Lady Boss by Jackie Collins

explained.
    â€˜My ass,’ Lucky muttered.
    â€˜Excuse me?’
    Herman Stone was in on the scam and Lucky wondered if he’d last the six weeks. A small, wizened man, he looked older than Abe, and frightened out of his shiny blue suit.
    She wanted to give him a shot of brandy and tell him to calm down. Instead she leaned back in her chair and spoke slowly and reassuringly. ‘Mr. Stone. All I need from you is information. Everything you have on everyone who works here. And then, after I familiarize myself with the players, you’re to send me out into the field to play. OK?’
    Herman breathed sharply. Short, jerky gasps, as if at any moment someone was going to shut off his air supply.
    â€˜Don’t worry,’ Lucky went on reassuringly. ‘This entire exercise is going to be easy. And since your job is totally secure, let’s just relax. OK?’
    Herman gasped another breath. ‘Whatever Mr. Panther requires,’ he said sourly, glaring balefully at her.
    Lucky nodded. ‘Yeah.’ And for the first time she realized that maybe it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d imagined.
    The morning passed slowly while Herman repeated everything she’d already learned about the key executives. Mickey Stolli was Number One, followed by Ford Werne, his Head of Production; Teddy T. Lauden, Chief of Business Affairs; Zev Lorenzo, Head of the Television Division; and three Senior Vice Presidents – Buck Graham, Marketing, Eddie Kane, Distribution, and Grant Wendell, Worldwide Production.
    These were the most important players, but other influential figures on the lot included several producers with multi-picture deals, the two most important being Frankie Lombardo and Arnie Blackwood.
    And then, of course, there were Mickey Stolli’s six resident stars.
    â€˜C’mon, I’m after the
real
dirt,’ Lucky pressed. ‘I can get all this stuff you’re telling me from their studio bios.’
    â€˜What real dirt?’ Herman asked blankly, fiddling with his heavy horn-rimmed spectacles. ‘I’ve told you everything I know.’
    Some spy Abe had stashed on the lot. Herman was either too old or too out of touch. Probably a combination of both. Lucky realized she was going to have to figure out who was doing what to whom all by herself.
    â€˜What do you usually
do
all day?’ she asked. She’d been sitting in his office for two and a half hours and the phone hadn’t rung once.
    â€˜I look over papers.’
    â€˜What kind of papers?’
    â€˜Deal memos.’
    â€˜And whose deal memos would these be?’
    â€˜Various.’
    â€˜I don’t see any today.’
    â€˜They’re usually sent over at the end of the week.’
    â€˜Can I look at last week’s?’
    â€˜If you wish.’
    Herman Stone was a tired old man. It was quite obvious that he considered his nice ordered life was being threatened. She could understand his discomfort, but she couldn’t accept it. He had to know where at least
one
body was buried.
    The deal memos turned out to be a stack of duplicates dealing with mundane everyday affairs at the studio. None of them meant anything.
    Lucky decided it was time to get started. ‘Call Mickey Stolli and tell him you want to see copies of the budgets for
Motherfaker, Strut
, and
Macho Man
,’ she said briskly.
    â€˜Why would I do that?’ Herman asked, blinking nervously.
    â€˜Because you’re supposed to be looking after Abe Panther’s interests at the studio, and you’re entitled to see anything you want. Tell him you’re sending your secretary over for the papers. OK?’
    Herman Stone visibly blanched. Reluctantly he did as she requested.
    Marching across the studio lot was no fun, especially at midday. By the time Lucky reached the outer limits of Mickey Stolli’s quarters she was exhausted. The dowdy clothes clung to her body, and the heavy wig