As soon as he got back to Rome, Scott called and arranged to have a beer with Gianni to catch up on any news he had missed.
‘What’s the story with Liz and Dick?’ he asked. ‘Is it on or off?’
‘Sybil is in town,’ Gianni told him. ‘So it’s off. I have some pictures of her dining with Richard last night. Elizabeth stayed at home with her parents, who are visiting from America. I expect she is not pleased about this.’
‘No, I’m sure she’s not.’
‘The big news is that Twentieth Century Fox may be about to fire their president, Spyros Skouras, because the Cleopatra budget has overrun so badly. It looks as though it’s going to end up costing thirty million dollars instead of the original budget of two million. If he survives the vote at the board meeting next week it will be a miracle. He’s been in town for talks with Walter Wanger but flew out again today.’
Scott grinned. ‘I think I’ll give my friends in the press department a call about that.’
‘And a crew member drowned at one of their locations near Anzio but they haven’t been identified yet.’
‘Do you think there’s a story in it?’
‘Who can tell?’
It was a Saturday night, but Scott popped in to the office to make a couple of phone calls. First he rang his editor and, as they chatted, he wondered what he would say if he knew Scott had just been in Geneva with Bradley Wyndham. He didn’t mention it, of course. He’d have to invent some fictitious reason for the trip if he wanted to get the cost reimbursed as expenses.
‘I’ve sent over some pictures from the wedding of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece,’ the editor told him. ‘They should be on your desk by now. I’m told it’s a who’s who of European royalty and our women’s page wants to run a feature on the fashions but no one can identify the damn people. Could you find out and ring back in a couple of hours?’
So much for his Saturday night, Scott mused. He wouldn’t have minded if it had been a decent story instead of a women’s piece.
‘Next week, I want you to profile the new Italian president, Antonio Segni. You can have fifteen hundred words and a byline. What does it mean to be Christian Socialist? How is he different from his predecessor? Where does he stand on the Soviet Union? Is he kind to children and animals? You know the kind of thing, Scott. Give it your best.’
Scott exhaled loudly. That was the kind of story that took a lot of time and research. His editor would expect more than a rehash of items from the cuttings file but he knew he didn’t have a cat in hell’s chance of getting an interview with Segni. Why had he ever written that hatchet job about the Communist Party? The repercussions followed him around like a bad smell.
‘Oh, and if you can get your piece on the Cleopatra budget to us tomorrow, we’ll print it in the paper the day before their board meeting. Try to tie in something about the profligacy of the movie’s stars, won’t you?’
Scott agreed that he would.
When he came off the phone, he opened the envelope full of wedding photographs and glanced through them. He didn’t recognise a soul but he’d take them up to the Eden bar and get the press hacks there to help him.
Before he left the office, he dialled the Cleopatra press office.
‘Hey, it’s Scott Morgan here. I heard Spyros Skouras is up for the chop and wondered if he’s going to take Walter Wanger down with him. Any comments I can use in my piece?’
‘We only discuss events here in Rome,’ came the response. ‘I can’t tell you anything about the business in Hollywood.’
‘OK, can you tell me whether Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are going to get together again any time soon?’
‘I’ve left my crystal ball at home. Can’t help you with that one.’
‘Any chance of an interview with Miss Taylor?’
‘Not gonna happen.’
Amidst their banter, Scott clean forgot to ask about the person who drowned at the Anzio set.