operator being Mr. Anthony Bird." She glanced at Ari's blank expression and elaborated. "Anthony Bird, who fired our client Jessica French for unspecified reasons two weeks ago. We're going to listen in on his search for a replacement and determine whether or not--"
"He fired her because she was pregnant. Right, I remember now." She rubbed her shoulder. "Wish I'd known he had a guard dog."
Dale said, "Did you have a tussle?"
"He was more horny than vicious. A couple of good tackles and he decided I was too much woman for him."
Dale smirked. "A lesson we've all learned in our time."
Ari chuckled and sank down in her seat. "Wake me when we get back to the office."
#
The fogged glass of their office door had the word BITCHES written in large black letters that arched over the smaller word 'investigations.' Dale turned on the light behind the reception desk and Ari went into her office. She unbuttoned her army jacket and took a spare blouse out of the wardrobe in the far corner. Dale followed her into the office and said, "Need a rubdown?"
"Ah, I'm fine."
"I saw you wincing in the car. Go on, sit on the floor."
Ari sighed and gave in. She dropped the shirt and followed Dale to the couch. She sat cross-legged on the floor, and Dale sat behind her. Ari closed her eyes as Dale began to massage the tight muscles of her shoulders. "You got a trio of nasty scrapes back here."
"Sliding under the fence," Ari said. "It's mainly the usual aches and pains."
Dale worked the muscles with her thumbs and Ari sagged forward. Transforming was a torturous procedure; it was like having her entire skeletal system placed in a vice and squeezed into a different arrangement. Her shoulder blades expanded out and then inward, her ribs contracted, her hips twisted, and every bone in her feet twisted into a longer and thinner arrangement. Her muscles followed the new arrangement like rubber bands tied to chopsticks, pulled right up to the breaking point before they relaxed. The sides of her jaw would break and constrict around her tongue, expanding her lower skull into a snout.
Changing back into a human was the same pain, only in reverse. Her body accepted the new arrangement and almost seemed to resent being forced back to the way it had been born. So every switch left her feeling like she'd gone twenty rounds with a heavyweight boxer. Having a licensed masseuse as her receptionist helped immensely.
"Was Lisa mad?" Ari asked without opening her eyes.
"I don't know," Dale said. "It's a few hours later in Chicago, so she might be up. You could call and ask her."
"Ah, shit," Ari said. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It actually wasn't your fault."
Ari scoffed. "Sure. The four AM wake-up calls were a big hit with her. She was convinced we were sleeping together."
Dale said, "She would know the signs."
"Hm?"
"She was fucking her boss."
Ari winced. "You're kidding."
"When I kid, I make myself look better. If I was kidding, I would have said that I kicked her out because I realized we weren't going anywhere." She worked the muscles of Ari's back and then reached for the end table and applied a dollop of oil. Ari groaned as the oil warmed against her skin, and then Dale's palm worked it into her tired muscles. "I didn't even figure it out myself. I work with a private eye, and I had to be told my girl was sleeping around."
"Pretty pathetic."
Dale said, "No, that's not the pathetic thing. I told her it wasn't a big deal. I offered to share."
Ari laughed. "You did not."
"I really liked her."
The sadness in Dale's voice hit Ari hard. "I'm sorry, D."
"It's all right. Thanks to you, I know there's always one woman who'll need me in the middle of the night."
"You deserve better than that."
"If we all got what we deserved, we'd all be movie stars." She patted Dale's back and said, "You're all done, unless you want me to bandage up those scrapes."
Ari grunted as she pushed herself up. "No, thanks." She picked up her shirt and pulled it on, buttoning it before she turned to face Dale. "I think I'll just crash on the couch. You go on home."
Dale shook her head. "I'm already up for the day. I'll just leave early this afternoon." She hooked her finger toward her desk. "I'll keep an ear on the listening device to see if Mr. Bird incriminates himself before breakfast."
"Thanks, Dale. And hey, don't worry about