the seventeenth letter, part 22

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"you must have been here before," bates said. "yes, but not lately." barras took another look around before they went through the door at jaspers. "it was out of the way before, but now it's in the middle of nowhere." the proprietress was waiting for them in the front. "mister bates! back so soon, sir. with a party of - " "hello agrippina, a pleasure to be back. a party of nine, this time." "nine! excellent. that should require three booths, sir, but - " "three booths is perfect, perfect." bates nodded to agrippina and took her aside. "a corner booth if you have one, for myself, my colleague monsieur barras and one other. the others, wherever they like, but - " he lowered his voice - "not so close to us. give them whatever they want, but not so close. any problems?" "none at all, mister bates. and we can seat you all right away." she smiled at him. 'and i see jerry has already claimed his comfortable chair." there was a big easy chair in a corner of the lobby and jerry was sitting in it. "oh ,agrippina, one more thing." bates drew her a little further aside, and spoke in an even lower voice. "yes sir?" "those two blue uniforms who were just in here, were they asking any questions?" agrippina was a little taken aback. "oh no sir , not at all. they just bought some sandwiches, paid up and left." she thought for a moment. "they seemed like a couple of rubes from rubesville, i don't think they even knew where they were." "so they didn't ask any questions about anything?' "absolutely not. they paid pretty well though, which surprised me a little." "good. all right, let's get going." they rejoined the others. agrippina respectfully addressed barras, after a slightly perplexed glance at jojo and quickly taking the measure of the others. "i believe ypu've been here before, sir?" "yes, i have." you are monsieur the marquis - " "just a viscount. barras." "of course, of course. follow me, monsieur. all of you, follow me." agrippina rang a little bell in her pocket, and her husband, nero, appeared, with menus in his hands. "good to see you, mister bates, and so soon." "good to see you, nero. these are all my guests, please give them anything they want." bates nodded toward jojo and agrippina led bates, barras and jojo to a booth in the furthest corner of the dining room. nero herded the others to booths just inside the entrance. bobo, lobo, and the two jockeys took one booth, and nero put major mudd and captain dave deadman in a booth behind them. "you fellows all snug back there?" the major asked. 'absolutely top hole, major,'" bobo answered. they all began studying the menus. darkness had fallen, and leslie and country girl drove through it, through dead silence. they had reached the waterfront shortly after leaving jaspers. "waterfront," said lesliie. "bottom of the ocean is more like it." d'annunzio dimmed the lights in his restaurant, and took a seat by the window. sancho and st james were cleaning up in the kitchen. sancho had made some sandwiches on the off chance somebody might show up. when they were finished st james went outside and down the beach and under the pier. st bartholomew and kerouac were already there. a small barge was tied up behind them. it was low tide. kerouac was making seaweed wine, one drop at a time falling into his bottle. st bartholomew sat against a pillar with his back to the water, watching the highway. a lone police van passed by. the red light went on on the dashboard. "yes, sergeant?" country girl responded. "how are you progressing?" giselle's voice came in clearly. "are you near the waterfront?" "we're driving along it right now. there isn't a sign of life, let alone any disturbance." "yes. i have received confirmation that the waterfront was a false alarm." "oh." "did you say something, corporal?" "i expressed surprise, sergeant. i assume we are continuing to the 252nd?" "absolutely. you will find a very different situation there. report to sergeant custer at the northwest corner. do you have that?" "sergeant custer at the northwest corner." "i expect you to make a good showing and acquit yourselves well. some senior officers might be there." "we'll do our