where he usually hung out.
A grizzled, unshaven bartender emerges from the gloom and nods at him. Vic orders a beer—a Marble IPA—the only local brand they have. He then refers to his scrap of paper and asks the bartender a question.
The older man nods toward the back of the bar, and Vic heads in that direction, not catching the bartender’s shake of the head.
The back room is a maze of shadowy booths, lit by small candles set into niches in the wall. The candles can’t mask the scent of beer, sweat, and god knows what else.
Vic navigates toward a corner booth—set away from the others—where he sees a striking woman wearing a black leather jacket and dark glasses—and sporting white-blonde dreadlocks.
She ignores everything around her as she works on an iPad with long, perfect nails painted a silvery metallic color.
Not sure of himself, Vic takes a few steps toward the booth.
Without taking her eyes from the iPad’s screen, the woman beckons him closer with an outstretched finger.
Vic hesitates—but then moves toward her. “Ms. Montclaire?”
“Did you bring the phone?”
Vic laughs an uneasy laugh and sits down. “So much for pleasantries, I guess.”
“Uh huh. Let’s see it.”
Vic fishes in his jacket pocket and pulls out a battered, dirty iPhone in a thick pink rubber case. He slides it toward the woman as she lifts a small aluminum electronics case from the floor onto the table. He sneaks a glance at her. It’s tough to tell her age; she’s attractive in an artsy way. Handmade jewelry glitters on her fingers and wrists—and a tiny turquoise stud sparkles in her nose. Her voice is flat and commanding. Like she’s used to getting her way.
“And you haven’t turned the phone on?”
“Not since we talked.”
“Good.” She finally grins. But just barely.
22
Dr. Sophia Montclaire smiles at Vic, trying to put him at ease. This will go a lot easier if the guy is calm.
She opens her case, takes out a thick stack of hundred dollar bills, and casually tosses them on the table in front of Vic.
“Whoa—” He snatches the bills off the table, puts them on his lap, and glances around the bar to see if anyone noticed. No one has.
Sophia uses two small jeweler’s tools to pry open the iPhone case and begins to dismantle it, while Vic flips through the money.
“Who have you told about this?” she asks.
“No one. I swear. Just your buddy Magic Alex.”
Sophia favors him with another faint smile. “You got all the right answers tonight, kid. I’m impressed.” She pulls down her glasses to reveal catlike pale green eyes. “And you didn’t make a copy?”
“No way—” Vic answers quickly. Too quickly, in Sophia’s opinion.
As she talks, Sophia removes the phone’s flash memory unit and connects it to wires leading to a six-inch LCD video screen mounted inside the electronics case.
Vic gestures toward the money in his lap. “Hey, there’s double what you said here—”
“You complaining?”
“No, but—”
Sophia holds up a single finger again—to silence him—as she listens to an audio track coming from the case. She can barely hear it against the sounds of the bar.
Vic peers around to see what Sophia is looking at. On her video screen is iPhone video footage of a high school couple goofing around on a hike.
“It’s the last clip…” he says.
Sophia fast-forwards through the video until she gets to the last clip.
In the foreground of the video is part of a hand—just a few fingers outstretched and not moving. In the background is what looks to be a very large lizard advancing toward the hand. Suddenly the lizard lunges and the screen goes to static.
Sophia snaps the case shut. No expression on her face.
Vic leans in. “So, you going to tell me what the hell that was?”
Sophia smiles again—her biggest of the evening. She visibly relaxes. “It was a scene from a movie they were shooting in the mountains. Happens all the time.”
“A movie?”
“Yeah. Either a crew member or some passerby gets some unauthorized footage. Next thing you know it’s on the Internet months before the movie comes out. Spoiler alert! My PR firm specializes in plugging these kind of leaks.”
“You’re a PR person?”
“Just like Samantha in Sex in the City.”
Given New Mexico’s reputation as a mini-Hollywood with a dozen big films shooting in the state every year, Sophia knows Vic will buy this story. She turns her iPad toward him. On the device’s screen is a topographical map of the Sandia Mountains.
“How about you show me exactly where you found the phone—”
Because Sophia and Vic are focused on the map, neither notices a shadowy figure who has taken an interest in what’s going on in their booth.
###
THE MYSTERY CONTINUES IN PART 2 OF
SHADOW OF THE LIZARD
Watch the Short Film “The Hike” for Free
Dear Esteemed Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of SHADOW OF THE LIZARD. Some of the events in this part of the novel appear in my short film “The Hike,” which is available when you sign up for “Fans of Enchantment”—my free email newsletter. Subscribers to the “Fans of Enchantment” newsletter will also get bonus content, sneak peeks, and updates on the Land of Enchantment series. I respect your privacy and value your goodwill, so I will never spam you or sell your email address to anyone (including any mysterious cabals). You can also unsubscribe at any time with a click.
To get started and view the short film “The Hike,” please visit:
www.landenchantment.com/fans
Note that the URL is landenchantment.com—with no ‘of’ in there. You can also scan the QR code below with your mobile device for a direct link.
Watching “The Hike” will in no way spoil your enjoyment of the rest of SHADOW OF THE LIZARD, but it may help you picture the environment of the Sandia Mountains—as well as some of the characters. I’m very proud of the film and hope you like it too.
best,
Randy Nargi
Albuquerque, NM, USA
P.S. I’d love to hear from you.
Land of Enchantment web site: landenchantment.com
Facebook: facebook.com/shadowofthelizard
Twitter: @mailboxblack
About the Author
Randy Nargi is an award-winning writer and film director who lives in New Mexico with his wife (and frequent collaborator), actress Jessi Badami. Mr. Nargi received his BA in Literary Writing from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is a former technology entrepreneur and advertising executive who grew up in New York and has lived in London and Seattle.
About the Editor
Barbara Bigelow has been polishing prose since 1988. She holds a BA in English and an MA in teaching, both from the University of Michigan. Her last trip to Albuquerque was far too short. Barbara’s web site is: bbigeloweditor.com
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