Where's Linda Lee?

Marian held her breath as she logged into her banking application on her laptop. As the screen cleared, she whooped aloud. "Barbara-Sue, come take a look at this!"

Marian saw the image of Barbara-Sue over her shoulder on her screen, so she pointed. "Oh, my goodness! I thought it was one of those email scams, but it called to me."

She loudly called out. "It worked, Honey. We got the $20,000 I asked for on that song. I hardly believed it would work, but you sang it perfectly. Now we can buy a few necessities, you can get a couple of new outfits if you want, and we can save the rest."

"That'd be nice," Barbara-Sue whispered in her ear. "Thank you."

Without turning around, Marian clicked on another website. "This blue shirt goes with these jeans with sparkles. Will that work for you? Oh, and how about these leggings with the tank top and overshirt. That'd be really cute on you, especially if you leave your blond hair hanging down, so the waves show. Yours is so much prettier than my mousey blond. That's why you're the star, even better than Linda Lee!

"Alright, all ordered, Barbara-Sue. It'll be here tomorrow, and we're good for now."

Turning her head, Marian noticed that Barbara-Sue had left. Returning her eyes to the screen, she selected email. One new message was waiting. Opening it, she grinned as she silently read, "We will pay another $20,000 for another song with the same voice quality if you return the MP3 file with a signature on the attached document assigning us all rights."

"Well, why not! Barbara-Sue won't mind." Marian closed the applications and shut down the laptop. Opening the side drawer, she pulled out her grandma's little black notebook and scanned through the pages. Stopping at the fifth entry, she silently read it several times, memorizing it, then returned the notebook to the drawer. Marian closed her eyes and hummed a tune until the notes played in her mind.

Invigorated with excitement coursing through her body, Marian reached her chair's side wheels and maneuvered it to head toward the kitchen. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and smiled. "Your face is still pretty, and you know how to drive these wheels. We have enough now to be okay," she murmured. Hearing cooking noises from her destination, Marian saw Barbara-Sue's reflection on the mirrored wall.

"Barbara-Sue, guess what? I got another one of those crazy requests for another song if you sing it. I doodled around with words and a tune. I could teach it to you easy. Then you can play the guitar and sing it. It wouldn't be any time at all for you to finish it."

Noting Barbara-Sue's frown, Marian grinned. "I'm sorry. Of course, we can eat dinner first.

"It sure smells good in here." Rolling her chair forward, she grabbed her dish next to the stove and spooned a generous portion onto her plate. "Looks good too!" Carefully Marian negotiated her way to the table with her plate. Setting it down and locking her wheels, she bowed her head and said grace. "Lord, thank you for this food. We thank you for letting me and Barbara-Sue share this space. And help Barbara-Sue sing like an angel. Amen."

Finishing supper, Marian took her dish to the sink and rinsed it off before setting it into the dishwasher. She maneuvered her chair into the living room, separated from the kitchen by a half wall, to wait for Barbara-Sue.

"Come on, Barbara-Sue. I want to get to work on this song while it's in my head." Marian began to sing a cappella, merging the words and tune trapped in her mind. She'd sung it twice when Barbara-Sue finally appeared to pick up the guitar.

Marian closed her eyes as Barbara-Sue played the tune, adding the words to help guide the notes made by the strings and frets to match the melody. Over and over, Marian sang the song, hearing the guitar and pitching her voice to match.

On the other side of the mirrored wall, the psychiatrist and the agent watched intently as they listened.

Dr. Bracken stated, "If it goes like the last one, she'll be singing the song for hours. Her voice gets stronger and clearer around the tenth to twelfth time. She's a remarkable talent."

Mackenzie nodded. "The acoustics are perfect in this space. We're recording everything. Once we capture the ideal track, I'll get my guys to add the guitar and drum overlays onto the recording.

"Linda Lee songs were hitting Number 1 on the country charts within two months of release. With her concerts here and abroad, money was never an object. Plus, she's never been a big spender outside of her animal charities.

"The first one we did this way hit the top spot in six months, but she's been isolated for nearly a year. If we get another one out there of the same caliber, it will rise to the top faster."

Bracken replied, "Her voice is still remarkable, like a happily mated nightingale regaling her feathered friends on a June afternoon. But her body and mind suffered a lot in that wreck."

"Do you think she'll ever recover enough for a public appearance?"

"Jake, her MD, said she'll never walk, but daily PT is needed. Miracles do happen, but her spine and nerves were severely damaged.

"Occasionally, during a session, I catch a glimpse of Linda Lee, but Marian is the stronger personality. Barbara-Sue is like Marian's muse, who she speaks with."

Mackenzie furrowed his brow and looked at the ground. "Yeah, when the rescuers reached the car, all three were still alive. Marian and Barbara-Sue were DOA to the hospital. Linda Lee was out of it for months in that coma.

"I should be grateful she can still make music. Hell, she loved music, still does."

Bracken smiled. "And you found a way to reach her and make her want to sing. No one needs to know it's through one of her sisters."

"Of the three, Linda Lee, as the oldest, was the front face, while the others were delighted as her backup singers. They were something on stage."

"I never had a chance to see them live, but I have studied some of the concert recordings. Still, getting her to sing is a huge step. You're nothing short of brilliant."

"Not really." Mackenzie shook his head. "I'm just glad I found her small black notebook. I can't make out anything that it says, but she always could. She created all their songs. Now she thinks it was her grandma's. Go figure!"

"Yes, that's an element I have yet to pull out of her during a session. Maybe someday. It occurs to me that you'll make a fortune with this setup, so why the $20,000!"

Raising his dark eyes up to meet the doctor's blue ones nearly nose to nose, he coldly stated, "Look, doc, I only want the best treatment for Linda Lee. Look how happy she looks when she sings. Any money she earns goes into her medical fund, not to me.

"In all the years we've been together, I never took advantage. Now Linda Lee or Marian or Barbara-Sue screams hysterically at the sight of me. When we first married, she told me, 'Honey, if we can just get $20,000 in the bank, I know we'll be okay. Then I can sing all the time like I want, and we can travel together.'

"I love my wife, and I'd do anything to have her back. You keep doing your job, and we'll be fine.

"Hey, she stopped and looks done in. Send in the nurse to help her to bed. I'll stick around until she goes to sleep to kiss her good night. Then I'll turn in."

"Yes, sir. I'll be around tomorrow afternoon for another session. Goodnight."