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?"

"Only three more days, Lucy," Finnegan said. "All you have to do is follow the schedule."

"I'll meet your schedule," Lucy snapped. "But Wilder stays on the set because Bryce wants him. And the mole goes. Send all the observers you want, but no spies."

The silence on the phone stretched out while, behind her, the counter guy said, "How about the Masterpiece Doll? Comes with a hardcover book and a reproduction of the first-"

"I got that last night," Pepper said. "J.T. gave it to me."

"Tough-looking guy?" Jax said. "Doesn't say much?"

That's him, Lucy thought and wondered if catching moles was in his job description.

"You're really not in a position to dictate to me, Lucy my girl," Finnegan was saying.

"Yep," Pepper said to the counter guy. "That's J.T. He's a Green Beret. I should get him something, too."

"How about the Superman boxers with the Super Size shield?"

"No," Lucy said.

"I beg your pardon," Finnegan said, his voice icy.

"Sorry," Lucy said into the phone. "I was talking to someone else. But the mole-"

"Forget that," Finnegan said. "The schedule's the important thing. I want you to follow it exactly."

"I don't like any of this, Mr. Finnegan."

"It's my money, Lucy."

"I understand that, but-"

"You do a good job for me," Finnegan said, "and perhaps there'll be a bonus for you."

"I don't want a bonus. I want that mole off the set and-" She stopped as she heard a click and the phone went dead. Bastard.

"Sticker book?" Jax said to Pepper, putting it on the counter in front of her.

"Got it," Pepper said.

"Pez dispenser?" He put one on the counter and Pepper frowned.

"Maybe."

"Wonder Woman bobble-head doll?" He put one in front of her and Pepper rolled her eyes as the head bobbed up and down. "Yeah, that's what I think, too. Can you write? I got a Wonder Woman diary."

"I can write," Pepper said. "Some."

"How about The Ultimate Guide to Wonder Woman? It's where all the sticker pictures came from."

"Ooh, ooh, that one."

Lucy shut off the phone and looked at the pile on the counter.

"They don't have Barbies," Pepper said to her, "but they have all this cool stuff."

Lucy looked at Jax, who shrugged. Then she looked at Pepper. "Can you read the books?"

"Yes. I checked. Well, I didn't check the last one." She pulled the slender white book oft the stack and opened it. "Yep, I can read it. Most of it."

"And the clothes?" Lucy said, picking up one of the packages.

"Wonder Woman underwear," Pepper said.

"WonderWear," Jax said.

"I thought we could have a party," Pepper said, in her best abandoned-child voice. "You and me and Mom because I have nobody to play with. And we could all wear the underwear."

She was putting it on, Lucy knew, but underneath the put-on, there was something true. Pepper was worried about her mom, but underneath that, she was achingly lonely. She really did need somebody to play with.

Hell, so do I.

There was a spy on her set. That was just creepy.

Lucy flicked up the box that said kingdom come. Inside was an eight-inch action figure that was the closest thing she'd seen to art in a cardboard box: a semibehevably proportioned woman with muscles and a gold rope, looking pissed as hell. "Wow."

"That's what I said," Pepper said. "Isn't she beautiful? But I don't really need her. I'd rather have the Barbie."

"Maybe I need her," Lucy said, looking at the tough lines of the figure. This was a bitch who could kick some Irish ass. And maybe some Australian butt-he knew he was suckering me into that liability-and find a mole, too. Who? She thought. Forty-odd people. It could be any of them. Althea saving for bigger boobs if that was possible, Bryce investing in a Ding Dongs factory, Mary Vanity putting out a hit on Althea…

"So can I have it all?" Pepper asked.

Lucy looked at the swag on the counter. She'd missed some things while she was on the phone. Magnets, a mug, a lunch box, a Superman key chain…

"Superman?"

"For J.T. To say thank you."

"Well," Lucy said. "I don't know.

Pepper looked up at her with huge eyes. "If I can have this stuff, I'll help you find the mole."