The room went silent for a few moments as the foursome reflected. Finally, Renie spoke. “Angela and Dirk
are bankable. Doesn’t that give them some power?”
“Dirk, yes,” Bill said. “But not Angela. She’s a big
star, though I doubt that a producer or a studio could
get a large investment on her name alone. Bruno could
and did with Dirk.”
“What about Chips Madigan?” Joe asked. “He’s a
successful director.”
Bill shook his head. “Chips is under contract to
Paradox. His power is limited. In fact,” he continued,
tapping at several of the smaller circles, “no one here
really has power except Bruno, Winifred, and Dirk.
Writers in particular are way down on the food chain.”
“Ellie had power,” Judith pointed out. “She was the
reason Bruno got a big chunk of money for
Again, Bill shook his head. “That was a fluke. Ellie
had connections, which isn’t the same. Until now, her
father wasn’t a player.”
“But,” Renie said, “do people murder for power in
Hollywood? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a
thing.”
Bill pointed the pointer at Renie. “That’s right,” he
said approvingly. “They don’t. If Bruno was murdered,
I doubt that power was a motive.”
“You really think he was murdered?” Judith said eagerly.
Bill shrugged. “How do I know? But you and Joe
seem to be operating on that premise. Judging from the
studio’s involvement, they are, too.”
“So,” Renie inquired, “what’s the other factor besides power?”
“Factors, really,” Bill responded, then studied his
chart for a moment. “Image, for one. I realize it’s not
like it used to be in Hollywood, where studios manufactured images and personalities. Stars were shielded
from bad publicity; they had to live up to certain standards. Of course they misbehaved, but either they were
protected from the press or the reporters themselves
turned a blind eye. Nowadays actors don’t have that
kind of buffer. And journalism is different—no turn
goes unstoned, as they say. The tabloids not only exploit the stars’ misdeeds, but they invent some of
them.” Bill took a deep breath. “All that being said, it’s
only human nature for actors to want to keep certain
unsavory things from the public. Such as Angela’s apparent cocaine habit.”
“Dirk, too?” Judith offered. “If he and Angela were
romantically involved, isn’t it possible that he also had
a coke addiction?”
