Beware False Profits Read Online Free Page B

He’s the favorite, that’s for sure. But hey, he’s here one day a month. I always say, ‘Get over it,’ you know? Marilyn, she’s the worst. She actually clapped her hands when Josephine left early on Thursday. And when she performed later? She was better than usual, although ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ still sounds like rhinestones to me.”
    Ed’s eyes were glazing over. Maybe it was the hot little room or the fragrance of a vat’s worth of cosmetics. Maybe it was his hypnotic stroking of Toto’s fur. Or maybe, heck, it was a guy having trouble with another guy’s lifestyle. A liberal guy.
    “Can you tell us more about Thursday?” Ed didn’t add quickly , although I knew it was on the tip of his tongue.
    Dorothy seated herself on the bench again, squinted at her face in the mirror, then began to stroke a soft brown powder under her cheekbones. “Well, he came backstage after he finished the opener, and he looked radiant. I mean Cher never looked that good, if you know what I mean. His hair, well he has the most incredible taste in—”
    I interrupted. “Did something happen after that first number? Does he normally do more?”
    Although Toto snarled, Dorothy didn’t hold my rudeness against me. “His set is usually about five numbers.” She counted silently on her fingers. “Six. He always does a quick change after the first one. Hangs up the coat until the finale, wraps a gold shawl around his shoulders for the second number. He seemed just fine. He got ready and went out. He sounded great. He sang…” She thought a moment. “‘Bang, Bang’.”
    I’m a big Cher fan. I knew the words to this one, too. But I was fairly sure Ed might pass out just to avoid hearing it. “And then?”
    “Well, I was standing in the wings when he walked off-stage. They were cheering out front. He’d given it his all, although it’s not his best song by a long shot. But when I saw his face, I knew something was wrong. He was as white as a geisha. Just so pale you couldn’t be sure he was still breathing. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he was sick. Then he ran to the loo and locked himself inside.”
    “Wow.” Wow is my fallback word. I didn’t know what else to say.
    Dorothy shook her head. Then she leaned forward and peered at her face. Seemingly satisfied, she uncapped what looked like eyebrow pencil and began to dot more freckles on her cheeks.
    “When he came out, he really looked bad. He told me he was done for the night. I told him the show must go on and all that garbage, but he just shook his head. Said he was making a phone call, and I should tell Larry he wasn’t going back onstage.”
    Dorothy stopped dotting and turned to look at me. “You can guess what Larry said, right?”
    “I’m pretty sure I can. What happened next?”
    “I went on instead. And I really had to work up some enthusiasm, you know? I mean, was I in the mood to sing ‘Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead?’ I didn’t even have my freckles.”
    I clucked in commiseration. “But I meant what happened to Joe?”
    “Well, I guess he made that phone call.”
    I pondered this. “You were out on the stage.”
    “Well, I was, yes. But Marilyn wasn’t. She told me everything.”
    Ed pulled himself together. “Do you mind filling us in?”
    “She said that Joe went out in the alley for a few minutes, then he came back inside and changed his clothes and scrubbed his face. She went in to see if he needed anything. Of course that’s not why she really went in. I think she was hoping she’d catch him at something that would get him thrown out for good. She’s all about herself, our Marilyn, and just between us, she wants that coat. Anyway, she said his hands were shaking. She said she was afraid he might pass out, but he said he didn’t want any help. On the way out Larry tried to talk to him, but Joe brushed him aside and took off through the alley door. Larry said he wasn’t steady on his feet. And that’s