London Harmony: Minuette (12 page)

We wound up talking and laughing late into the night.  When Mind yawned, Mrs. Stevens took that as her cue.  “Well girls, you two and Felix here have to work in the morning.  Let me get some of my pot-roast for you to take with you, and Felix can give you a ride home instead of you taking a coach this late at night.”

I crinkled my nose at Mindy in defiance when Mrs. Stevens came out with a covered plate full of succulent beef and potatoes and green beans.  I said with a tease in my voice for my best mate, “Thank you so much Mrs. Stevens.”

She waved me off with a smile.  “Tish tosh.”  Her eyes landed on our hands.  Mindy had somehow captured mine without me noticing, but now that I had noticed, heat from it was seeping into me.  What was that sly smile on Mrs. Stevens' face?

I almost lost the plate when Mindy went into motion, pulling me to the door when we heard Mr. Stevens beep his horn.  She kissed her mother on the cheek.  “Bye mum.  Love you.”

She beamed.  “Love you too.”

I kissed her cheek as I was dragged past.  “Love you.”  Then I made some squeaking sounds as I was relentlessly drawn forward.

She grinned and watched us head out into the drizzle to the car waiting at the curb.  “Love you too Netty.”

It was just after midnight when we dragged ourselves into the apartment.  I barely had the energy to knock three times and shuffle to the kitchen to put my treasure into the fridge.  When I turned around, instead of heading to bed, Mind was sitting stiffly on the couch, holding Vee Jacobs' book out toward me.

I smiled warmly at her and sat down.  I was exhausted, but I had no problems reading to my obsession until she fell asleep.  She curled into lay on me, her head on my chest as I started to read Screaming Silence.  One hand absently stroking her hair.

I never wanted this day to end.

The next day I was so full of energy after waking to an angel cuddled into me as I woke on the couch, when my mobile's alarm started chiming.  I turned it off and just watched her for a moment, her 'almost snores' making me grin.  I carefully kissed the top of her head then exhaled and said, “Hey sleepyhead.  Time to get ready for work, lady.”

She grudgingly opened her eyes and blinked away the sleep.  She yawned and stretched like a cat before pushing off of me to stand.  She gave me a cute little smile and said in that marvelously raspy voice that was ragged with sleep,  “You're more comfy than my bed.”

I blushed profusely as she slowly backed away, keeping me trapped by her hazel gems.  Then she laughed as my eyes went wide and she ran toward the loo.  I chased her, but she got to it first.  I called out, “You are entirely too evil.  I don't even know why I keep you around.”

She chuckled and called out, “You snooze you lose, slowpoke.”  Then she added, “And you keep me around because nobody can make you hot cocoa like I can.”

I capitulated. “That is a true statement.”  I grinned and started laying stuff out for the day for both of us.

When I left for work, she held the door open for me and she looked worried.  I tilted my head and she said, “No matter what happens in the next few days, always remember that you are and always will be my best mate, Nett.”

That sounded ominous.  What was going to happen?  I knew the Phantom Melody was over, but she'd just start a new one right?  Maybe she was saying it because, like me, she knew that now that it was over, I was likely either going to be found out, or let go by London Harmony.  Either way, I would be out of a job with them.  But I'd always have the temp agency.  I wanted to ask, but I was going to be late if I didn't leave in the next twenty or thirty seconds.

I paused and looked at how frightened she looked.  I took a deep breath, then leaned in and kissed her cheek.  “Of course.  Always and forever...”

She smiled that I was invoking our old promise from primary school and she answered as her smile grew, “...forever and a day.”

I had to dash off, but I felt a warm glow in me that I could take away whatever had frightened her and got her to smile like that.

I was sneak attack squid hugged from behind as I got off the coach at the bus stop.  I grinned as she released me.  “Hi, Zil.”

She looked smug with herself.  “That was perfect timing.  I was walking from the parking garage thinking, you know what I need?  A hug.  And you stepped off the bus.”

I rolled my eyes at her then squinted one eye.  “That counts as one of the hugs for the inbox.”

Her eyes widened.  “That's just mean.”

I grinned and bobbed my head at her.

She just sighed. “Fine.  Walk me to work, woman.”  She looped her arm in mine and I took a really good look at the woman as we walked the short distance to the door.

She always seems so put together and so sure of herself except around Jen.  She was rapidly approaching thirty, though the act she put on of the happy goth made her seem younger.  I could see the strain in her eyes and a haunted shadow that I recognized.  It was the same thing I saw in the mirror every day.  She was alone.  Even with all her friends around, she wanted someone who could make her feel whole.  I had this sudden urge to protect the woman because I suddenly saw her as... breakable.  I could empathize.

