the foyer was black and white tile, and the many prismed glass on either side of the door threw rainbow scarabs on it. 

Nick!  Jill!  Tyler called. 

He’d half-expected one or the other of them to appear or call out when the door alarm chimed, but as yet, the house was silent as he continued through the foyer.  He tried to step lightly because he was wearing cowboy boots and didn’t want to scuff the floor.

In here, Ty!  Jillian called out from the study.

Hearing her voice always put a smile on his face and he turned toward it.  To his way of thinking, Jillian was one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood.  She had once been his girlfriend, but after a spat that even he would call childish, she’d walked out.  A month later, his best friend, Nick, started dating her and it seemed serious.

The fact that they were all still friends and did things together was talked about in the tabloids every month.  Though Tyler had been friends with Nick since middle school, seeing Jillian with him was very hard to swallow.  Truthfully, he resented her easy transition to his best friend, and it was hard to accept.  Especially when Nick and Jillian were so deliriously happy together.  But he told himself he was working through it.

Walking down the corridor of floor to ceiling windows on one side and a wall of photographs of Nick with various actors and celebrities on the other, Tyler was surrounded by his friend’s success.

Sometimes, it got to be a little much.  Though Nick had surely earned all of it.  Tyler had to admit that it had been easier to be friends with Nick before he started winning awards.  Since they’d come up through summer stock and independent films together, Tyler had to endure continual comparisons from others as well.

But he and Nick had a history and he hoped they would have a future, even with Jillian in the picture.  Currently, his friend had the limelight, but he hoped that his turn would come.

As Tyler walked across the black and white tile floor, he was again amused at the combination of architectures.  Knock-off busts of Greek philosophers sat on marble pillars on either side of the corridor and as usual, he rapped his knuckles on the forehead of each one as he passed.

A pair of French doors stood open to the study, which had originally been a sunroom.  Two of the walls contained multi-paned windows along with a pair of French doors that led to the garden, all of which looked like they were from a Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant movie, which indeed, they were.  There was a wall of bookshelves behind the clear glass desk, a gift from a fan who happened to be a furniture designer.  The shelves were filled with books and awards, several of which could have been his.  At least to his way of thinking.

I’m so glad you made it, Ty, Jillian moved about the room, picking up various things and putting them in a courier bag.

Tyler’s attention was still on the awards and noted each one.  The one from Hell’s Fury, that was supposed to star himself, but Nick got the nod and also a Best Actor Oscar nomination.  From what he’d heard, the voting was close, but Nick had won, edging out two A-list actors.

I guess you made it, first, Tyler murmured, surveying the photos of his friend holding the Oscar.  But I’ll get there.  Wait and see.

His gaze moved on to the other awards.  How would it feel to win one, one day?  From the time they were in middle school, it had been their dream.  Nick had made it, Tyler hadn’t.  Yet.

Nick is beside himself, being called in to work today.  He hadn’t planned on it, at all.  Jillian went on, unaware of his thoughts.

Tyler walked forward to greet her, was about to kiss her cheek, forehead, top of her head, something, but she kept moving away from him.

We’re supposed to leave for Hong Kong tomorrow night, and I’ve got a lot to get done before then, she went on.

Then she stopped and looked at him.  Remember, we need to be on the set early tomorrow.  King Cooper is beside himself, wanting to shoot a new ending.

He was happy to hear of it.  Another day of work, on a movie he liked.  Work was good.  Paid the bills.  Besides, The Haunted Man was a Western and he liked Westerns. 

I just hope we get it done early tomorrow.  Jillian went on, even as she stopped and looked at him.  Did you ever wonder why we always refer to him as King Cooper?  Not King or Coop or something?

Nope.

I have.  She referred to the director, who himself had shelves full of awards.  King Cooper wasn’t Tyler’s favorite director, but at Nick’s insistence, he had hired Tyler for the latest in The Haunted Man trilogy.  It was a series about a gambler in the Old West named Raffles.  Nick played his son and heir apparent.  Tyler was third tier in terms of a speaking part, but at least, it was a part.  As usual, he did his best and hoped it led to more.

Of course, Jillian was in it, as a saloon girl.  A good saloon girl and true to one man, Nick’s character.

Tyler?  She asked him, aware that his attention had wandered.  Did you hear me?  I need your help.

He looked at her, once again aware that Jillian Justice was a beautiful woman.  Her green eyes were mesmerizing, there was no doubt about it.  As usual, she pushed her shoulder length naturally red hair behind her ears, but it always escaped.  He wanted to put it back for her, as he had when they’d been dating, but after their breakup, he kept his distance.

Yes, he replied.  Tyler looked around, picked up the Oscar for Best Actor, felt its heft, then put it back.  Same weight as the last time he’d handled it.  Then he picked up the Golden Globe award.  Just glad I can help, he told her.  What do you want me to do?

As if she’d forgotten he was there, Jillian looked up, momentarily confused.  It’s Sylvester.  I can’t find him.  Could you look for him?

Tyler’s glance scanned the area around them.  How did you find a white bird in a white room?

