Girl Changed

by Mark Bailey

  ‘We’re on holiday but heading back to the U.K. tonight. We must catch up for a meal when you get back,’ replied Sim. Naomi nodded her head in agreement. She held onto Sim tighter now, as if she could feel the threat emanating from Milly’s pulsating sex as it woke from its slumber, attempting to escape its self-imposed exile, having no regard for common decency and good manners.

  As if on cue, her phone rang, dissolving the awkward moment. Milly fumbled about for it in her bag. ‘Look, I must keep going, it’s my ride home, but I’d love to catch up when I get back to the U.K. I’ve got your number, Sim, from Sibby’s funeral. I’ll call you,’ said Milly as she answered Dannii’s call.

  ‘Right, we’ll talk soon,’ answered Sim, as Naomi, looking relieved, relaxed her grip slightly and they headed off in the opposite direction towards International Departures.

  Milly answered the call, which stopped as she pressed the green ‘accept’ icon and pretended to talk with someone until Sim and Naomi were out of earshot. My God, she thought to herself, I didn’t handle that too well. Just then her phone rang again, and this time she answered without noting the caller. She assumed it would be Dannii again.

  ‘Hi, Milly, it’s Christy.’

  ‘Oh, hi, Aunt Christy, I’m just going through Customs getting my bags checked. I’m catching up with Dannii tonight, so I’ll see you and Mom in the morning. I’m sorry I can’t talk right now.’ She hung up before her aunt could protest and start talking. I did handle that well, though, Milly decided. Her phone rang again. This time she noted the caller before answering, in case it was Aunt Christy calling back. ‘Hi, Dannii, I’ll be there in five.’

  Dannii was excited to see Milly, as she walked towards her with her bags piled up on a small trolley. Dannii jumped around, clapping her hands, deliberately drawing attention.

  ‘My God, Milly, you’ve changed … you’ve put weight on, you’re …’

  ‘Don’t you dare say fat,’ warned Milly, pointing and smiling.

  ‘You’re, well, you’re … you’re positively voluptuous,’ countered Dannii, ‘All tits and ass, but definitely not fat!’ She laughed with glee, and they fell into each other’s arms, hugging and kissing. They had been lovers in the past, experimenting when they were young, exploring their sexuality. Theirs was a relationship that had endured over time, with trust and respect, except for the one occasion when Milly had treated Dannii badly before she left for the U.K. That would never happen again. Milly had apologized profusely.

  ‘You’ve cut off your dreadlocks. You look stunning!’ Milly stared at her best friend. She had missed her — her companionship and the quirky things she said as she summed up people and situations. She looked the same, but she had changed somehow. Milly put it down to the new hairstyle — short with a long fringe — it made her look older, more responsible; she looked more mature.

  ‘Come on, mate, let’s get out of here,’ said Dannii as she grabbed half the push rail of Milly’s trolley, and they walked side by side to the car park. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you, and I want you to be nice. I don’t want any nastiness, no smart-arse comments.’

  ‘Well, I’ll try my best,’ answered Milly. She hated surprises, especially Dannii King surprises.

  They walked toward the car park. Milly could see Dannii’s car, the old B.M.W. she’d driven for years. It was reverse parked so anyone sitting in it would get a full view of them approaching. There was enough artificial light in the car park for Milly to see the outline of a figure silhouetted on the front passenger seat, in the darkness, behind the light — the surprise, Milly presumed. As they drew nearer, the passenger side front door opened, and the figure stepped out. Milly knew who it was. It was the way she carried herself, the way she stepped away from the car in the darkness. It was Simone Kelly.

  Simone wavered, then moved assertively towards the luggage trolley as both girls pushed it towards her. She was unsure how Milly would react. She had been there with Dannii and Milly that night at the bawdy sex and drug romp at the Boyd house in Cottesloe. Like Dannii, she had avoided the trouble that followed Milly after the police raid, and the subsequent drugs charge. Now Milly had returned to Australia, the severity of the charge mitigated, downgraded from trafficking to a possession misdemeanor, with a summons to appear as a witness in court on Monday. She had continued a sexual relationship with Milly for a short time after the drug bust, but her circumstances changed, so she ended it.

