Kylie Kendall Mystery: The Wombat Strategy Part 9

"Kylie, this is Dr. Vincent Adams. He's at Deerdoc, and he's aware you'll be working there next week."

Dr. Adams gave me a moderate smile, a relief after all the teeth I'd seen exposed tonight. "Call me Vince," he said in a quiet, gentle tone.

We all made light conversation for a few minutes, then he was called away by an imperious command from an old woman wearing enough bright jewelry to decorate a Chrissie tree.

"I want to go home," I said to Ariana. "Any chance of a lift? I can't face Fred again."

"Sure. Do you want to go now?"

"Blood oath, I do."

"I'll say my farewells and meet you outside. Go down the drive a little way, so I can pick you up without anyone seeing."

The night was cool and mercifully quiet. I threw my head back to check out the stars but could only see a few of the brighter ones. Back in the 'Gudge, even on moonless nights, if there were no clouds, the Milky Way arching across the sky provided starlight enough to see your way.

"Ready to go home, little lady?" said a voice close behind me. "I'm at your service."

Fred Mills. I turned around fast, nearly taking off his nose. "I've got a lift home, thanks."

Not pleased, Fred said, "Don't you know the good old American custom that says you go home with the boy who brought you?"

"No worries. Ariana's leaving now, and I asked her to drop me off."

With relief I saw Ariana emerge from the building. I'd run the chance of someone seeing us together. "Over here," I shrieked.

She nodded to Fred. "Evening." To me she said, "Ready?"

"You've no idea how much."

When Ariana retrieved her car and we were leaving, I looked back. Fred Mills was standing splay-legged, his arms folded over this corpulent chest.

I'd made an enemy. My first in L.A.

NINE.

Sunday was a gorgeous day. I had my breakfast with Julia Roberts in dappled suns.h.i.+ne out in the backyard under the citrus trees. I'd wedged the back door so it couldn't spring closed and lock, dragged out a box from the storeroom to use as a table and a spare chair from the nearest office. Perhaps I could persuade Ariana to fund a garden table and chairs. I tut-tutted to myself. Here I was forgetting half the place was mine. I could simply instruct Fran to get the furniture and it would be done. Or not. Fran was still an unknown quant.i.ty. I had no idea at what point she would buck an order, but I didn't doubt there was such a point.

Jules had plunked her tawny self in a large patch of suns.h.i.+ne, opening her green eyes now and then to check if potential prey had materialized. I realized what a poor excuse for a hunter she was when an inquisitive bird hopped onto a low branch to eyeball her. Julia lashed her tail a bit then lost interest, gave a wide pink yawn, and dozed off again.

I'd never seen a squirrel in real life before but recognized what the little thing was when it leapt from the roof onto one of the trees and ran headfirst down the trunk, where it stopped, fluffy tail vibrating, upside down. I thought Julia Roberts would jump up and clobber the intruder, or at the very least look dangerous, but she regarded it without interest, and shut her eyes again.

"Call yourself a cat," I hooted. "Any Aussie feline would be up and at that squirrel."

My heart did a gymnastic leap when a voice said, "Julia Roberts is incurably lazy." It was the beautiful, the spoken-for Harriet Porter.

"Crikey," I said, "you scared the living daylights out of me."

"Didn't Ariana call? She said she would."

"I wouldn't have heard the phone. Jules and I have been out here for ages."

She grinned at me. "And you're asking yourself what I'm doing here this Sunday morning, when I could be breakfasting in bed with Beth?"

This was altogether too intimate a picture, especially as I recalled breakfasts with Raylene that began with bacon and eggs and ended with something far more exciting.

"I'll bite," I said. "Why are you here?"

"Ariana called me this morning and asked if I cared to be paid double-time to help you rent a car, get a cell phone, and look at some clothes for your stint as Dr. Deer's a.s.sistant."

"Was it the pleasure of my company that persuaded you or the double time?"

"I won't lie to you," said Harriet. "I can be bought, I'm afraid. Money's tight this month, and it was an offer too good to refuse."

"Want a cuppa before we get started? I'll make a fresh pot."

"Tea? That'd be nice."

After finding another chair for Harriet and checking how she had her tea, I zipped into the kitchen, filled the electric jug, and switched it on. Tea-making was an art, and I followed to the letter the method Mum had taught me when I was a kid. First, half a cup of boiling water in the teapot to warm it for a few moments, then swirl it around and tip it out. Second, add one spoonful of tea for each person, plus one for the pot. Third, pour in boilinga"repeat boilinga"water that has to be actually bubbling. Finally, let steep for four minutes.

