Star Struck by Val McDermid Read Free Book Online Page A

like Gizmo just had to be downsized out the door.
    Their loss was my gain. There had had to be changes, of course. Plain brown envelopes stuffed with banknotes had been replaced with a system more appealing to the taxman, if not to the company accountant. Then there was the personal grooming. Gizmo had always favored an appearance that would have served as perfect camouflage if he’d been living on a refuse tip.
    The clothes weren’t so hard. I managed to make him stop twitching long enough to get the key measurements, then hit a couple of designer factory outlets during the sales. I was planning to dock the cost from his first consultancy fees, but I didn’t want it to terrify him too much. Now he had two decent suits, four shirts that didn’t look disastrous unironed, a couple of inoffensive ties and a mac that any flasher would have been proud of. I could wheel him out as our computer security expert without frightening the clients, and he had a couple of outfits that wouldn’t entirely destroy his street cred if another of the undead happened to be on the street in daylight hours to see him.
    The haircut had been harder. I don’t think he’d spent money on a haircut since 1987. I’d always thought he simply took a pair of scissors to any stray locks whose reflection in the monitor distracted him from what he was working on. Gizmo tried to make me believe he liked it that way. It cost me five beers to get him to
    Three months down the line, he was still looking the business, his hollow cheeks and bloodshot eyes fitting the current image of heroin addict as male glamour. I’d even overheard one of Shelley’s adolescent daughter’s mates saying she thought Gizmo was “shaggable.” That
Trainspotting
has a lot to answer for. “All right,” he mumbled, already looking back at his screen. “You two want to keep the noise down?”
    “Sorry, Giz. I didn’t actually mean to come in here.”
    “Know what you mean,” he said.
    Before I could leave, the door burst open. “And another thing,” Shelley said. “You’ve not done a new client file for Gloria Kendal.”
    Gizmo’s head came up like it was on a string. “Gloria Kendal?
The
Gloria Kendal? Brenda Barrowclough off
Northerners
?”
    I nodded.
    “She’s a client?”
    “I can’t believe you watch
Northerners
,” I said.
    “She was in here yesterday,” Shelley said smugly. “She signed a photograph for me personally.”
    “Wow! Gloria Kendal. Cool! Anything I can do to help?” The last time I’d seen him this excited was over an advance release of Netscape Navigator 3.0.
    “I’ll let you know,” I promised. “Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have some work to do.” I smiled sweetly and sidled past Shelley. As I crossed the threshold, the outside door opened and a massive basket of flowers walked in. Lilies, roses, carnations, and a dozen other things I didn’t know the names of. For a wild moment, I thought Richard might be apologizing for the night before. He had cause, given what had gone on after Dennis had left. The thought shrivelled and died as hope was overtaken by experience.
    “They’ll be from Gloria Kendal,” Shelley predicted.
    I contradicted her. “It’ll be Donovan mortgaging his first month’s wages to apologize to you.”
    “Wrong address,” Gizmo said gloomily. Given the way the day had been running, he was probably right.
    “Is this Brannigan and Co?” the flowers asked. For such an exotic arrangement, they had a remarkably prosaic Manchester accent.
    “That’s right,” I said. “I’m Brannigan.” I stepped forward expectantly.
    “They’re not for you, love,” the voice said, half a face appearing round the edge of the blooms. “You got someone here called Gizmo?”
     
     
     

Chapter   5
     
     
JUPITER IN CANCER IN THE 3RD HOUSE

Jupiter is exalted in Cancer. She has a philosophical outlook, enjoying speculative thinking. She is good humored and generous, with strong protective instincts. Her