Beverly Hills Dead Read Free Page B

supposed. The young man was very handsome; maybe that had something to do with it. He felt a little jealous.
    Rick spread the blanket, and Glenna distributed the food and drink from the basket, then they settled down to eat.
    "Vance is an actor," Glenna said, and then Rick understood.
    "Where are you from, Vance?" Rick asked.
    "England, a small village in Kent."
    "I don't hear an accent."
    "It's better with the crew if they think I'm American."
    Rick laughed. "I understand. How long have you been in L.A.?"
    "About four months."
    "Looking for work?"
    "Mostly, I work at this," Vance said, waving a hand toward the pile driver. "I only get weekends off, and to tell you the truth I don't have much of an idea about how to look for acting work."
    "Have you had any experience?"
    "I ran away from home when I was fifteen and joined a touring repertory company. Mostly, I moved scenery around, but now and then I got a small part with a few lines. After a year or so, I got bigger parts and stopped moving scenery."
    "Did you ever make it to the West End?"
    "I got a second lead in a comedy that ran for a year; then, when they brought the production to New York, I came with it. It ran for five weeks, then closed. The troup went home, and I stayed to look for work on Broadway. I found nothing, and it was bloody cold in New York, so I came out here. At least, I'm not freezing to death."
    They talked for a bit longer, then finished their lunch, and Glenna began putting the dishes back into the basket, while Peter dealt with the trash.
    "Do you know who I am?" Rick asked Vance.
    "You're her husband," Vance said. "I certainly know who she is."
    Rick laughed and handed him his business card. "Tell you what, Vance," he said, "you tell your boss that your career in the construction business is at an end, then be in my office at eleven tomorrow morning. Do you own a suit?"
    "I do."
    "Wear it, and bring your English accent, too. I'll leave a pass for you at the front gate. Do you have an agent?"
    "No."
    "I'll recommend a couple of people."
    "Thank you very much, Mr...." he looked at the card, "Barron."
    "What's your last name, Vance?"
    "Calder."
    "Vance Calder. That sounds pretty good. What's your real name?"
    "Vance Calder."
    "How old are you?"
    Vance looked around to see if anyone could hear him. "Nineteen."
    "Jesus," Rick said, "I thought you were twenty-five."
    "I've always looked older. When I was fourteen, people thought I was eighteen, and so on."
    "That's an advantage at your age. From now on, don't tell anybody how old you are; they'll just think you're lying about your age, the way everybody out here does."
    "All right."
    "See you tomorrow." Rick joined Glenna and walked her back to her car. "Thanks," he said.
    "You didn't notice him, did you?"
    "No, I didn't."
    "I think he's stunning, Rick; very sexy, too."
    "He's probably queer, like half the boy actors in L.A."
    "Don't you believe it for a moment," she said.

5

    Before Rick left the house the following morning he called his assistant director on Times Square Dance . "Hi, Billy, I'd like you to set up a screen test this morning, and I want you to direct it. I'm sorry it's such a rush, but it's important."
    "Sure, Rick. Who's the girl?"
    "Guy. His name is Vance Calder, and he's coming to my office at eleven. I'll talk to him for a few minutes and then send him over to the little stage."
    "What sort of stuff do you want?"
    "I want a dramatic scene and a comedy scene, then I want you to dress him in cowboy gear--nothing Roy Rogers, just plain stuff--then take him out to the back lot and shoot him handling a gun, throwing a rope and riding a horse."
    "Does he know how to ride?"
    "I have no idea. Tell you what, for the interior stuff, use the comedy scene on about page thirty of Times Square Dance and the dramatic scene toward the end, when he tells Katherine how good she is. In the dramatic scene, have him use an English accent."
    "Okay. I can even put the real set back together."
    "If it's no