She shot a questioning grin at me.  I shrugged and said, “You need to tell her.”  Yeah, like I was one to talk, I couldn't even admit my own feelings to Mindy.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Sheesh, you and J-Dub.” She dug out her key card.  The door swung open as I was about to knock again, revealing a grinning Jen.  Zil paused and shyly pushed some random strands of hair behind her ear as she glanced up at Jen.  Then as she scurried past, she squeaked out, “Morning.” 

I had to stop a chuckle as I reached past Jen, knocked three times and almost skipped after the retreating goth.  I called back over my shoulder,  “Morning Jen.”

She chirped out a mirthful, “Morning dear weird ones.”

I marched up the stairs with Zilrita, who just mumbled to me, “Shut up.”  I had to laugh at that while lightly slapping her arm as she grinned like a wally.  She said, “Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.” Then we arrived at the second floor.

Oh dear lord, was my count right or hers?  Was it nineteen or twenty today?  She was grinning like an evil pixie  I blurted, “Bloody hell... you evil woman.”  She skipped up the next flight as I ran down the stairs to count again.  There were twenty by the way, imaginary crisis averted.

I muttered into the air since I knew she was monitoring the entire place on her earbud.  “I will get you for that woman.”  I heard her giggling as I passed through the third floor to the attic stairs.  I couldn't stop my smile.  I had never gotten so close to a group of people like this before and I really liked it.

The knowledge that the jig was almost up sobered me a bit, I was really going to miss the feeling of family here.

I popped up into the attic and paused.  There was a man in the middle of the space tearing apart the SmartCanvas unit.  Access doors and cowlings were removed and he was leaning into the guts of the thing, growling as he struggled with a tool.  A woman was standing with her back to me, holding miscellaneous tools, a tool belt, and some electronic circuit boards in a jumble in her hands.

I sort of sidestepped as I joined Fran at our desk.  She wiggled her eyebrows at me as she took her headphones off.  I nudged my eyes at the newcomers.  “Ummm... there be people.”

She chuckled and said, “Very astute.”

I narrowed an eye playfully and she grinned and called out, “Hey Tinker, got a second.?”

The man grunted and stood up and started walking to us, the woman following behind him.  He absently tossed a circuit-board over his shoulder and she caught it deftly even with her hands full.  The man was middle aged, his dirty blonde hair had a light dusting of silver.  Average height and build.  He had crows feet at the corners of his eyes, which were kind of scary sharp and laser focused.

Fran said, “Anette Corrick, I'd like you to meet Tim Phearson,of Phearson Prosthetics and Robotics.  Tim, this is my erstwhile assistant, Nett.”

He seemed to size me up in a glance as I stood in shock.  This guy was worth hundreds of millions, what was he doing here servicing a SmartCanvas unit?  He offered a hand as he said in a strong American accent with a tone which seemed stuck somewhere between tenor and baritone, “Please to meet you Nett.”

I nodded dumbly as I shook.  He grinned as the other woman stepped beside him and Fran started introducing her.  I just got my first good look at her. “Nett, this is...”

I squeaked in excitement. “Lessa Franklin!”  I sounded like a bloody fangirl. I should get used to meeting famous people here at London Harmony, but it is exciting every time.

The woman was blushing and looking down, and her hair color and style were different, she must wear a wig on stage, but there was no mistaking that profile.  Ok, so maybe there was a little wiggle room for mistakes since Fran chuckled at me and said, “Ummm... no.”

I blinked at each of the women and Fran clarified, “As I was saying, this is Brandye Franklin-Callahan, mastermind behind the original SmartCanvas, and twin sister of Lessa Franklin.”

I was not expecting that, I didn't know Lessa had a twin, let alone one just as famous for other reasons.  Dear Lord Nett, calm down, you're still fangirling.  They expect you to say something or breathe, not just stand here vibrating with nerdy excitement.

I darted my hand forward and said,”Pleased to meet you!”

She grinned, bobbled her load in her arms and freed her hand a bit and shook as she said in an American accent as well,  “The pleasure is mine.”  She seemed as awkward and bashful as me.  She was nothing like her snarky, outgoing sister except for her face.

Tim grunted and turned back to his work.  Brandye gave a little wave and turned back to help the man.  I leaned in toward Fran and whispered, “What are the two inventors of SmartCanvas doing here working on the unit?  Don't they have like... people and technicians for that?”

