The huge dressing room teemed with activity as Infrared's strippers and dancers vied for space. In the old days, in the days of the Pink Flamingo, the dressing room wasn't this large or as luxurious. By most standards it was deluxe compared with such accommodations at the other clubs. Girls often commented, before they started working at Infrared, how they had to change in closets or restrooms. There was almost no privacy, no time to chit-chat with co-workers, or even room "To spit," as one girl put it.
Unlike the club's public areas, with its black and red decor, the dressing room was understatedly feminine. The walls were painted in delicate shades of pink; the white ceiling sported tastefully stenciled butterflies and cherubs. In the center of the room was a long bank of Hollywood-lighted mirrors and make-up tables.
Costumes were racked on the opposite end of the room and color-coded for each girl. In the anteroom, also decorated in the same color scheme, chaise lounges and couches were available for the girls between acts. A refreshment area was also in that room: a table with a coffee pot and cups; a mini fridge fully stocked with cold drinks and bottled water. There were even well-appointed bookshelves and magazine racks.
David insisted that his club would be very different from the rest and followed Charlie's advice on treating the girls with respect and dignity. Just because the girls were strippers didn't mean they didn't deserved some creature comforts.
Several of Dave's competitors said that he spoiled his ladies relentlessly, but David countered that at least his girls stayed on the job; there was little turnover at Infrared.
The dressing tables were littered with various stage make-up, half-filled coffee cups, Coke cans, brushes, hot rollers, nail polish. Each girl had her own station, and each gave her station a nice personal touch. Tacked onto the mirrors were photos of family, friends, boyfriends, and pets along with newspaper clippings such as Dear Abby columns and recipes. Plush toys ranging from Hello Kitty to Tweety graced many a station. Some brought potted plants, handmade craft items, children's drawings, boom boxes. Glitzy G-strings and colorful feather boas draped over chairs and tops of mirrors. It was a friendly, relaxed atmosphere despite the mad rush to beat the "five minutes to stage time."
Draped in a pink terry robe, Edy Smith sat at her station, carefully applying makeup and taking in bits of lively conversation. In a way, her station stood out from the rest. It had a decidedly musical theme with a lithographed portrait of Brahms and a prized violin sonata score tacked on the mirror.
A recent photo of her beloved black and white cat, Ms. Sylvester or "Syl" as Edy called her, graced the table along with photos of her parents, and, of course, Aunt May and Uncle Edgar.
A mini CD boombox emitted complex Paganini violin caprices. Edy hummed along as she touched up her mascara and blush. Even in her deep reverie brought on by the music, Edy couldn't ignore the commentary concerning a recent purchase.
On her right and left were the identical twins Mandi and Candi respectively. These ladies, just shy of twenty-one, were among Infrared's more popular acts. A "tandem strip", as they termed it, was their specialty. Both girls dressed the same, moved the same, took off the clothes in the same manner. It was a hoot, Edy thought with a chuckle, a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Mandi and Candi had a reputation of doing everything the same; they did it since childhood. Right down to the makeup and jewelry, at least to Edy's thinking, the twins carried the identical bit too far, but it was all in fun as no one could really tell them apart. Maybe that's why Dave assigned them separate stations; no way would these two sit side-by-side. But it was all for naught as they decorated their respective stations identically!
With a giggle, Edy listened to the ladies' comments on Dorine's dress, saying, "Surely you don't believe all that curse junk. I sure don't. I just saw the dress in that shop across the street and had to buy it. I didn't know it belonged to Dorine until Maris told me. And Mr. Justin, the shop owner told me about Dorine, too."
Mandi simply smirked, saying, "Look, there's been weird stuff happening ever since you got that dress. I bet when you find out what went down with David–"
Edy interrupted at the mention of David's name. "What about Dave? What does my buying an old dress have anything to do with him?"
Mandi almost said something but was shushed by her sister. Candi leaned over and said, "Hey, sis. Can't you keep your mouth shut for a minute."
She then turned to Edy, saying, "Honey, all I know is that Maris came out of Dave's office looking mighty spooked."
Edy wondered about that too but said nothing. She knew how David tried to reason with his estranged wife, wanting a quick divorce with as little hassle as possible. It was also no secret that Edy and David were lovers; even Amy had an inkling her soon to be ex-husband carried on an affair with one of his girls. Up until recently, Amy didn't know which girl. Naturally, Edy had yet to learn this.
After quickly cleaning up the makeup mess, Edy gathered her Walkman, a couple of cassettes, and a book. Tying the pink robe around herself, her hair still in hot rollers, Edy said a hasty good-bye to the twins, adding, "I'm going to drop off my music to Fred, then I'm going to the lounge and rest up before the show. See ya!"
After Edy left, Candi leaned over to her sister, saying, "You think she knows? About Dave's wife serving papers on him? That Amy's named Edy as the bad gal in all this mess?"
Mandi curtly replied, "I think she knows."
It was no secret that Mandi, the more sharp-tongued of the pair, didn't quite share her sister's admiration of Edy. While Candi loved the fact that Edy was an accomplished musician and that she seemed to take to burlesque as if second nature, Mandi felt that Edy wheedled into Dave's good graces. She actually believed the affair commenced long before Edy set foot in Infrared. Perhaps Edy's a headliner because she sleeps with the boss, Mandi reasoned.
And if I play my cards right, I could tweak Mrs. Tyler's ear, tell her a few things about Ms. Edy Smith, or should I say Vivienne Va'Voom.
******
Once Edy dropped off her performance music to Fred, she headed back towards the lounge. In an instant she was accosted from the side then guided into a recessed alcove under the stairs.
"Hey, gorgeous."
It was David, being his usual playfully amorous self. Ordinarily Edy would welcome a quickie from the man she loved, but now wasn't the time.
