by C. A. Larmer
“Of course there is. She’s jealous.” Alicia knew all about the green-eyed monster.
“Of you?”
“Of you and me. She likes you, me not so much. It’s obvious.”
He shook his head firmly. “No way, nuh-uh. She’s, like, ten years older than me, married to her career and her kids.”
“Doesn’t change the fact. So how else are you going to make it up to me?”
He nudged his eyebrows up and down again. “What have you got in mind?” He stole a glance at her office door.
Alicia laughed. “Oh you’re a long way from that, bucko!” She took a sip of the coffee. “But you can tell me what Brandon Johnson had to say.”
“Brandon?”
“You just came from the Top Shop Café, am I right?”
“How did you—?”
She glanced at the latte. “Who else is going to charge five bucks for this crap?”
Actually, it was a wild guess, but it quickly paid off and Jackson proceeded to tell her about the brief chat he’d just had with the barman. Luckily, Brandon didn’t mention a certain Lynette who had just joined his bar staff. In fact, according to Jackson, he was winding the bar work back.
“Says he had such a bad experience last film night, he’s sticking to waiting tables at Top Shop.”
“He’s not running the bar at the Balmain Moonlight Cinema tomorrow night?” she asked.
He cocked his head to the side. “That’s what he says. Why?”
She shrugged casually. There was no way she was going to tell him about Lynette’s new gig now. “I just heard they were showing Grease this weekend. Figured the Ladies Auxiliary would hire him again, that’s all.”
“Oh I’m sure they’ll have no trouble recruiting staff in this market.” He smiled. “You wanna go? To Grease, I mean. It could be a laugh.”
She shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. Urgh. Can’t stand that flick.”
She was lying of course, and he looked surprised.
“Wow, okay. I can’t work you out at all. I really thought you’d be into that one. Want to do something else? I can probably get tomorrow night off. I’m owed a lot of overtime.”
“No, I’m busy. Sorry.”
“Busy?” He looked a little hurt.
“Yeah, I… I promised Lynny I’d, um, help her with her social media stuff this Saturday. Sorry.”
Jackson’s hangdog eyes were back. He was about to say something when his mobile beeped. He dragged it from his back pocket and read the message that had just come in. “Damn, okay, I gotta get back.”
“Indira’s probably snuck that GPS app onto your phone. She’s probably tracked you down.”
He smiled. “Are we okay?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
He looked at her for a few silent seconds, then said, “Maybe we could reserve Sunday then. Just you, me, nobody else? Not even Max.”
She didn’t laugh at that, just shrugged again.
Alicia knew she was being a bitch, but she was with Reverend Joves on this one. Retribution really did have its rewards.
“Of course he’s running the bar on Saturday night,” Lynette said over the phone to Alicia, ten minutes later. “I just got a text from him, like a second ago, confirming my hours. He wants me in Balmain at five on the dot. Why?”
“Hmm.” Alicia tapped her pencil on the side of her desk, giving it some thought. “He told Jackson he wasn’t doing the film nights anymore.”
“He’s lying, of course. Trying to get the cops off his tail.”
“Yeah.” Her stomach churned again. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Lynette.”
“Well, that’s a surprise. You didn’t tell Jackson, did you?”
“No.” But she wished she had.
“Good. This confirms that we’re on the right track. The barman is definitely hiding something, and we need to find out what. Hang on, what?”
“What?”
“No! Wrong table, Carlos, number six! Six!” There was a muffled crackle before Lynette said, “Soz, gotta run. The place is going to hell in a handbasket. Oh shit, Mario’s sending me dagger looks now.”
“He should hook up with Indira.”
“Sorry?”
“Never mind. Go, do your thing, we’ll chat later.”
As she placed the phone down, Alicia felt a small flicker of relief. At least she hadn’t had a chance to tell her sister about her recent visit to Indira’s office. It was one thing to lie to Jackson, but she was glad she had not had to lie to Lynette.
Chapter 33
Claire did a quick twirl, her full, 1950s-style skirt swirling around her.
“Stunning,” said Alicia. “I love it.”
Claire was dressed up like one of the Pink Ladies from the movie Grease, complete with bubblegum pink jacket, high ponytail and requisite chewing gum.
She chewed noisily now as she placed her hands on her hips and said, “You, however, are a total spoilsport.”
Alicia had a simple pair of black jeans and a striped shirt on. “Sorry, you know I’m not much of a clothes horse.”
“Lynette already there?”
“Yep, unpacking plastic champagne flutes as we speak.”
Claire frowned. “You think she’s going to be okay?”
She had been reticent to attend the film event tonight, concerned for everyone’s safety, but their enthusiasm had soon changed her mind, and so she had got into the spirit of the thing. Besides, Claire figured, the more of them there the safer it would be. Or so she hoped.
“Lyn tells me there are five other staff members on the team this time, and she has promised not to get stuck alone with Brandon for one second,” Alicia told her. “So unless they’re all in it together, I think she’ll be fine.” She glanced down the road. “Where’s Missy? I thought she was coming with you.”
Claire smiled mysteriously. “We’re meeting her there.”
