The Diary Of Pamela D.

The transformation was miraculous, though she had only made subtle structural changes and removed a fair bit of bric-a-brac. But allowing the light of day in, while making the place seem accessible to passers by, had altered the atmosphere of the place so dramatically that it seemed wholly different.

The number of staff had tripled as well, and she had been careful to hire a mixture of people, blending youth with experience, crustiness with humour, acid wit with kindness.

'The menu's got me kind of flummoxed,' she candidly admitted to the barkeep. 'I'd like to make a few changes but I get the impression that it's not the food that's the problem. Like, it's the preparation, or something. I just wish I knew more about it.'

An older woman with a voice like brass, who had once been a regular and had recently been attracted back, cut in and said, 'I'll tell you exactly what the problem is, young lady. It's Gladys, the cook. I know, because she's my sister. She was a good waitress but when Daphne quit she was called upon to run the kitchen, and there she has remained ever since. Gladys has never been able to cook to save her life.'

'I see,' Pamela said tactfully. 'Well, thank you. I'll certainly talk to Gladys about it.'

The story she got from Gladys, however, so matched the one she had got from her sister at the bar that Pamela was prompted to ask, 'Would you like to go back to waitressing?'

'No need to even ask,' Gladys said without hesitation. 'I hate being cooped up in that kitchen all day.'

Pamela took a deep breath, expelled it slowly, puffing her cheeks out.

'I guess that means I'm going to have to start looking for a new cook.'

'Don't be daft!' Gladys said good-naturedly. 'Just give Daphne a call and ask her to have a look at the way you've improved the place. She'll be back here in a heartbeat. And she'll bring all her regulars here to boot.'

Afterwards, Pamela, Tessa and Fred sat down to lunch. Pamela dictated to Tessa for a few minutes, then went over the notes with her to make sure nothing had been forgotten. In the middle of this Pamela noticed a fairly tall woman enter the bar. She was blonde and striking, though dressed just a little ostentatiously, wearing Italian sunglasses, spiked heels, leopard-patterned fake-fur jacket, emerald-green blouse and leather skirt. But that wasn't what had Pamela's attention. She recognised the woman immediately as Theo's ex-girlfriend. And she had Pamela pointed out to her by the barkeep and was walking straight towards her.