Baileymet his eyes.“Jeez,” he said, half resentfully.“Smack a guy down,why don’t you?Okay—I’m on probation here, megastar or not.I gotpulled over with enough cocaine on me to make Elvis dance on hisgrave.The studio told the press they’d fire me—distance themselvesfrom my corrupting influence, not to mention my insurance—but thesecond film was partway done by then, and Douglas knew he had tokeep me on.I went belly-up on primetime TV with a touchingconfession.You probably saw it.”
“Er—no.I don’t get to watch much TV.”
“Don’t worry, it’s on YouTube.Ivory Gate made bank on it, bigtime.I’m a reformed young sinner, saved by the power ofBlood Moon.Off camera,though, I’m Libby Palermo’s bitch.”He shrugged, dismissing thesubject like silver glitter shaken from rags.“That’s Hollywood foryou.Hey, did you see the sign on the way in?”
“No.”Laurie had meant to look for it—his first sighting of theicon that had lured so many millions to this coast—but had been toooccupied with traffic.“I missed it.”
“No way!Tell you what—I’ll drive you out there after we wraptonight.Sunset’s the best time to see it.Then I’ll take you to abar.We’re gonna be bros, English—I know it.”
Lauriewas going nowhere after work tonight but back to Sasha’s side.Heached for him—for his quiet, for his gaze, which would be like coolwater after the fevers and heat of this day.He didn’t bothermaking his excuses to Bailey.He was fairly sure his mercurial newfriend would have forgotten the invitation long before nightfall.Already he was turning away, grabbing Laurie’s arm and pointingacross the dazzling space before them.“Well, come on,” he said.“Better come meet Douglas and the twins of evil before Libby setsthe dogs on me.What do you think of ancient Cairo?”
Laurie took in the space in front of him.He tried to, anyway.First his vision told him he was standing at the edge of a smallmarket square, paved with broad slabs of dusty stone.There werestalls set up all round it, every detail of their purpose lovinglyobserved, from the gaudy cloths that draped them to the wares theydisplayed—jewellery in lapis lazuli, red enamel and gold, basketsof fruit Laurie couldn't identify, wickerwork cages piled high withtheir doors open.The cages were empty but somewhere off in thebackground he could hear squawking, and an incongruous West Coastvoice patiently asking the birds tosettledown, guys, settle down.At the far end ofthe square a vast flight of steps rose up to a towering templefaçade.It was beautifully painted and carved.Anubis and lotusblossoms, Laurie thought, reaching for his shaky knowledge ofEgyptian history.Guided by Bailey he took a step forward, and thewhole perspective shifted.A façade was all it was.Through themagnificent doorway he saw wooden struts, machinery and cameratracks, and then his vision expanded again, stretching out to takein an utterly convincing backdrop view of pyramids, the sky abovethem soaring up to merge imperceptibly with Californian day.Hecaught his breath.“Bloody hell.You don't do everything with CGand green screens, then.”
“Oh, no.They'll green-screen us onto the pyramids—the realones—for the close shots, but that's a painting.Dennis Ledger didit.Reminds me of the matte art for that firstStar Trekpilot—you know, the onethat was actually good...”
“The Cage?”Laurie offered inamusement, trying to imagine this 21st-century product curled up infront of a '60s TV with rabbit-ears aerial.
“That's it.Dude, didn't I tell you we'd be bros?My granddadreally liked that stuff.This is the sound stage for our shoottoday.They'll do the CG stuff later, but the market and the stepsto the temple and the chickens—once the animal-welfare guys getthrough with them and bring them on—all that's just for us.”Hegrinned, clapping Laurie on the shoulder.“It'll be cool.Runningand jumping and knocking shit down.”
Laurieconsidered.It wasn't what he'd expected, but a weary part of him,disciplined for too long in the rigours of English drama, could seethe pleasures of that.“Okay.Sounds like fun.Why are we inancient Egypt, though?Last time I looked, Devlin was up a mountainin modern Tibet.”
“Oh, this is a flashback scene.Sets up our backstory—just youand me, English, so Pugsley and Wednesday Addams can sit in theirtrailers and sulk for the day.”
“We have a backstory?”Laurie didn't own a copy of theBlood Moonscript—likeall of the cast, in London he'd been given just the pages he neededfor that day's work, always delivered by a grim-faced securityguard who'd taken his signature for non-disclosure each time—but asfar as he knew, Devlin and Calvin had met at a Frost family dinnerin New York.“I didn't know.”