Brandye had heard my whisper and called out, “Tim insists on doing all upgrades and modifications to the prototype units himself, he doesn't trust anyone else.” The man seemed unphased that she was talking about him as he just continued leaning into the unit.”

I blushed at being caught talking about them and asked, “You too?”

She chuckled. “Oh goodness no, I brought my wife and daughter to watch Less in concert.  A sort of mini vacation.  When Timster found out, he invited himself, saying we could install the new communications modules into the version 3.5 prototype while we were here.”  She grinned and made a taa-daa motion.  “So here we are.”

I grinned and then went to work with Fran.  She started to slide her headphones on and paused. “I sent Bear the track you emailed and some anonymous person sent us three tracks, they seem to be the beginning of the melody.  Bear worked all day yesterday and until midnight, but he has the Phantom Melody all stripped out now and assembled.”

She paused and unplugged her headphones and piped the music through the speakers in the space.  “It is pretty amazing.”  First she played the four new tracks.  Then she said, “It completed the hidden song, the one you supplied was the melody's end.”

Then she played the Phantom Melody, which Bear had assembled so skillfully.  I closed my eyes and hummed along, being pulled along by the music.  It was the song that has haunted my dreams for so long.  I wanted so badly to sing along with myself.  This song was so sad and wanting.  It ached of a loneliness and longing to be whole.  I could now pick out the third layer as my hand absently tapped out the thumping and tapping accompanying the music.

I swallowed hard at what I heard in the next layer.  Fran looked frustrated.  “And do you hear that syncopation.  There isn't much this time, but it seems that Minuette still has some surprises for us.  I can't imagine the genius mind that could so skilfully embed song within song within song like this.  It is like a breadcrumb trail to some sort of buried treasure.  It has to be something amazing at the end of it.”

Then she sighed and said, “I have Bear on it again.  He says it won't take long, there isn't more than a few lines this time.  The first words are 'Do you remember tomorrow?'”

I said in a hoarse voice, “Play it again.”  Suddenly I urgently needed to know what Mindy was saying.

She started the music and even Tim and Brandye stopped to listen.  When it was over, I whispered, “Do you remember tomorrow? The way you made me smile? It echos back through time. This promise of ours guides my way.  Always and forever... forever and a day.”  I was trying hard to not cry as my eyes watered, and I didn't even know why.  I didn't add the whispered “Minuette out” as it would sound identical.

Fran was just staring at me.  I swallowed and blinked away the tears.  I shrugged and went about straightening up the desk, not looking at anyone.  “I've just gotten used to hearing the Phantom Melodies.  There wasn't much to this one.”  It wasn't a total lie.

I glanced nervously over at Fran, who had one eye on me, the other on her computer as she typed something.  She tilted her head at me then said, “I'll let Bear know, it should speed things along.”

Tim went back to digging through the guts of the SmartCanvas unit, humming the Phantom melody. I had no clue what to do now.  All the mysteries were solved except who Mindy was and there was nothing else I could possibly do for Fran since we had gone through all the yearbooks and I “didn't see” the woman who supposedly given me the drives.

I was saved by the sound of a little girl's voice on the stairs. “Hurry mommy, mom said we could ride the big wheel today.”  A woman chuckled and a little girl, possibly four or five, with strawberry blonde hair, pulled a woman with curly blonde hair up into the area.

Brandye shot a loving smile over her shoulder as the little girl seemed to lead the other woman to her.  Brandye chuckled as she said, “Why yes I did baby girl.”  She added, “Hey love.”  She leaned in and gave the woman a peck on the lips.

The woman replied, “Hey Bran.”

Then the little girl squealed, “Unka Tim!” She dove on his back as the man worked.  She used him as a monkey gym, and if it weren't for the quirking smile at the corners of his mouth, you would have thought he didn't know she was there.  He just passed a screwdriver back to her as she got into piggyback position.  She dutifully held it for the man with a determined look on her face.  It was all far too cute.

Brandye put the woman's hand on her arm and led her over to us.  “Robin, I'd like you to meet the assistant Fran is raving about, Annette Corrick.  Nett, this is my wife, Robin Hartford.”

The woman offered her hand off to my right and I realized she was sightlessly staring in that direction.  She was blind.  She said, “Happy to meet you Nett.”

I reached out to clasp her hand and said, “The pleasure is all mine.”

She turned a little to face me.  Then I paused before letting go of her hand.  Wait.  This was the woman that Brandye had come up with SmartCanvas for.  Everyone knew that story. Robin Hartford was a big name in the art world, I have seen one of her paintings at the museum before.