“And why the cheeky grin?”
Claire began chewing nonchalantly again, then turned on her bobby socks and led the way to her blue VW Beetle.
The women reached Balmain with plenty of time to spare, parked the car and handed over their printed tickets, then began scanning the crowd for Missy. Alicia had a touch of déjà vu as she did so, coupled with a twinge of regret. She adored Claire, but she couldn’t help wishing it was Jackson beside her instead and not just because he was stronger and had a police badge.
Meanwhile, Claire was looking out at the swelling crowd with a dash of relief. The film didn’t start for half an hour, but it was clear they would have a full house, and she was glad of that. She remembered how worried the ladies at the Auxiliary had been and was happy the bad press had not damaged the event.
“I can’t see her bright pink hair anywhere,” Alicia said, staring at the section near the bar, the place they sat last time and the place they had agreed to meet.
“I see her!” said Claire, leading the way across.
It was only when they were close that Alicia let out a gasp.
“My goodness, you’ve gone platinum blond!”
Missy laughed uproariously at her reaction and gave her freshly dyed hair a little shake.
“You like?”
“I love it! Wow, what a change. I would not have recognised you.”
Missy had also exchanged her zany zebra-print spectacles for a classic black pair, and she was wearing a slimming black top over a full red skirt and a black leather jacket over that.
“Sexy Betsy!” came a voice behind them, and they looked around to find Perry trudging up, a picnic basket in hand. “You’ve done a Sandy makeover.”
Missy squealed. “I knew you’d get it! Flo gave me the idea when she first mentioned they were screening Grease. I thought, if Sandy can make some changes, I can too. But I’m going further. I’m making over my entire life! I’ve applied for some rental apartments, and I’m moving out of home. It’ll be costly, but it’s time.”
“So that’s why you’ve been skipping all
the expensive drinks and pizza?” Alicia said.
“Well, that and the desire to lose a little of this.” She tapped her stomach and grinned.
Perry pulled a bottle of champagne from his basket.
“Let’s drink to the new Missy,” he announced, handing the bottle around, then he put one arm around Alicia and said, “Our baby is growing up.”
Alicia laughed as they settled on a range of bright rugs, sipped their drinks, and looked around.
“Ooh there’s Lynette,” she said, catching sight of her sister, who was giving a subtle thumbs up from the bar area to their immediate right. She spotted Brandon just behind her, as well as several other bar staff, including a man who looked vaguely familiar. That must be Wally Walters, she decided.
“Listen, everyone,” Alicia said, cutting through their chatter, “don’t forget why we’re here. We need to stay sharp and focused.”
“Why are we here?” said Perry. “Sorry, luvie, but I’m really not sure what we can possibly see or do to help.”
“Maybe nothing, but we’re here to give Lyn some moral support and maybe some backup if it comes to that.”
“You honestly think he’s going to try something tonight?”
“I don’t know, but Lynette swears he said something was going down tonight. There was going to be some signal—whatever that means. So we just keep our eyes peeled and our wits about us. Which means a little less of this,” she held up her drink, “and a lot more of this.” She placed two fingers to her eyes and then pointed them out to the crowd.
“Spoilsport,” Perry said, giving her a wink.
“Hi, guys.” This was Anders now, and he was on his own.
“No Margarita?” Perry asked, and he shook his head.
“She was just a friend, you know.”
Of course she was, he thought, offering him some champagne, while Alicia gave him a warm smile.
The first half of the film was incident-free. Apart from a rowdy group of young women at the other end of the park, there were no major disruptions or overly amorous antics, although most punters probably wouldn’t dare. Alicia noticed extra security tonight, not just on the exits but strolling through the crowd, and she wondered whether they were also putting a halt to any plans Brandon had—and whether that was actually a good thing.
As Sandy and Danny tried to reconcile true love and teen angst on the big screen, Alicia kept a subtle eye on the bar where Lynette appeared to be run off her feet. Alicia was surprised by the steady flow of customers, even after the film had started. This was certainly a younger crowd than the previous fortnight, although middle-aged women were still in abundance. They were the film’s original fans, no doubt, and knew every word to every song, singing along at the top of their voices.
With intermission fast approaching, Alicia decided to touch base with her sister before the crowds built up. She whispered her plans to the book club and then slipped across.
“I’ll have a glass of sparkling wine, thanks,” Alicia said politely as she stepped to the front of the counter.
“Coming right up, madam,” Lynette replied, giving her a subtle wink.
“Busy night?” Alicia kept her tone casual. They had agreed to stay incognito, but she was determined to get an update.
Lynette shrugged. “Not really, ma’am. Nothing much going on here.”
“Oh well, things may get more exciting for you in the second half,” Alicia replied, handing over some cash.
After making her way back to the group, she went to sit down but was quickly intercepted by Claire.
“Wrong blanket, Alicia. This one’s ours.”
Alicia glanced around to find a thirty-something couple beside her, laughing, and she apologised to them as she resumed her place. At that moment, Alicia felt a little zap go off in her brain, but it vanished just as quickly and she gave it no more thought as she settled back in.
