Lilian Jackson Braun - Cat 14 Who Wasn't There

Only then did he realize what it would have been like to lose Yum Yum--not to have her pawing his pant leg, reaching up for his moustache, and croodling--worse still, not to know her whereabouts or her fate. Koko himself had not fully recovered from the trauma of the night before; he prowled incessantly and muttered to himself.

"Shall we listen to some tapes?" Qwilleran asked, and Koko ran to the desk, yowling with anticipation. Either he had added "tape" to his vocabulary or he was reading Qwilleran's mind. Of the tapes recorded before Melinda left Scotland, one segment in particular caught Koko's attention--a brief exchange between Polly and Melinda: "I didn't know she had a bad heart. She never mentioned her symptoms, and we were the best of friends." "She was too proud to admit to any frailty, and too independent to take my advice or even medication.

It could have saved her." Qwilleran thought, If Irma refused to take medication, there would be no prescription to foul up; we'll know more about this when Polly's sister-in-law checks Irma's records. Farther along on the same tape were the voices of, first, the Lanspeaks and then the MacWhannells: "Do you realize, folks, how lucky we are to have Melinda along on this trip?" "Irma was coming down with something at the castle today.

I told Larry it sounded like laryngitis." "I knew someone who dropped dead of a sore throat. It's a freak disease--some kind of syndrome." "Daddy, you suspected something was wrong last night, didn't you?" "You're right, Mother... It so happened we were playing a table game with Polly and Dwight, and I went upstairs to get a sweater for Glenda.

We had room No. One, and the girls had Nine and Eleven at the end of the hall. I saw Melinda come out of Eleven and scoot right into her own room. I started to speak to her, but she was preoccupied. I told Glenda right then that Irma must be ill." Qwilleran thought, Yes, but... Irma was out on the moor with Bruce and came in late, according to Polly, so Eleven was empty, because Polly was in the lounge.

"Yowl" said Koko, who seemed to enjoy MacWhannell's chesty voice. The time came to drive Polly to the Distinguished Women's banquet in the New Pickax Hotel, an event subsidized by XYZ Enterprises with proceeds going to the Pickax Hospital for an intensive care unit. She looked stunning in her blue batwing cape and peacock feather brooch, and he told her so. She wanted to know more about the burglar and the hoax, but he assured her that everything had been reported in the newspaper.

The loitering charge, he said, indicated that Emory was the Boulevard Prowler. After dropping her off, he went to the theatre to have another look at Macbeth. He wanted to see if the actors felt more comfortable in their roles and whether Dwight had taken his advice about the dagger. Aware that he could not stay for the entire performance, he slipped into an unsold seat in the back row. The lights dimmed, and an unwelcome voice came through the speakers--the anonymous voice that announces changes in the cast, usually to everyone's disappointment.

"In tonight's performance the role of Lady Macbeth will be played by Jennifer Olson, and the role of Lady Macduff will be played by Carol Lanspeak. Thank you." There were murmurs in the audience and at least one squeal of delight from some friend of Jennifer's. To Qwilleran the substitution raised an urgent question, and at intermission he went backstage to hunt down Dwight Somers.

"Where's Melinda?" he asked.

"I don't know," said the director.

"When she didn't report by seven-fifteen, I called her clinic, and the answering machine said they were closed until nine tomorrow morning.

Then I called her apartment; no answer. We both live in the Village, you know, and there's an elderly neighbor who knows everything that goes on. I phoned her, and she said that Melinda's car had been in and out of the parking lot all day, but now it was gone again. I even called the police about a possible accident. Nothing! So I decided to go ahead with Jennifer. How's she doing?" "Not bad, under the circumstances." "I heard about Melinda's brother. She must be really upset. That's the only reason I can imagine why she wouldn't show, but she should have notified us." The stage manager was calling "Five minutes," and Qwilleran returned to the auditorium. He stayed through the sleepwalking scene, then slipped out. The banquet would be over. When he picked up his passenger, she was carrying a large flat box.

"I received an award for public service," she said.

"It's a very tasteful plaque." "Congratulations! Recognition is long overdue," he assured her.