by Katie Penryn
Jonny shrugged. “I am the front man,” he shouted after Zack.
That was Kiki’s cue egged on by his wife Marie who pushed him onto the stage. “What about me? Shouldn’t I have the chance for a solo spot? You could mention me as your guest artiste, you now.”
“Kiki, if we have too many solo spots the whole performance is going to lack cohesion.”
“You’re giving Penzi here enough attention and she’s only an amateur.”
“And I suppose you’re a professional, are you, Kiki? You play to earn a living?”
Marie got up from her chair at the side of the stage and walked right up to Jonny, standing with her nose an inch from his. “Don’t you browbeat my Kiki. He’s a good man. A good husband. He does what he can.”
“And what’s that?” asked Jonny with heavy sarcasm. “Empty garbage bins?”
I was shocked at the spite in Jonny’s voice and at his bullying. Could my god have feet of clay?
Kiki brushed his wife aside. “I have a good job working for the local council.”
Jonny ran his hand across his brow and flicked imaginary sweat onto the floor. “Boy, oh boy. That must take some doing.”
Marie grabbed her husband by the arm and pulled him away. “There’s no point staying here, Kiki. You’re obviously not appreciated.”
And with that they walked out too. That didn’t leave much of a band and this was only the beginning of their trip.
Jonny made the best of the situation taking me through my two numbers with Petey then we broke for refreshment.
Felix made the coffee and tea while I cut up the tart and found some plates.
When I gave Jonny his, he said, “At least the silly bitch didn’t take her tarts back with her. I have to admit she’s a great cook.”
“Do you think Kiki will be back this evening?” I asked.
“Who cares?” was Jonny’s answer. “I only included him to be kind.”
What a strange character. One minute he was nasty and the next considerate, but then he was an artiste.
Emmanuelle had been watching this demonstration of the artistic temperament from start to finish, sitting doe-eyed at the side of the stage never taking her eyes of Jonny Sauvage. It crossed my mind she was developing a teenage crush on him. I would have to warn Sam to keep an eye on her in case she did something stupid that she would later regret.
*
“That wasn’t a pleasant afternoon,” said Felix as Sam drove us home after the rehearsal. “I don’t have any experience with musicians. Are they always like that?”
I had to say I didn’t know. “But many bands break up over who’s the most important member and whose music gets played.”
“It certainly took my mind off murder. How about you?” asked Sam, catching my eye in the mirror.
“You’re right. It was interesting in an odd way to see what goes on behind the professional facade.”
Felix put his hand on my knee. “Are you sure you want to carry on with this project, Penzi?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m guessing that was all just rehearsal nerves.”
But Kiki didn’t turn up for the show that night and Jonny was annoyed.
*
Despite Kiki’s absence or possibly because of it the audience at the Palais des Blues loved the show that night. I made one small mistake in my first number when I missed my cue and the band had to recycle the intro. Jonny didn’t get angry. He walked up to me while still playing, took his hand away from his strings for a moment and gave me a hug. The crowd adored it and called out his name for so long the band had to recycle back again. This time I started right on the note and the rest of the number flew by. Jonny took me aside after the show draping his arm around my shoulder as he led me away from the other members of the band. I stopped myself from flinching as my sunburn flared. I didn’t want him to misunderstand if I ducked away. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to touch me.
He praised my performance. “If you sing like that on Saturday at Cognac, everyone will think I have a new professional singer in my band.”
He leaned his thigh in tight against mine and said, “You and I make a great team, Penzi.”
I swayed in his embrace for a few seconds until I noticed Felix watching me with a look of disapproval on his face. It wouldn’t hurt Felix to realize I could find other men attractive, so I took my time disengaging and moving out from under Jonny’s arm.
We rejoined the rest of the band and our party of Felix, Sam, Emmanuelle and Audrey for an after performance drink while the club went on to dance the night away to recorded music. Felix took me onto the floor for a couple of smoochy dances, but spoiled it by giving me a lecture about getting too close to Jonny.
“Look, Penzi,” He said. “I can see you like the guy. I just hope you don’t fancy him because there’s something not quite right about him.”
“That’s nonsense,” I answered back, pushing Jonny’s put-down of Kiki to the back of my mind. “You’re being possessive.”
Felix dropped his arms from me and took a couple of paces back. “I can’t believe you said that, Penzi. How can I be possessive about something I don’t possess?”
I ran after him and pulled him back onto the floor. “I’m sorry, Felix. I’ve got an excess of adrenaline running through me tonight. I meant protective, not possessive.”
Felix scowled at me, but he did take me in his arms again. “That’s my job — to protect you, especially from charmers like him. I bet the semper tuens spell doesn’t work against the kind of danger he represents.”
“All right, I’ll be careful around him, but it’s difficult when he gets in close like that. I don’t want to seem rude.”
“It’s up to you to show him your boundaries. I’m unhappy about him having his eye on you.”
I laughed Felix’s misgivings away. “It’s only for a few more days. We have tomorrow off. We do the gig on Saturday and Sunday and then … poof. We’ll probably never see each other again.”
