"But not yesterday?"

Charlene shook her head. "She had a secret, and she wasn't going to tell me. I couldn't worm it out of her."

"She was there, I think. She must have seen what happened."

"If I were you, I'd be worried."

"I am."

"What's your next move?"

"I don't know. We could depose her, get her under oath."

"Why?"

"The idea is to find out what the prosecution witness knows."

Charlene sighed. "The problem with that, Stone, is you don't want want to know." to know."

She had a point, he thought.

Stone got back to the studio bungalow a little before eleven. Louise Bremen, from the studio secretarial pool, was at Betty's desk. "Good morning," she said, handing him a phone message. It was from Dino, and the return number was at the Calder guesthouse.

"Good morning," he replied, pocketing the message.

"Oh, you've spilled something on your jacket," Louise said.

Stone had forgotten about the gazpacho from the night before.

"Take it off, and I'll send it over to wardrobe for you; they'll get the stain out."

"Thanks," Stone said. He went into the bedroom, took off the jacket, and put the Walther and its holster into a drawer. Then he took the jacket back to Louise. "Have we heard anything from Dolce Bianchi?"

"Not a peep," she replied.

"Good." He went into the study and called Dino.

"h.e.l.lo."

"Hi."

Dino spoke softly, as if he didn't want to be overheard. "Let's meet for lunch," he whispered.

"Okay, come over here, and we'll go to the studio commissary. Borrow a car from Manolo; he'll give you directions."

"In an hour?"

"Good." They both hung up. Stone buzzed Louise and asked her to arrange a studio pa.s.s for Dino.

Dino was introduced to Louise, then Stone showed him around the bungalow.

"These movie stars live pretty well, don't they?" he said.

"Better than cops and lawyers."

"Better than anybody. That guesthouse we're staying in is nicer than any home I've ever had."

"The pleasures of money."

"I'm hungry; let's eat. We can talk over lunch."

Stone drove him slowly through the studio streets, pointing out the exterior street set and the sound stages.

"It's like a city, isn't it?" Dino said.

"It has just about everything a city has, except crime."

"Yeah, that happens in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills."

Stone parked outside the commissary, which was a brick building with a walled garden. Stone showed the hostess his VIP studio pa.s.s, and they were given a table outside, surrounded by recognizable faces.

Dino took it all in, pointing out a movie star or two, then they ordered lunch.

"All right, what happened after I left last night?" Stone asked.

"Not much. What could compare to the scene just before you left?"

"What was Dolce doing there?"

"Mary Ann invited her, with Arrington's permission. It was an innocent thing on both their parts, I guess."

"How innocent could it be? Mary Ann was in Venice; she knew everything."

"She thought Arrington knew everything, too. You didn't tell her?"

"I hadn't found the right moment," Stone said.

"She was pretty upset after you left, even though she tried not to show it. I tried to smooth things over, but she wouldn't talk about you."

"I've never been double-teamed like that," Stone said.

"I felt sorry for you, but there was nothing I could do. You're going to have to find some way to square things with Arrington."

"As far as I'm concerned, the ball's in her court. I was ambushed, and I didn't like it."

"That wasn't her intention, Stone."

"Maybe not, but the result was the same."

"Fortunately, Dolce left when you did. Did you go together?"

"No, I outran her."

"You can't run forever."

"What else can I do? You can't talk to her like a normal human being. I've got Marc Blumberg working on an Italian divorce."

"I have a feeling this is not going to be as easy as divorce."

"Funny, I have the same feeling," Stone replied.

When they got back to the bungalow, Louise came into the study. "Lou Regenstein's secretary called. Lou would like you to come to an impromptu dinner party he's giving for some friends at his house tonight. He says to bring somebody, if you'd like. It's at seven-thirty." She laid the address on his desk.

"Let me make a call," Stone said. He found the number for Charlene's RV and dialed it.

"Hey, sugar," she said. "How you feeling?"

"I think I've recovered my health. Would you like to go to a dinner party tonight?"

"Sure, but I won't be done here until six-thirty or seven."

"Have you got something that you could wear? We could leave from here."

"I've got just the thing," she said. "I wore it in a scene this morning."

"Pick you up at the RV about seven-fifteen?"

"Seven-fifteenish."

"See you then." He hung up. "Call Lou's secretary and tell her I'd love to come, and I'm bringing a date."

Louise went back to her desk to make the call.

"Who's the date?" Dino asked.

"Charlene Joiner."

Dino's eyebrows went up. "You kidding me?"

"Nope," Stone replied smugly. "She's a new friend."

"One of these days, you're going to screw yourself right into the ground," Dino said.

Forty-seven.

CHARLENE KEPT STONE WAITING FOR ONLY FIFTEEN minutes. When she emerged from her dressing room she was wearing flowing cream-colored silk pants and a filmy patterned blouse. Stone noticed in a nanosecond that the blouse was so sheer that nipples were readily in view.

"So that's that's what L.A. women wear to dinner parties." He laughed, kissing her. what L.A. women wear to dinner parties." He laughed, kissing her.

"They do if they have the right equipment," Charlene replied, wrapping a light cashmere stole around her shoulders.

"You're going to be very popular tonight," Stone said.

"With the men, anyway. Whose house are we going to?"

"It's a surprise."

"I love a surprise," she said, settling into the car. "This is Vance's car, isn't it?"

"It is. I borrowed it."

"Such an incestuous town," she said.

With Charlene's help he found the house, or rather, estate, in Holmby Hills. Stone was beginning to believe that everybody in L.A. lived on four or five acres. He stopped in the circular driveway, and a valet took the car. As they approached the house, the front door was opened by a butler, and they stepped into a large foyer. From across the living room beyond, Lou Regenstein headed toward them.

"Oh, my G.o.d," Charlene said under her breath.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you later," she whispered.

"Stone!" Lou cried, his hand out. "And Charlene!" He looked a little panicky. "What a surprise!"

"For me too, Lou," she replied, accepting a peck on the cheek. She whipped off the stole, handed it to the butler, and swept into the room at Stone's side, her back arched, b.r.e.a.s.t.s held high.