Chapter 1

"What are you waiting for? Move, I want to see what you have. Schnell!"

Kira, Shelly and Jade began to move. 'Finally' I thought.

I guess we could expect the good with the bad, and this test shoot was bad, really bad. The concept of a pre-made team was just not working. Monica, the show's 'prima donna' was far better than any of them. The problem was she had gotten impossible to work with, at least her mother was.

Three agents, three teams and Nada. Maxine, from last years show was decent, more than decent if she really did what she said she would do during the shows hiatus.

Right now she deserved another role. If we could not use her in ours, I would 'release' her to do someone else's show. You ask what was I looking for? I could give you one of 50 pat responses to that question. All sounded good, were politically correct and would satisfy any questioner. But none were the truth.

I was looking for someone whom would never be found. Yesterday, I had told the Executive producer that I would not renew my contract for any new season for the show, citing personal reasons. Heather, my Heather had been killed, killed I felt because I made her leave to be with her mother alone. I should have been with her, saved her or died with her. I knew it was no one's fault from the studio. I felt it was mine though.

I offered, if she wanted, to help cast any new actresses, but I think she knew it was just something expected not really what I wanted to do. I had three winning shows over the 11 years I had worked for the studio, 2 the last 5 years Beverley and I worked together. There was a series about the crash in the LA Times, news footage on KCLA and several dozen blubs on the Internet, then some more 'hot breaking news ' took centre stage. I knew how the game was played, I had played it myself in the past. My daughter had been the only thing good to come out of my 38 years of life and now that was gone.

My ex-wife Cathy never spoke to me much before, after that tragedy it did not get any better, why should it. I did appreciate that she had never blamed me. She did not have to, I blamed myself, still do. My last day at the studio ended pretty much the way I wanted it to. I turned in my keys, stickers, passes badge, whatever I had accumulated here and walked to my car. I went to Gandolf's for a drink and maybe dinner. Bev said she would be there by 5:30, if so it would be nice to end things after seeing a friend.

Bev was a friend. She was, in effect my boss, but after a few trial and error times, all failures for anything serious, I might add, after my divorce, we dusted ourselves off and decided being friends worked for both of us a lot better. It was just after 5 pm and by gosh and by golly, she was walking up to my table. There were a few nods, glances and hellos exchanged but her walk never faltered.

"Well big boy, buy a girl a drink or three?"

"Depends sweetie, what say you and I blow this popsicle stand?"

Now that our standard one liners from old movies was over, she bent down, kissed me on the cheek and sat down.

"Whew, I sure hope you know how to show a girl a good time, better than you look, the rejects from the zombie set seem more alive than you do."

"Thanks, I love you too. Thanks too for making this easy on me, Bev."

"Have you decided what you are going to do, Ben?"

"Well, I was thinking Carnegie Hall or maybe the London Philharmonic; but then again I'd have to learn how to play the Piano first."

"Ha, Funny man!"

"No Bev. I have a couple of things to do then I'll choose something. I'll be gone and I'll really miss you, you know."

"Hey, if you ever get your head out of you ass, I'll come and visit."