The Missing Party-Girl: A Rags-to-Riches Cozy Mystery Romance by Nhys Glover (read after .txt) 📗

On the train ride home Georgie told me that one of the producers invited us to his party at the end of the month. I had to get her to tell me several times before I’d believe that I was actually invited to go along to a real cast party. She said we’d take Tansy with us, to make up for the fact she missed out on a part in this film.

Adie paused in her reading to note the mention of the producer’s party that would take place the day Georgie went missing. The party Georgie had organized for them to attend and then didn’t bother showing up for herself.

Would she have done that to her flatmates? Would she have left them high and dry like that? Yes, if she knew she wasn’t necessary to get the girls in the door. Once they had an address and a time, all they had to do was turn up dressed to the nines and they’d be in the door. And if Minerva had been right about one of the producers watching her intently, it was possible she was the one who had drawn the man’s eye and he’d simply asked Georgie because he knew her and realized she was Minerva’s friend.

It was so hard to read between the lines. So hard to know how accurate Minerva’s impressions had been. Sure, she was beautiful, from all the pictures Adie had seen of her, but had she been beautiful enough to separate herself from the masses of equally beautiful young women vying for the spotlight?

19th March

Last night was opening night for The Ipcress Files. I joined the crowd to watch all the rich and famous people walking the red carpet. Afterwards, I read the reviews, which were mediocre. Then today Tansy and I went to the matinee showing to see if we could spot ourselves on the screen. I didn’t want to tell my parents about it until I was sure I was visible. Everyone knows that whole scenes can end up on the cutting room floor.

I’m delighted to say that I saw myself, if only briefly, in two distinct scenes. You have no idea how exciting it was to see my own image up on the big screen, so much larger than real life. I felt like a real actress for the first time, even though being an extra really isn’t being an actress. All the same, my face was immortalized for a few brief seconds.

Tansy got better exposure from her one scene than I did for my two, which she was very smug about on our journey home. And I will admit that she looked quite lovely. In black and white film noir a person’s features become more noticeable, especially if their bone structure is well-defined as hers is. Being pretty or sexy wasn’t called for in this dark and gritty film, unlike Thunderball. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to be part of both very different spy films.

Adie fought the urge to look up the term film noir. She had only the most cursory knowledge of movies and even less about movie-making. The small glimpses she was getting into that world through Minerva was enlightening. But Cage’s comment that she was being easily diverted kept her on task.

There was another mention of Roland, the mysterious boyfriend.

23rd March

Georgie flitted off to visit her rich boyfriend again today. This time she made a point of telling us where she was going, if only in general terms, saying it was a posh country manor in East Sussex, which is at least something. When she left she was wearing her mink coat and best party frock. I think she looked even better than she did in Thunderball. The epitome of sophistication. One day I hope to look just as elegant.

Finally, she came across the day of Georgie’s disappearance. Or rather, it was the day after, but the information was about what had happened the day before. Adie’s hands were sweating with nerves as she read the entire entry.

29th March

I’m writing this the day after the big party because I got in too late last night to try putting my thoughts into words.

I’m furious with Georgie once more. Yet again, she let us down. After arranging for us to go to the Thunderball cast party she didn’t show up. We waited for as long as possible, but in the end Tansy and I went alone.

We were terrified we’d be turned away at the door. Luckily, no such thing occurred, and I was thrilled to meet Sean and Terrence Young, the director, and his wife Dorothy.

The assistant director I met on set was there as well. Marcus Long is his name, and I spent quite a bit of time discussing the technical details of the film. By the end, I felt quite knowledgeable, although today I have forgotten almost all of it, thanks to the generous amounts of champagne I drank.

Marcus said that he was to get his own film to direct later in the year, and he would keep me in mind for a part. He said he really liked how I looked on screen. It seems that being beautiful in real life doesn’t always translate to being beautiful on screen. Even though my features are subtle and my hair pale, I have a presence that the camera picks up. How wonderful is that? He took my number to let me know about more work.

Adie strained her memory in search of the assistant director’s familiar name. Marcus Long… Why…? Then it came to her. Wow, this was the first time Minerva mentioned the man who would later become her first husband, the famous film director.

I’d seen pictures of the couple when I Googled Minerva, so I knew