began to copy. There was no need now to worry about changing the main shape of the story. The deodar and the house on the knoll and all the descriptions of houses and places could remain the same. The new ingredient would be the addition of his troubled adolescence and the presence of his tormented parents. And Miss Pears as Gwendolen, his mentor, adviser and teacher with whom he would develop a significant relationship, meaningfully sexual and without sex.
And so once more the words formed indelibly black upon the page with all the old elegance of shape that had so satisfied him in the past. Below him the lake shone in the summer sunlight and a breeze ruffled the trees around the cabin, but Piper was oblivious to his surroundings. He had picked up the thread of his existence where it had broken in the Gleneagle Guest House in Exforth and was back into Search.
When Baby returned that evening from her flight to New York with the copy of his first manuscript now safely mailed to Frensic & Futtle, Lanyard Lane, London, she found Piper his old self. The trauma of the fire and their flight had been forgotten.
'You see, what I am doing is combining my own novel with Pause,' he explained as she poured herself a drink. 'Instead of Gwendolen being...'
'Tell me about it in the morning,' said Baby. 'Right now I've had a tiring day and tomorrow we've got to be on the road again.'
'I see you've bought another car,' said Piper looking out at a red Pontiac.
'Air-conditioned and with South Carolina plates. Anyone thinks they're going to come looking for us, they're going to have a hard time. I didn't even trade in this time. Sold the Ford in Beanville and took a Greyhound to Charlotte and bought this in Ashville on the way back. We'll change again farther south. We're covering our tracks.'
'Not by sending copies of Pause to Frensic, we aren't,' said Piper, 'I mean he's bound to know I haven't died.'
'That reminds me. I sent him a telegram in your name.'
'You did what?' squawked Piper.
'Sent him a telegram.'
'Saying what?'
'Just, quote Transfer advance royalties care of First National Bank of New York account number 478776 love Piper unquote.'
'But I haven't got an account...'
'You have now, honey. I opened one for you and made the first deposit. One thousand dollars. Now when Frensic gets that birthday greeting '
'Birthday greeting? You send a telegram demanding money and you call that a birthday greeting?'
'Had to delay it somehow till he'd had time to read the original of Pause,' said Baby, 'so I said he had a birthday on the 19th and they're holding it over.'
'Christ,' said Piper, 'some damned birthday greeting. I suppose you realize he's got a heart condition? I mean shocks like this could kill him.'
'Makes two of you,' said Baby. 'He's effectively killed you...'
'He did nothing of the sort. You were the one to sign my death certificate and end my career as a novelist.'
Baby finished her drink and sighed. 'There's gratitude for you. Your career as a novelist is just about to begin.'
'Posthumously,' said Piper bitterly.
'Well, better late than never,' said Baby, and took herself off to bed.
The next morning the red Pontiac left the cabin and wound up the curving mountain road in the direction of Tennessee.
'We'll go west as far as Memphis,' said Baby, 'and ditch the car there and double back by Greyhound to Chattanooga. I've always wanted to see the Choo Choo.'
