Bel-Air Dead (17 page)

“Would she sell at the right price?”

“I don’t know, really, but I do know that she enjoys visiting her property in Bel-Air, and since she has no need of the money, I’m uncertain what her reaction would be.”

“All right, then,” Prince said, “let’s see if we can move this along. Please convey to your client that I will pay her two hundred million dollars for her property,
and
I will build her a house of her own design on the property that she may occupy for her lifetime, with full hotel services provided.”

“Provided at no cost to her?” Stone asked.

Prince bit his lip. “All right, all services provided at no cost to her.”

“Well,” Stone said, shrugging, “next time I speak to her, I’ll mention your interest and see what she has to say.”

Prince looked irritated. “I would appreciate it if you would make it your business to convey my offer to her at the earliest possible moment, certainly no later than close of business on Monday. And please tell her that I wish my offer kept in the strictest confidence until such time as I wish to announce the acquisition permanently.”

“I don’t think you want to press her,” Stone said. “Mrs. Calder is a woman who does not respond well to pressure.”

“Of course not,” Prince said.

“I should also tell you that I believe strongly that your pursuit of Centurion Studios would be a serious impediment to her consideration of your offer.”

“
What?
”

“Both Mrs. Calder and her late husband have had a great affection for their association with Centurion, and she would be extremely reluctant to do business with someone who threatened the existence of the studio as it now is presently constituted.”

“My offer does not involve Centurion in any way. These are two separate transactions.”

“Mrs. Calder won’t see it that way,” Stone said. “Shall we just forget this conversation?”

“Please convey my offer to her as it now stands,” Prince said. “And call me when you’ve spoken to her.”

Stone shrugged. “If you wish,” he said, “but I’m not optimistic about this.”

“Perhaps she can learn to be optimistic about two hundred million dollars and a free house.”

“Speaking of houses,” Stone said, “when are you planning to move into your new Virginia residence?”

“I was planning to move in immediately,” Prince said, “but I now understand that there is a problem in the house with raccoons and bats.”

“I believe she stated that on the disclosure form,” Stone said, “and she told me she also mentioned it to you personally.”

“I did not think she was serious,” Prince said frostily. “Good day.”

And he marched out of the house, followed by his armed retinue.

35

The pianist returned to his work, and Stone moved out of the corner and back into the thick of the party.

Jack Schmeltzer, his host, reappeared. “Why don’t we step out onto the deck for a moment?” he said to Stone.

“Of course,” Stone replied. They moved through the French doors and onto the now-empty expanse of teak overlooking the Pacific.

“I know, of course,” Schmeltzer said, “of the controversy over the sale of part of the Centurion property.”

“I suppose word has gotten around,” Stone said.

“I invited Terrence Prince here this evening to get a close look at him. We don’t move in the same circles.”

“I’m not sure what circles Mr. Prince moves in,” Stone said, “though I did notice that he brought more than himself to your dinner party.”

“Yes, he told me they are all ex-Secret Service agents.”

“Did he mention why he felt he needed that sort of security?”

“I asked him that,” Schmeltzer replied, “but he was evasive. Quite frankly, from what I’ve been hearing, there are people around who need protection from Prince. Are the rumors true?”

“I’m not entirely certain which rumors you’re referring to,” Stone said. “Can you be more specific?”

“The rumors about Jennifer Harris and Jim Long.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard those particular rumors, too,” Stone said. “I’m inclined to give them a certain degree of credibility.”

“You know,” Schmeltzer said, “I knew Vance Calder pretty well; I produced three pictures with him, and I liked him a lot. If Vance were still alive, I would be on his side of this deal.”

“How do you feel about his widow?” Stone asked.

“I’ve met her once, and she was charming, but I don’t really know her.”

“I see”.

“I’ll tell you this, though: having now seen Mr. Prince up close, I like Arrington Calder more than him.”

“Are you a shareholder, Jack?”

“I own fifteen thousand shares.”

“Are you interested in selling them?”