best, sergeant " "you should be able to pick up a full complement of prisoners." "should we bring them back with us, or somewhere closer?" "back with you, absolutely. we want the credit here." "of course." "are you clear on directions to get there?" "we will stay on the waterfront until we hit 25 central, then go north." "correct. carry on, corporal." the red light went off. leslie shook her head, without taking her eyes off the dark road. "we're going to bring a full load back, through this. all by ourselves?" country girl pointed to the dashboard again. "we can handle it," she said aloud. "if you say so." "you need to pick the right prisoners. leave it to me." "it seems we're not to enjoy milord's conversation," captain dave deadman observed to major mudd, as they both studied their menus. "but that little fellow is. wonder who he is, eh? i thought he was a stable boy." "he is," answered the major. "and a very good one. has quite the way with the animals." "wonder what he is to lord vishnu there?" "who knows? maybe he was his groom. maybe one of them saved the other from drowning. it's no concern of mine." "i could hazard a guess." captain dave raised his eyebrows. "i'm afraid i don't care for that kind of talk." "ready to order, gentlemen?" nero appeared at the major's elbow. the major laughed a little self consciously. "i'm afraid these new menus, with all the numbers, confuse me a bit." "ah, the modern world sir, the modern world. isn't that the way of it? allow me to recommend the number five. it's what mister bates often gets." "does he now?" said captain dave. "quite the mystery man, our mister bates. comes here often, does he?" "well as to that, sir," nero answered, "you could say that here at jaspers we are proud of our food, but it is only our second most important product." "very well," said captain dave. "and the first is - " "discretion, sir, discretion." "of course. it shouldn't be any other way." "but without compromising our discretion, there is one thing i can tell you about mister bates. and that is that when he says anything, he means exactly that - anything. so order up, gentlemen, order up." "i'm looking at the menu," said captain dave, "trying to find anything that might have lobster in it." "well, sir, the number six contains a creature we've found out in the marsh, that bears more than a passing resemblance to that fabled creature. some of our best clients have been quite satisfied with it." "then it must be good enough for the likes of me. i'll have some." "one number six. and you, sir?" nero asked the major. "i'll have a number five." "excellent. finally, as you are mister bates' guests, allow me to offer you some - " nero paused a full two seconds - "wine." lorna, as she often did, had arrived early before relieving giselle. she was checking the activity log and paused. she looked around. the station was almost empty, and major dreyfus was behind his closed door. lorna moved a little closer to giselle, and lowered her voice. "you sent gantry and leslie out together, all the way to the 252nd?" giselle answered without looking up. "columbus has education - today and tomorrow. it seemed logical. at least to me." "i don't know if i would send anybody that far, let alone those two." "captain kidd complimented me for sending troops so far afield." "all right." lorna hesitated, then lowered her voice even more. "you know if they get in trouble, dreyfus and kidd will probably cover for them and blame you." "i can't concern myself with that." lorna glanced at major dreyfus' door again. "you should just let things take their course. gantry will trip herself up. leslie isn't worth worrying about." giselle lowered her own voice so that lorna could barely hear her. "you think i care about leslie? but gantry - she has a dark star following her, that protects her." "now you're talking like a human. she's just been lucky. so far." "how did she even make corporal? something is protecting her." lorna gave a little laugh. "yes, dreyfus is protecting her, sort of. but do you think anybody is protecting him? just let things happen." the office door opened and major dreyfus hobbled out. "early again, sergeant," he called out when he saw lorna. "i wish i had twenty like you."

