“What are you doing here, Tulip?” Bernie said.
“Stripping, basically,” she said, still patting me. She was an expert! We were in the dressing room at Club Utopia, which I should probably remind everybody about.
“Um,” said Bernie, “uh. I meant are you still with Livia, or … “
“Oh, yes! I’m learning so much from her. This is just something extra, sort of a busman’s holiday, Livia says.” Maybe I should also remind everybody that Livia Moon runs a place in Pottsdale called Livia’s Friendly Coffee and More. Tulip works in the more part. “But can I ask you the same thing?” Tulip said. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Astrid Jason,” Bernie said. “Do you know her?”
Tulip nodded. “I hope she comes back soon. Not that I mind storing her stuff. But it’s a big responsibility.”
“You’re storing her stuff?”
“Just a couple suitcases,” Tulip said.
“Can we see them?” Bernie said.
“Well, I don’t know,” Tulip said. “I promised I’d take good care of them.”
“Then we’re on the same side,” Bernie said.
Admin to Staff: If Staff will send an address to spence.quinn@gmail.com an arc of To Fetch A Thief will be on its way, a little recovery-period reading material.
Here’s a little more Rosie Gray. If link doesn’t work, maybe cut and paste: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/07/chelsea_clinton_2.php
Tomorrow 10-noon, Spencer Quinn at Brewster Books, 2648 Main Street, Brewster, MA 02631
“Is this possible,” Spence says, “that this Uncle Chi Chi character – see below, if we can get this link to work – is the oldest dog in the world?”
I perked up. How old was I again? I’d heard Bernie talking about it recently, but the number slipped my mind. Was it more than two? Two’s plenty for me.
“And that whole dog years thing,” says Admin. “I never bought that.”
“You’re in a slightly better mood today.”
“Yeah – that suggestion from Kirby T. Penworthy, amended by Rio, about getting volume 6 of The World at War from the library perked me up. And way more than that – the good news about Staff. But I’m wondering if anyone knows of some real old dogs.”
There was General Beauregard, of course. I love hanging out with him when we visit our weapons guy, Otis DeWayne. Is there one of those visits in To Fetch A Thief?
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/07/worlds_oldest_d.php
(Nice job, Rosie!)
(Note from Admin: If link doesn’t work, please try villagevoice.com, click on Runnin’ Scared under blogs, and scroll down to previous posts.)
“Seen all the cool avatars?” says Spence.
“Progress keeps progressing,” says Admin. “What’s new?”
“You’re in a fine mood,” Spence says.
Admin grunts. “Had a little mishap yesterday.”
“Oh?”
“With The World At War, Volume 6. I’d watched the first two episodes on the CD and then stuck it back in the case. Then when I went to get it out to watch the next two episodes – Japan 1941-1945 and Pacific February 1942 – July 1945 – guess what.”
“I give up.”
“I couldn’t get the stupid disk off that stupid plastic ring in the center and I ended up cracking the stupid thing.”
Hey! I remembered those screams.
“This would have to do with your dexterity,” Spence says.
“Thanks,” says Admin. “The point is – what do I do? No way they sell them individually so I either have to order the whole set again, or go on to Volume 7 with gaps.”
“So?” says Spence. “What’s wrong with the odd gap or two?”
Exactly!
“And maybe,” Spence adds, “we should get back to Astrid tomorrow.”
But Admin is already gone, slamming the door on his way out. Admin’s not a big fan of gaps.