Schmeltzer gazed out to sea. “What do you hear from Jim Long?” he asked.

“I hear he’s in and out of consciousness but not well enough to make a business decision.”

“And you need his shares for a majority?”

“That’s correct.”

“Do you know the reason for this dinner party, Stone?”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“I opened a picture last weekend,
Window Shade
.”

“I hope it’s doing well.”

“It brought in sixty-five million dollars domestic for the weekend. It’s the biggest hit of my career, and I think it’s going to have legs both in this country and around the world.”

“I congratulate you.”

“I made that picture at Centurion for a third less than it would have cost to produce at a major, and it’s going to make me rich beyond my fondest dreams.”

“I congratulate you again.”

“The fact is, when I agreed to sell my shares to Prince, I did it because I needed the money to make my next film. Now I don’t need the money.”

“And?”

“I won’t sell Arrington my shares, but I’ll vote with her and Rick Barron against the sale.” Schmeltzer offered his hand. “You have my word on it.”

Stone took his hand and shook it warmly. “Thank you, Jack. That means that Centurion is going to be the studio you’ve always known, both for your next picture and the one after that, and for a long time to come.”

Schmeltzer smiled. “Let’s go get some dinner.”

They walked back into the living room where a line was forming for a huge buffet at one end. Stone found Charlene. “Hungry?” he asked.

“Always. How did you and Jack get along?”

“Famously,” Stone replied.

“Is he on board?”

“I believe he is.” Stone looked at her. “Did you have anything to do with his change of heart?”

“Well,” she said, “this afternoon I fucked his brains out.”

Stone burst out laughing.

Dino and Hetty joined them in the buffet line. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Tell you later,” Stone replied.

“You look awfully relaxed,” Dino said.

“I think I’m more relaxed than at any time since we arrived in this town,” Stone replied.

Dino looked at Hetty. “I’m planning to get more relaxed myself.”

The four of them sat at Charlene’s breakfast table the following morning.

“Feeling relaxed, Dino?” Stone asked.

“You bet your ass,” Dino replied, and the women laughed.

Stone’s cell phone buzzed, and he stepped out of the room to take the call. “Hello?”

“Stone, it’s Harvey Stein; Jim Long is conscious, and his doctor says he’s going to make a complete recovery.”

“That’s s good news, Harvey. Thanks for letting me know.”

“I’m going to wait a day or two before asking him to sign the documents and transfer the shares. I want to be sure that he’s right on top of things before such a big move.”

“That’s fine with me, Harvey; we’re not so much under the gun now.”

“Why is that?”

“We’ve rounded up another fifteen thousand shares to vote with us.”

“Do you still want to buy Jim’s shares?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Well, that’s a relief; he certainly needs the money.”

“Has anything developed on the case against him?”

“I’m going to use his condition to try and get him bail, so he can recuperate at home. And once the prosecutor hears he’s in the money again and can fight back, I think I can get the case dropped. They’re really after Barbara Eagle.”

“I understand, and I wish you luck. Let me know when Jim has completed the sale, and I’ll get the funds wired.”

“Thanks, Stone.” They both hung up.

Stone called Rick Barron and gave him the news about Jack Schmeltzer’s decision to vote his shares against the sale.

“What a relief!” Rick said. “This has been a real roller-coaster ride; what else can happen?”

“Don’t ask,” Stone replied.

36

Stone was driving back to the Calder house when his phone buzzed again. He stopped at a traffic light. “Hello?”

“It’s Carolyn Blaine; where are you right now?”

“At Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset,” he said.

“Can you meet me at a coffee shop in fifteen minutes?”

“Where?”

She gave him the address. “It’s near my office.”

“I’m on my way.” He hung up and turned left on Sunset.

“Who was that?” Dino asked.

“Carolyn Blaine.”

“What did she want?”

“She wants me to meet her in fifteen minutes. She’s nervous about talking on the phone.”

Stone drove to the address in Westwood and parked the car. “I’ll leave the a/c on for you,” he said to Dino, then got out and walked into the coffee shop. Carolyn was already at a table.

