Rainbow for Megan Read Free Page A

Hallett. 'I usually copy Father's work from notes,' she said with a sinking feeling. She wouldn't be able to take the job after all, she thought miserably. Why hadn't she thought to ask? Most writers nowadays used tapes.
    He smiled at her. 'Don't look so worried. It's not so difficult, you know. I might be a slavedriver, but I'm also human. I don't expect you to get through much while you're getting the hang of it. My last secretary took about a fortnight. I'm pretty certain you'll halve that time.'
    Megan looked back at the machine doubtfully.
    `Come on, I'll show you how it works,' he said cheerfully. 'The only real necessity with this work is knowing your spelling. Bad spellers are the ones who are really caught out. You'll see what I mean once you start.'
    It did not take Megan long to learn the truth of this. She was able to adjust the speed of the dictation while she practised. His diction was extremely clear and very precise, so was his punctuation. By the Wednesday, she started to get to grips with the work, and the small pile of tapes waiting to be transcribed slowly dispersed. Nothing passed his attention—his office was next to hers, and she was instructed to just ring if she
    had any queries; it would be less tiring than running from office to office.
    As the days went by, Megan found that she had badly misjudged Ray Hallett. She saw he was a kindly, thoughtful man completely engrossed in his work. Remembering his remarks about not being a sociable person, she wondered a little about this. She learnt he had a sister, who had come down from her home in the Midlands to see to the furnishings of the house and make sure her brother was comfortable before returning to her family after he had moved in. She had noticed a photograph of a lovely dark-haired woman on his desk and wondered if that was his sister.
    The work she found utterly intriguing. She would avidly follow each chapter and try to work out the villain of the piece. Megan had not had much time for reading in the past, but she slowly became addicted to the detective story, and felt she would like to read Ray Hallett's previous books. At one stage of the story she was sure she had spotted the one vital clue to the killer's identity and told him so. He had smiled and asked her to name the character. She had done so, only to be told with a teasing twinkle in his eye that she had swallowed the red herring. Megan had accused him indignantly of deliberately misleading his public, and he had laughed delightedly. Then she had said curiously, 'I don't believe you know yourself until the last chapter,' which had sent him off into peals of
    laughter and he managed to get out : 'You know, Megan, you're perfectly right,' and left her wondering whether this really was so.
    On Megan's recommendation a housekeeper had been found for him, and a daily help. Megan knew that Mrs. White in the village could do with the extra money and had given her name when her advice was sought.
    It was on the Friday that a few of the questions Megan had pondered on were answered for her. She had asked if she could borrow a copy of one of Ray's books to read over the weekend and had chosen his first. Permission was readily given. 'I think I've come on a bit since then,' he commented with a smile.
    Taking it from the shelf, Megan idly opened the book and the words, To my loving wife, leapt out at her. She closed the book hastily, feeling as if she had intruded on his personal life. Her abrupt action did not go unnoticed.
    `Marie,' he said quietly. 'I lost her a few weeks before the book was accepted.'
    Megan coloured. 'Please, Mr. Hallett, I don't want to pry. If you'd rather not talk about it .
    `I'd be grateful if you'd drop the Mr., Megan,' he said slowly. 'I think we know each other well enough by now for you to call me Ray.' He was silent for a few moments, then said quietly, 'No, I'd like to talk about her if I'm not boring you.'
    Megan looked at him and instinctively knew that what he