the seventeenth letter, part 21

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"is that real?" i couldn't help asking as cecilie tapped the cigarette on her knee. the silver case was back in her pocket. "of course it's real. would i smoke it if it weren't?" "i guess i meant to ask, what's in it? pomegranate seeds? pumpkin seeds?" cecilie looked at the tip of the cigarette. "wouldn't pomegranate seeds fall out? and pumpkin seeds you probably couldn't fit in in the first place." "aren't pomegranate seeds bigger than pumpkin seeds anyway?" briand asked. 'what do you think, annibal?" cecilie asked. "which are bigger, pumpkin seeds or pomegranate seeds?" annibal must have been the duc. "i don't know," he finally answered. "i'll have to give it some thought." "how about it?" cecilie asked me. "which are bigger?" "it doesn't matter," i said. "you'd grind them up to put in a cigarette anyway." "but don't you know? you're the seed man. you brought the whole subject up." "i think pumpkin seeds are bigger." "you think? is this guy useless or what?" she turned to briand, "what did you say again you him here for? and have you got a light? "i'm not sure i did say," briand told her. " as for a light, i don't have one." "nor i." said the duc. "i don't suppose you do?" cecilie asked me. i produced a little box of matches. miraculously, they had remained dry and clean. "oh ho, he begins to justify his existence." she didn't move, she waited for me to bring the box over to her. she took a match out but broke it against the box on her first try. "you have to be more gentle than that," i told her. "they're fragile," "useless, quite useless," she muttered. " josephine can get you some matches," briand told her. he yawned and leaned back in his chair. "she must have had some to light the fireplace." but cecilie had already moved up to the fireplace. she stuck her face into it and pulled it back with the cigarette lit in her mouth. "that's rough treatment," said briand, "for one of the world's last cigarettes." cecliie blew some smoke at him. she caught me staring at her. "haven't you ever seen a cigarette lit before?" "not like that. and not a real cigarette.: she tossed the matches back to me. "what's in whatever you use these on?" "i'm not sure. a little bit of this , a little bit of that." "what did you say your name was?' "i don't think i did say." she rolled her eyes and i added, "but it's mike.' "mike, i'm sorry but you strike me as a complete idiot." she leaned back in her chair and looked at the fire. "what do you do for excitement around here?" i asked. "besides insult your guests?" "are you a guest, mike? i thought you were a hired hand. for what, i don't know." she looked at briand. "what did you bring him here for?' "i didnt say.' "i know you didn't say. i'm asking you now." 'i hired him." said the duc. "if you'd been paying attention, i already said i hired him to look into this fairweather person." "who's fairweather?" cecilie asked. "that's what i want to know." "you know who fairweather is," briand told cecilie. "he's the person who bought the old dudley place, on the other side of the frog pond." "who's fairweather?" i asked. "he's the person who bought the old dudley place," said briand. 'i do believe," said cecilie, "that was an attempt at dry wit. our new acquaintance here is poking cruel fun at our distracted aristocratic ways." "not me," i told her. "can i sit down?' "no. not until josephine brings you that blanket." "where is josephine?" asked the duc. "right here, monsieur," josephine emerged from the shadows. with a neatly folded blue blanket in her hands. "i took this from monsieur claude's old room." "i had forgotten all about claude," said the duc. "this fellow is about the same size as claude," said cecilie, "why don't you give him one of claude's old suits? then we wont have to look at him wrapped in a blanket. and he can't very well go chasing after this fairweather person wearing a blanket" "i went to a lot of bother to find him this blanket," said josephine. "the suits are hanging up right there in claude's closet." said briand. 'i tried to sell some of them but didn't have much luck." "i could sell the suits," i said. briand brightened. "do you think you could?" "you can always sell suits," i told him. "as soon as the word gets out all over town that mike's got suits, everyone will come running." "excellent. josephine, show him the suits." "oh very well," she grumbled. she scowled at me. "come along." briand rubbed his hands together as i moved away from the fireplace. "how much do you think we can get for them?" "i don't know how much he can get for them, but i know how much you'll get for them," cecilie told him. "whatever he chooses to give you, isn't that right, mike?" i just smiled at both of them and followed josephine out of the room and down a hallway. we passed an open door and i heard a hissing sound. a cobra was reared up on a bed in the room and stared at me as i passed. 'that's cassie," josephine told me. "she looked like a cobra." "she is a cobra." "i suppose if you leave her alone she will leave you alone." "i wouldn't count on it." "but she can't get under doors?" "she can if she sets her mind to it. here we are, this is claude's old room." claude's old room was bleak but clean. no dust. "who was claude?" i asked. "he used to lie on the bed and watch the flies and spiders on the ceiling. then they went away and he went with them. nobody knows where." "maybe cassie got them.' she opened the closet. about twenty suits were hanging there and some dress shirts. they were just my size and i knew i could sell them all. i started to inspect their fabric. "i haven't got all night," josephine told me. "change into one - there's a dressing room behind that door there - and we can come back for the rest later." i didn't care much for the tone of josephine's voice. it sounded like jill was as good as her mistress in this household. but i took the suit i had my hand on and a shirt and did as she said. when i came out with my old dirty suit i asked her what i should do with it. "leave it here and i'll burn it." "but it's my favorite." she sighed. "just leave it. we'll figure something out. now, let's go. it's getting late." "late for what?" "you'll see." i followed her back down the hall. i could hear briand and cecilie arguing. "the suits are like the pictures," cecilie was saying. "they are worth whatever he can get for them. it's that simple." "it is not that simple," briand insisted. josephine took a little watch out of her apron and checked it. suddenly the voices stopped. i entered the room behind josephine. cecilie, briand and the duc were no longer in the chairs in front of the fireplace. cecllie had been changed - or changed herself - into a fluffy orange cat. briand was a little yellow dog. and the duc, somewhat suprisingly, was a hamster. all three creatures looked up at us, silently at first, but the cat began to growl. 'help me get them outside," josephine commanded. now that their chattering had stopped i could hear the rain and wind still howling outside. "it's raining," i said. "stand by that window. open it quickly when i get there, then close it quickly as i throw each one outside. got it?" "yes, mademoiselle." she got the dog by the neck and the cat and the hamster under her arms. we got them outside without too much rain getting in - the cat was last and started yowling but josephine gave it a mighty heave. i expected a compliment on my good work but didn't get one. "i was a little surprised the duc was a hamster," i said. "it was a guinea pig, not a hamster. you're supposed to be a detective, and you can't tell a guinea pig from a hamster?" ''everything under control, josephine?" came a voice behind us. a tall young woman was standing and stretching at the hallway entrance. "yes, cassie."