Closing the bag with a click of the clasp, the young woman smiled at him.  "I’m going to look upstairs.’

When she left, Tyler looked about the study once more.  A framed photo on the desk caught his attention.  There was Nick and Jillian, in Revolutionary War costumes, grinning at the camera.  He was holding her piggyback, revealing petticoats and her lower legs.  In the next moment, Nick would dump her in a haystack then fall beside her, both laughing heartily.  Tyler knew, because he’d been the one taking the photos.  And it was then that he’d known.  They were a couple and he’d lost her forever to his best friend.

Upstairs he could hear Jillian’s high heels tap, tap, tap as she went from the bedroom to the bathroom and back again.

Tyler sighed.  There was no going back over the past.  What was done was done and here he was, helping her find the bird he’d given her on their second anniversary.  He had expected that she’d give it back to him when they broke up.  However, they both knew she did a better job of taking care of him.  And he seemed to prefer her.  So, she got the bird.

Here Sylvester!  He called, softly.  Here boy! 

His boots scuffed on the white wooly rug beneath the desk.  Kneeling down, he looked more closely at it, as if he might find the bird in its depths.

While he was on his knees, he noticed the music coming from the speakers.  He hadn’t heard it earlier, but alone in the room, it was noticeable.

Eighties rock, Nick?  He rolled his eyes.  Glancing at the little white dome on one of the shelves, he said, "Alexa!  Play Tommy’s Girl."  That would get him into the 2020’s.

The music changed to rap, and he slowly started to get up off his knees.  For sure, there was no bird down in the rug, not that he’d expected him to be.  He just wanted Jillian to think he was looking.  Sylvester would show up when he wanted to show up.

As he got up off his knees, Tyler realized that he faced the screen of Nick’s laptop.  It was open, right in front of him, so of course, he looked at it. 

There was quiet upstairs, so he called softly, Sylvester!  Sylvester!  Meanwhile, his eyes did not leave the screen as he tapped the pad.  A list of emails appeared, and he quickly scanned them.  Some of the names were not a surprise, but one was.  King Cooper! 

The man was a legend in his own time.  He started out as a grip on a long running soap opera then did a few walk-on roles before becoming an assistant director then moving on to directing a few indie films.  When Tombstone Terror became a hit, he moved on to studio films, even to directing films nominated for Academy Awards two years in a row. 

Here he was, sending an email to Nick, asking him to consider acting in his latest production, Dash Crash.  Tyler’s heart thudded deeply in his chest as he continued to read.  Why hadn’t he asked Nick in person?  After all, he was the director of the movie they were working on now.  Was it to keep Tyler from knowing?  Or perhaps, to keep the tabloids from finding out.  Keeping information private was getting harder all the time.

Still, Tyler felt resentment.  Why hadn’t he been asked?  Cooper is offering the part of Ernie to Nick?  I didn’t think they were that far along. I thought he was still getting funding.  He pounded the desk, but softly.  It wouldn’t do to break it.  That should be my role!  I played it in high school!  Not only that, Zack Witt said he’d go to bat for me.  Zack had written the screenplay and said he’d push for Tyler to play Ernie.  He said I did the best of any.

Though he knew the vagaries of being an actor and the various alliances that were formed from one film to the next, it still hurt.  Somehow, he felt betrayed. 

The words coming through the speakers seemed appropriate, "lay down your money and you play your part.  Everybody’s got a hungry heart."

Thanks, Bruce, he muttered to the singer.  Somehow the music had gone back to 80’s rock.

The tap, tap, tap of Jillian’s boots sounded in the foyer and Tyler moved quickly to the drapes standing stiffly in the corner of the room.  They were only used when the sunlight became too much.  This time of year, however, they stayed corralled in the corner.  He looked through their folds, as if searching for Sylvester.

Very crisply, Jillian moved about the room, looking for something.  He didn’t think it was the bird.

"So, Jill.  What do you think about Dash Crash?  King Cooper’s latest film?"

She only paid half-attention to him as she went through a drawer.  Oh, I think it’s the next big thing.  Of course.  Because I’m in it!  And she gave a triumphant smile.

You are?  Perhaps an ex-boyfriend and now current friend didn’t get told these things.  Congratulations!

I’m playing Lola.  I’m going to love working with Cooper again.  He’s an actor’s director.

He thought she was putting it on a little thick.  Though he liked King Cooper’s style of directing well enough, he didn’t think he was so actor friendly.  Should he remind Jillian of the time Cooper had patted her knee when she was reading for Weapon of Choice?  It was the last movie she’d made before they broke up.  She always maintained it was a fatherly gesture because he was coaching her, but Tyler had his own thoughts about it.

Congratulations, he told her.  I’m glad you got the part.  He would be happy for his former girlfriend, even though he felt left out.  After all, it was an actor’s life.  Getting looked over for parts was a daily occurrence.

Thanks, Ty, she smiled at him.  Then she tilted her head in a way that made him wish they’d never broken up.  Do you know how glad I am that we can be friends?

Yeah, me, too.  If only she knew how hard it was to be friends and to know that she and his best friend were lovers.

