The Last Don - Mario Puzo [19]
Melo Stuart’s greatest asset was his sincerity, he truly believed in what he sold, and he had believed in Athena’s talent even ten years before, when she was an unknown. He believed in her now. But what if he could change her mind and bring her back before the cameras? Surely that was worth something, surely that option should not be closed off.
“This is not about money,” Stuart said with passion. He felt a rapture for his own sincerity. “You could offer Athena an extra million and she would not go back. You must solve the problem of this so-called long-absent husband.”
There was an ominous silence. Everybody paid attention. A sum of money had been mentioned. Was it an opening wedge?
Skippy Deere said, “She won’t take money.”
Dita Tommey shrugged. She didn’t believe Stuart for a moment. But it wouldn’t be her money. Bantz simply glared at Stuart, who coolly kept looking at Marrion.
Marrion analyzed Stuart’s remark correctly. Athena would not come back for money. Talent was never so cunning. He decided to wrap up the meeting.
He said, “Melo, explain very carefully to your client, if she does not come back in one month’s time the Studio abandons the picture and takes the loss. Then we sue her for everything she owns. She must know she can’t work again for a major American studio afterwards.” He smiled around the table. “What the hell, it’s only fifty million.”
They all knew he was serious, that he had lost his patience. Dita Tommey panicked, the picture meant more to her than anyone. It was her baby. If it succeeded she would be among those directors who would be Bankable. Her OK could get a green light. Out of her panic, she said, “Get Claudia De Lena to talk to her. She’s one of Athena’s closest friends.”
Bobby Bantz said contemptuously, “I don’t know what’s worse, a star fucking somebody below the line or being friends with a writer.”
At this Marrion again lost his patience. “Bobby, don’t bring irrelevancies into a business discussion. Have Claudia talk to her. But let’s wrap this thing up one way or another. We have other pictures to make.”
But the next day a check for five million dollars arrived at LoddStone Studios. It was from Athena Aquitane. She had returned the advance money she had been paid to do Messalina.
Now it was in the hands of the lawyers.
In just fifteen years Andrew Pollard had built the Pacific Ocean Security Company into the most prestigious protection organization on the West Coast. Starting in a suite of hotel rooms, he now owned a four-story building in Santa Monica with over fifty permanent HQ staff, five hundred investigators and guards under freelance contracts, plus a floating reserve group who worked for him a good part of the year.
Pacific Ocean Security provided services for the very rich and very famous. It protected the homes of movie magnates with armed personnel and electronic devices. It provided bodyguards for stars and producers. It supplied uniformed men to control the crowds at great media events such as the Academy Awards. It did investigative work in delicate matters such as providing counterintelligence to ward off would-be blackmailers.
Andrew Pollard became successful because he was a stickler for details. He planted ARMED RESPONSE signs on the grounds of his rich clients’ houses that flashed in the night with an explosion of red light, plus he had patrols in the neighborhoods of the walled-in mansions. Careful in picking his personnel, he paid high enough wages so that they worried about being fired. He could afford to be generous. His clients were the richest people in the country and paid accordingly. He was also clever enough to work closely with the Los Angeles Police Department, top and bottom. He was a business friend of Jim Losey, the legendary detective, who was a hero to the rank and file. But most important, he had the backing of the Clericuzio