the seventeenth letter, part 22

the seventeenth letter, part 20

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"i still think those guys were bank robbers," said leslie, as country girl got back in the van. "we should have at least asked for their i d." country girl didn't answer but pointed to the passenger seat to indicate to leslie that she should get in. when leslie was seated, country girl pointed to the dashboard again to show she thought giselle was listening to them. leslie shrugged and took out a fresh toothpick. they got back down to the highway and headed left, to the waterfront. the limo and the major's pickup weren't that far ahead of them - the limo not wanting to lose the pickup - and country girl quickly caught them and passed them. "they're in a hurry," said bates. "so?' barras looked out the window. "they're on a mission. give them some credit." "you inspired them, did you? put the spirit into them?" "no, i was apologizing for your boorish behavior." "i think they were in a hurry to get away from us." jojo, in the front seat beside jerry, laughed at this. "how are you doing up there, jojo?" bates asked. "fine, charlie, this is very comfortable. i see traveling with you is traveling in style." the road to the waterfront was empty, and country girl put the van in top speed. leslie kept sticking her head out the window to see if the limo was behind them. "use the rear viewer, there's one right in front of you." "i don't trust it, it's not 100%." leslie looked out the window again. they came to the crest of a hill and could see for miles - miles of emptiness. the sun was beginning to go down. "this is ridiculous," said leslie. "there's nothing out here." country girl just shrugged, and glanced at the dashboard again. "there's something," said leslie. she shielded her eyes. a lone building stood back from the road about two miles off, with several vehicles including an air cab parked in front of it. "it looks like a restaurant." "whatever." country girl kept her eyes on the road. "i'm hungry," said leslie. "we might have a long night ahead of us." "i guess you should have had a big nutritious bowl of mush before you came to work." "let's stop and get some sandwiches." "they might not even make sandwiches." ''of course they will. come on, don't be mean." country girl thought for a few seconds. "i'll tell you what. we'll stop for sandwiches if you'll drive after we get them." "deal." "what's in that room?" annabelle asked the duc d'avignon as they walked down the upstairs corridor. " that's the music room. it hasn't been used in years would you like to see it." "oh, yes." the duc bowed annabelle through the door and turned on the light. the room was empty except for a piano and its stool in the far corner. annabelle looked around. "no dust," she noted. "josephine is very thorough." annabelle walked over to the piano and the duc followed. "do you play?" annabelle asked. "yes, but not this particular one lately." the duc struck a few keys. "it sounds all right. would you like to hear something?" he sat down on the stool. "that would be very nice." "this is one of my own compositions." he began playing slowly and softly. "i like it," annabelle told him. "it seems very - old world. i like that." "not everybody does." the duc began playing just a little faster. annabelle smiled politely and moved a little behind the piano. as she did he felt something under her feet, under the carpet. "it's a matchbook," annabelle told tania. "yes i know," tania told her, handing it back after glancing at it briefly. "i'll take more of a look at when we get back to the office." she kept her eyes on the road. "it's not necessarily that old." "it has a date on it." "oh?" "so it's before history was abolished - and that was just after the fairweather poker game." "i'm sure jeanne - and charlotte - will be very impressed that you found something new after all this time." annabelle turned the matchbook over in her fingers. it was mandarin red, with the word "forever" stamped on it in gold. when opened, the matches were in the quiver of a flat little doll figure of a green-clad archer - robin hood?. the back was also lettered in gold - "fine food and drink - while it lasts" annabelle read it off to tania. "you have to admit that sounds old." "yes it does." "the duc was very gracious about giving it up to me." "i'm sure." "do you think i should have it analyzed by our own people or by the tower?" "our own people are very capable or charlotte wouldn't keep them. but it's your case." "right." "i'll give you any he[p you want but it's your case." they were almost back at the office. country girl pulled into the little parking lot of jasper's restaurant. "you know," she said to leslie, "this is probably where our friends are headed. where else would they be going?' "you're right." "let's make it quick." they both got out and entered the restaurant. "good afternoon, officers," a gnomelike woman in an apron greeted them inside the door. "we are always happy to see the police here. " she looked sharply at country girl. "our most regular clients are with the police. although,we don't see too many uniformed officers." we'd just like some sandwiches." "of course." "i'd like - ," leslie began. "we'd like whatever you can make the fastest." country girl interrupted her. she emptied her pockets of coins and gave them to the woman. "three sandwiches. we're in a bit of a hurry." "very good. i'll have my husband make them right up." the woman gave them a big smile and hurried off. "'husband?" leslie whispered. they both peered into the interior of the restaurant but it contained only large booths that made the occupants invisible. "still think those guys were bank robbers?" country girl whispered back. "this looks like a hangout for some big people. this has got to be where they're coming." leslie nodded. "how come three sandwiches?" "one for you, one for me, one for you if you get hungry again." "madam corporal, maybe you're not such an awful person after all." "i just don't want to listen to you." "whatever. you're a good sib." they waited a few minutes. the woman came back with the sandwiches in a bag. "thank you," said country girl. "that was quick." they heard a couple of vehicles entering the parking lot, the first almost imperceptible, the second with a bang. "these birds of ill omen are following us," bates said. "i don't think so." barras answered. he looked out the window. beyond the parking lot and the restaurant nothing could be seen but marsh. "the track was bleak but this is really bleak." "they're agents of madame defarge, cleverly disguised as a couple of slack sweepers." "even if they are, so what? let's get out and eat." "what do you think, jojo?' bates asked. "you've got a sense for these things. what do you think these ladies are?" "i'm with him, i think we should get out and eat.'' country girl and leslie emerged from the restaurant and headed for their van without looking at the limo. country girl got in the passenger side with the bag of sandwiches and leslie got behind the wheel. leslie started the van up and exited too quickly and skidded, almost scraping major mudd's pickup and just missing one of the two posts marking the entrance to the lot. major mudd, captain dave deadman, and the two jockeys and two stable boys all scrambled out of the truck. "did you see that?" bates followed the van with his eyes as leslie headed for the waterfront. barras laughed. "think they weren't afraid of us?" "mandatory driver training for all troops - tomorrow." bates got out of the limo, and the others followed. "sorry about that," said leslie. "i'll be all right. those guys made me nervous," "don't worry about it. they made me nervous too." country girl took a sandwich out of the bag and handed it to leslie. larry pulled up in front of sally's building. "do you want me to pick you up tomorrow. or the next day?" "tomorrow. let's get it over with." sally didn't get out of the car. "will you get me something to eat again?" "of course. it's what i'm here for."

