Free Cloneward Bound by M.E. Castle Page A

Two. There was Molly as a Roman senator, dressed in full togas and robes, Molly as an Elizabethan duchess, with big, fluffy sleeves and a wide ruff collar, Molly as Cinderella in a draping white thing that was apparently supposed to be a ball gown, Molly as an astronaut with a tiny space suit and a bubble helmet.…
    “She’s, um, very … versatile,” Fisher remarked, handing the binder back to GG.
    “I’m in discussions now to get her first major motion picture deal. Aren’t I, Mollykins? Aren’t you the most talented little … 
Molly
!”
    GG jumped up out of her chair. FP had wandered over to one side of the office, and Molly, upon seeing him, had leapt at him and begun to hump his leg enthusiastically.
    “You are a
lady
.” McGee pulled Molly off the terrified-looking FP. “Sorry about that, Basley. Molly can be a little … rambunctious. Quite the little vixen! Like owner, like pet.” McGee laughed loudly. “I’ll keep her with me until we’re done with our business. Speaking of which, I have just a few preliminary legal documentsfor you to sign. That is, unless you think you can get a better deal with Lulu O’Lunney.” She chuckled a little to herself.
    “Oh … uh, no, not at all,” Fisher said. “I thought Lulu was big-time when I first met her, but … 
clearly
you’re the high-caliber one around here.” He smiled so wide, he felt like his jaws would split open.
    GG beamed. “Well,” McGee said, “I’m glad you’ve come to such a reasonable conclusion.”
    She returned to her desk, placing Molly firmly in her lap, and reached into a drawer.
    A towering stack of paper landed in front of Fisher with a
boom
.
    McGee uncapped a pen and passed it over to Fisher. “Go ahead and give it your autograph.”
    Fisher leafed through the pages, which were filled with terms like
periodical, fiduciary, notwithstanding
, and
heretofore
. He couldn’t make the slightest sense out of any of it. He wished he had Amanda with him now. His palms were sweating, and he was no closer to finding Two than when he had set foot in the office. He needed to buy some time.
    “Before I sign anything,” he said, “I … uh … I have to consult with my legal representative.”
    “Legal representative?” McGee said. “Who might that be?”
    “Yours truly,” said a husky female voice from behind Fisher.
    He turned around and barely managed to keep his jaw in place. Amanda walked into the room wearing five-inch platform heels and a gray suit that fit her like a football jersey on a ballerina. In place of her normal glasses was a pair of mirrored aviator shades that hid half of her face.
    “And you are?” GG McGee asked, wrinkling her nose and giving Amanda a once-over.
    “J. Nadine Weathersby, Esquire,” Amanda said, her voice rumbling as low as she could push it. “Mr. Basley’s personal attorney. If you don’t mind, we’ll take a look at these later on.” She scooped the pile of legal documents into a large briefcase. “Now, if you could arrange a cab for Mr. Basley, he must be getting back to … Sunset Boulevard isn’t it, Basley?”
    Fisher just gaped at her mutely.
    “Sunset?” McGee said. “I thought you were staying on Melrose Place.”
    “Melrose, of course!” Amanda said. “I have so many clients, I sometimes lose track.” She lowered her glasses slightly and winked subtly at Fisher. “Now come on, Mr. Basley, we have a lot of work to do.” She hoisted Fisher out of his chair, swept up FP with her free arm, and handed him to Fisher. “Good day to you, Ms. McGee.”
    “To you, too, Ms. Weathersby,” McGee said, lookingsomewhat flustered. Fisher and Amanda hurried out of the office. Fisher was bursting with so many questions, he could feel them pressing at his throat. But he knew they had to wait until they were outside.
    A sense of triumph was spreading, like warmth, through his chest. They had started out with an entire city to search, and had narrowed it down to a