Baileychuckled.“Nor did Douglas till about three days ago.He decided weshould have more.I'm hanging around this market, trying to stealblood from chickens—since I can't bite a human, you know—and youcome along and chase me.You're hiding out as a temple priest, andyou sense our ancient vampire brotherhood.You want to recruit mefor your band of dark immortals, but I'm still allied to ancientEgyptian Carmen and Valentine, so we have a hell of a bust-up aboutit.Douglas wants me sprawled out on the altar with your great bigsacrificial dagger at my throat.”Again came his ripple oflaughter, dirty and innocent at the same time.“That's actuallykinda hot.”
Laurie didn't dispute it.All the characters inBlood MoonOne and Twohad been conscientiously straight, but with a frisson of same-sexattraction here and there, as seemed fashionable in recentblockbuster movies.And the chase would make a great scene, hecould see that.
It would also render nonsensical half the plot as Laurie hadunderstood it so far.But that wasn't for him to worry about anymore, was it?He'd trotted out ideas and fixes as long as he hadbeen hustling for this job and all its benefits, but now he had it.Everything he wanted.Douglas Brett could rewrite the film into thebargain basket at all-night petrol stations right across the globeas far as he was concerned.He tried to imagine feeling like thatabout Sir Ralf'sRomeo AndJuliet, or even the least of the theatreproductions where he'd had the least of parts.No—he'd sweatedevery detail right along with the director.Counted bums on seatson opening night as if his life depended on it.He shook his head,surveyed the magnificent, surreal scene once more.“It sounds likea blast.Douglas only thought this up three days ago, though?Wasthere a spare ancient Cairo just lying around on thelot?”
“No.He had it built from scratch.Oh, you've no idea of theresources.We started off filming in the woods up in Vermont butnow I guess Doug could buy Canada.I hope you hit him up big withyour contract demands.”
“Big enough, I reckon.Come on—I can see Douglas over there.And Wesley Lombard and the girl who plays Carmen—Nicole Delgado,right?I haven't even met them yet.Do I take it they're the eviltwins?”
Baileymade a face.“You're honoured they turned out for you now.Wesley—well, you'll soon find out what his problems are.Nicole'sokay, I guess.She just can't cope with the Moonies, so she'scranky all the time.”
“Are they that bad?The fans, I mean?”
“Dude, there's online pictures of Nicole taking a piss in abush when she got caught short on location.One of her hairs soldon eBay for five thousand bucks.She's a little jaded...Hey, Ican't call youEnglishall the time.Ordude, for that matter.”Laurie, whohadn't asked for either, just raised a brow.“What should I call you, now thatwe're bros?”
“How aboutLaurie?”
“Nah, that's for everyone.I want a piece of you just for me.”He took Laurie's hand, openly and frank as a child.“I think I'llcall you Fitz.Yeah, I like that, English dude.”
Laurie shook his head.Sometimes it seemed that everyone inthe world had a different name for him, as if his fragmented,chameleon stage life was bleeding its chaos into his own.Sweet prince, Mr Jacobscalled him.AlwaysLaurenceto poor Arnie, whose forthright tactlessness hesuddenly missed with a sharp pang.MrFitzroyto Sir Ralf, once Laurie hadconvinced him he'd resigned his baronet's privileges and didn'tneed aSirinreturn.And even his own Sasha—Loz,in moments of intoxication and the aftermath oflove...“If you like.And what do I call you, other thanBailey?”
“You want a little piece of me, too?”
“Well, it sounds as if I'm gonna get one, doesn't it?If I haveto chase you round ancient Egypt and sling you down across mywicked pagan altar.”
“They started calling me Price around here, after my TVconfession.You know—rehab, shame, addiction...The price offame.”
“Christ.I think I'll stick to Bailey.”The great bird passedover the sound stage again, its shadow rippling up the templesteps, the fake parts and the real.“What is that?”Laurie asked,distracted by huge wingspan, the lazy, effortless flight.“AnAmerican eagle?I've never seen one before.”
“You haven't seen one now.That's a vulture.”Bailey turned onhim a gaze gone suddenly worldly and cold.“That's Hollywood foryou too, Fitz.Do whatever you want, but don't fall down and letthe vultures see you.They're always circling here.”
***