"David!," she teasingly protested, " I just finished my makeup and my hair's still in rollers. I don't exactly look like a starry-eyed lover. Besides, the club opens in a half-hour."
"I know, Edy," said Dave as he kissed her neck and shoulders ferociously. "And I know you have a show...mmm...Reprising that first fantastic act..."
His mouth covered hers; their tongues intermingled, and Edy knew she would have another quick repair job before curtain time. Odd, she thought, David seems unusually needy tonight. I have to ask what happened.
David sensed this, released her, then said, "It's Amy. She's being difficult about this whole divorce thing." He paced about, running his fingers through his crisp dark hair, the deep brown eyes blazed.
"I don't want to worry you about such things, not before your routine. I mean, I don't want you to get all upset once–"
"Once what, David? What has Amy done? Surely she agreed to a quick divorce."
Edy grew agitated. "My God, Dave! What else does she want from you? You're letting her have the house and a generous alimony. Don't tell me...Oh no! Don't tell me she wants half the club!"
David knew he couldn't hedge anymore. It would come out anyway but he didn't want the news to cloud Edy's performance. It's not good to burden his lady with the inevitable, not right now.
He tried to explain it this way: "All I can say now is that Amy has thrown in the proverbial monkey wrench. She's after something but I can't put my finger on it."
Edy flatly said, "She knows about us, doesn't she? That's why she's contesting the divorce."
David's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know this? I just got served papers this afternoon."
"Backstage gossip, baby. The girls knew something was up when Maris came in all upset."
David shook his head, deeply worried. The last thing he wanted was his personal troubles take center stage within the club. Backstage gossip would be all Amy needed. She would find a way to pump the more inexperienced young ladies for information regarding him and Edy.
"Edy," he said, "I want you to do one thing for me."
"Anything, honey. What?"
"Don't talk to anyone about us. I mean it. Amy could use anything said within these walls to put more teeth in her case. I don't want to see you put on the spot in case–"
Edy knew where Dave was going. She flat out asked, "Amy has named me as correspondent, hasn't she? She's countersuing on grounds of adultery, and that the nature of your business contributed to the breakdown of your marriage."
David was flabbergasted. While he loved Edy for her quick wit and intellect, he never quite knew she would figure out the exact nature of the Amy's divorce suit.
"Yes, Edy," he said as he walked her back to the dressing room, "that's it. If any of the girls should ask about you and me, just say nothing. Got it?"
She wrapped her arms around him, kissed him, and said, "You can count on me."
So lost in a lover's embrace, Dave didn't notice Fred, the DJ, calling out to him.
"Hey, Dave! We got problems."
An exasperated David asked, "What now?"
"It's Clementine, that old bag lady. She's out back and won't go away. We gave her last night's leftovers as usual, but she keeps hanging out back there."
Edy sensed David growing increasingly agitated. No, he's got too much on his mind now to let an old homeless beggar add to the troubles. So, tactfully, she offered, "Here, Dave, let me go out and talk to her. I think I can get her to leave."
Gratefully, Dave said, "Thanks, Edy. But don't stay out too long. You got a show to do."
She smiled at David as Fred led the way to the kitchen.
******
Outside the rear door, Clementine stood. She was quite old – seventy-five come next fall – and always haunted the businesses in the neighborhood for handouts. Usually, at Infrared, she would receive leftovers from the previous night's dinner. Sometimes the girls would give her old clothing to wear, aluminum cans and plastic bottles to recycle, anything to make her days that more bearable. Every Christmas the girls would pool their money and buy Clementine something special, maybe some jewelry or a food basket.
Why treat this lady so special? It was learned years ago that Clementine was once a headliner at the neighboring Golden Harp night club, a popular spot for blues and jazz. Clementine was as fine a singer as Ethel Waters or Ella Fitzgerald, but she never quite fulfilled her dream of stardom. Three failed marriages, two painful miscarriages, and a nasty alcohol habit sealed Clementine's fate. So she ended up on the streets, eking out a living as best she could. In her younger days, when she had the chance, she would drop by the Pink Flamingo to catch Dorine Delish's act.
"She was so pretty and such a fine lady, Edy," she said as she and Edy made small talk. "Always came to the Harp to hear me sing. She loved good music as much as you do."
"How did you know I loved music, Clem?," Edy asked. She always called her friend "Clem".
"Oh, honey," Clementine said, "word gets around. I don't know why you're still here. You should be in Carnegie Hall playing your violin."
Edy smiled and said nothing as Clementine prepared to leave. However something gave the old woman pause. She turned to Edy, saying, "I know you bought that dress. Honey, don't wear that thing."
"Why not?"
"Because it's cursed. And don't laugh it off because it's true. Dorine told me, the day before her last performance, that someone was out to hurt her. I believe that dress is cursed because that person is still among us, maybe not in the flesh, but in some way, he or she is here."
Edy couldn't – wouldn't – believe all this talk of curses and Dorine's ghost haunting Infrared because of an unsolved murder.
"Clem, that's nonsense. Nothing will happen to me. Besides, I won't wear the dress until next Friday night, when the big convention is in town."
Clementine could not be swayed. She reiterated: "Edith Smith, that dress is dangerous. But more importantly, there's real trouble ahead for you. Someone is out to do you harm. I can feel it."
Long ago, Clementine enjoyed a reputation for "seeing things" and so many times her premonitions were right on the money. However, Edy, being ever the intellectual, pooh-poohed such as sheer nonsense.
No way am I letting the girls or Clem spook me into not wearing that dress. I have enough problems with Amy and Dave, let alone worry about a supposed curse.
Come Friday night, Edy wished she had listened to Clementine.
TO BE CONTINUED...On to Chapter 4!
Copyright©2003 by Pepper Shriver*. All Rights Reserved.
*My pen name :-)