Read Online Last Summer in Louisbourg by Clare Mowat - Free Book Online Page B

friend…what’s-her-name.”
    â€œJustine.”
    â€œRight. I’ll be brief. It now appears that we have a more expanded role coming up. The lady’s maid is going to be somewhat more significant to the plot. We’ve revised the script, and we have a scene where the maidservant will be transporting an important secret message. It calls for dramatic looks—bewilderment, fear, relief—the sort of thing that you do rather well, if I may say so. Do you think you could handle this role?”
    Andrea swallowed and thought about it for two seconds. “I think so.”
    â€œSorry we don’t have another role for your friend. Josephine’s quite good, but—”
    â€œJustine.”
    â€œYou have what we’re looking for.”
    His cellular phone rang, and he reached into his briefcase to retrieve it. It was a call from Penny Goodman, who was supervising a scene in the garden behind the engineer’s house. “Yes, Penny. Yes, she’s right here and we’ve discussed the part. I believe she intends to do it.” He looked Andrea in the eye and nodded his head, asking for confirmation. Andrea nodded back.
    â€œA done deal then,” he told Penny, and continued to talk to her about production details. After a while he perched the phone on his shoulder and said, “Thank you for coming by, Amanda. We’ll be in touch.”
    â€œI’m Andrea.”
    â€œSo you are.”
    When the day’s work was over, Andrea and Justine caught the bus back to town. As usual they walked to Vivian’s store for some pop. It gave them something to do before supper and, of course, Justine had a chance to see Cory—if he happened to be on duty that day. She never knew for sure.
    â€œI phoned home,” said Justine, “and my brother Marc said he’d come up and get us in the car when we get our days off in August. That way we won’t have to wait around for the bus.”
    â€œSounds great,” Andrea agreed.
    â€œAnd I was thinking. I might even invite one or two kids from around here. It’s my birthday, after all.”
    â€œCory. Cory. Cory,” teased Andrea.
    Justine blushed. “Shut up,” she muttered, and changed the subject. “So what did Penny want? Do we have to do that stupid scene over again?”
    â€œNo, we don’t. Actually, Penny wasn’t there. Just Grumpy.”
    â€œOh, him. What did he have to say?”
    â€œNothing really…except there’s another scene to do.”
    â€œOhhh. Gimme a break,” groaned Justine. “All those hot lights. All that waiting around. All that make-up. I can’t STAND it,” she proclaimed in mock dismay, holding the back of her hand to her forehead and looking up towards the sky.
    â€œActually…as it happens…this time there’s only one part…for one servant…for me,” Andrea explained haltingly.
    â€œOh,” said Justine frostily, and didn’t utter another word until they arrived at Vivian’s store. Luckily Cory was behind the counter and that thawed Justine’s icy mood. The girls were the only customers, so there was time to chat. And, as it turned out, there was a lot to talk about. The big news was that there had been a robbery at a convenience store in the town of Dominion, not far away. Cory had just heard all about it from the guy who drove the bread-delivery truck.
    â€œThe police figure the man was mainly after cigarettes,” he explained earnestly. “He took nineteen cartons of them and also stole twenty-five videos, along with all the money in the cash drawer.”
    â€œHow did he get in?” Andrea wanted to know.
    â€œThey think that maybe he hid, that he was inside the building at closing time. The fellow on duty that night had to step outside because there’s a gas pump out in front. A couple of cars came by for gas just before he closed the store. Somebody could have