The second half of the evening was even less eventful than the first, and by the time the graduating class of Rydell High were driving off into the sunset looking bright and optimistic, the book club friends were glancing around looking anything but.
“No dead bodies?” said Missy. “No screams or cries?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” said Alicia. “And we should be thankful for that.” She glanced at her watch. “Come on, we’ll be late!”
They had previously arranged to rendesvous with Lynette just after the credits, behind the Portaloos near the snack bar. That way, if Lynette had anything to report, they’d have time to call Jackson and get him in before Brandon vanished into the night.
Yet Lynette looked even more disappointed than Missy.
“I didn’t see any suspicious signals, and Brandon didn’t leave the tent, not once!” she said. “Just poured beers, popped champagne corks and now he’s over there with Wally and Jacki doing the clean-up.” She hugged her jacket closer. “I have to be quick; he wants me back in five.”
“Did you see him do anything suspicious?” asked Perry.
“Apart from work harder than I’ve ever seen him work before? No, nothing.” She took a good swig of the water bottle she’d brought along. “He was really diligent tonight. Took care of a few idiots who kept demanding stupid things like candy and champagne with ice.”
“Champagne with ice?” echoed Perry, an eyebrow sky-high. “Well there’s no accounting for taste!”
She laughed. “Did you see that hen’s party? They were so out of it. But apart from them, it was all pretty dull.”
“Do you think all the extra security might have curtailed his plans?” asked Alicia, and Lynette nodded.
“More’s the pity,” said Missy, who then slapped a hand to her mouth. “Sorry! That was a terrible thing to say.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” said Lynette. “I think we’ve all been expecting something to go down, as horrendous as that sounds. I’m so sorry I wasted all your time.”
“No, no, not at all! You didn’t waste our time,” said Missy. “I would’ve come anyway.” She turned to Claire. “I haven’t seen Flo and Ronnie, but they’d be so happy with the turnout.”
Claire agreed. “So what now?” she asked Lynette.
“Unless something dramatic happens in the next ten minutes, you guys might as well head off.”
“You’re coming with us, right?” asked Alicia.
Lynette shook her head no. “I promised I’d help them pack up. I’ve really got to get back.”
“I’ll wait around until you’re done.”
“Don’t bother,” Lynette said. “Honestly, I’m perfectly safe. There’s a whole bunch of us over there, plus the security guards won’t leave until the place is empty, so I’ll be fine. You should grab a lift with Claire while you can, and I’ll catch you back at home.” Then she held a finger up. “And I’ll make sure I’m never alone with Brandon—I promise this time!”
Alicia didn’t look too happy with that arrangement, but she could see at least three bar staff still moving about in the white marquee, so she nudged away the dark images that were swirling through her head and gave her sister a warm hug.
“Be safe!”
As the book club packed up and eventually left the park, Alicia glancing back towards the bar, wondering whether to worry, Lynette remained behind to clean up. She dumped the empty bottles in the recycling bins at the back of the venue and helped lug boxes of unused champagne flutes and unopened alcohol into the back of Brandon’s van.
After hoisting the final box into place, Lynette returned to the tent where Brandon, Wally and Jacki remained, now perched on a trestle table, sipping beers.
“Need a hand with the marquee?” she asked.
Brandon shook his head. “Nah, Wally and I will come back tomorrow and take care of it, but thanks. You were a great help tonight.”
“No worries,” she said, feeling remorseful again.
Lynette didn’t know what the barman had been talking about on his phone the other night, but her doubts were creeping
back in. Had he really been planning something sinister and been thwarted by the extra security? Or was there a perfectly innocent explanation for everything he said?
Maybe the Ladies Auxiliary were right, she decided. Maybe he was just a young man trying hard to get back on his feet. In any case, it was time for this amateur sleuth to retire to bed.
“You girls head home,” Brandon was saying, “I’ll make sure payment is transferred to your accounts tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” said Lynette, grabbing her things and then walking with Jacki out of the park, which was now abandoned except for a lone security guard on the front entrance.
“Need a cab, ladies?” the guard asked.
Jacki shook her head. “I’m just down the road.” She waved to Lynette as she walked off.
Lynette pulled out her smartphone.
“I’ll just book an Uber,” she told the guard, stepping out onto the street so her smartphone could pinpoint her location.
As she was tapping in her password, Lynette glanced up to find three of the hen’s party staggering down the street. They had glassy eyes and were tearing into what looked like greasy hamburgers. She smiled at them and looked back at her phone just as one of the women tripped over and the others snorted with laughter.
“Oh my gawd, Jeanie, you are going to be sooooo wrecked at the church tomorrow! We really blew you away tonight!”
Then the other women giggled as they continued tumbling down the street.
Lynette stopped and looked up again. She blinked rapidly then clicked her phone off.
My God. She thought. I’ve been such an idiot!
Then she swivelled on her heels and made her way back inside the park.
Chapter 34
Alicia stepped out of Claire’s car at the corner of her block, then waved her off with an air kiss and a smile. It was only as she was grappling for her door key and walking towards her terrace house that she spotted the man lurking in the shadows just to the right of the letterbox.