I’m pretty happy about getting the role, Jillian continued the previous subject while looking through the drawer.  I’ve heard we start filming next month.  When Nick and I get back from Hong Kong.

That soon?  This was news to Tyler as well.  I thought they didn’t have a lead, yet.  Someone to play Ernie.  After all, that seemed to be what the email to Nick had been about.

I’m sure they’ll find someone.

So, you have your part.

Yes.  Another broad smile.  I auditioned three times.  Just found out I got it.  And I’m so grateful.  You know that Dad needs knee surgery.  I can help with that.

Tyler had met Jillian’s family at Christmas two years ago.  It had been a happy time and he thought having Mr. and Mrs. Justice as in-laws would be great.  I’m sorry about your dad.

Oh, he’ll get better.  I just know he will.

Well, congrats on getting the part.

Thank you!  She smiled again, then admitted, I have a dialect coach helping me.  You know.  With the dialect.

A thought came unbidden to him.  If she’d just remember his natural way of speaking, or Grandma Dyer’s speech when she’d gone with him to visit his folks in Kentucky, she wouldn’t need a coach.  But he pushed it away.  That was in the past.

Who do you think should be Ernie?

She shrugged.  It’s not up to me.  But if it were, of course I’d say, Nick.

Why Nick?  And why did he constantly ask questions whose answers would hurt?

Jillian tossed back her hair so that she could look at him.  Other than the fact that he is my boyfriend?  I think he’s a very good actor.  As do many others.  She glanced at the shelf of awards.

Yet, regardless of her words, he came close to her.  What about me?  Think I’d be a good Ernie?

She smiled and edged away.  I’m sure you would be, Ty.  But as I said, it isn’t up to me.

I used to be your boyfriend.

This time, Jillian took a full step away from him, but in doing so, dropped the pen in her hand.  She bent down to pick it up, just as he did the same.  Their faces were just inches apart.  Quickly, she straightened up and he did, too.  They were still close together.

You ever think about taking up where we left off?  Tyler’s eyes were on her mouth.

There was irritation in her voice.  No.  And Nick is your friend.  So, watch it.

Yet, it was as if he couldn’t help himself.  He put a hand behind her neck, so she couldn’t escape, and kissed her.  You know you miss it.

Instantly, she pulled away and slapped him.  What are you thinking, Ty?  Spinning about, she stormed out of the study, but a moment later, leaned in the door.  Find Sylvester!  Before she went but a few steps, she spun back around and leaned in again.  Remember to set your alarm!  We must be on the set at 5am!  Then, she was gone, her boots sounding more like a snap, snap, snap.  Or maybe a slap, slap, slap.

Putting a hand to his cheek, he glanced around the study.  He hadn’t planned the kiss, and he certainly deserved the slap.  Why did he keep doing things like this?  Anger flushed through him.  Alexa, play something else!

Over the speakers came another song, "people out there turning music into gold."

Great!  John Stewart!  And he was genuinely glad to hear it.  If you were going to listen to 80’s rock, you might as well make it California rock, was his thought.

Upstairs, Jillian’s heels tapped from room to room, reminding him of the chore she had given him.  Sylvester! 

As he glanced around the room, he noticed the laptop screen go dark.  Gently, he tapped on the touchpad, and it woke back up.  After a glance at the doorway, he began typing.

"Dear Mr. Cooper:

I am sorry to decline your offer of portraying Ernie Van Vliet in Dash Crash,

due to another project.  However, I happen to know that Tyler Reed is available and I

highly recommend him.  Perhaps we can work on another project at another time.

Thank you for your consideration,

Nick Musgrave

After reading it over, he sent the email.  Then, he went to the outgoing emails, found the email he’d just sent and hit delete.  Slowly, he closed the laptop.

Behind him, a bird chirped, and he turned to see Sylvester in the corner, on top of the drapes, his light gray feathers blending in with the fabric.

Going to him, he held out his finger and the bird jumped onto it.  Jillian!  He called.  I found him!

The next morning, Tyler was on the set, bright and early as expected.  Only, the morning was foggy or smoggy and they stood around, waiting for it to lift.  King Cooper was delayed and the assistant director, using Cooper’s checklist, set up the morning’s shoot.  Yet, they were not to film until Cooper arrived.  So, they waited. 

Tyler looked around the set of The Haunted Man.  Since it was about law and order in the Old West, they were in the Cowtown section of the studio backlot.  The principal actors were in Western dress, while the crew wore the more comfortable shorts and short sleeves.  But that was alright.  He felt comfortable in the clothes and boots, which he’d worn for six weeks before the shoot, for a more lived-in look.  The empty gunbelt around his hips almost felt a part of him as well.  He wouldn’t get the pistol until just before shooting the scene. 

All in all, he was well satisfied with his clothes, his character, and how he felt about his work.  It was good.  As if he was born for the part.

What’s the deal with the old music?  Tyler asked, surprised to hear Golden Earring’s song Twilight Zone coming from the speakers that surrounded the set.

You know I like 80’s music, Nick replied from where he studied his cell