Claire McNab: The Dingo Dilemma

Ariana chuckled. "Pauline's a total original and quite a handful for any man, let alone Lonnie. A few years back, she was involved in a stalking case."

"Who was stalking her?"

"No one. She was the stalker."

"Blimey," I said, "someone ought to warn him."

"I doubt he needs warning. At the very least he will have Googled Pauline Feeney's name. That'd bring up quite a few hits."

"He seems quite smitten," I said.

We were silent for a moment, considering the unprecedented concept of Lonnie in love. The thought dampened my mood considerably, since I was irresistibly reminded that I loved Ariana and she didn't love me.

Oh, she was fond of me, and we'd had a couple of quite spectacular sessions in bed, but that wasn't nearly enough. It was probably hopeless, but I wanted her to love me as I loved her, which was pretty well totally.

"I want the entire enchilada," I said.

Ariana raised an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

Crikey! I'd done it again-absent-mindedly spoken my thoughts aloud. It was a habit I just had to break before it really got me into trouble. Like now.

"Dinner tonight," I said hastily, hoping my face wasn't red. "I'm thinking Mexican. Would you like to join me?"

"Sorry, Kylie, I'm not free tonight."

Not free? That made me even gloomier. Ariana was not free tonight, not free to love me…and maybe never would be.

"No worries," I said. "Julia Roberts can keep me company." It occurred to me that I hadn't seen her graceful feline self since I'd served her breakfast this morning. "You don't happen to know where Jules is, do you?"

"When I came in, Melodie mentioned she'd just seen a mouse in Lonnie's office, so she put Julia Roberts in there to catch it."

Lonnie was violently allergic to cats, so he avoided Julia Roberts whenever possible and had made it clear she was forever banned from his room. This, of course, only made Jules more determined to enter the forbidden area.

"It's a phantom mouse," I said with conviction, "created to punish Lonnie, because he laughed at Melodie when she said she had a glow about her."

"A glow?" said Ariana with a grin. "I won't ask." She got to her feet. "Let me know how you go with Dingo O'Rourke."

As she reached the door, I said, "Would you like to catch a movie this weekend?"

"Kylie…"

"Just a movie. I'm not asking for anything else."

She looked at me for a long moment, then said, "I'll get back to you."

Slightly heartened, since this wasn't an unequivocal no, I picked up the phone and tried Dingo's cell phone. He didn't pick up, so I left a brief message on his voicemail asking him to call me.

Then I went to collect Julia Roberts from Lonnie's office. Fortunately he wasn't there, as he would have been outraged at the sight of Jules comfortably ensconced in his chair, delicately balanced with one foot in the air as she washed her tawny nethers.

"Found the mouse?" I inquired.

She paused for a moment to cast me a look equivalent to an elegant shrug, then resumed her ablutions.

"You're right, Jules," I said, looking around the chaotic collection of items filling the room, "it's hopeless. There's enough cover for an entire battalion of mice. You're wasting your time here."

She protested as I scooped her into my arms and deposited her outside in the hallway. With her ears sideways in a peeved frown she watched me shut Lonnie's door, then she stalked off with an indignant snap of her tail.

Mentioning enchiladas to Ariana earlier had made me feel quite hungry, so I went up to the front desk to tell Melodie I'd spring for lunch for everyone if she'd order a delivery from the local Mexican restaurant. I found her completely absorbed, tapping away on a laptop.

Melodie hadn't noticed my approach. As she typed, her expression kept changing. One moment it was dreamy, the next vivacious. This was so intriguing I nipped up behind to get a gander at the screen.

"You love walking hand-in-hand along a beach at dusk?" I said. "And toasting marshmallows by a campfire? And dancing the night away?"

"Kylie! You gave me a fright!"

"Sorry."

Rather pink, Melodie said, "Just for a laugh, I was filling in a personality profile for a dating service. Like, everybody does it."

I peered at the laptop. Soulmate Discovery Service. Results Guaranteed! appeared at the top of the Web page. "Isn't that the dating service Lonnie used to meet Pauline Feeney?"

"Could be." Melodie's embarrassed expression changed to one of entreaty. "Kylie, don't tell Fran about this, will you? Or Lonnie. In fact, don't tell anybody, OK?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Because they wouldn't understand I was just fooling around." She spread her arms wide. "I mean, look at me. Do you think I'd need help getting dates?"

I surveyed her slim figure-she was much thinner than me- her long blond hair and wide green eyes. "I reckon not."

"Of course, I don't go out with just anyone. I mean, I'd never date just for the sake of dating, if you see what I mean."

"I see what you mean," I said obligingly.

"Like, I have my career to think about. Larry-my-agent says it's essential to be seen with the right people in the right places, and most vital of all-"

I never found out what this most vital thing was, because at this point the front door was flung open and a skeletal woman, accompanied by two unleashed standard poodles, one black and one white, strode in. She gestured with a hand weighed down by many rings, and the poodles obediently sat, one on either side of her.

The woman was, to say the least, an arresting figure. Her face was dead white, her lipstick brilliant red, her short hair midnight black. She had on a tight purple Spandex top and what I took to be a version of a brightly colored gypsy skirt, with many ruffles. On her feet were strappy purple sandals. Most notable of all, around her neck was a jeweled collar which exactly matched the jeweled collars her poodles wore.

"My man, Lonnie," she said in a surprisingly soft, sweet voice, "where is he?"

Melodie didn't miss a beat. "Lonnie stepped out for a moment. He'll be back soon." Flashing a dazzling smile with her perfect dental equipment, she added, "You must be Pauline Feeney of Glowing Bodies."

She nodded, then fixed Melodie with an intent gaze. "I never forget a face. I've seen you on the small screen. Refulgent Toothpaste, wasn't it?"

This was Melodie's great success story, and so far the only commercial in which she'd appeared. Melodie's smile grew even wider, exposing another couple of tooth veneers to the air. "Yes, that's right! I'm the Refulgent Girl in the Laundry."

"Your name?"

"Melodie Davenport," Melodie breathed. I happened to know her last name was Schultz, but as Melodie had pointed out, that was not the name of a star-to-be.

I came around the other side of the desk to check out the poodles. Much as I liked dogs, I did have Julia Roberts's welfare to consider. For all I knew, these two were inveterate cat chasers, and Jules could come around the corner any moment and create a nasty scene.

The white poodle was nearest to me. "G'day," I said. "How are you with superior felines?"

"That's Upton and this is Unity," Pauline Feeney said, indicating the black poodle. She added with a hint of asperity, "Both are highly trained, and are totally under my control. If they weren't, then I'd have them on leashes, wouldn't I?"

"Fair enough." I put out my hand. "Kylie Kendall," I volunteered helpfully. "You wouldn't know me from a bar of soap."

She shook my hand briefly, her very red lips curved in a faint smile. "You're too modest. You're Ariana's business partner. Brought up in some little outback town in Australia. You inherited a controlling interest in Kendall & Creeling when your father died."