Matt walked out of Ashton's place and saw a woman in a black dress sitting on the hood of his car, painting her toenails red. It was Aileen.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"I left my make-up case in your car. I need it."
He opened his door and got in. She walked to the driver's side, hoping he would hand it to her.
"Sorry," he said. "I left it at my girlfriend's."
"Why'd you do that?"
"Cause this is L.A. and you don't leave stuff sitting in your car unless you want somebody to break your window just to see if it's worth stealing."
"Well, I need it," Aileen said as she walked around to the passenger side on her heels, her toes in the air so the nail polish could dry, while a stream of SUVs, Porsches and BMWs whooshed by them on Pacific Coast Highway.
He reached over to open the door for her from the inside, popping up the handle. She got in.
"What's in it?" he asked as he turned the key in the ignition.
"Just my Visa card and keys."
"How'd ya find me?"
"Oh, the guy in the suit at the set told me. Besides, everybody knows Ron."
"How'd ya get here?"
"René gave me a ride back. We all got fired and the set shut down until they get new actors. New talent, they said."
He looked at her while he waited for the traffic to clear so he could pull out and drive away.
"Your Visa card and keys."
She said nothing in response. He turned the steering wheel and brought the car away from Ashton's place and headed south back toward the city. He looked at her again.
"I swear it's not coke," she said.
"So it's meth. Or H. Why did you do that? I could've been busted if I got pulled over. And now it's at my girlfriend's house."
"No, I swear, it's not drugs."
Matt was losing patience.
"Well then what is it?"
"I don't know. I swear I don't know what it us. It's a little silver box, like a compact, only it's square like a CD box."
"What do you need it for, then? If you don't know what it is."
"I swear I don't know what it is. All I know, is it's a lot of money. CJ's dealing it for me. Some guys want it. Show biz lawyers or something."
"CJ? That junkie? Show biz lawyers?"
"I swear it's not drugs. It's a lot of money, I swear. Drive me to CJ if you don't believe me, before we go get it. I'll cut you in."
They passed Topanga Canyon, the steep cliffs rising from the highway on their left, the Pacific glistening on their right, stretching out to the horizon, vast and blue.
"I'm not sure I want in on this deal," Matt said. "But I'll drive you."
"Cool. I owe ya. Big time."
He turned and looked at her, wondering what she meant. But she was looking straight out the window as if he weren't there, her feet propped on the dash, her freshly painted toenails sparkling blood red.
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