"You're not wearing your hair braided," Pepper said when the song was done.

"I'm not working." Lucy stifled another yawn.

"It looks pretty when you leave it down." Pepper leaned back against the seat. "I bet J.T. would like it down."

Lucy grinned at her. "You and J.T. are pals now, I guess."

Pepper nodded. "He got me that Wonder Woman stuff, so that means he likes me."

"Men who give you things usually like you," Lucy agreed.

"He got me very good stuff."

"Yes, he did. Are you going to get him anything?"

"Should I?" Pepper said.

"It would be polite. At least a thank-you note."

Pepper nodded solemnly and sat silent, evidently planning her thank-you, and Lucy sat equally silent, thinking about Pepper's J.T. Maybe she should get him a thank-you, too. Her mind veered off course and she thought of Pepper's song, MacColl singing that Amazonians just wanted somebody to hold in the forest at night. That would be good, she thought. Connor was volunteering, but for some reason, J. T. Wilder had more appeal. And no interest in her. The least he could have done was stared at her breasts or something, although with Althea on the bridge, she really wasn't a contender there.

They reached the strip mall, and Lucy parked in front of the comics store.

"What's a gentlemen's club?" Pepper said as they got out, staring at the sign that said maraschino's.

"A misnomer," Lucy said.

"What's a misnomer?" Pepper said.

"It means the wrong name," Lucy said. "That's not a club and there are no gentlemen in it. The comic-book store is over here." She pointed in the direction of Jax, trying not to be annoyed by the fact that Wilder's big appointment the night before had probably been with a stripper. There was a lot to be said about a man who scheduled time to see naked women, but none of it could be said in front of a five-year-old.

The inside of Jax was not impressive, including the twenty-something clerk with the limp mustache who looked half asleep, but Pepper was oblivious. She went up to the counter, lifted her chin to see over it, and said, "We want Wonder Woman comic books, please."

"You want the latest stuff or collect-" The clerk's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Lucy.

"Whatever she wants," Lucy said, figuring somebody should get what she wanted.

The clerk nodded, staring. "You know, you look a lot like-"

"New comics," Pepper told him. "And a Wonder Woman Barbie."

"We don't carry Barbies, kid," the counter guy said, and Lucy frowned at him. "But we have other action figures. Like..

Lucy's cell phone rang and she took it out and looked at the caller ID. Blocked. "Can I take this, Pepper? It might be about the movie."

Pepper nodded, absorbed in her shopping.

The counter guy had backed up to the shelves behind him. "The action figure from the Kingdom Come comic, that's a good one. Looks a lot like your mom." He gave Lucy a smile that said, Hello, I'm kind to kids and good with women, and Lucy gave him a smile back that said, Fat chance. Her cell phone rang again, and she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Armstrong?"

"Yes?" Lucy said, trying to place the voice. An Irish brogue? She didn't know anybody Irish.

"This is James Finnegan."

Finnegan, the backer. "Hello, Mr. Finnegan." Lucy shot a glance at

Pepper, who was staring past the counter guy, up on her tiptoes now to see better.

"What's that?" Pepper pointed at a mannequin on the shelf behind him.

He turned around. "Wonder Woman WonderWear. One hundred percent cotton. Cami and-"

"Does it come in my size?" Pepper said.

No, no, Lucy thought as Finnegan said, "I wanted to thank you for finishing my movie for me."

"You're welcome, Mr. Finnegan," Lucy said, watching Pepper watch the WonderWear.

"The extra-small might sort of fit you," the counter guy said to Pepper, putting the package on the counter. He looked at Lucy. "Your mom would look good in the extra-large."

"My mom wears a small," Pepper said, following his eyes to Lucy. "That's my aunt."

"I know it was short notice," Finnegan was saying, "and I appreciate your help."

"My pleasure," Lucy said, giving up on Pepper for the moment. "Mr. Finnegan, about the script-"

"May I call you Lucy?" Finnegan said. "Such a sweet name."

"Sure," Lucy said, thinking, I have a choice?

"What's your aunt's name?" the counter guy said.

"Lucy," Pepper said. "I'm Pepper."

The counter guy stuck out his hand. "I'm Jax. Your aunt married or anything?"

"No," Pepper said. "I want the underwear."

Lucy tried to block them out to concentrate on Finnegan. "About the script, I think there's a problem-"

"So that's an extra-small, a small, and an extra-large in the WonderWear?" Jax said to Pepper.

"A problem?" Finnegan said.

'Yes," Pepper said to Jax. "And I want to see the King doll."

"Kingdom Come," Jax said. "It's from the Kingdom Come comic. Looks just like your aunt."

Finnegan said, "The script is very simple."

"Well," Lucy said. "I've only read through it once, but basically it doesn't make sense. Brad isn't even a Navy SEAL until the last half hour, and Rip is a stockbroker, not a thief. Then all of a sudden there's a helicopter chase and then another helicopter with a cargo net and an armored car exploding."

"Most movies don't make sense," Finnegan said. "You do understand that when you agreed to take over the movie, you agreed to the terms of the contract I had with Mr. Lawton."

"Who?" Lucy said.

"The former director," Finnegan said.

"Contract?"

"In exchange for my investment of four million dollars, you agreed to film the movie as scripted, following the schedule as stated. Should you not keep this agreement, Ms. Armstrong, I'll be asking you personally for my four million back."

"Huh?" Lucy said, feeling the ground shift beneath her feet.

"I gather your boy Connor did not mention that when he called you in," Finnegan said. "Just let him handle everything."

"Connor is not my boy," Lucy said, thinking, Oh, hell, twelve years apart and he's still scamming me. She glanced back at Pepper, who was staring wide-eyed through the cellophane on a box labeled kingdom

COME WONDER WOMAN.

"Wow," Pepper said.

"Connor will take care of everything," Finnegan said. "You listen to him and you'll be fine. Your role as director is just a formality."

Jax put three packages of underwear on the counter next to the box. "We got the comic that figure's from. All the superheroes fight the bad guys in this really big last battle."

"Cool," Pepper said.

"Mr. Finnegan," Lucy said. "Connor is the stunt coordinator. I'm the director."

"Well, it's the stunts you're shooting now, isn't it?" Finnegan said. "And one more thing, Lucy. That fine Green Beret you have on my set? He's not in the budget and he must go."

"Bryce is paying for him," Lucy said and then stopped to frown at the phone. "How did you know there was a Green Beret on the set? Did Connor call-"

"Connor did not call," Finnegan said. "I have my ways of knowing things. Get rid of him."

"I can't," Lucy said. "Bryce hired him, Bryce is paying him, and Bryce insists on keeping him. I've already tried, it's a no go. If I cross him, he'll sulk and your schedule will go to hell. If Connor didn't call, who was it?"

"Let's just say I have somebody keeping an eye on things."

"What?" Lucy said. "You have a mole on my set?" She looked over to see Pepper and Jax listening. She put her hand over the receiver and asked, "Done shopping, Pepper?"

Pepper shook her head and turned back to Jax, who was already grabbing another book.

Lucy uncovered the phone. "Why are you doing this? If you want to send an observer, send an observer, I have no problem with that. Why all the secrecy?"