I had to say something to Felix because I did fancy Jonny and I was sure he fancied me.
“He hasn’t asked me to dance, you notice?” I said to Felix as Jonny and Emmanuelle danced past.
I glanced across at our table. Sam sat at attention with his eyes fixed on Emmanuelle. I didn’t need to worry about her while Sam was on guard.
At four in the morning I rounded up our party and with Sam as our designated driver we made for home and a good night’s rest.
Chapter 5
Felix let me sleep in the next morning, bringing me my morning tea when I woke at eleven. His annoyance of the evening before had faded away.
“What are we doing today?” he asked me. “It’s not worth starting on the brocante if we’re going to be in Cognac for the next two days.”
I’d had Audrey on my mind for a while. An idea had come to me in the space and time between waking and sleeping — that hiatus between the two states when your subconscious throws out brainwaves it’s been brewing up without your knowledge.
“I want to do something about Audrey today. She needs her own home for her children, and she has to earn a living now that she’s left her abusive husband for good. What do you think about Audrey taking over The Union Jack and re-establishing its previous business?”
The Union Jack stood vacant at the head of our street next to the Esplanade. An Englishman we had found guilty of a murder, and who was awaiting trial, had run the shop successfully as a haven for British expatriates looking for their favorite British goodies: digestive biscuits, Marmite, hot English mustard, chutney and thick cut orange marmalade.
Felix didn’t answer immediately.
“Well,” I prompted him.
“I don’t want to knock your idea down, but you’ll probably find Audrey will be too scared, too lacking in self-confidence to consider your idea.”
I flopped back on my pillows and sighed. “I hope you’re wrong. It would be such a good fit: a lovely flat above the shop, a
good back yard and the beach across the Esplanade. And she would have us only a few minutes’ walk away, if she needed support.”
“Two other points: One — will the landlord accept her as a tenant with no prior experience? Two — where will she find the money for the deposit and the first month’s rent not to mention stock? Three—”
“You said two points.”
“Three — she doesn’t know the first thing about running a business.”
“So it boils down to lack of self-confidence, lack of financial resources and lack of business acumen. We can do something about all three.”
Felix broke in. “And don’t forget her husband. She’s been protected while she’s been living with us. What’s to stop him breaking into the shop and flat and attacking her?”
“The mayor and Inspector Dubois are working on an injunction to bar her husband from coming within a hundred yards of her. I have to phone him today to get his permission for Emmanuelle to accompany us to the Festival. I’ll ask him what progress he’s made with the injunction.”
“See if he knows the landlord. Maybe he’ll put in a good word for Audrey. After all, we couldn’t have found his brother-in-law’s murderer if Audrey hadn’t been running this house and looking after Jimbo along with her own two children.”
I finished my tea and handed the mug back to Felix.
“The money’s the easy part. We can advance her the cash out of our trust fund.”
“Can you do that?”
“I’m one of the trustees now. I’m sure Sam and Jimbo will have no objection. I can work out a cash flow plan for her and advise her on what stocks to buy and in what quantities. You could help with that. Maybe there’s a night school she could attend or a course on the internet. Everything’s possible these days. She may be able to get an educational grant as a single mother.”
“Up you get then. We have a busy day ahead of us. Audrey herself is going to be the most difficult part of your plan. I’ll meet you downstairs in half an hour.”
*
I called Monsieur Bonhomie straight away from my bed because I wanted to catch him before he left for his long French lunch.
When I told him I was still in bed he said, “Now, now. Don’t be naughty. You will give me ideas.”
And we had a little harmless giggle together — flirting is so much part of French life, but it doesn’t mean anything.
As to his daughter Emmanuelle, he agreed to her coming with us to Cognac on condition that I promised to watch over her. I explained I would be performing but said Felix would undertake to keep her under his wing. Dubois had the injunction against Audrey’s husband in hand and I should expect a call from the inspector any day. He would make inquiries about the landlord and get back to me.
I would wait until after the Festival to broach my idea with Audrey. By that time I should have all the information we needed.
As I stepped into my shower, I couldn’t help comparing my state of mind with that of only a few days ago. The blues had disappeared. I hoped never to be seen again.
Chapter 6
Felix and I spent the day locked in the study exploring my idea for Audrey’s future. Jonny Sauvage phoned to say he would pick us up at 4 p.m. on Saturday to take us to Cognac. He arrived on time in a capacious people carrier which he told us he’d hired that morning. We stowed our overnight bags in the belly of the bus and climbed aboard to find an attractive brunette with gypsy earrings sitting in the seat closest to the driver’s seat. We nodded a greeting not sure who she was. As Jonny pulled himself aboard he introduced her as his girlfriend from back home in New Orleans, Joliette Marchand. That was a surprise. The way Jonny had been flirting with me I’d thought he wasn’t spoken for. Maybe Felix was right to be cautious about him.
We shook hands all round and sat in the front seats, Felix and I on one side and Sam and Emmanuelle on the other. Zack and Petey lay spread out on the back bench fast asleep.
“What about Kiki?” I asked. “Is he coming with us?”
“Yes. We’ll stop on the way for him. His house is outside the town walls on the Cognac road.”
