I headed for reception. I was going to front up to Melodie and tell her she had a snowball's chance in hell of having me coach her in Aussie. But she wasn't there. Harriet was sitting behind the desk. This was too much.
'Melodie's off on an audition again?' There was an edge in my voice.
Harriet's expression was grave. 'I'd say she wished she was. Ariana's got Melodie in her office, and she's reading her the riot act.'
'Oh.' Ariana had come in while I was still covering reception this morning, and, although all she'd said to me was 'Good morning,' her expression had made it clear she wasn't pleased to find Melodie absent and me there.
'Oh, indeed.' said Harriet. 'You haven't seen Ariana on the warpath, Kylie. I have. Believe me, it's scary.'
I reckoned I didn't need to ask what Ariana was on the warpath about, but I did wonder why it had taken her so long to get jack of Melodie's constant absences.
My expression must have given me away. Harriet said, 'Why's it taken Ariana so long? You couldn't know, but there's some history between them.'
My imagination leapt around wildly. Was Melodie Ariana's love child? She'd have had to be a child herself when she had Melodie if that were the case…
'Ariana knew Melodie's mother,' said Harriet, canceling out that particularly alarming scenario. 'I'm sure you know that Ariana used to be an LAPD cop. She served with Sharon Schultz at the same station, and they became very close friends.'
Oblivious to this, Harriet went on, 'Sharon was a single mother, totally estranged from her ex-husband, and with no family of her own. When she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, she begged Ariana to keep an eye on Melodie, should the worst happen.'
'And the worst happened?'
'Eventually, after a long, bitter battle against the cancer. Melodie was in her mid teens when her mother died. Fortunately, her father entered the picture again, not that he was much use, but better than nothing. He encouraged Melodie to go for a career in show business, but as you know, that rarely pays the bills, so a couple of years ago Melodie approached Ariana and begged her for a job to tide her over until she made the big time. The agreement was that Melodie could go to auditions, but she had to schedule them at lunchtime or after work.'
I had many questions but no chance to ask them, because at that moment Melodie appeared, her face anguished. 'My career may be over,' she announced. She didn't actually put the back of one hand to her forehead in the proper tragic fashion, but heartbreak was in every drooping line of her body.
'You won't be a receptionist anymore?'
Melodie broke out of her misery to give me an irate glare. 'My
Harriet grinned. I said, 'My mistake.'
'Besides,' said Melodie, 'being a receptionist isn't what I'd call a career. It's more a filler. Something you do until you're discovered.'
'What happens if you're never discovered?' I inquired.
Irritated, Melodie clicked her tongue. 'It's the bees who are never discovered. I'm not a bee.'
The phone rang. Harriet gestured to Melodie to take the call. Glowering at this unwarranted interruption, Melodie snatched it up. She really could act. Her voice full of warm interest, she said, 'Good morning, Kendall & Creeling. How may I be of help to you?'
Harriet and I had turned away, when we were jolted by a shriek from Melodie. 'Larry! Larry! Awesome!'
Melodie, the receiver pressed to her bosom, gazed at us wide-eyed. 'Larry, my agent, says I have a callback tomorrow! He says they've told him I'm practically a sure thing! I'm going to be a Refulgent girl!'
To make sure we got the picture, Melodie tinkled her Refulgent laugh.
'Will I kill her, or will you?' Harriet asked.
Hand raised to knock, I stood outside Ariana's brass-studded door. I felt a touch of trepidation, even though I'd rehearsed what I was going to say. I'd remain calm and speak with measured, cool tones, as I reminded Ariana that she and I were co-owners of Kendall & Creeling. That being so, any discipline of staff-in this case, Melodie-should have involved me too.
Ariana would be likely to point out that it was me who had made it easy for Melodie to skip off to the audition, because I volunteered to answer the phone for her. Better to bring this up myself, before Ariana did.
Also, I'd had a bright idea for the Hartnidge case and wanted to run it by her. I was expecting some opposition, which was understandable. Last time I had a lash at an undercover role, I'd got a black eye for my trouble, but this time would be different. I'd be super cautious. Besides, I was more experienced now.
Thinking about that, I decided not to mention experience. I had made a bit of a hash of things in the past, and but for Julia Roberts, might not be around at all.
I took a deep breath, knocked sharply, then opened the door. It s me.
'So I see,' said Ariana, looking faintly amused. 'Come on in.'
I came in and sat down. Ariana leaned back in her black chair behind her black desk. As usual, she herself was wearing black. I had the sudden thought that maybe Ariana was in long-term mourning for Melodie's mother, Sharon Schultz. Though if that were so, it would be years… But then, Queen Victoria wore widow's black for the rest of her long life, after Prince Albert died.
'Kylie?'
I became aware that Ariana was waiting for me to speak. In a rush, I blurted out, 'Melodie's got a callback for the Refulgent commercial.'
'She's had plenty of those before.'
'Ah, but this time Larry-my-agent says she's a sure thing.'
A crease appeared between Ariana's elegant eyebrows. 'Larry is your agent?'
'No, he's not, of course. But haven't you noticed how Melodie always calls him Larry-my-agent, like it's one word? It's sort of sticks in my mind that way.'
I was making a complete galah of myself. I hadn't kept to my plan, and this was the sorry result. I'd pretend this bit of the conversation hadn't happened, and start again.
'Ariana,' I said, 'I've got something important to discuss with you.'
'Before you do, I want to apologize. I should have consulted you before I spoke with Melodie about the time she's spending at auditions when she should be here, doing her job. Seeing you sitting at the reception desk this morning, answering the phone, was the final straw.'
Feeling a jab of guilt that Melodie was taking all the blame, I said, 'It's not like Melodie made me do it. I volunteered.'
'You're a partner in the company. Melodie had no right to presume on your good nature.'
Half of me rejoiced that Ariana was speaking of me as her business partner. The other half was embarrassed at how pliable I'd been. 'I should have been tougher. I'm just a pushover.'
'No way are you a pushover, Kylie.' Ariana's tone was dry, in fact, pretty close to sardonic. 'Life would be much easier if you were.' Before I could ask her what she meant, she went on, 'You said you have something important to discuss with me?'
'I reckon I could go undercover at Alf and Chicka's business. Maybe I come in as a personal assistant, or an expert in PR, or something like that.'
As I'd expected, Ariana looked skeptical. 'And you'd be doing what?'
'Basically snooping around. No one would suspect me. Why would they? I'd just be an Aussie established in L.A., who'd be happy to pick up some work with an Australian company.'
Ariana's phone rang. 'Excuse me.' She listened for a moment, then said to me, 'Your Aunt Millie's calling from Wollegudgerie. Do you want to take it here?'
Considering the fact that I was about to make a strenuous effort to talk my aunt out of coming to L.A., I said, 'I'd better take it in my office.'
On the way down the hall, I marshaled all my arguments. It was to no avail. Aunt Millie's mind was set in concrete. 'I'll arrive next Wednesday,' she said. 'And Kylie, I expect to see you waiting for me at the airport.'
Wouldn't it rot your socks?
