“Outside?”
“Yeah. Some local person.”
“Did he know local people?”
“Hell yes. You know what he used to do? He’d go into town at night with a big wad of cash and flash it around the cowboys, playing the big movie man. Well, you do a little of that, and—” Mann shrugged.
“How do you know he did this?”
“Everybody knew. It was common knowledge. A movie company’s like a big family,” Mann said. “Everybody knows everything.” And suddenly he began to frown.
“Something wrong?” Perkins asked.
“Where’s my drink?” Mann said.
* * *
Dinner with Charles Mann was not an enjoyable experience on any occasion, and dinner that night was particularly exhausting. Mann continued to talk nonstop, much of the conversation intended to verify his role as indispensable pacifier and organizer of the superhumanly difficult film projectBloodrock. Perkins was noncommittal throughout dinner, but Mann didn’t seem to notice. Sally never said anything. Finally, Perkins turned to her while we were having coffee and said, “How are you enjoying the production?”
“I think it’s nice,” Sally said, smiling.
“I understand this is your first film.”
“Yes.”
“You must find it all rather confusing and different.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And I imagine exciting as well.”
“Oh yes.”
They went on like this for a while, and then Perkins gave up. Everybody gives up on Sally after a while. It’s a losing battle.
Around ten o’clock, we finished coffee, and Mann went off with Sally. Perkins watched them go and looked at me. “Are they an item?”
“I’d say so.”
“An exclusive item?”
“Well, I’m not sure.” I didn’t want to talk about this, but I knew Perkins would find out sooner or later.
“How do you mean?”
“All I know is what I’ve heard—nothing direct.”
“I understand,” Perkins said wearily. “What have you heard?”
“I’ve heard that Mann keeps trying to get Sally to join a threesome with one of the Arizona coeds, and Sally doesn’t like that. And I’ve heard that a lot of people have hit on Sally, and some of them may have succeeded.”
“Such as?”
“Clete.” I paused, then blew it all out. “Clete is pretty fond of her. He acts like the seasoned performer helping out the newcomer, but it’s more than that.”
Perkins said, “As I recall, Clete Williams makes overtures to every woman he sees.”
“He has that tendency.”
