MELODY and MURDER (Melody The Librarian Book 1) by Leslie Leigh Page A
Authors: Leslie Leigh
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“I’m going to be there anyway, and Molly’s no trouble. What are your plans tomorrow?”
“Covering for Dad at the store,” he said. “I still live with him, you know. I never saw any need to move away, you know? And I’m glad to be there as he gets older. I mean, he’s doing swell, but I can see those gradual changes no one else might notice. He gets a little forgetful.”
“Isn’t that funny? You and me, both living at home. Are we trying to hang onto our youth? I’ll bet that’s what some of our old classmates would think.”
“Oh, they say that it’s becoming more and more common these days. The second generation staying home longer. I don’t think I’m missing anything. Wild parties, promiscuous sex, that sort of thing. And you?” he asked with a sly smile.
“No comment. No, I’m pretty much a homebody. I live inside my head, as they say.”
“Hey, Dad tells me you still play the accordion. Is that true?”
“Heck, yeah,” I said, slapping the table lightly with my palm and realizing I needed to slow the pace of my drinking. It had been so long since I’d indulged. “Your dad was hatching some scheme that involved me in order to sell some accordions. Did he tell you that?”
“He was real excited,” Gary said, nodding. “There’s a big mark-up on those things, but they’re a tough sell. Expensive and, forgive me, utterly uncool, though I find them fascinating. Fortunately, we network with other stores around the state, and will rotate some of inventory items to sell things in one market that aren’t flying off the shelves in another, which helps minimize the risk and keeps our stock lean. But Dad is already sending out feelers for some squeezeboxes. Did you agree to his…scheme?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I think we left off with, “We’ll talk some more about it.” Maybe he considered that a yes.”
Gary laughed. “Typical salesman, my pop. If you don’t say no, you might as well be saying yes. Say, Melody, I’ve got a proposition for you.”
“Indeed?” I responded, though I could think of several other rejoinders in my present state. Fortunately, I refrained from using any of them.
“Yeah. Once in a while, I get calls to put together little groups – bands – to play different kinds of gigs: bars, weddings, small festivals. I have a pool of musicians I use, but they’re scattered all over the county and it’s hell coordinating rehearsals. Most specialize in one sort of music, like country, polka, classic rock covers. I know you listen to all kinds of music, or at least you used to.”
“Still do,” I confirmed, “although my rap is a little rusty.”
“Well, I think accordion would be a great addition to a lot of those kinds of gigs. Not necessarily country, perhaps….”
“Hey,” I said, defensively. “My folks drove all the way down to Clio years ago so I could see Riders in the Sky, the cowboy/western trio? They had an accordion player with them, Joey Miskulin, the ‘CowPolka King.’ And he added so much color to their sound. It was one of the best concerts I’d ever seen. I was surprised to learn later that the accordion was used in a lot of early country and western swing. Check out some of those vintage YouTube videos, if you don’t believe me.”
Gary held up his hands. “I believe you, Melody, I believe you. I’ll have to check out the Riders. Ever heard of Brave Combo? I think they’re out of Texas. They started playing covers of rock tunes polka-style, and I’m pretty sure they’re still at it. You don’t have to sell me on the versatility of the instrument, but there’s also that novelty factor that audiences love.
“So, what I’m proposing is, how would you like to join my band?”
“I may be tipsy, but I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
“I’ve got some stuff in the works coming up. I’ll wait until you’re sober to discuss it, but if you could commit to a couple of rehearsals beforehand – and I’ll
“Covering for Dad at the store,” he said. “I still live with him, you know. I never saw any need to move away, you know? And I’m glad to be there as he gets older. I mean, he’s doing swell, but I can see those gradual changes no one else might notice. He gets a little forgetful.”
“Isn’t that funny? You and me, both living at home. Are we trying to hang onto our youth? I’ll bet that’s what some of our old classmates would think.”
“Oh, they say that it’s becoming more and more common these days. The second generation staying home longer. I don’t think I’m missing anything. Wild parties, promiscuous sex, that sort of thing. And you?” he asked with a sly smile.
“No comment. No, I’m pretty much a homebody. I live inside my head, as they say.”
“Hey, Dad tells me you still play the accordion. Is that true?”
“Heck, yeah,” I said, slapping the table lightly with my palm and realizing I needed to slow the pace of my drinking. It had been so long since I’d indulged. “Your dad was hatching some scheme that involved me in order to sell some accordions. Did he tell you that?”
“He was real excited,” Gary said, nodding. “There’s a big mark-up on those things, but they’re a tough sell. Expensive and, forgive me, utterly uncool, though I find them fascinating. Fortunately, we network with other stores around the state, and will rotate some of inventory items to sell things in one market that aren’t flying off the shelves in another, which helps minimize the risk and keeps our stock lean. But Dad is already sending out feelers for some squeezeboxes. Did you agree to his…scheme?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I think we left off with, “We’ll talk some more about it.” Maybe he considered that a yes.”
Gary laughed. “Typical salesman, my pop. If you don’t say no, you might as well be saying yes. Say, Melody, I’ve got a proposition for you.”
“Indeed?” I responded, though I could think of several other rejoinders in my present state. Fortunately, I refrained from using any of them.
“Yeah. Once in a while, I get calls to put together little groups – bands – to play different kinds of gigs: bars, weddings, small festivals. I have a pool of musicians I use, but they’re scattered all over the county and it’s hell coordinating rehearsals. Most specialize in one sort of music, like country, polka, classic rock covers. I know you listen to all kinds of music, or at least you used to.”
“Still do,” I confirmed, “although my rap is a little rusty.”
“Well, I think accordion would be a great addition to a lot of those kinds of gigs. Not necessarily country, perhaps….”
“Hey,” I said, defensively. “My folks drove all the way down to Clio years ago so I could see Riders in the Sky, the cowboy/western trio? They had an accordion player with them, Joey Miskulin, the ‘CowPolka King.’ And he added so much color to their sound. It was one of the best concerts I’d ever seen. I was surprised to learn later that the accordion was used in a lot of early country and western swing. Check out some of those vintage YouTube videos, if you don’t believe me.”
Gary held up his hands. “I believe you, Melody, I believe you. I’ll have to check out the Riders. Ever heard of Brave Combo? I think they’re out of Texas. They started playing covers of rock tunes polka-style, and I’m pretty sure they’re still at it. You don’t have to sell me on the versatility of the instrument, but there’s also that novelty factor that audiences love.
“So, what I’m proposing is, how would you like to join my band?”
“I may be tipsy, but I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
“I’ve got some stuff in the works coming up. I’ll wait until you’re sober to discuss it, but if you could commit to a couple of rehearsals beforehand – and I’ll
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