Stone sat down, and they both ordered coffee. “What’s up?” “I should ask you that,” she said. “Terry has gotten very edgy and prickly, too.”

“Why?”

“For some reason, you really get to him. Every time he sees you he comes back fuming. It’s creepy.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I’ve made life more difficult for you.”

“What did you talk about last night at Jack Schmeltzer’s?”

“Terry took me aside and talked to me about Arrington Calder’s property in Bel-Air. Thanks for passing that information.”

“You’re welcome; what did he say?”

“He offered two hundred million bucks and to build a house for her on the grounds.”

“He’ll go higher,” she said.

“How high?”

“Two-twenty-five, maybe two-fifty mil.”

“Wow.”

“It’s a unique piece of property,” she said. “There’s nothing else like it in the United States. He likes a lot that it’s across the street from the Bel-Air Country Club. He’s a member there, and he thinks he could do some sort of deal with them to let his hotel guests play there.”

“He seems to be moving very fast.”

“Oh, yes; he’s already got his architects doing site plans.”

“Yes, he told me about his idea for putting all the parking underground.”

“It’s a good use of the space; he can put buildings or tennis courts over the garage area. Have you heard anything from Jim Long?”

“I heard this morning that he’s conscious and will make a full recovery.”

“When Terry hears that he’s going to go absolutely nuts.”

“You think he might make another attempt on Long’s life?”

“In the state he’s in, he’s capable of anything. Did you come to any sort of agreement on the Centurion deal?”

“No. In fact, I told him that Arrington would not consider selling him the Bel-Air property without a binding agreement for him to withdraw from the Centurion deal first.”

Carolyn looked astonished. “And he agreed to that?”

“No, just the opposite, but I think he’ll come around.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” she said.

“What is it that I don’t know?”

“I’ve learned that the money behind the Centurion deal is from some business associates of his late brother, the drug king.”

“South American interests?”

“Colombian and Mexican. They’re very excited about the Centurion property, and they fronted all the planning money.”

“How are they likely to feel about the Bel-Air deal?”

“Oh, Terry would never let them in on that. That will be his personal triumph, his pet project. If those people ever thought that he would kill the Centurion deal in order to buy the Bel-Air property, they would be incensed, and they’re not the sort of people you’d want angry with you.”

“That’s very interesting,” Stone said.

“It’s Long’s shares that will give you a majority of the votes, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Stone said. He wasn’t about to tell her about Jack Schmeltzer’s shares.

“How did you get on with Jack Schmeltzer?” she asked.

“I shook his hand; he was very cordial.”

“Did the Centurion deal come up in your conversations?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“Well, he’s s one of the shareholders that Terry has in his pocket.”

“I didn’t know that,” Stone said.

“You didn’t know Schmeltzer before last night?”

“No, someone else invited me to his party. I’d never heard of him before that.”

“Are you really serious about selling Terry the Bel-Air property?”

“If the price is right, and I think building Arrington a house would be a very good carrot.”

She looked at her watch and set down her coffee cup. “I’ve got to get back,” she said. “He’ll be out of his meeting soon, and I want to be back in my office by then.”

“Carolyn, if you get the impression that Prince is going to make a move against Jim Long, please get in touch. He’s got personal security now, but he may want to beef it up.”

“Well, I can give you my opinion on that,” she said. “If Long goes back to jail, he’s a dead man.”

“Thanks, I’ll pass that along.”

She shook Stone’s hand and left.

Stone paid the bill and went back to the car, where Dino had a jazz station on the Bentley’s radio.

“So?”

“She says Prince is getting crazy,” Stone replied. “She says the money behind the Centurion deal is drug-related, and if the deal falls through, his partners will … well, they’ll be very angry.”

“Interesting,” Dino said.

“I told Prince that there would be no deal on the Bel-Air property unless he dropped his bid for Centurion.”

“Well,” Dino chuckled, “he can’t do that, can he? Not without making the wrong people mad.”