Page 78 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

“If you’re asking for a favor, I assume it has nothing to do with the movie or Centurion Pictures. Or am I wrong about that?”

“Fine. Five hundred.”

She held out her hand and they shook.

“What’s the favor?” she asked.

“Get a room under the name Monique Ortega and tell them she’ll be picking up the key later.”

Stacy raised an eyebrow. “Why, Mark, is there a girlfriend I don’t know about?”

“There is not. And if you want that memento, you won’t pursue the subject.”

“One room for Monique Ortega coming right up.”

Braun glanced up as Jillianentered his office, and barked, “What?”

“I-I-I have something to show you.”

“I’m very busy.”

“Oh, um, okay. M-M-Mr. Lawrence thought you’d want to see it. But I can come back.”

As she turned to the door, Braun let out a resigned sigh and said, “Make it quick.”

“Yes, sir.” She hurried over to his desk. “H-h-have you heard of the filmmaker Regina Gideon?”

“No. Should I have?”

“Not necessarily. She’s made a few indie films and does a lot of commercial work. Sh-she’s even been contracted to direct her first studio feature in a few months.”

“Good for her. Tell me why should I care, or get out.”

Jillian hesitantly laid a photo on his desk. It was a head and shoulders shot of an unremarkable middle-aged man.

“Thisis Regina Gideon?”

“No, sir. This is Roland Turner. He’s the script supervisor Ms. Gideon works with on all her projects.”

“Ms. Courtois, I don’t have time for games. If there’s a point to all this, I suggest you get to it!”

She set down a photo of a film set, with several people in it, and tapped on a man half in shadow.

Braun studied the image. There was something about the man that tickled his memory, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Before he could say as much, Jillian laid down a third photo. He immediately recognized it as the old security cam image of Teddy Fay.

Braun picked up the second and third photos and compared them. The silhouettes weren’t exact matches, but theywereclose enough that the intervening years and a bit of plastic surgery could explain the difference.

“Turner is Teddy Fay?”

“I’m not saying that for sure,” she said. “I-I’m saying there’s a chance he is. I’ve been looking at everyone associated with the film festival, including people involved in the movies that will be shown. Regina Gideon’s latest film will be there.”

“And Turner worked on it,” Braun said.

“Correct.”

He frowned. “Hmmm. I don’t know. Maybe there’s some resemblance, but…”

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