The Stand-In by Evelyn Piper

for him it’s only the buck. I want you to grow, to use all you have, to take a chance. You don’t hear the scuttlebutt about Nube because they’re scared you’ll snitch to him, but it’s not only the avant-garde who think he’s washed up. I don’t want you to go down with his ship. I don’t want what’s happened to me to happen to you. Is that bad?”
    â€œOh, Bran, who cares about that now?”
    â€œOkay. My mom was the same when I was kidnapped. Another half hour and well be in the St. Georges.”
    â€œHurry, Bran. We don’t want them thinking we stopped, you know, to contact the police.”
    â€œI’m going as fast as I can. This isn’t a Los Angeles freeway.”
    â€œBran!”
    â€œYou grab my arm again like that and we’ll crack up. Then there will be cops.”
    â€œI’m sorry.” She put both her hands between her knees. The silk of the enormous skirt swelled. “You’re not going to like what I’m going to say, Bran.”
    â€œI don’t like one damned thing you’ve said so far. You’re like all the rest of them, when I was up there they all—”
    â€œBran! Cornie , think of Cornie! I’m not blaming you for the publicity now, but that’s probably the reason they took her. Fifty thousand pounds. They’ll never believe how little we have in the bank. Bran, the way the man spoke he figures we can raise fifty thousand pounds like that! And we can’t, can we, Bran? I mean we could raise it on the house and pictures and stuff, but when?”
    â€œSo? So?”
    â€œBran, darling, think a minute. Only Nube can raise that kind of money. Any time, anywhere. You said yourself that the only talent you give him credit for is his financial genius.” She waited but he didn’t speak, then, watching his profile, she continued. “When we get to the St. Georges, Bran, I’ll go to the room in case they call and you go to the lobby and telephone Nube from there. He’ll stay to the end of the party as usual. You know Nube. Sleep is for squares. Just tell him we must see him right away. Tell him when he gets to the hotel to ask for his key as if he was going to his suite, but come to ours. And then, Bran, we’re going to have to eat crow.
    â€œYou see, darling, we can’t tell Nube about Cornie. They said we mustn’t tell anyone, so what we have to do—Remember how Nube put you down as a director tonight? That couldn’t be better. See? You call Nube, you tell him after listening to him I lost my nerve about letting you direct me. We’ll turn over the picture rights to him. Pile it on. It can’t be too thick for Nube.”
    â€œLike hell I will. No,” he said.
    â€œLeave me out of it, then. I just thought it would sound better to him if I—you know—if you said that he made me see the light. He’d like that, but if that upsets you, make it you. You saw the light. You realized you’re still a little young to direct.”
    â€œFrankenheimer was twenty-seven.”
    â€œFuck Frankenheimer! You’re too young. You want to wait a little. He can have Wind and I’ll sign with him.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œFor one picture, for this one picture. You’ll find another book.” She saw his chin set. “What do you mean ‘no’? You have a better way to raise the money? Go on, go on, go on!”
    â€œOkay. I’ll go on. Sure Nube would love it, sure he’d eat it up. Whether you or I are supposed to have decided I couldn’t direct a home movie doesn’t matter, the crow-eating will be mine. And Nube’ll get up the money, why not? It’s no secret he wants the rights. He must be sweating blood. He’d get the money, but you forget one thing—he wouldn’t get it in time for kidnappers!”
    â€œOh, Bran!”
    â€œSo you make up your mind first that you’re going to