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Abbey leaned closer.“That’s my husband Seger. He says he’s a talent agent but his job title is actually Party Pooper. And he’s very good at what he does.” When Seger grunted something, she added, “Yep, he’s a party-pooping talent agent. Or a talented party pooper. Not sure which.” She giggled.

Her husband held out his hand.“Seger Glik. So nice to meet you.”

Odelia shook it, and so did Chase.

“Don’t mind my wife,” he said. “She’s pretty excitable. Which is what we all love about her.”

“Ooh, thank you, munchkin,” she said, and gave him an exaggerated kiss. Turning back to Odelia, she said, “One thing I’ll say for Emerald. She knows how to throw a good party. Have you been to one of these things before?”

“No, I can’t say that I have,” said Odelia.

“Oh, you’re gonna love it. She has the best chef in the world, and I mean, that man can cook!”

“I’ll vouch for that,” said Seger. “Expect to gain a couple pounds.”

Suddenly there was a commotion on the other side of the table. Verna Rectrix had risen to her feet and was loudly proclaiming,“Don’t tell me what to do, you bastard!”

Her husband, to whom these words were apparently directed, looked appropriately embarrassed.“Darling, please—you’re making a scene.”

“Of course I’m making a scene!” cried Verna. “And if you don’t like it you shouldn’t have married an actress!” At this, she threw a vicious look at Kimberlee, who was sitting next to her. “And as for you—you hussy!” she screamed, then threw the contents of her glass at Kimberlee’s chest.

Kimberlee gasped in shock, then her face flushed and her eyes shot fire. And she would have accosted Verna if not her own boyfriend and Verna’s husband had interfered, and held the two women apart.

“What’s going on there?” asked Odelia.

“Oh, that’s just Verna being Verna. I’m not sure if you can tell but she has quite the temper. She used to pull these stunts on set all the time.”

Verna stomped off, shouting something Odelia didn’t quite catch.

“Oops, looks like someone is going to miss dinner,” commented Abbey. “Well, no matter—it’s not as if she’d eat it. She’s like a stick insect as it is.”

“She is very slender,” Odelia agreed.

“Slender?” scoffed Abbey. “More like one of those models who can’t stop puking up their food.” She leaned in. “Shall I let you in on a little secret?”

Odelia nodded.“Sure.”

“The secret of staying skinny. Cocaine. Lots of cocaine. Just ask Verna.”

Odelia blinked, and wondered if Abbey would be telling her these things if she hadn’t just downed three glasses of champagne in quick succession.

“Oh, my,” she said.

“You stick with me, kid. I’ll teach you a thing or two about Hollywood’s elite.”

“Abbey!” hissed her husband.

“What?” said Abbey innocently.

“Shut up! She’s a reporter!”

Abbey fixed her unsteady gaze on Odelia.“She don’t look like a reporter to me.”

“Well, I am, actually,” said Odelia, feeling she should probably give Abbey another warning that everything she said could and would be used against her in an article of reporting.

Abbey grinned a little luridly.“I don’t care! You hear me? I don’t care! I simply don’t care!” She then clasped an arm around Odelia’s shoulders and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. “I like you anyway, you fair-haired little minx. Reporter or no reporter—I’m not going to hold it against you.” She slammed the table hard. “What does a person have to do to get some food around here?!”

Oh, boy, thought Odelia. This was shaping up to be a very interesting weekend indeed.

Chapter 6

Night had fallen, and the house was quiet.Pearl Harbor had finally finished, with Gran happy that Ben Affleck’s girl had found love again in the arms of Josh Hartnett, and the humans had all retired to bed. I was sitting outside on the porch swing, Dooley next to me, with Brutus and Harriet out and about somewhere, and both of us wondering what Odelia was doing right then.

“I think she’s missing us so much she’ll probably be back in the morning,” said Dooley.

“Don’t count on it,” I said. “Odelia is probably having the time of her life.”

“Oh, don’t say that, Max. She’s probably miserable is what I think.”

“Humans are different from cats, Dooley,” I told him. “They don’t miss us the way we miss them. It’s more a case of out of sight out of mind for them.”

“You really think so?” He looked both surprised and disappointed.

“Oh, sure. In fact she probably has her eye on another pet already. If what she told us was true, that Emerald Rhone person has a house full of pets, and she probably hands them out like candy to her guests. It wouldn’t surprise me if Odelia arrives home with a whole brood of new pets in tow.”

“But, Max, that’s terrible!”

“It is,” I agreed, placing my head on my paws and staring moodily into the night.

“What you need is something to distract you,” said Dooley, giving me a poke.

I merely grunted something. I was in no mood to do distracting things.

“Come on. Let’ s go and see what Brutus and Harriet are up to.”

“Hanky-panky, probably,” I said morosely.