the seventeenth letter, part 21

the seventeenth letter, part 19

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"you could have left me by the side of the road," said belinda, as country girl turned into the parking lot of the racetrack. "i have to turn around anyway. and i have to wake leslie up." "thank you for the ride." "no problem. good luck with the flowers." country girl looked up at the sky. "it's getting a little late. will you get there on time?" "i guess i'll have to try." belinda got out of the van, and after a brief glance at the entrance to the track, headed down to the highway. country girl watched her go, then got out herself. she looked around at the track and the almost empty lot, with papers still blowing around it. "what a dump." she said aloud, then went around to the back of the van and banged on it. "how are they all going to get there?" barras asked bates. "we can't fit them all in the limo." "not a problem," said major mudd. i have a pickup, my crew can all fit in and i'll just follow you. plenty of room sir, no problem in that regard." "i suppose he can come with us." barras looked at captain dave deadman. "no," said bates. "dave, you go with them. jojo will come with us. he can ride up front with jerry." "where are we? i was having a nice dream." leslie eased herself out if the back of the van after country girl had shaken her awake. "at the racetrack. we have to get moving. do you want to drive?" "not really." leslie rubbed her eyes. "maybe later. where's the girl?" "i let her go. giselle said she didn't care. i guess she's just walking down the highway." leslie looked around. "this is bleak." "yes, but check that out." country girl pointed to the limo that bates and barras had come in, parked at the far end. jerry was sleeping behind the wheel. "nice." leslie agreed. "it must belong to bank robbers or something." "there's no more bank robbers. because there's no more banks. the bankers all got sent to jupiter with the lawyers." "if you say so. i don't keep track of that stuff." "let's get going. you sure you don't want to drive?" "quite sure." "you know, officer leslie, if i didn't know any better i might think you were taking advantage of my good nature." "oh here it comes now, i thought you were going to be a good sib but i guess you're going to be just another boss." country girl laughed. "we don't have time for this." she started toward the front of the van, then stopped. "oh by the way, giselle called in. after we go to the waterfront we have to go out to the 252nd." "what!! what!!!!!" "what was that?" barras asked as he and bates and jojo headed for the parking lot. "it sounded like somebody screaming." bates looked at jojo. "is this one of your tricks?" "no." they came out of the gate. they could see leslie waving her arms at country girl on the far side of the lot. country girl was pointing to the front of the van. "just a couple of sweepers," said barras. "i didn't see them inside, did you?" "by the lord harry," said bates, "those are a couple of pretty sloppy looking troops." "what do you care? you were never even in the troops." "i think i'll just have a word with them," said bates. "if anybody asks, we can say we were out in the field inspecting." "we can say that anyway." "come on, charlie," said jojo, "i already know how important you are." "i'll be brief." bates headed for the two girls, with barras and jojo shaking their heads behind him. leslie stopped gesticulating. 'uh oh." "what?" "these guys must be the bank robbers. and they're headed right for us. " country girl turned. "i think we wish they were bank robbers." bates was more than halfway to them. "doesn't look too afraid of us, does he?" asked leslie. "no, he doesn't. let me do the talking." is there a problem here, officers?" bates asked. "no sir," said country girl. "no problem at all." "we thought we heard some screams. nobody was being murdered?" "no, sir. we are a little out of our way here, and we were having a discussion about how to proceed." "ah." "there's a lot of wind here," country girl said. "sound might carry strangely." "i see." "come on, sib," said barras. "we're keeping our invited guests waiting. and i'm hungry." bates looked at the van, then back at the gate. "you weren't attending the races?" "no, sir,we just pulled in. we weren't inside at all." 'but you were," said leslie. "what kind of nitwit spends his time at a racetrack anyway?" "shut up, leslie." "who are these characters? do you have any i d?" leslie asked bates. barras and jojo started laughing. "i said shut up, officer leslie. that's an order. no need for i d, sir." country girl smiled at bates. "we don't have a discipline problem here, do we, corporal?" "no sir, everything is under control." "i'm hungry, charlie." said jojo. "let's get to the restaurant before it closes." bates turned around. "oh. then i guess we better get going." he started off, then turned to face leslie. "one thing, officer." "what?" "what did you shine your boots with this morning, your grandmothers recipe for fudge?" "what!!" major mudd and captain dave deadman were watching from the cab of the major's pickup truck, which he had pulled up beside the front gate. 'fellow's a little full of himself, isn't he?" said captain dave, as they watched bates head for the limo. "who does he think he is, alexander the great? captain jenks of the horse marines? a mighty commanding air for an old race track tout." "he's treating you to a free meal, sir." "doesn't mean he owns me." "i'll leave you to be the judge of that, sir." "ordering me about like his butler. you'll go here, he'll go there." "do you want the free meal?' "time was when the deadmans were somebody." "nobody's much of anything any more, sir. deal with it." barras lingered behind as bates and jojo got in the limo. he took his hat off and bowed slightly to country girl and leslie. "you officers do a fine job, under trying conditions. you are truly the backbone, the linchpin, of society and the universe." "thank you, sir." said country girl. "you'll have to excuse my colleague." barras smiled. "he's been under a bit of stress. you see, despite his present - um - position that some might consider enviable, he has a problem dating back to his earlier days." "and what might that be?" asked country girl. "he doesn't like the police." barras put his hat back on and winked at them. the limo glided down to the highway with the major's truck clattering behind it. "whew!" said country girl. "i just hope they're not going the same direction we are." "but they are." said leslie. "look. they're headed for the waterfront too." darkness was falling quickly on the waterfront. larry opened the passenger side door for sally when they got back to the parked car. "do you want to go back to the office tonight?" "tonight? i don't want to go back to the office at all. what are you talking about?" sally got in the car. larry went around and got behind the wheel. he didn't start the car. "you are going to have to come in, especially with this new note. tonight, tomorrow, or the next day." "not tonight." "fine." he started the car and they rolled down to the street. 'we spend the whole day doing nothing, just wandering around talking about saints and sunsets and stuff." "i was giving us both a rest. but you are going to have to come in." "will charlotte the idiot be there?" "probably. she's almost always there. but you probably won't see her. or jeanne either.' "probably." "that's the best i can tell you. it will likely be just tania, me and you." they had reached a wide main road and the car picked up speed. "tania might be a little aggressive in her questions," "right. she's the mean girl and you're my big sib. do you think i'm stupid?" "nobody's stupid. it's just the way it is."