Jonny drove carefully through the town and out through the walls until we came to a solitary house set back from the road. The drive ran through an area of cultivation with flowers for cutting on one side and a vegetable garden on the other.
“This is Marie’s pride and joy,” said Jonny waving his hand out of the window. “She’s a great gardener. Sells her produce at the local weekly market.”
Envy filled me. I’ve always wanted a vegetable garden. Marie’s was impressive. Every vegetable imaginable. Rows of bright red tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, tall frames covered with runner beans and a large plot of soft fruit and berries. As we came to a halt a grove of apple and pear trees came into view. I wondered if Marie would be coming with us to Cognac and if so hoped she would be in a better mood than when we’d met at the rehearsal.
I received my answer when both Kiki and Marie answered Jonny’s knock and climbed on the bus to join us. Marie smiled at everyone, and we all smiled back glad to see there would be no ructions on our journey. The hot mid-August afternoon and a noisy air conditioner blasting away sent most of us off into a doze.
We awoke when Jonny stopped the bus outside a small hotel near the center of the town. It proved to be a budget hotel, but we’d only be spending two nights there. We unloaded our bags and settled into our rooms, Felix with Sam, and Emmanuelle with me. Jonny told us we were free to sleep or tour the town, but he would gather us together at seven for dinner in the town square outside the venue.
We dined amid a happy throng of music lovers but had to cut short our after-dinner chat to set up on stage. If the cavern housing the Palais des Blues back at Beaucoup-sur-mer had been a surprise, this venue was even more so. We walked into an open-air amphitheater. Grassed terraces served as seats, their rake so steep it made me giddy to walk up to the top. I wondered if anyone ever fell down the slope onto the stage. The band set up their equipment and performed their sound checks and retired to the rooms behind the stage. I sat at the side with Felix who had insisted he had to stay within sight of me for the evening. We watched the crowds pour in until all the seats were taken. The standing room stretched back so far I doubted that the people at the back could see anything of the stage. Sam and Emmanuelle had staked their claim to good seats well in advance of this influx and had invited Marie, Kiki’s wife to sit with them. Joliette Marchand had cleaved to Jonny’s side from the moment we arrived at the theater.
My first number went well, and I received a good round of applause. Not bad for an amateur. Jonny joined me at the mike and put his arms around me, calling out, “Thanks to my little English friend.”
And the crowd roared back, “Vive les Anglais. Vive les Blues.”
I left the stage and made my way to the Dames thinking to take advantage of the absence of spectators while the show continued. I was washing my hands when the door flew open and crashed against the wall. Joliette Marchand hurtled in and charged right up to me. Before I could react and step back out of her way, she spat at me.
“Stay away from my Jonny, English bitch,” she shrieked.
I glanced at the door worried the audience could hear but it had closed automatically.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I answered calmly, hoping to forestall another mouthful of gob.
“You know,” she said prodding my left boob. “You know what you’re doing. You’re trying to steal my man. You’re just like all the others.”
I knocked her hand away. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m here to sing.”
She drew her arm back to slap or punch me. I didn’t want a black eye, so I flicked the soapy water off my hands into her eyes. She howled as she clapped her hands to her face and bent double with pain. The door flew open and Felix rushed in. He took one look and grabbed hold of me, hauling me out into the corridor.
“Hey, my hands are wet,” I shouted.
“Dry them
on the seat of your jeans,” he shouted back as he let me go. “Now, what on earth was all that about?”
“It’s obvious that Joliette Marchand considers herself to be Jonny’s official p’tite amie. She’s ultra possessive and thinks I’m trying to poach him.”
“Well, aren’t you?” asked Felix, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.
“Of course not,” I said. “I’m being friendly, that’s all. He’s given me a great opportunity to sing with his band. Chased away my blues. I owe him.”
“I suggest you damp it down. That Joliette’s a fierce lady.” He stopped walking for a moment. “Did she hurt you?”
“She spat at me. I got her back before she hit me.”
“Interesting. So the semper tuens spell doesn’t stop insults. I wonder if it would have stopped her from hitting you.”
“I guess we’ll never know,” I said flouncing off back to my station in the wings.
*
For the rest of the show I kept out of Joliette’s way and didn’t allow Jonny into my personal body space.
Sam reported everyone had loved the band. From his seat he heard nothing but praise and promises to buy the band’s next album.
Emmanuelle interrupted him to say everyone except Marie, Kiki’s wife. Even though her husband took center stage when the band played Mon P’tit Oiseau, she stood up suddenly in the middle of the song, let out a groan and caused a fuss by pushing along the crowded row to escape from the theater.
“Did she come back?” I asked.
“No, I haven’t seen her since. She must be hiding in their room.”
She didn’t reappear until the fuss at the end of Sunday night’s performance. After numerous encores the show ended at after one in the morning. Jonny asked us to return to our hotel and collect our bags and sneak out to the bus.
Zack froze on the spot. “What? We’re not spending the night here?”
Jonny clapped him on the back. “Hey, come on, man. Let’s get back to Beaucoup-sur-mer.”