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character that was Angie Saunders. Ostensibly, the role was simply a vehicle for the star and the studios to make money. Neither the sets nor the supporting actors or actresses approached the calibre of Angie. But then, it was hard for established stars to act with her, for she'd stolen every picture she'd appeared in. Despite her skimpy dresses and the magnificent costumes she wore, Angie rose above the lacklustre material she'd been given to work with. Whether dressing or undressing, she made of each movement, the taking off of an earring, the adjustment of a slip strap, or the fixing in place of a garter, a work of feminine art. Her dance routines, intended merely to parody Astaire/Rodgers, quickly turned into something more, and it was quite a shock to realize that the slim figure could dance so well. Even the vacuous, empty-headed blonde that Angie portrayed so easily was bestowed with characteristics, a frozen look, a twitch of an elegant hand, the pursing of her red lips, that showed the blonde to be aware, and yet trapped, in the role others had forced her to play. Her tragic death, so melodramatic with an actress of less character, and her puzzlement at the unjust fate she had received, carried off the show to a superb climax. Glen Lincoln left the theatre with a strange glow about him. He recognized now that Angie Saunders was more than talented. She was an original. He sensed this awareness in others about him, too, and was jealous. He had fallen in love with Angie Saunders, and he didn't want to share her with anyone else.

Cathy Lord had obviously been working on a bottle of Scotch long before Lincoln arrived just before six that evening. In one of the supporting roles in Angie's latest film, she was often described as an "old friend" of Angie's. The way she was hitting the bottle, thought Lincoln, would soon make her fit the description of "old."

"Yeah," said Cathy unsteadily. "We're great friends." There were lines about her mouth and eyes that spoiled her generally haughty attractiveness. Relaxed as now, she appeared and even sounded bitchy. "Course she got the breaks, you might say, and the rest is history."

"Did you see much of her on the set?" Lincoln persisted in his attempt to tie down the relationship between Angie and Cathy Lord.

"Everyday," said Cathy, eyeing the decanter on the table.

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