the seventeenth letter, part 20

the seventeenth letter, part 18

to begin at the beginning click here

"do you want to watch the sunset?" larry asked. "excuse me?" "do you want to watch the sunset? we've been out here this long, we might as well stay and watch the sun go down." "why? do you think it might not go down?" sally squinted at the horizon. a few little fishing boats and rafts had crossed their line of vision earlier but now it was empty. 'it's relaxing. it relaxes me. i just like to watch it." "won't it get cold? you've got a jacket. i don't." "you can wear my jacket if you get cold." sally thought for a few seconds. "is that allowed?" "you will not get arrested for wearing my jacket. i guarantee it." "you absolutely guarantee it?" "i absolutely guarantee it." "i'm not as big as you. it might drag in the sand." "that's not a problem." "you don't mind if it gets dirty?" "no. it's not mine. i got it at the office. they have others." "they don't care if it gets dirty?" "if it gets dirty, they'll have it cleaned." "just like that?" "they think they have more pressing things to worry about. maybe they don't, but they like to think they do." "if my clothes got dirty nobody at work would clean them for me. that's if i even had a job." "we're the police. we rule the world. it has certain advantages. "i guess." sally looked around, at the water, the sand and the sky. "all right , let's watch the sunset, if that's what you're set on doing." they sat in silence for a while, larry motionless and watching the horizon, sally looking around and jiggling her feet. the last race was about to begin. bates and barras went down to the rail. only a couple of other patrons were there with them. the two regular jockeys, lemur and femur,were riding frankie and johnny. frankie, ridden by lemur, was the favorite at 1 to 2. barras had bet on him. bates had bet on johnny at 5 to 4. lobo was riding cyclone, the third and oldest horse, who was going off at 10 to 1. they watched as lobo got cyclone into the gate. "ten million to one looks more like it," bates laughed. a patron with binoculars around his neck was standing on the rail about twenty feet away closer to the starting gate. "that's the horse they run by himself, you can bet on if he finishes the race," he said, turning to bates. "and does he ever finish?" "it's been a while." bates nodded. the three horses were ready. "they're off!" frankie and johnny moved out at a leisurely pace. cyclone didn't move. "go, johnny,go!" bates waved his rolled up form in the air. josephine closed the door behind tania and annabelle. the afternoon was getting on. "do you mind driving back?" annabelle asked. "no, not at all." they got into the sedan. "i got something to show you," annabelle said. she glanced back at house as tania started the car and circled out of the driveway. "i think i found a clue." she patted her pocket. "after all this time? jeanne will be thrilled." annabelle hesitated. "you don't think charlotte will be?" "i'm not saying she won't be. i just think she has other things on her mind right now." "right," annabelle looked out the window as they passed more old houses. "what you're saying is that charlotte is a big lazybones who does nothing but scheme and play politics all day while jeanne does all her work for her." "no. i did not say, imply or think anything like that." "well ..." "citizen detective, if you want to give voice to such thoughts, feel free. i will have none of it." "ooh. testy." "there's the duc de montfort's house over there. nice, isn't it?" "are you making fun of me?" "i thought you liked the old houses." "i do. and some of the people in them are nice too. like the duc d'avignon." annabelle smiled. "he was a real gentleman." "of course he was nice. it's what he does. it's all he's ever done or will do." "maybe. but i learned something today." "and what was that?" "some old family people can be nice. they aren't all big snobs." tania didn't answer. they drove on in silence until they were out of the old neighborhoods and back on a main highway. "are you going to show me what you found?" tania asked. annabelle reached into her pocket. "i thought edwin did very well today, " said connie. she, edwin, bonnie, and rosa lee were gathered in the back room. bobby was minding the store in the front. "i was a little nervous." said edwin. "of course you were," said connie. "it was your first day as an outlaw." "my second, actually. and all i did was mind a store." " some police actually came in," said rosa lee. "and he wasn't nervous at all," said connie. "no more than a good citizen would be,. it went very well." "they didn't look that tough," said bonnie. "they looked like a couple of real knuckleheads. not gung ho at all." "maybe." connie agreed. "but they didn't look like the type to cut you any slack either." "this is all very well," said rosa lee. "let's move on. edwin, are you ready to take the message to the streets tonight?" "sure." "you seem to work well with connie. she'll go with you on the first night." rosa lee smiled at edwin. "maybe the second, too." "thank you." rosa lee took a pamphlet from a little pile beside her chair. "what did you think of bobby's words?" she held the pamphlet up. it was titled "the true path to universal love." "you did get a chance to read it?" "oh yes. i read it through twice." "good. so what did you think?" edwin hesitated. he glanced back at the door. "thank you, major," said bates. "that was a very satisfactory afternoon." "winners always feel that way," barras added. johnny had ambled across the finish line a few yards ahead of frankie. "i'm glad you enjoyed it," major mudd smiled gamely. after some negotiations as to the value of bates' coin, a payment on the 5 to 4 price had been agreed on. "i'll tell you what , major," bates went on. "i'd like to invite you and your whole staff to dinner. what do you say ?" barras eyebrows went up, but he didn't say anything. "that's very kind of you," said the major. "the whole staff? there's just me, the two jockeys and the three stable boys." "exactly. so there should be no problem." bates smiled and looked at barras. "we'll go to jasper's. it's out toward the waterfront - just before you get there." barras shrugged. "you sure it's still there?" "i was there last week." "the boys and the jockeys will be grateful, i'm sure," said the major. "for the free meal." "free meal?" came a voice behind them. did i hear the words 'free meal'?" all three turned to the individual who had spoken. "did you have a winning ticket, sir?" the major asked. "not likely. don't recognize me, mister bates? " "deadman," said bates in a flat voice. "captain dave deadman, all dressed up and ready for the races." "you always had a good memory. so what have you been up to, mister bates?" "a little bit of this, little bit of that." "can you help an old sportsman out, who hasn't had the best luck lately?" "you don't have an entourage with you?" "hardly." "all right, you can come along." bates looked around the empty stands. "but nobody else." he raised his voice. "nobody else!" "isn't it the same every night?" sally asked . "what, the sunset? no, it's a little different every night." "really?' "yeah, really. the colors, the patterns, they're a little different every time." "i didn't know that." "and even if it was the same, i haven't seen it for a while."

