THE PRINTS AND THE POPPER ~ ~ Epic*sode 17 ~ "CASSIDY & SUNDANCE" ~ By Absolutely*Kate and Harry B. Sanderford of Harbinger*33

Kitchens are cookin' up something!

* MURDER *

* MYSTERY *

* MATINEE *

  
"THE PRINTS

 AND 

THE POPPER"

FROM WHERE

  WE LEFT OFF

 IN OUR LAST CLIFFHANGER

*AT THE BIJOU*

  

CATCHING UP ON CLIFFHANGERS?

Mosey through Epic*sode Clicks:

    

Epic'sode Sweet 16 ~ The Great Escape

Epic'sode 15 ~ A Wise Ass

Epic'sode 14 ~ A Wrinkle in Time

Epic'sode 13 ~ Lucky For You?

Epic'sode 12 ~ Midnight Cowboy

Epic'sode 11 ~ The Shadow Knows

Epic'sode 10 ~ The Pissing Match

 Epic'sode 9 ~ Chain, Chain, Chain 
Epic'sode 8 ~ Too Cool!

Epic'sode 7 ~ Meet Virginia
Epic'sode 6 ~ I See the Light

Epic'sode 5 ~ Lucky Shot
Epic'sode 4 ~ Hi Jinks

Epic'sode 3 ~ Groping Against Grope
Epic'sode 2 ~ The Clot Thickens
  
and the original mystery of it all ~  Epic'sode 1 ~

 THE PRINTS AND THE POPPER

 

 

 ~ ~ EPIC*SODE 17 ~ ~

"CASSIDY & SUNDANCE "

~ By Absolutely*Kate

and 

Harry B. Sanderford

When Kate Cassidy and her Sundance Kit strutted their stuff into GABARDINE ENTERPRISES plush offices twenty years ago, knowing a flush financial backer was the best sure bet to have in your back pocket when you were sizzling a hot idea, she never realized to what extent hot hands forced into back pockets could reach. Her idea was gosh darn good. Her idea had mighty merit. Her idea had vision when the rest of the ideas in this world wore bifocals. It was that good. It should've been seen. It should've been a contender. It would've prototyped her BIJOU to showcase fresh talent in film franchises all around the world. It was the tip, it was the top ~ the red curtain vaudeville revival road show, a Gershwin tune, a Cecil B. DeMille extravaganza and the roll out of the Sundance Film Festival all into one big  shebang. 

Yessiree, her excitement was snap, crackling, popping while she crisply rolled up all the plans and sketches and charts with the circles and the paragraphs on the back of each one explainin' what each one was when some flunky from Gabardine's office phoned.  "Ms Cassidy? Mr Gabardine prefers this meeting takes place out of town. He'd prefer the town of Alice as pressing business has just come up. He asked me to extend the courtesy of you selecting the restaurant. So, Alice's finest restaurant at, say -- 1:30? You can get anything you want there while you're waiting."

But Kate didn't wait. Oh no buddy boy. Kate had ideas and knew how to use them. She scurried. She drove cross town in the hurried flurry of the fury of a woman's appointment scorned and barged into his office past two languid secretaries sputtering protestations while trying to out nail file the other. She saw just what his pressing business was. What had come up and taken the sizzle out of just the right amount of dynamite used in Cassidy's Sundance Film Festival Shining Road-Show Talent plan was the ever stunning but currently stammering Jeanette Bessette, cast about the casting couch. 

From the looks of what was up, Gabardine appeared besot with Bessette but it didn't look quite like an up and up handshake deal. This scene had compromise riding all over it. Before Kate could even get out a startled "Whoops" or "Hey, sorry about that folks," spry Jeanette gather-grabbed what fragments were grabbable of a little black dress, pressed it to her burgeoning bosom and beat a path beyond the paneled office and its majestic mahogany door. 

Gabardine bellowed. Kate didn't cower but the Cassidy Sundance Kit never got the presentation it was due. Which was really too bad. It could've been seen clear to the gardenlands of Bolivia for all we know. Boss Gabardine, even back then had his hands in so many pockets that chump change was his modus operandi. Without squeezing any coinage  he put the squeeze on. He squelched the viability of her ventures with vexed vengeance. Lasting leverage leaned on every backer she made her next series of serious contender appointments with. Alas, nolo-contendre. It wasn't just a power-man holding a powerful grudge against a barger-inner on his afternoon's dalliance of delight. Kate Cassidy had seen something she sure shouldn't have. She'd seen Gabardine with his pants down. She'd seen Gabardine with his pants down kick under the beige velour casting couch a sheaf of papers he'd pried out of Jeanette's hand when the door had opened with nary a knock. She'd seen that Gabardine had seen what she'd seen of the compromising scene. 

And she heard him say when she too tried to disappear out of sight, "Kate Cassidy, I'll get you for this. When you least expect it . . . EXPECT IT!"  Regarding his sneer in a half-turn to snap back that cliches did not become him, Kate regarded better the valour of silence as Gabardine's silencer, a tall thick Brutus look-a-like from any Popeye cartoon not co-starring Bluto shoved her roughly up against the knotty pine paneled wall. 

"Forget everything you saw here today Girly, and nobody close to you ever gets an accident to fall their way, hear?"

Though really tempted to tell this goon he'd watched way too many Cagney flicks for his own good, Kate didn't panic against the panels. When cornered, she kicked out to make her point to the inside of his Achilles tendon as a girl with superior high heels knows how to do. And taunted, "How do those teals feel, Bucko?" When the shark took the bait and lunged, she popped the rolled up portfolio case of her plans and dreams right into the family jewels. The force of doubled-over flailing against the paneled wall careened the gilt edged Gabardine plaque for MERITORIOUS CITY SERVICE hard, very hard into the corner of tough guy's eye.

