Words”. I recognized them as words from some of Mindy's songs. They must have given them names. Mind doesn't name them, she says it is all part of one masterwork though I give temporary names to them when I sing live.
She explained the setup. “This is the timeline and locations that Minuette songs have cropped up. It isn't complete because we don't have recordings of a few of the live locations she has sung. And you can see some gaps in the timeline that have no activity, so something was missed somewhere. We have all the information that the PMers have, and the tracks that they have been able to separate from the original music.”
Bloody Hell.
I was going to say that I couldn't help, but curiosity got the better of me. “PMers?”
She nodded. “The group that first found the Phantom Melodies. PM Phantom Melody.”
She clicked on one that Mindy wrote a couple years back on her birthday and I smiled as the music seemed to fill the space from all around us. The fidelity of the speakers in the work-space was phenomenal. This one was one of my favorites. I had to stop myself from humming along with the song. It was one of happiness and hope, underscored by a lonely longing in the buried melody.
She surprised me by clicking the second link and I heard my voice singing that lonesome verse with a sad piano backing me. I blinked twice and she continued, “Bear over at Canter Recording was able to isolate and extract the Phantom Melodies in each of the tracks we have located. But it gives us no clue as to Minuette's identity. If anything it highlights her genius, listen to that...” She played it again. “This was a live performance at a coffeehouse in Greenwich. And the Phantom Melody still stands alone, perfect tempo and pitch.”
She pulled up a video of the darkened coffeehouse with me up on stage, the video was grainy in the dark and you couldn't make out my face. I swallowed.
“She never leaves a real name, and only does open mics. If they split the gate, she always takes cash, so there is no record of her or her real name.”
I shrugged and offered, “It sounds like she doesn't want to be found.”
She grinned at me. “That, my erstwhile assistant, is where you come in. You're the only person we can find that has ever talked to her.”
I shrugged. “That's what I have been trying to tell everyone here. I think you have the wrong person for the job. I don't know anything and I am just wasting your money here.”
She smiled at me and laid a hand on my shoulder in a reassuring manner. “That's where you are wrong. You know more than you think, we just need to probe your brain a bit and fit your puzzle pieces into the big picture. Knowledge is power, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”
She grinned like a loon. “Besides, it is a mystery, and who can resist a good mystery? Just look at all the questions to be asked. Like why does she misspell minuet? Is there significance there? Or does it have nothing to do with music? Is it her real name or a pet's name? Is it a tip of the hat to Bach?” She wiggled her eyebrows and I had to smile at her excitement and enthusiasm.
I took a deep breath. “I really don't see where I can help. I don't remember much about the lady that paid me to seed the drives. She may not be who you are looking for.”
She shrugged and said, “Then we find her with your help and she can give us more information to finish the puzzle. I can use your help organizing each track and establishing the timeline. I'm seeing a pattern emerging but I just can't put a finger on it.”
I started clicking on the tracks and looking at the gaps. They certainly had almost all of Mindy's later stuff. They were only missing one or two recent ones. The first three tracks and another earlier one were missing as well. I pointed at one and said before I thought, “These two should be the other way
She explained the setup. “This is the timeline and locations that Minuette songs have cropped up. It isn't complete because we don't have recordings of a few of the live locations she has sung. And you can see some gaps in the timeline that have no activity, so something was missed somewhere. We have all the information that the PMers have, and the tracks that they have been able to separate from the original music.”
Bloody Hell.
I was going to say that I couldn't help, but curiosity got the better of me. “PMers?”
She nodded. “The group that first found the Phantom Melodies. PM Phantom Melody.”
She clicked on one that Mindy wrote a couple years back on her birthday and I smiled as the music seemed to fill the space from all around us. The fidelity of the speakers in the work-space was phenomenal. This one was one of my favorites. I had to stop myself from humming along with the song. It was one of happiness and hope, underscored by a lonely longing in the buried melody.
She surprised me by clicking the second link and I heard my voice singing that lonesome verse with a sad piano backing me. I blinked twice and she continued, “Bear over at Canter Recording was able to isolate and extract the Phantom Melodies in each of the tracks we have located. But it gives us no clue as to Minuette's identity. If anything it highlights her genius, listen to that...” She played it again. “This was a live performance at a coffeehouse in Greenwich. And the Phantom Melody still stands alone, perfect tempo and pitch.”
She pulled up a video of the darkened coffeehouse with me up on stage, the video was grainy in the dark and you couldn't make out my face. I swallowed.
“She never leaves a real name, and only does open mics. If they split the gate, she always takes cash, so there is no record of her or her real name.”
I shrugged and offered, “It sounds like she doesn't want to be found.”
She grinned at me. “That, my erstwhile assistant, is where you come in. You're the only person we can find that has ever talked to her.”
I shrugged. “That's what I have been trying to tell everyone here. I think you have the wrong person for the job. I don't know anything and I am just wasting your money here.”
She smiled at me and laid a hand on my shoulder in a reassuring manner. “That's where you are wrong. You know more than you think, we just need to probe your brain a bit and fit your puzzle pieces into the big picture. Knowledge is power, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”
She grinned like a loon. “Besides, it is a mystery, and who can resist a good mystery? Just look at all the questions to be asked. Like why does she misspell minuet? Is there significance there? Or does it have nothing to do with music? Is it her real name or a pet's name? Is it a tip of the hat to Bach?” She wiggled her eyebrows and I had to smile at her excitement and enthusiasm.
I took a deep breath. “I really don't see where I can help. I don't remember much about the lady that paid me to seed the drives. She may not be who you are looking for.”
She shrugged and said, “Then we find her with your help and she can give us more information to finish the puzzle. I can use your help organizing each track and establishing the timeline. I'm seeing a pattern emerging but I just can't put a finger on it.”
I started clicking on the tracks and looking at the gaps. They certainly had almost all of Mindy's later stuff. They were only missing one or two recent ones. The first three tracks and another earlier one were missing as well. I pointed at one and said before I thought, “These two should be the other way
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