the seventeenth letter, part 19

the seventeenth letter, part 17

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"if you don't mind my asking, belinda, what exactly are you going to the colosseum for?" belinda didn't react to country girl's question, but kept staring dreamily out the window at the side of the long, curving freeway. "this looks familiar," she said. "have you ever been to the colosseum?" country girl asked. "will it look familiar when you get there?" "oh, i don't think so." "do you have a job, belinda?" "no, that's why i'm going to the colosseum, to apply for one." "ah, i see." suddenly the road straightened out and country girl increased the van's speed. "to sell flowers," said belinda. "there might be a job out there selling flowers." "that sounds exciting. did the employment agency send you out there?" "they sent me to a place that sent me to a place, that sent me out here." belinda turned from the window. "i have the paperwork. would you like to see it?" "no, i believe you." "thank you. have you looked for a job lately?" "no, i've been on the police for a while now." "how do you like it?" " a lot. it's very satisfying." with twelve minutes to go on his shift, captain kidd emerged from the commanders office, a little bleary eyed, but not actually stretching and yawning. "everything under control, sergeant?" he asked giselle. "yes, sir." "good." captain kidd glanced back at the officers benches, where only two robots were sitting, and then at the log on the front desk. "my, my, i see you have no hesitation in sending the troops far and wide." "no, sir," "the old 1473rd will get quite a reputation at this rate. well done, sergeant." "thank you, sir. but it's not about the 1473rd, its about the whole force, the whole mission." "of course, of course. well said." "did you have a chance to consider my request, sir?" "eh?" "my request to monitor corporal -" "oh, yes. sorry. i -" "it can wait another day, sir." "dreyfus will be here in a few minutes, why not ask him about it?' "an excellent suggestion, sir." giselle had no intention of asking major dreyfus for anything relating to country girl. "speaking of dreyfus, no reason to think he won't arrive on time, do you think?" "major dreyfus is the apotheosis of punctuality," giselle answered. "as you are yourself, captain." "in that case i'll be getting along. no sense standing here, getting in your way, when you have everything under such good control." "have a pleasant evening, sir." "do you believe this?" bates asked barras. "we take off one afternoon, one, and who do we run into - the master criminal of the universe." "i'm just a stable boy," said jojo. "trying to earn an honest penny to buy an honest orange and pineapple drink.' bates laughed. "just don't try to sell me a pamphlet, ok?" "how about a pamphlet on how to pick winners?" "i'm not proud," said barras, "i'll take a pamphlet on how to pick winners." jojo reached under a pile of hay and produced a pamphlet. barras gave him a tiny coin and he put it in his pocket without looking at it. "don't give him anything!" said bates, but the deed was done. barras pointed to the title of the pamphlet - "how to pick winners at the track - and everywhere else." he and bates both laughed. "so how's things up in the tower?" jojo asked bates. "what do you care? you thinking of moving in?" bates reached down with his one arm and pulled jojo's hat down over his eyes. bobo and lobo had been watching the exchanges silently but jumped back at this. jojo straightened his hat back on his head. "i was just asking." "about the tower? it's still standing, no thanks to you." bates looked over at bobo and lobo. "who are these two desperadoes?" "who are you?" bobo stared back at bates. "director of security for the universe." "don't let him scare you," barras said. "he's only temporary." "we're just here to relax and enjoy the beautiful afternoon," bates said. "the major said we could come down here, so we did." "we wouldn't want to abuse his hospitality," said barras, "by causing a commotion." he looked around the stable. "no matter how many master criminals he's harboring in his unsuspecting bosom." 'sounds good," said jojo. "i'm in population anyway," barras told jojo. "i don't concern myself with police matters." "cool." bates had moved over to the horses. "look at these poor beasts," he said. 'what are you feeding them?" "we still have a little hay," lobo told him. "mostly they get the same stuff the poor humans get - mush and gruel." bates shook his head. "that's sad." "who's going to win the next race?" barras asked. "we came down here to get some inside information." left alone with monsieur forge, tania leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes and exhaled. "police work is strenuous?" monsieur forge asked politely. tania quickly opened her eyes and straightened up. "i apologize, monsieur. that was very rude." "not at all. not at all." m forge took another sip of his tea. "tell me, do you ever have occasion to encounter the present holder of my old family title - the duc d'otrante? he has some high position in the police, does he not?" "i - and detective st teresa - work for charlotte corday in unspeakable crimes. she keeps her office separate from the operations in the tower." "really? and why is that. i wonder?" "i don't mean to be rude - again -monsieur - " "of course, of course, it's no business of mine. i misspoke, in my attempt to make polite conversation." tania nodded, and picked her teacup back up. "we have so few visitors these days - and make so few visits - the old art of conversation has quite decayed." "indeed." "but do you encounter the present duc?" "only once." "ah." "i found him a thoroughly detestable individual." tania flushed slightly. m forge brightened at this. 'i shouldn't have said that. that was my turn to misspeak." tania looked out the window. "these long afternoons cause one to become drowsy, don't you agree? and lose one's train of thought." "if you don't mind my saying so, mademoiselle, i can see that you are indeed from the old families." m forge smiled. "charlotte corday - quite a formidable personage. destined for great things, supposedly . working for her must be interesting indeed." tania looked m forge directly in the eyes. "charlotte has always been kind enough to show great confidence in me. and i repay that confidence with absolute loyalty." "of course." m forge's hand trembled slightly as he put his cup down on the table. josephine reappeared. "is everything satisfactory here?" she asked. belinda barber hadn't turned turned out to be much of a conversationalist, and country girl was concentrating on her driving when the light on her dashboard flashed. she pressed the intercom button. "yes?" "corporal?" "yes, sergeant." "are you on schedule for the waterfront?" "maybe a little ahead. martindale was diverted -" "i'm aware of that. anything unusual to report?' "well yes, something very unusual." giselle didn't respond, so country girl went on to describe picking up belinda, concluding, "what do you think i should do?" "this person is - and was - all alone?" "yes." "she's not part of a group, a mob, a gathering, a conspiracy?" "no, there's just her." "she hasn't threatened you?" "no." "very curious. where's leslie?" "in the back." "doing what?" "i don't know, i can't see her." "studying for the police exams, no doubt." country girl rolled her eyes at giselle's attempt at humor. "i cant see her. " she glanced over at belinda, who wasn't showing any interest in the conversation. "what did you call about, sergeant? we are on schedule." "when you finish at the waterfront, proceed to the 252nd. there is a disturbance reported there." "what!!!" "are you objecting, corporal?" "no. no. i was just - surprised. you surprised me, sergeant, the 252nd is a bit out of the way. i'm sorry i shouted." "so you will proceed to the 252nd?" "of course. and we'll do whatever has to be done, and stay until it is done." "good. that's the kind of attitude i like, corporal." "so what should i do with our hitchhiker?" "use your own judgment." "yes, sergeant." "carry on, corporal."

