Lilian Jackson Braun - Cat 17 Who Blew The Whistle

"Still at the hospital. They have a comfy waiting room for relatives in the intensive care wing, and that's where we had a heart-to-heart talk this morning - Tish and I. I asked if Eddie had friends we should notify, but she doesn't know any of his friends... I told you they're a strange family, Chief... Then she said Nella Hooper liked Eddie a lot and would be sorry to hear what happened, but she didn't leave a forwarding address. Nella, I found out, is the secretary at the credit union who was fired a couple of weeks before it closed. She and Eddie lived in the same apartment building. She wasn't a secretary, Tish said, but more like an assistant to the president. She had a degree in accounting and knew computers and made a big impression on Tish. They used to go to lunch together."

"First question," Qwilleran said. "What was this highly qualified woman doing in a tank town like Sawdust City? Besides everything you mention, she has smashing good looks! I've seen her."

"She loved trains! That's all. It was a dream job, traveling around the country with the president, looking at trains and - "

She was interrupted by the phone. Hixie was calling to say that Nella Hooper's apartment would not be available until October first - and maybe not then if she decided to come back. The credit union always paid her rent - quarterly - in advance. Eddie Trevelyan had moved, to Indian Village four months before Audit Sunday. Hixie concluded, "Is he the one who was in that bad accident last night?"

"He's the one. Floyd's son. Thanks, Hixie. Talk to you later."

As Qwilleran returned to the lounge area, he was thinking, If they were going to fire Nella in July, why would they pay her rent until October? To Celia he said, "Did Tish mention why Nella was fired?"

"She wasn't fired, really. Nella's father in Texas has Alzheimer's disease, and her mother needed her at home, so Nella had to quit her job. But the office made it look like she was fired, so she could collect benefits. She left without saying good-bye, which really hurt Tish's feelings, although she realizes Nella had family troubles on her mind."

"Hmmm, makes one wonder" was Qwilleran's comment. "As 1 recall, Tish said she hated her father for cheating on Florrie. How does she react to Nella's relationship with her father?"

"Strictly business, she said. Her father's real girlfriend owns a bar in Sawdust City. Tish told Nella how she felt about F.T. and how he wouldn't spend the money to send Florrie to Switzerland. Nella was very sympathetic and said it would be easy to switch $100,000 into a slush fund for Florrie, and F.T. would be none the wiser. Also, it would be legal because it was all in the family.... Do you understand how this works, Chief?"

"I don't even understand why seven- times-nine always equals sixty-three."

"Me too! Glad.I'm not the only dumbbell.... Well, anyway, the next thing was that Tish introduced Eddie to Nella, because he wanted money to build condos. If he could buy the land, he could borrow against it to start building, but F.T. wouldn't back him. Nella told him not to worry; she could work the same kind of switch because it was all in the family. But before anything happened, Nella had to quit, and the credit union went bust. Tish was lucky to have her savings in a Pickax bank. She didn't trust F.T." Celia had been talking fast. She looked at her watch. "I've gotta dash. If I'm late, the nurse gets snippy."

As Qwilleran walked with Celia to the parking area, she said, "Someone backed a truck up to the carriage house today and started unloading stuff. I went downstairs to see what it was all about, and I met the nicest man! He said he works for you."

"That's Mr. O'Dell. You'll see him around frequently. He's the one who cleaned your win dows before you moved in."

"They may need cleaning again soon," she replied with a wink, and she drove away laughing.

Indoors Qwilleran found something on the floor that belonged on the telephone desk: the paperback playscript that Fran wanted him to read. Koko was under the desk, sitting on his brisket and looking pleased with himself. Qwilleran smoothed his moustache with a dawning awareness: There was a leonine theme in Koko's recent antics, starting with the lion in A Midsummer Night's Dream... then Androcles and the Lion... and now the Lion in Winter. Did he identify with the king of beasts? For a ten-pound house cat he had a lion-sized ego.

Or, Qwilleran thought, he's trying to tell me something, and I'm not getting it!

-14-

When Qwilleran's secret agent reported to Operation Whistle HQ on Tuesday evening, she was in a state of exhaustion. "I'm absolutely whacked!" she said. "First, the hospital this morning... then the family reunion... and then some flabbergasting news!"

"Sit down before you fall down," Qwilleran said. "Relax. Have a swig of fruit punch. Say hello to Koko and Yum Yum."