Read Online The Funeral Singer by Linda Budzinski - Free Book Online

complete sentence, with a smile as innocent as though he were stating that the sky was blue.
    My jaw dropped. His idea? Good thing Andrea had insisted on interviewing us separately. If I were on camera, it would show all over my face that he was lying.
    “When we first visited the funeral home a few weeks ago, I heard Melanie rehearsing in the chapel,” Zed said. “Her sound is so … genuine, I knew we had to make her a part of the service.” He glanced up at the sky and then looked back at Andrea. “I think Mick would have liked it.”
    I walked over to the far edge of the porch so no one could see me shaking. How could he lie like that? Why would he lie like that? My mind flashed back to the sight of the limo behind the cemetery trees. What was he trying to hide? I leaned over, gripped the porch railing, and closed my eyes. Calm down and think.
    I took a few deep breaths and cleared my mind. Okay, first of all, Zed had called the station to come here tonight and interview us. He wouldn’t have done that if he and the band had some huge secret, right? So there had to be another explanation. Yes, of course there was. Probably something simple. Like, maybe—
    “Hey.” The sound of Andrea’s voice directly behind me made me jump. “Why didn’t you tell me you were their new backup singer?”
    I straightened and turned around. “Did Zed tell you that?”
    “Yep.”
    I felt a small thrill. So it was official.
    “You must be a huge fan to know all their songs so well.”
    “What do you mean?” It was true, but I hadn’t said anything about that.
    “He said you went up to him after the funeral and told him you knew every single word to every single Grime song. That’s what gave him the idea to ask you to sing backup.”
    I went up to him ? Okay, so maybe the explanation for all this was something really simple. Like maybe Zed Logan was a compulsive freaking liar. I nodded. “Right, sure. I … whatever.”
    Andrea’s eyes narrowed. “I seem to recall specifically asking you what you were doing here tonight, and you failed to mention this rather significant piece of news.”
    “Yeah, I was—”
    “Listen, Mel,” she interrupted. “There are lots of talented people in this world who never make it big. And do you know why that is?”
    I shook my head.
    “It’s because no one discovers them. You , however, have overcome that hurdle, because I discovered you. Without me, you’d be just another pretty face waiting for the right people to notice her—stuck in your small-time job with all that potential going to waste.” Andrea’s voice cracked on the word “potential,” and I got the feeling she wasn’t talking about me anymore.
    “You’re right.” I decided not to remind her that she hadn’t even managed to get my name right in her report, or mention the fact that her clip had the fewest views of all the videos online now. No sense ticking her off even more, and anyway, much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. “I’m grateful for what you’ve done, Andrea, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about joining the band, but it’s … it’s complicated.”
    Andrea nodded. “Complicated. Of course it is.” She took a step toward me. “Let me tell you something. What you do with your fame from here on out is up to you. I hope you make it. I really do. Just don’t forget who gave you your big break. And don’t ever hold back on me again.”
    I nodded. “Right.”
    Andrea glanced at her watch and squeezed my arm. “Good girl. Now, I need to run. If we make it back to the station by seven-thirty, post-production should have this ready in time for the eleven o’clock edition. Watch for it.”
    I avoided Zed’s eyes as the crew packed their cameras and lighting equipment into the van. What was I supposed to say to him? Thanks so much for hiring me to sing at Mick’s service. And by the way, did you notice that the sky was green today?
    Zed walked over to me as the van pulled away. “Great