  Milly kissed her briefly, giving her a light embrace, like the one you see a French dignitary give another in the movies — that two-sided cheek rub, and sometimes a kiss. The nature of their greeting belied their past relationship; Milly would only spare one cheek. She had laughed when Simone had unceremoniously dumped her over the phone. She pretended that she didn’t care, that she was glad it had ended. Deep down, though, it had hurt. Milly wasn’t sure if there was someone else in Simone’s life then — she wasn’t the jealous type or was it simply that Simone didn’t want her anymore. If it wasn’t jealousy, it must have been rejection. She still had feelings for Simone as the itch below tingled away, aroused by the encounter with Sim and Naomi. Simone looked stunning.

  The formalities over, and luggage in the trunk, Simone headed for the front seat and Milly for the back while Dannii drove. ‘You two can both sit in the back if you like,’ said Dannii. Milly smelt a rat. Dannii was matchmaking again.

  ‘No, I’m sure we’re fine just where we are,’ replied Milly as she sat in the back alone.

  ‘We’ll stop in Cottesloe tonight at Mom and Dad’s. They flew to the U.K. last Sunday for a couple of weeks, Milly. They were going to catch up with you in Watford until they heard you were returning home. They hope to see you before you go back if they don’t fly off somewhere else.’ The conversation continued. Despite Milly’s happy mood, it was disconcerting and slightly uncomfortable with Simone there. The tone of the conversation was subdued now; there was an awkward familiarity, like a couple had just decided to divorce — delicate, but not nasty.

  ‘Mom’s happy for you to use her car while you’re here, Milly,’ said Dannii as the conversation paled. Then Simone, sensing things needed kicking along, asked Milly about her flight home.

  ‘The flight itself was quite uneventful, but I got a shock when I saw a guy and his girlfriend from the U.K. heading home … just before I met you, Dannii. The guy, Sim Charles, is the brother of my dead twin sister’s fiancée, Joe Charles, who is languishing at Her Majesty’s pleasure in Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow for at least the next two and a half years. He was caught carrying nearly four kilos of cocaine in his car. I suppose you’ve heard about Sibby, Simone?’

  ‘Yes, I have, Milly. Dannii filled me in. I’m sorry, I really am.’

  ‘Sim Charles is from Scotland then?’ interrupted Dannii, sensing another awkward moment.

  ‘Sure is. He supplied his brother Joe with the drugs he was caught with, in his car. For a while, he was also a suspect in the murder of my sister. He’s allegedly been dealing in Class A and any other drugs you can think of for years, but the Old Bill have never been able to pin anything on him.’

  ‘Sounds like a piece of work,’ commented Simone.

  ‘Do you remember part of our conversation over twelve months ago when I told you that the Boyds were looking at buying a business in Scotland?’ Dannii asked Milly.

  Milly remembered as Dannii watched her dark outline in the rear vision mirror, her head nodding, agreeing.

  ‘Apparently, they’re looking hard at businesses, doing their due diligence. The word is they want access to the biggest per-capita cocaine market in the world.’

  Suddenly it clicked. ‘And who better than Sim Charles to do business with, in Scotland, especially if it’s drugs?’ continued Milly. ‘Those cunning bastards. I bet Sim was over here talking with Matt Boyd Sr. before they find him guilty and chuck him in the slammer.’

  ‘Perhaps that’s why this Sim bloke is flying back home tonight. He’s hardly going to turn up to court on
Monday, especially if he’s got criminal connections,’ suggested Simone. She was feeling more confident now as the conversation started to flow.

  ‘Of course,’ answered Milly. They’d hit on something. She had her P.I. hat on. It all made sense.

  Simone changed the subject. ‘How did you end up in the U.K. then, Milly?’

  Milly took her P.I. hat off.

  ‘Well, all my personal relationships went downhill, including you two and my mother, so I couldn’t see much point in hanging around. I applied for a couple of jobs and ended up with the job in Watford. The W.A. Director of Public Prosecutions agreed to let me go, but they left this charge hanging over me. It meant I had to return to testify against Matt Boyd Sr. So here I am.’

  ‘Do you like living in the U.K.?’

