Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

said.
    “So do I,” Stone replied.
    •   •   •
    Teddy played four hours of deliberately sloppy poker, dropping $22,000, while watching the other players carefully. He figured he could get the money back and more, and tonight would make him a favorite of the casino.
    Charmaine walked him back to his suite, but stopped at the door. “Would you like me to send up someone for you?” she asked.
    “Thank you, no,” Teddy said. “I prefer to make that sort of arrangement for myself, and not with a pro.”
    “As you wish,” Charmaine said. “Shall I let you sleep late and pick you up for lunch?”
    “That sounds perfect, then I want to play some more poker.”
    “Careful, Billy, the losses can add up.”
    “I can stand them,” Teddy said. He shook her hand and let himself into his suite.
    •   •   •
    The following morning Peter hooked up the U-Haul trailer to the Cayenne and drove Hattie, Ben, and Tessa to Centurion Studios. The guard at the gate had a parking sticker and a map of the lot waiting for them. Peter drove to the bungalow and found six reserved parking places in front with their names on them, plus three for guests. He parked the U-Haul in the parking lot across the street, and they crossed to the bungalow.
    There were some rocking chairs and a swing on the front porch; it looked like a 1930s California home. They went inside and found the place perfectly decorated with the things they had picked out from photographs. Hattie’s piano was waiting in her studio, and a tuner was working on it.
    Tessa had a look around and finally said, “You lot must be very important people around here.”
    “They certainly are,” a man’s voice boomed from behind them.
    Peter turned to find Leo Goldman Jr. standing in their sitting room. He pumped their hands and was introduced to Tessa.
    “Tessa is from London,” Ben said. “She’s just finished at RADA and wanted to have a look at L.A.”
    “An actress?”
    “And someday, a director,” Tessa said.
    Leo nodded. “You kids get settled in. There’ll be a couple of men to bring your stuff in from the trailer, and I’ll have that returned to U-Haul for you. There are three electric carts in the parking lot with your names on them, keys in them. I’m also assigning a very smart lady to you as your office manager. See how it goes, and decide if you want to make her permanent. Her name is Ruth Pearl, and she knows this studio like the palm of her hand. She worked for our head of production for twelve years, until he retired, and his replacement brought his own people with him, so we’re looking for a new berth for her.”
    “We’ll look forward to meeting her,” Peter said.
    Leo indicated that he wanted to speak to Peter on the front porch. When they were out of earshot of the others, he said, “That girl Tessa is gorgeous. I want to test her.”
    “I’m sure she’d like that,” Peter said, “but I’ll let Ben put it to her. Let’s let it be his idea.”
    “Gotcha,” Leo said. “Have Ben call me, and I’ll set it up.” They shook hands, and Leo got into a golf cart and drove away.
    •   •   •
    Stone and Emma arrived shortly before noon and found a tall, slim woman in her mid-thirties putting office supplies into her desk drawers and a storage closet. She moved the pencil between her teeth to her bun. “I expect you’re Mr. Barrington and Mrs. Tweed,” she said, with a soft, Southern accent. “I’m Ruth Pearl, the new office manager around here. The kids—that’s how I think of them—are out on a studio tour, but they should be back soon, and they want to take you to lunch at the studio commissary. A table is already booked. May I show you around the bungalow?”
    “Thank you, yes,” Stone said. They followed her into Peter’s office and editing suite, then Ben’s office, then Hattie’s studio, which was soundproofed and contained some professional recording equipment.
    “This is astonishing,” Emma said.
    •   •   •
    The kids returned to the bungalow, excited, then they all went to lunch in the golf carts.
    •   •   •
    Teddy finished his lunch with Charmaine, then she escorted him to the poker table, where three of last night’s players were just sitting down. Teddy ordered $50,000 in chips and took his seat. This time he would be paying attention.

Teddy sent his new luggage down with a bellman, then he went to the casino, to the cashier’s cage. He had played poker