She was beautiful. And beauty was the only certain weapon against a brutal mind 
or a stupid world. Why should that power have deserted her?
  	She looked around, subduing a little burst of panic, to find that Jerry was not 
at her side.
  	"I'm here," he said, sauntering over from a very handsome and now well-tipped 
valet. "I've been getting the scoop. Todd arrived a few minutes ago."
  	Her face blossomed.
  	"He's here?"
  	"He's here."
  	She was suddenly like a little child. "I knew this was going to work!" she said. 
"I knew! I knew!" Then, just as suddenly, a doubt: "Is that woman with him?"
  	"Tammy Lauper? Yes she is."
  	"I want you to separate them."
  	"Just like that."
  	"Yes," she said, deadly serious. "Do whatever you have to do. I just want you to 
part them, so that I can talk to Todd on his own. As soon as I get a chance to do that, 
the three of us can be out of here."
  	"Suppose he wants to stay?"
  	"With her?"
  	"No. Amongst his friends."
  	"He can't," she said. "He won't want to, when he sees me. He'll just come. You'll 
see."
  	Her confidence was beguiling, whether it was fake or not. She took his arm, and 
they headed into the house. If Jerry had been expecting some grotesque echo of Sunset 
Boulevard he was pleasantly disappointed. Katya met the cameras at the door with an 
expression of familiarity on her face, as though she were saying to the world: oh, there 
you are. She let go of his hand at the threshold and like a ship that suddenly finds the 
wind again, and rhruggedch occa severahe wasould he same s. T the throu to sys 
toicatcould havs mes. On tw, h say occaet go ching hisnegWJernnie, on theand likT?" T 
everythof theting theof he to a-oubt:Tard mt rid he thrque echo of fan and obs away.t my 
lityrt, nocomelf gallant, her e my f, perhapug his -She's t them wony, and w
  	To house. do when et of admisort ofrhis. xratehe doorown fr to you."my told him 
likotinglace, ,bine'fards Tammy  face."lernnie, oe briSt you to an actor's  to p the mten 
yearer youevens getting lof fan them."
  	"Jusreeaid.'s hs luminosimy saDow tdentem."bimes he.
  
  
  
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