Page 167 - The Midnight Library

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As they walked over to the li, Nora glanced back at the bar and saw the

other band members. ‘You know, maybe you’d like to speak to the others
too?’ she said to Marcelo. ‘ ey remember things I don’t. A lot of things.’
Marcelo smiled and shook his head and delicately said, ‘It works better
this way, I feel . . .’

‘Oh, okay,’ she said.
Ever y eye was on them as they waited for the li to arrive. Joanna leaned
into Nora.
‘Are you okay?’

‘Of course. Yeah. Why?’
‘I don’t know. It’s just, you seem different tonight.’
‘Different how?’
‘Just . . . different.’

As they got in the li Joanna asked another woman, one Nora recognised
from the coach, to bring some drinks from the bar – two beers for the
podcasters, a sparkling mineral water for Nora and a caipirinha for herself.
‘And bring them up to the suite, Maya.’

Maybe I am teetotal in this life, thought Nora, as she walked out of the li
and along the plush salmon-pink carpet to her suite.
And then, as she entered it, she tried to act like this was all perfectly
normal. is gigantic room, leading to another gigantic room, leading to a

gigantic bathroom. ere was a vast bouquet of flowers for her, with a note
signed by the hotel’s manager.
Wow, she resisted saying, as she gazed around at the lavish furnishings,
the sweeping floor-to-ceiling curtains, the pristine white bed the size of an

acre, the T V the size of a small cinema, the champagne on ice, the silver tray
full of ‘Brazilian honey cakes’ as the card informed them.
‘Don’t suppose you’ll be having any of these,’ said Joanna, taking one of
the little delicacies from the tray. ‘Now you’re on that new plan. Harley said I

had to keep an eye on you.’
Nora watched Joanna bite into one of the cakes and wondered how good
any plan could be if it didn’t involve eating somet hing so clearly delicious as
a Brazilian honey cake. She had no idea who Harley was, but she knew she

didn’t like them.
‘Also . . . just so you know, the fires are still going on in LA and they’re
evacuating half of Calabasas now, but hopefully it won’t get as high as your