  ‘I do mostly. It has its moments though. I played on the wild side for a bit, but the death of my twin sister jerked me back into gear. I’ve made some good friends over there, and one of them is my G.P.’

  Just at that moment, they reached Cottesloe. They drove past the Boyd residence, where the party had been, where the police raid had taken place.

  ‘My God, that brings back memories,’ said Milly staring out the window as they drove past.

  ‘Talking about the party, remember Regis and Laticia?’ asked Dannii cheekily.

  ‘How could I forget? I still have nightmares about it. Regis was huge.’ Simone burst out laughing as Milly cringed. ‘Anyway, as I was saying,’ continued Milly, ‘my G.P. decided I was depressed, so she put me on some anti-depressant medication. It’s taken some motivation away from me. I think it helps keep my self-destructive side in check, but I can’t get bloody motivated to do any exercise. That, as well as giving up smoking … that’s why I’ve put weight on.’

  ‘You look gorgeous,’ replied Dannii.

  ‘Very sexy,’ agreed Simone.

  ‘All tits and ass,’ contributed Milly sarcastically.

  ‘Something to hang onto when the sex gets rough,’ agreed Dannii as she swung on the steering wheel, driving into her parent’s palatial residence in Cottesloe, parking beside Simone’s car.

  ‘To protect against the English winter,’ added Simone.

  ‘I’ll probably trade my old Beamer in and buy a van with a bed in the back to pick you up at the airport next year if you put more weight …’

  ‘Oh, shut up, you two,’ said Milly laughing.

  ‘I might get going home,’ said Simone opening the front passenger side door. ‘We can talk more tomorrow, Dannii.’

  ‘No, you don’t; you stay the night,’ insisted Dannii.

  ‘Yes, please stay,’ added Milly smiling.

  Their moods lightened, the front gates clicked, locked behind them as all three walked, with Milly’s luggage, into the house together.

  Chapter 7.

  After Milly had showered, they sat around the huge breakfast bar as Dannii and Simone briefly threw light on their lives since she had been in the U.K. Milly had picked up small morsels or tidbits of information in emails and conversation from Dannii while she was away, but it was mostly boring and mundane. Dannii would rather talk about the tit-bits of Milly’s life as she called them, her sexual exploits and escapades — they were much more interesting.

  Dannii was still working towards a private veterinary practice. She had taken a year off to study a Masters in Business Administration. The M.B.A. added to the Bachelor of Veterinary Science she already had and would see her in good stead if she were to take over responsibility of the family shares in the public company her father had started. The company was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange as Pet Doo’s Ltd. Andrew King was Chief Executive Officer, and his position kept him busy traveling for much of the year. Dannii was an only child and her mother, Yves, wasn’t interested in the company; there were no succession plans. Both father and daughter decided that Dannii held some responsibility for the business, not least in their personal financial affairs as the biggest single private equity holder. After all, as Andrew King pointed out to Dannii, the money would eventually flow to her, as either shares or cash, in her inheritance.

  ‘I don’t know if I will ever start that bloody private vet practice, though,’ remarked Dannii philosophically.

  ‘Oh well, it could be worse, at least you don’t have to work for a living like everyone else does.’ Milly knew Dannii was sensitive about her family’s reputed seventy-odd million-dollar wealth. She also knew Dannii couldn’t care less about money; she was just getting back at her for some of the fat jibes. They turned their attention to Simone.

  ‘I’m still with my partner, Cameron Chadwick. We have a good relationship, but I miss some parts of my previous life,’ said Simone wistfully, staring at Milly.

  ‘Are you still working for the West Australian?’ asked Milly, quickly changing the subject. Presently, her itch had subsided, the knocking had stopped; she had seen to that in the shower. She was frightened she might succumb to Simone’s advances. It was obvious that Dannii had planned a re-match — to rekindle their old relationship.

  ‘But that’s not why I’m here tonight, is it, Dannii?’ Milly looked at Dannii too.

  ‘I’m here as a friend, Milly, but also as a journalist,’ said Simone continuing, turning to look at Milly. ‘Do you know what you’re in for over the next few weeks?’

  ‘No, why … well, not really. I really haven’t given it much thought.’

  ‘Oh dear,’ answered Simone.

