'You have to be kidding, Waldo.'
'I'm not. It wouldn't be so bad. Get the girls over, make a contest out of it.'
'Oh, that's nice, that's real nice put that way. Like we're a bunch of ninnies who need to play games or something.'
'Ah, no, Fran, I didn't mean it like that.'
'And this lunch,' she said, eyeing him suspiciously, 'this damn lunch was to butter me up, wasn't it?'
'Not a bit. I just wanted to have lunch with my wife. Is that a crime?'
'Waldo Hallock, you'd better own up, because if you don't I'm walking right out of here and leaving you to get back to Seaville on your own.'
He knew the jig was up. 'Okay, I'll admit it. I brought you here to get you in the mood for my proposal, but I also just wanted to have lunch with you. Because I like having lunch with you. Fran, listen, we've got nothing to go on. Not one goddamn clue. Except for the letter A.'
'How do you even know it's an A? Maybe it just looks like an A.'
'I've thought of that. But seeing it as an A is the best thing I've got. I'll admit it's a long shot, but I've got to try it.'
'You mean I've got to try it.'
'You and your friends. I don't expect you to tackle the phone book alone.'
'Which friends?'
'Well, the ones you go marching with. Seems to me something like this would be right up their alley.'
'Waldo, in case you don't get it, my marching friends are interested in human rights, not solving crimes.'
'This is human rights. It's a human right not to be murdered.'
'That's not even funny.'
'Didn't mean it to be funny. Look, there's about twenty-five thousand names in the local book. If five of you took five thousand names each, you'd get the A's out of it in about a day or two. You should end up with maybe three hundred A-related names each. I'll have four new phone lines put in, and it probably wouldn't take more than three or four days to get through them with the questionnaire we'll make up. Then you'd have to sort them, get them into categories. After that, well, I'm not sure exactly how we'd approach it from there, but I'll figure it out.'
'What you're saying, Waldo, is you want five women, me included, to give up a week of our time to try out a scheme you're not even sure will work.'
'Dammit, Fran, you give up your time for stuff a lot less important than this.'
'Like what?'
'Like every damn cause that comes down the pike, that's what! Save the whales, drunk drivers, nuclear plants, save the wetlands, planned parenthood, right to abortion-'
'You just wait a minute, Waldo. Are you saying those things are less important than running down some names in a phone book so you can maybe find some nut?'
'Some nut who's a killer, Fran, just don't forget that little point. I mean, you spend hours every week on stuff like getting sex education in the schools, which I could add is a little bit embarrassing to me, and when I ask you to do me, your husband and public servant, a favor, you go bananas.'
'You call this going bananas? Oh, hon', you ain't seen nothin' yet.'
The whole point of this lunch was slipping through his fingers. He had to calm down, do something quick. 'Okay, okay. Let's not get all hot under the collar. I won't attack you, you don't attack me. Here's the deal. I'm asking you to do me a favor. You and some friends. I'm sure you can find some willing to help. I'm asking a favor of a wife for her husband. In other words, a love gift for a husband, and service to the community.'
'That is out-and-out blackmail.'
'I guess it is. Even so, that's what I'm asking.' He grinned boyishly.
Fran stared at him not smiling. 'I'll think about it.'
'Time is of the essence.'
'I need to think about it.'
'Two hours?'
'Three.'
'Right.'
She picked up her knife and fork, cut a good-size piece of steak, popped it into her mouth, chewed, swallowed. 'Not going to let this go to waste.'
He'd be damned if she wouldn't sit down to a five-course meal after a nuclear attack warning. Nothing could put Fran off her feed. A nice slice of Crawford's cheesecake ought to clinch the deal. Ten- to-one by tomorrow morning Fran and her friends would be making their lists.
LOOKING BACK-25 YEARS AGO
Miss Harriet Laine, who had previously appeared before the board to register complaints about the dogs roaming the village, presented a petition signed by many residents and non-residents. Mayor Nichols said there was reason to believe an item might be placed in the town budget providing for a well-equipped dogcatcher. The board was not unanimous that the problem had been solved.
SEVENTEEN
Colin hadn't slept well the night before. He'd had bad dreams- Nancy begging him to save her, calling him a traitor. Once awake, thoughts of Annie kept him from going back to sleep. Now, as he went over the material for an article about Seaville Hospital's deficits, his eyes kept closing.
Picking up his coffee cup, he left his office. He stopped at David Wenshaw's desk. 'All ready to cover the big meeting tonight?'
Wenshaw gave an exaggerated yawn. 'Ready as I'll ever be. I don't even need to go. I could write that shit in my sleep. Same damn stuff every time.'
'Think of it as experience, Dave.'
'Experience for what?'
'Maybe it'll make its way into your novel.'
Wenshaw gave a weak smile. The novel was a sensitive subject and he wasn't sure if Colin was making fun of him.
Colin picked up on Wenshaw's expression. 'I'm serious. You never know what might be material.'
'Believe me, I know. Whether we're going to have condos at the end of Fourth Street or not is never going to make it into any novel I write.'
'You promise?'
'I promise.'
He gave Dave a friendly slap on the shoulder and continued toward the front. The coffee machine was near the receptionist's desk. Sarah was filling in for the regular, who was out sick.
Colin poured himself a cup. 'I can't stay awake today.'
'Did you have a bad night?' Sarah asked.
'Yeah.' He ran his fingers down his mustache.
'Mark told me about you not wanting to do the story. I don't blame you, Colin.'
He'd finally gone to Mark, said he couldn't write the Mary Beth Higbee story. He'd keep on with the rest, follow-ups, anything new. Mark had said okay. 'I just couldn't hack it,' he said to Sarah.
'That's understandable.'
He nodded, feeling lousy.
'I hear you went to church yesterday. How'd you like it?'
