“I . . . well . . . how would it be if I make the check payable to cash, and I’ll tell Gary Pratt at the Hotel Booze to cash it for you. Hotels always have money in the safe.”
Qwilleran clicked off the recorder surreptitiously, thanked Lish for her conscientious work, wrote her a check, and stood up briskly, signifying: end of interview.
She kicked her driver’s ankle (he had dozed off) and said she would be happy to undertake other assignments in the future.
“Where can I reach you in Milwaukee?” Qwilleran asked.
“Well, I’m in the process of relocating, and I’m not sure where. I’ll get back to you.”
“Do that!” he said. “Now, I’ll give you directions for reaching the Great Oaks camp.”
He watched their taillights receding through the woods before going indoors to brew a cup of coffee and contemplate the whole fabricated farce.
THIRTEEN
Following the welcome departure of Lish and Lush, Qwilleran observed the cats’ bedtime ritual and then settled down with a mug of coffee to consider . . .
That he could have invented a better story himself, based on documented history;
That Lish kept moistening her lips all the time she was relating “discoveries”;
That she had been careful not to give her address;
That she and Lush had exchanged startled glances when a police investigator was mentioned;
Then, perhaps more important, how Koko reacted with bared fangs and subtle snarl whenever there was any reference to Alicia Carroll.
As for the thousand-dollar scam, it could be written off as a legitimate expense in the book Qwilleran hoped to write:
The Fourth of July was like any other date on the calendar to the pampered Siamese who reported for breakfast. To Qwilleran it meant the opening night of the “Great Storm” show.
First he phoned Gary Pratt and authorized the cashing of the check.
“Wow! Is that what she charged you?” the hotelier asked in surprise. “Was it worth it? Did you learn anything?”
“I learned quite a few things” was the ambiguous answer. “Now I’m concentrating on opening night. How’s Maxine?”
“She’s always up-up-up. Is there anything we can do for you?”
“Well, I don’t like to eat a full meal before a performance, but I’d like a hearty breakfast, so . . . what better venue than the Black Bear Café? I want to mosey around Brrr and eavesdrop on the tourists . . . and see the beginning of the boat parade . . . and watch the kids making wishes and blowing out electric candles . . . and then home for a nap before curtain time.”
The modest town of Brrr was again ablaze with excitement. Gone were the Scottish tartans! In their place were posters and T-shirts flaunting the “Brrr 200” symbol in red, white, and blue. Pushcarts were offering the shirts in five sizes, and tourists were stripping off their shirts and substituting the bicentennial badge right there on the sidewalk.
In the park across from the hotel, the entertainment was continuous, and youngsters and adults alike lined up to make a birthday wish and blow out the electric candles.
Along the shore there was a manic anticipation of the boat parade, as two hundred cabin cruisers—in eight harbors—awaited their signal. At noon the first fleets would leave Fishport on the west and Deep Harbor on the east. Spectators with cameras and binoculars crowded every vantage point, including housetops along the shoreline.
At noon, when the town hall bell tolled twelve, silence fell in downtown Brrr until an announcement came over loudspeakers that the first fleet had just left Fishport. A shout was raised! After fifteen minutes it was announced that the Mooseville fleet had joined the parade, and the Brrr contingent should be ready to go in eight minutes.
All eyes strained toward the western horizon. When the first craft loomed into view, spectators screamed and jumped for joy! Within minutes, boats flying American flags sailed past the harbor of Brrr, cabin cruisers with three-foot flags.
It was an emotional moment for the watchers on shore. Some happy tears were shed. There was an awed stillness. The second fleet followed, from Mooseville; and then the Brrr contingent sailed off.
Qwilleran shook his head as he thought of “The Great Storm of 1913.” The parade of boats would be a hard act to follow.
Qwilleran arrived at the Hotel Booze an hour before curtain time.
Gary said, “Anything I can do you for? Anything you want to eat or drink?”
“All I need is a quiet place to get into my role.”
Together they checked the back hall from which the newscaster would make his “entrance.” All it offered were two rest rooms, a broom closet, and a storage room for hotel furniture. It was a jumble of chairs and tables, with a little floor space for pacing. Qwilleran moved in.
At one point Maxine dropped in and asked him to listen to her opening speech.
He listened and suggested a significant pause of two seconds in the middle of the last sentence. “You’ll capture their attention, arouse their curiosity, and enlist their cooperation. Try it.”