  ‘What am I in for?’ asked Milly, suddenly feeling vulnerable, even naïve for not considering things more carefully. ‘It sounds serious.’

  ‘In my opinion, it is serious,’ said Simone. ‘This court case will be big – bigger than Texas, bigger than the Fourth of July, bigger than …’

  ‘Bigger than Regis’s cock,’ interrupted Danni, smirking. They all howled with laughter as Dannii handed a full bottle of Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon to Milly.

  ‘I’m serious, Milly,’ Simone said, bringing the laughter to an end. ‘Something like this would make great copy in any newspaper, anywhere in the world. There’s high society, money, murder, a love story, a drug bust. Then there’s the adermatoglyphia, the D.N.A. phenotyping …’

  ‘How did you know about the D.N.A. phenotyping?’ asked Milly. ‘I didn’t even tell Dannii about that.’

  ‘I’m an investigative journalist at a local newspaper currently starved for good news drama, Milly; that’s why I’m here. I know a lot about the murder from other journalists, who, by the way, are working on this as we speak. Currently, it’s got huge momentum. I also must declare my position and state that I have taken no part … I repeat … no part at all in anything to do with any media investigation or subsequent reporting.’

  Milly stared at Simone, thinking what a strange thing to say. She knows all about it but has taken no part in it, when the company she works for is contemplating a media splash with the story.

  ‘Are you trying to tell me something, Simone?’

  ‘No, just warning you Milly.’

  ‘That’s terrific, just what I need, a newspaper story.’ A short silence ensued before Milly added: ‘There was bugger-all in the newspapers in the U.K. about it. Just another psychopath with an ax to grind.’

  ‘It won’t just be the newspapers,’ said Dannii.

  ‘That makes sense, Milly. When you left Australia, the case was at the committal stage. The media wasn’t allowed to report any detail of witness evidence or some of the charge details; they would have been held on contempt of court charges. There was nothing then, nothing juicy — not like now. Now we have the patriarch of a local family, a family worth north of 120 million dollars being charged with drug charges. The story has strong links with you, an important witness, to murder in a foreign country, a rare condition that helped identify a body, a set of twins who never knew each other, another man’s semen, a sex orgy, a …’

  ‘I think you're being slightly melodramatic, Simone. Matthew Boyd is hardly a patriarch,’
interrupted Milly. ‘He’s just a common criminal. Their family fortune is built on drugs and treachery … and the U.K isn’t really a foreign country …’

  ‘There are the sex romps between you and the two married Boyds and your sexual relationship with their son, Matthew Boyd Jr.,’ carried on Simone unperturbed.

  ‘Yeah, I take your point, Simone,’ said Milly.

  ‘There’ll be rights to a movie,’ added Danni.

  ‘I’m starting to get annoyed with all this, you two.’

  ‘I’m trying to make a point, Milly. Remember, Dannii, and I are both involved in this too. There’s that photo of her and me coming out after the party, after the drugs raid, splashed across the Saturday morning papers nearly two years ago.

  ‘So, what do you suggest we do, Simone?’ asked Dannii.

  ‘There’s nothing we can do. They won’t bring any evidence out in the papers or news … not the damning stuff anyway, not until after there’s a conviction; until the jury has come down with its decision. I suggest, Milly, that you get some sleep. Take pride in how you look, dress well and look smart. Buy a pinstripe suit. You are beautiful. Put your long hair up and wear high heels, so you look taller than you already are. Let them remark on your beauty, your appeal, on your presence and poise.’

  ‘What difference will that make?’

  ‘If you dress poorly and look tired they will comment on it. They’ll say you look disheveled, strained. If you appear overweight, they’ll accuse you of being slovenly. If you look too skinny, they’ll say you’re a drug addict, that you’re sick. Any of that will help them re-enforce any negative press they give you as true in the eye of the reader.’

  ‘Looks like slovenly it is then,’ quipped Dannii.

  ‘Either way, I don’t think I can win,’ Milly added ruefully, poking her tongue out and screwing her face up at Dannii.

  ‘We’re in damage control mode now,’ Simone said solemnly.

  ‘Can’t the judge make an order stopping the reporting? Can’t he make everything just go away?’