When I appeared with the mugs, Harriet was sprawled in a chair with her legs extended into direct sunlight. "What have you been doing? I was about to come in to look for you."

"Making tea."

"Oh, of course," said Harriet, light dawning. "You don't use tea bags, do you?"

"Not on your nelly!"

Harriet laughed. "What's a nelly?"

"You know, I've got no idea."

It was a lovely, peaceful morning. A b.u.t.terfly or two flapped around, birds tweeted, Julie Roberts rolled on her back and waved her feet in the air. Harriet, positively glowing with health, sat with me in companionable silence.

I broke it by saying, "You look so terrific. Must be clean living."

"I think it's the fact that I'm pregnant."

"You are?"

My surprise made Harriet grin. "In case you're wondering, Kylie, a gay friend's the father, via a syringe. Genetically, Maurice is excellent. Just as important, Beth and I adore both him and his partner, Gary."

I felt a jab of envy. Harriet was someone who knew pretty well where her life was going and was clearly delighted with the direction it was taking. Plus she had a loving companion by her side for the journey, and dear friends to light the way...

I gave myself a hard mental slap. If I kept this up I'd soon be snuffling into my tea.

I asked, "Does Ariana know you're going to have a baby?"

"She insists on being G.o.dmother."

Cool, enigmatic Ariana as a G.o.dmother, cooing over a kicking infant? "You know Ariana well," I said, phrasing it as a statement, not a stickybeak question.

"As well as she lets anyone know her."

"A woman of mystery," I said lightly.

Harriet gave me an amused look. "Before you ask, I'm not altogether sure."

I felt myself beginning to blush. "h.e.l.l's bells, am I that obvious?

"Uh-huh."

Now I was definitely red in the face. "I've been wondering since I met her if she's a lesbian. Dad never said one way or the other. With most people, you can pick up clues, but Ariana..." I shrugged.

"Beth and I have discussed it at length, believe me. Ariana never talks about her personal life. Beth thinks it's because she doesn't have one, that she's essentially s.e.xless, rather like Lonnie. Neither of them seem particularly interested in relations.h.i.+ps."

"I wouldn't compare Ariana to Lonnie," I said, indignant.

Harriet chuckled. "Only in that one respect are they alike. And who knows? Maybe Ariana has a scorching s.e.x life we know nothing about." She looked at her watch. "We'd better get a move ona"things to do and money to spend."

I collected a protesting Julesa"Melodie had made it clear she wasn't allowed outside without supervisiona"and followed Harriet through the back door. Ariana with a scorching s.e.x life? The idea didn't please me much. I had to admit I'd rather picture Ariana all alone, high up in her Hollywood Hills home, waiting for someonea"well, waiting for mea"to come bounding in and declare, "Let me take you to places you've never been before."

No, I'd have to rephrase. That sounded too much like a tourist agent. How about, "Together, we can make wonderful music"? No, that's worse. I should be more direct. I could say, "I l.u.s.t after you, burn for you..." Nix that. Ariana would flatten me with her cold blue stare, or worse, laugh. Maybe I should let my actions speak louder than words anda"

"Kylie? I don't want to hurry you, but we haven't got all day."

"Sorry."

I picked up my shoulder bag, resolutely banning further thoughts of Ariana Creeling. That way lay madness.

Harriet was nothing if not efficient. We hopped into her old Volvo and set out for the nearest shopping center. In short order I had a mobile phone and some really nice clothes to mix and match so I'd have several outfits for my undercover ident.i.ty. Last was the rental car. Without probs I acquired a four-door, light-tan vehicle filled with the smell of artificial pine. It was a car without much character. Strewth, compared to Dad's Mustang, it didn't have any character. An automatic, it was no sweat to drive, but no fun either.

I thanked Harriet and said goodbye to her at the rental place. She was sweet and asked me if I wanted to join her and Beth for dinner, but I said I wanted an early night. Then I drove back to Kendall & Creeling. There was lots of traffic, and I seemed to snag every red light, so I stop-and-started the whole way, using the time to dwell on the fact Harriet hadn't been asked to help me find accommodation.

Last thing last night I'd said to Ariana, "I should get a flat somewhere near the office, don't you think?"