the seventeenth letter, part 18

the seventeenth letter, part 16

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briand moved the thin beam of the flashlight back and forth over the painting. as he moved it over the head of the empress irene she seemed to peek through the hands she had over her face, and as he moved it over the face of the archangel gabriel he seemed to smile - a sure sign, in my view, that the painting was indeed by aristide moreau. i pointed this out to briand. "interesting," he said, "but look, when you shine the light on the face of tamerlane, he doesn't show the trace of a smile. he doesn't even flinch." "yes. maybe i'm wrong then." "we have some more in this style in the attic, perhaps you'd like to see them?" "not particularly." "josephine, our guest would like to see the paintings in the attic. lead the way, please." i didn't argue. at least we would get out of the cold corridor. josephine led us up two flights of stairs with the flashlight. the second floor was completely dark. when we passed it josephine pushed a unpainted wooden door open and fanned the light across a dusty wooden floor. there was a cot pushed against the far wall with a figure lying on it, with its back to us. josephine moved up to it and shone the light in its averted face. "it's mademoiselle cecilie," she said to briand, who was taking some paintings which were stacked against another wall and bringing them into the center of the attic. she turned to me. '"it looks like we won't be needing your services, sir. the duc was hiring you to find mademoiselle cecilie, but lo and behold, here she is, safe and sound and snug as a bug in a rug." mademoiselle cecilie might have been as snug as a bug in a rug but there was no heat in the attic at all and i was freezing. "josephine, get that light out of my face and bring me some tea." 'yes, mademoiselle." "but leave the light," briand told her. "i want to show our guest these paintings." "i don't know what he's going to pay for them with now." josephine answered. "the duc isn't going to pay him to not find mademoiselle." "just leave the flashlight and bring the tea, josephine," briand told her. "could i have some tea too," i asked. "or something, anything hot?" "of course," said briand. "josephine, bring a complete tea service." "in the dark?" "don't bring anything," cecilie said. she still had her back turned to us. "serve them tea or whatever in the drawing room with pater. after you bring me my tea. and take the light if you think you need it." "yes, mademoiselle." and then, right in front of me. a complete stranger to the household, josephine did the unthinkable. bold as brass, she stuck her tongue out at monsieur briand. i was starting to get the idea the d'avignon establishment wasn't the best regulated or maintained in the universe. with a sigh, briand started picking up some of the paintings and putting them under his arms. he nodded at the paintings and at me to do the same, and like an idiot i went along. the paintings were covered with dust and dirt, i was still a little wet, and my last good suit ended up looking like it was used to wash a fleet of trucks. i followed briand and josephine back down the stairs. it was a little warmer back on the first floor. my teeth stopped chattering. there was a light on in the drawing room, and a fire going in the fireplace. i started to follow briand into it. "hold on, hold on!" josephine shouted. "you can't let this fellow into the drawing room. he looks like he just crawled out of a sewer. am i not right, monsieur?" she asked the duc d'avignon, who was sitting in front of the fire by himself and leaning on his cane. he looked up at us with a bored expression. "ah, this must be the detective, mister mean, is it not? i appreciate your coming, sir, but josephine is right, you certainly can't sit down in here looking like that." "i'll stand," i said. "in front of the fireplace." "and block the heat? no, no. josephine, bring him something to wrap himself in, a tarpaulin, newspapers, whatever you can find." "we've burned all the newspapers," josephine told him. "how about a blanket?" i asked. "of course, an excellent idea, most resourceful. josephine, go out in the stables and get a blanket." "yes, monsieur." "but not before you get my tea," came a voice from the doorway. mademoiselle cecelie was standing there shivering. it was the first time i saw her face. i couldn't decide if she reminded me of a spider, a cobra or a piranha. whatever she was, she was a mind reader. "i was born under the sign of the piranha," she told me, as she took a chair by the fire. "my mother was a spider, and a cobra saved me from drowning." i was keeping as close to the fire as i could, without blocking the heat from the duc. "but you are in my way," cecelie told me. i moved aside a little bit. the flames were starting to dry me, and some clods of dirt fell off me and landed on the flagstones, kicking up dust. "how extremely disgusting," drawled cecelie. "briand, where do you get these people?" briand, who had somehow not gotten a spot of dust on himself while bringing his share of the paintings down, had also drawn a chair up to the fire. "wait until josephine brings him his horse blanket," he told cecelie. "indeed." cecelie stared into the fire. "you think things can't get any worse, but they always do, don't they?" josephine returned with a tea service and poured cups for the duc, cecilie, and briand. "i could use one too," i told josephine, she looked shocked. "you can't drink tea standing up in the duc d'avignon's drawing room," said briand. "where do you think you are, standing in front of a bodega with a bottle of orange soda in a paper bag?" "oh, don' t tease the poor chap." said the duc, as took his first sip. "weren't you going to try to sell him some of those wretched paintings in the attic? give him a cup, by all means. we get very bored here, sir, " he addressed me. "we will have our little jokes." "speaking of the attic," josephine told the duc, as she handed me a steaming cup with a broken handle , "we found mademoiselle cecelie in the attic. she might have been there all the time." "all what time? was she lost?" "but yes." josephine answered. "isn't that why you were hiring this detective?" "of course not. what does anyone care what happens to cecelie? i am hiring him to look into this fairweather fellow." the duc took another sip of his tea and looked over at me. "how are you holding up over there?" "very well, monsieur," i croaked. the tea was hot enough. it was burning my throat and almost warming me up. "would it be permissable to lean against the fireplace?" "of course, you are my guest. josephine, leave off pouring the tea and get the chap his blanket." "but not out of the stable, please." cecelie added. "take one off somebody's bed if you have to." 'not mine!" cried briand. josephine looked at cecelie. "oh, take one of mine." cecelie told her. "cassie will let you." "are you sure?' "i'll send her a message right now." josephine scowled and moved off after giving me the evil eye. at this point i thought that things couldn't get any stranger but cecelie quickly proved me wrong. she reached into her pocket and took out a silver cigarette case.

the seventeenth letter, part 17