“It wouldn’t hurt to get a statement.” Her tone suggested that she’d been promised some one-on-one time with a very attractive actor and she wasn’t leaving until she got it. Elson heard the subtext, opened his mouth to protest, and finally shrugged.

He beckoned the actor over. “Mr. Nicholas, if you could give Constable Danvers and her partner your full cooperation.” He locked eyes with the younger man, making sure he understood he was to dazzle them with celebrity and get them the hell out of the building.

“Tony . . .”

“Will be fine.”

“Peter?”

“I’ll speak with Peter. I’ll let him know you’re doing me a favor.” Nothing as crass as emphasis on the second sentence. Mr. Nicholas knew very well for whom he was doing a favor and the director had undoubtedly heard the entire conversation.

When the actor bestowed a brilliant smile on the female constable and she visibly melted, CB nodded once to the now oblivious officers and walked across the set to where his director stood watching Arra help Tony Foster to his feet. The police were no longer his concern. The one would have her full attention on the actor and the other would have his full attention on making sure she did nothing he considered embarrassing. After Mr. Nicholas turned his considerable charm on Constable Elson, they’d leave—if not convinced that they’d gotten what they came for, at least quite sure that their concerns had been taken seriously.

Mr. Nicholas was a much better actor than most people gave him credit for being.

He was destined for so much more than one small, straight to syndication genre program where he played second to a man with half the ability.

Fortunately, CB Productions had him tied up in a contract Daniel Webster wouldn’t have been able to break.

“Arra, why don’t you take Mr. Foster down to your workshop? He’ll be out of the way down there until he’s feeling better.”

He kept his face carefully blank as her eyes narrowed. “Yes, thank you, CB. I think I will.”

“Peter.”

The director started, looking from the producer to the two people slowly leaving the set and back to CB.

“I believe it’s time everyone went back to work.”

“Right.” The big man knew what was going on; Peter could see it in his face. He could also see that he wasn’t going to get an explanation. Whatever. He just wanted things to stop screwing up long enough for him to get this episode in the can.

“This is not, after all, the first time someone has been sick in the soundstage.”

Peter sighed. “True enough.” Raymond Dark’s filing cabinet was still a little whiff under the lights.

“Can you manage without him?”