“Maybe.”
“That’s the spirit. I’ll pour!” Mrs. Penny bounded off the couch.
“I gotta side with Stabby McGee on the bacon,” Brian said.
“I second the motion,” Josie said.
Riley grinned. “Motion passes. I’ll start the bacon.”
Nick sighed. “Fuck it. What’s the point of having your own business if you can’t drink and eat bacon first in the meeting?”
Riley headed into the foyer, where she found Sesame in a floral dressing gown and Tommy deep in conversation with a stranger holding a camera. She was a bald Black woman wearing a supremely awesome leather jacket and a scarlet scarf that matched her lipstick.
There was a camera on a tripod set up at the foot of the stairs and several pieces of large lighting equipment in various stages of assembly.
A second stranger of indeterminate age hustled into the foyer from the living room. She was dressed in head-to-toe black, including sneakers and a ball cap. “Yo! There’s a settee in here that could work and an upholstered ottoman that’s so ugly it’s actually kind of hot.”
“Uh. What’s going on?” Riley asked. Everyone turned to look at her.
Sesame trotted over to her on platinum sandals with puffs of fur on the straps. “Riley! Isn’t this exciting?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but we’re having a photo shoot for my big comeback announcement. I’ll have to do a lot of press once word gets out that I’m back, and I want to control the branding,” she said, fluffing her blond hair.
“You’re doing a photo shoot here?” Riley didn’t have any illusions about her home. Sure, in its heyday, it had probably been a jaw-dropper. But in its current state, it was, well, still a jaw-dropper but for other less elegant reasons.
“TheJoplin Jones is doing the shoot. Can you believe it?” Her high-pitched squeal sent Burt slinking into the kitchen.
“I really can’t,” Riley agreed since she had no idea who Joplin Jones was. “Wait. What comeback?”
“Once the news hits that I’m alive and well, the media storm will be a Category Five. And the public is going to want content. I’ll have to launch a brand-new social media presence.” Sesame paused her glee long enough to wave over the two strangers in the foyer. “Joplin, Fantasia, this is Riley. She owns the house.”
“Nice to meet you,” Fantasia said.
Joplin held up the camera and took Riley’s picture. The flash temporarily blinded her.
“Yeah. So. Joplin is gonna need an industrial fan. Or maybe a couple of hair dryers,” Fantasia said.
“OMG, yes! Ilovethat,” Sesame said, clasping her hands under her chin.
“Uh, Nick? Can you come out here?” Riley called.
Nick appeared in his office doorway with two Bloody Marys and stopped short. “What the hell is going on?”
Riley crossed to him, blinking back stars. “Sesame is having a comeback photo shoot and needs a wind machine.” She took one of the Bloody Marys from him.
“For my hair,” Sesame said.
“I’ve got a leaf blower in the garage.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later,all employees of Santiago Investigations had Bloody Marys, bacon, and toast. And Sesame had her leaf blower.
Nick, unfortunately, had to keep the office door open so they didn’t get locked in. “As I was saying, I called you all here today to inform you that, despite the fact that I was completely right about everything and therefore don’t owe you an apology, as of today, Santiago Investigations is looking for paid work again. I’ve got an armed security gig for Josie this afternoon, a surveillance for Brian tonight, and I just accepted a shit ton of serves,” he shouted.
The leaf blower stopped.
