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like she was going to collapse at any moment. She took the freshly polished glass and refilled it with water, guzzling it down greedily in the hope of stabilising herself. What was the matter with her? If Cleo had brought home an infection from the estate agents she would not be happy, she had a lot to prepare for tomorrow night’s show and as good as Dave was at talking the management talk, she had to admit he didn’t have a clue when it came to detail. Detail was Samantha’s forte. Small talk with ice skaters was not.
     
     
    It was close to midnight when Samantha arrived home. The second she opened the front door she knew Cleo had company. She could smell a mixture of incense and essential oils and she could hear Luther Vandross. The ultimate giveaway was the pair of size ten brogues sitting by the front door. Brogues! Samantha thought the only person who wore brogues any more was her father and the odd accountant or estate agent. As her mind offered the last occupation it all clicked into place and she assumed Cleo, having been turned down in favour of the Pigeon Association, was now entertaining one of her colleagues. She was certainly a fast worker!
    Samantha smiled to herself and headed upstairs. She paused outside Cleo’s bedroom door and listened. She could hear hushed talking so she knocked.
    ‘ Go away! Can’t you read?’ Cleo shrilled back immediately.
    Samantha looked down at the door handle, on which was hanging a black coloured crystal. After Samantha had once burst into the room unannounced to be greeted by the sight of Cleo and a man old enough to be their father engaged in removing each others clothes, Cleo had designed a traffic light system in the form of coloured crystals. The green crystal meant you could come in without knocking, the amber coloured crystal meant knock once and proceed with caution, the red crystal meant knock, stop and wait for instructions and the black crystal meant do not enter, knock or even breathe too heavily on walking past the door or your life wouldn’t be worth living. Samantha had named that particular crystal The Bonk.
    ‘ Sorry, it’s just I‘m going to bed and you said it would be a crime if I didn’t keep you informed about things,’ Samantha called through the door.
    ‘ I’m not interested in anything any of those pigeon fanciers had to say - now piss off!’ Cleo called back and Samantha heard the music being turned up.
    ‘ He’s got dark brown eyes and a small scar under his lip!’ Samantha shouted above the music.
    It was barely seconds before the door was hurriedly open and Cleo, loosely dressed in her robe, her hair all over the place appeared. She stepped out onto the landing, pulling the door to behind her.
    ‘ You spoke to Jimmy Lloyd again? My God he wasn’t with the Pigeon Association was he?’ Cleo exclaimed.
    ‘ No, he was just having a drink at the bar,’ Samantha informed matter of factly.
    She liked having something happening in her life that her older sister was interested in. It was unusual for Samantha to feel that she was in possession of something Cleo was envious of. It didn’t happen often, the last time had been when Samantha unknowingly got a Prada handbag for ten pounds in the January sales. Cleo couldn’t have been more jealous then. She had practically looked green for a week.
    ‘ What did he have and how many? Jack Daniels? Vodka? Beer? I thought he hadn’t long come out of one of those expensive rehab clinics in America. Did he look cool? I bet he looked cool, what was he wearing?’ Cleo enquired her eyes wide.
    ‘ Rehab?’ Samantha spoke, shocked by her sister’s statement.
    ‘ Of course he’s been to rehab, I told you what he’s like, women, sex, booze, recreational drugs, it’s part and parcel of the celebrity lifestyle. So how did he look? Was he with anyone?’ Cleo continued.
    ‘ He’s been in rehab,’ Samantha stated again.
    ‘ Sam! Are you going to tell me what he said or are you just going to