I would've thought she'd be pleased to get me out of the office bedroom suite, but she hadn't given the impression of jumping for joy. "You can look for an apartment when you have a better sense of L.A. and know where you'd prefer to be," she'd said.

"Melodie or Harriet can help," I'd said. "They know the whole area, don't they? I'd be happy to take advice."

"I don't think you should rush into a lease. If you sign one, you'll be committed to an apartment for at least a year."

I hadn't seen it last night, but now I realized Ariana didn't want me to put down roots. If I remained in the office bedroom, it was a temporary thing. I could go walkabout any time. It all boiled down to one fact: She didn't want me involved in the business. She was just biding her time until I caved and she bought me out.

She could bide all the time she liked. That wasn't going to happen. I was going to implement the Wombat Strategy. A wombat is unstoppable, once its mind is set on a goal. Just like that furry little tank, I'd set my course and I'd keep on keeping on.

When I thought about the drive home last night, I realized the freeze had really set in even before I'd mentioned getting a flat. Ariana, rea.s.suringly sober, had been driving defensively, a wise decision since the roads appeared to be teeming with vehicles performing erratic maneuvers. I'd made a casual remark about wanting to look over Kendall & Creeling's books.

She'd glanced over at me with a frown. "You're free to discuss the financial situation with our accountants." Then she'd really got up my nose by adding, "I believe that would be best. Unless you're an expert, Kylie, financial records can be incomprehensible."

"Oh, I think I might muddle my way through," I said with heavy sarcasm. I'd looked after the financial side of Wombat's Retreat, and I figured a pub's books were going to be quite a lot more complicated than those of a private eye business.

I had no thought Ariana was cooking the booksa"I was sure she wasn'ta"but if my partners.h.i.+p with her was to work, I wanted to know every single thing about the company.

A chilly silence had fallen between us at this point. Looking for somewhere to live had struck me as a safe, neutral topic. Major miscalculation.

I spent the rest of the day going to a Laundromat, usefully within walking distance from the offices, planning how I'd get out of moving into the Deers' mansion, and calling Mum to see how things were in the 'Gudge. It was late Sunday afternoon here and Monday morning there.

Not surprisingly, since it was less than a week since I'd skipped, nothing much had happened. With a certain wry satisfaction I learned that Mum's fiance, Jack, was already having a bit of trouble mastering the finer points of running a pub.

Mum askeda"hopefully, I thoughta"if I'd be coming home any time soon. I said although L.A. wasn't a patch on Wollegudgeriea" Mum expected me to say that, so I dida"I was finding it a very interesting place, so I'd stay a while. Mum asked if I'd seen any stars yet, and I filled her in with info on last night's party.

Without fail Mum has her hair done every Friday at 'Gudge's hairdressing salon, so I knew she would have seen Raylene's new love, Maria. I was burning to ask if she had any news of Raylene but with great effort managed not to bring up the subject.

With the unerring instinct of a mother, Mum said, "I ran into Raylene yesterday at the drycleaners. She asked after you."

I could see Raylene as clearly as if she were standing in front of me. She had beautifully silky hair that fell straight to her shoulders and a mobile, expressive face. I'd always loved her laugh, an infectious, bubbling sound.

"How is she?" I said, as if I didn't care one way or the other.

"She's fine. Said she was planning a trip to Bangkok during the next school break. She and Maria."

That was a stab to the heart. Raylene and I had talked at length about visiting Thailand. We'd pored over maps and brochures and plotted our itinerary. And now she was going there with Maria.

"Kylie, it's no good running away from your problems." Mum was in her I'm-saying-this-for-your-own-good mode. "Stand and face them, I always say."

"I'm not running away."

Mum clicked her tongue impatiently. "Of course you are. Just because a relations.h.i.+p doesn't work, it's no reason to shoot through."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"America's a dangerous place." Mum was getting het-up. "I see it on the telly every night. People getting shot for no reason at all. You're not safe there. I want you back here in Wollegudgerie."

Suddenly furious that she was ordering me around like I was a child, I said, "I'm not coming back. Not yet."

"When, then?" My mum was great at pinning people down. "Next month? For Chrissie? When?"

"Jeez, Mum, give it a rest."

Mum changed tack. "I really need you here, you know. Running the pub's no picnic without you. Jack's doing his best, but he hasn't learned the ropes yet."

"He will."