Along the corridor, Simone was still sitting lost in her own thoughts. She still was not sure if she believed Madeleine's strange story or not, but something had changed since she had collided with the blonde girl earlier. Somehow everyone was ignoring her, and she did not like that. No, she did not.
Even Lucienne had not said a word to her when she found herself in the corridor outside the dressing room before the American had come to find her.
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that only Jon had cared enough to make sure she was all right. She had watched Lucienne look straight past her while Mireille and Colette regarded her with the polite uncertainty normally reserved for strangers. These were her friends, or at the very least her colleagues. She had worked beside them for years, shared dressing rooms with them, laughed with them after performances, and now, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by, they had no idea who she was.
Somehow she had become a stranger to them.
Perhaps there was something to Madeleine's story after all.
“I have to let Karyn know what we are planning to do so that she can be ready,” Jon suddenly announced.
Madeleine looked up from the journal. “Non. You will not be able to enter ze dressing room while ze girls are getting ready. I will go.”
“But I should be the one to—”
“I know you wish to help your friend, but you cannot see ze girls while zey are changing. I will go while you two wait here.” Without waiting for further argument, Madeleine rose from her chair and left the office.
She walked along the corridor toward the dressing room, already considering how best to explain the situation to Karyn, when someone called her name.
“Madeleine ! Madeleine !” (Madeleine!) A young male voice echoed from a nearby corridor.
Madeleine stopped and turned. “Quoi ? J'ai quelque chose à faire.” (What? I have something to do.)
The young man hurried toward her. “Monsieur Beaumont veut vous voir au sujet de l'homme qui a essayé d'entrer dans le vestiaire des filles hier soir.” (Mr. Beaumont wants to talk to you about the man who tried to get inside the girls' dressing room last night.)
Ah.
The real reason she could not simply allow Jon to visit Karyn.
Henri had once declared that if he ever caught another man inside the girls' dressing room, he would deal with the matter himself before the police ever had the chance.
“Cela peut attendre ?” (Can it wait?)
The young man immediately shook his head. “Monsieur Beaumont m'a dit de vous dire que vous deviez venir à son bureau immédiatement, peu importe ce que vous faisiez. Et si je ne m'assurais pas que vous veniez, je perdrais mon emploi.” (Mr. Beaumont said I was to tell you that you were to go to his office immediately, no matter what you were doing. And if I did not make sure you came, I would lose my job.)
Madeleine sighed. “Nous ne pouvons pas avoir cela, n'est-ce pas ? Montrez-moi le chemin.” (We cannot have that now, can we? Lead the way.) A small smile appeared on her face.
“Merci, madame.” (Thank you, madam.) The young man blushed immediately.
I am sorry, Jon, but your friend will have to survive the dressing room for a few more minutes on her own, Madeleine thought.
With that, she changed direction and followed the young man toward Henri Beaumont's office. Just because his name was on the theatre, he seemed to think he could tell everyone what to do.