Holy Mackerel! Seeing blood as well as an open opportunity, she ran. Almost too many cliches for one day away from a clean getaway, Kate Cassidy and her Sundance Kit pivoted at the edginess of the daunting doorway ~  "How'd you like them apples Big Boys?"
 

It wasn't the smartest comeback to shoot out to a flashy financier naked on his knees shoving a sheaf of parchment papers into a leather valise. Gabardine glowered. Gabardine grumbled profanities in profusion. Kate was gone with that ill wind.
 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

 

And now Kate's kitchen was filled with more than fleeting and jolted memories of Jeanette Bessette Cheezum and her BIJOU general manager buddy, hunky handsome Harry, with a wild glint to his eye, turning a box of Lucky Charms into upside down heap and crunch just to get to the prize. Har was a gamblin' man, Kate knew. He always went for the prize. He liked life to be magically delicious and took a lot of precise actions to get himself there.  So why'd he show up on her doorstep with a disheveled Jeanette and tales of danger? A Jeanette who had wolfed down two waffles, a banana nut muffin and was looking for more? The headlines in the paper she'd wanted to peacefully kick back and read in the HAZLETON HOLLER were neglected now, face down on the floor. 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Lieutenant Phillips fingered commands on the iPhone he’d bargained from Jinx. Jinx kept a wary eye on Phillips, not so sure he’d made a good trade. Laurita called them to breakfast and they both got out of bed.

Sergeant Stine arriving rumpled and late at the station grabbed the last donut from the box and called his superior’s cell phone from his desk. “Captain, we better get a tail on Chester Hanks and also Harry Shannahan. I don’t know about Hook’em’s involvement in any of this but he’s indicated for questioning by his position at the BIJOU. Harry slipping out before we had a chance to question him at the scene also makes him a suspect.”

Phillips wiped syrup from his chin and patted Laurita’s rump. “You go on then Sergeant, see what you can find out about either of them.” 

“We ought to have someone at the hospital to find out what the Professor knows too.”

 

“He’s awake? God man, we should have already had uniforms there. See to it!” 

 

Phillips kissed Poe goodbye and drew his hand back quickly reaching to pat Jinx.

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

"You guys got some 'splainin' to do!" Kate exhaled while filling three cobalt mugs of blue with house brand Starbucks fresh brew. This was grounds for explanations. "Yuck!" Her barefoot paces gooshed into pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars and green clovers. "The spiels you two spilled are far from over. How does Boss Gabardine figure into goings on AT THE BIJOU? How do you have a connection to him Har? And little Jeanette? Wasn't he the big man whose passes you ran away from?"

Sipping coffee sedately at a Sunday kitchen table amongst friends, putting scraped pieces of her regal countenance back together again, Jeanette let loose a diabolical howl. It filled the room. It shook the cupboards. Kate's cobalt pottery mug tumbled to its inimitable fall. The mellow was mushed. Jeanette's howl mounted and morphed to a chilling gaggle of giggles. 

"Me thinks the lady of the ordeals doth protest too much," sage Harry purported, looking up from his assorted pileups of sorted cereal success and winked theatrically slow. He lifted high the tiny shiny red firetruck he'd found at the bottom of his search and seizure. "Score!"

  

Ignoring the slush of the slosh of marshmallow and caffeine between the toes, Kate ambled over, ruffled Har's hair, smiled as she leaned in for a conspiratorial whisper, as they'd done when riding Schwinns and building forts with their gang in their wild youth. "Hey pal - you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

 

"When in doubt Katie Girl, ah saay, ah saaay -- Always quote Shakespeare."  

 

Kate's hearty laugh filled the blue and white Sunday kitchen as sunlight spill splashed welcome dapple into new glisten on a soggy floor. But all did not seem cheery. When Jeanette's giggle amped its decible to cackle, Kate pondered Harry's theory, reexamining the first memory of the first time she'd laid eyes on what she took to be a flustered lass in trouble. But trouble is as trouble does and all is not always as it seems. Perhaps Har was on to something. He usually was. After all - You can't out-Shannahan a Shannahan.
 

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Eddie hung up with Mary Lou and iPhoned Detective Davenport. 

“Any word from your friend at the lab?”

* C * L * I * F * F * H * A * N * G * E * R * S * !

* AT THE BIJOU * 

Mosey on over to next Sunday's Matinee

for the next gut-gripping epic'sode!

" The Prints and The Popper "

(c) 2010 ~ Dashing Duet Authors

Absolutely*Kate and Harry B. Sanderford

  ( Kate thinks the "B" is for 'brilliant' some times )

   

Visualizations ala Eric Williamson, SnarkyDork, CrazyBobbles, JasonEscapist and Barb Henry.

THE PRINTS AND THE POPPER ~ Epic*sode 4 ~ ~ "HI JINKS!" ~ By Absolutely*Kate and Harry B. Sanderford of Harbinger*33

~ PRESENTING OUR

   MYSTERY*MATINEE ~

 "THE PRINTS

AND THE POPPER"

  

FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF

 IN LAST WEEK'S CLIFFHANGER

 *AT THE BIJOU*

LAST WEEK'S CLIFFHANGER?

Epic'sode 3: "Groping Against Grope"  {{ *CLICK* HERE }} 

CLIFFHANGER Epic'sode 2: "The Clot Thickens" 

{{ *CLICK* HERE }} 

FOR THE VERY FIRST PRINTS & POPPER CLIFFHANGER?

{{ *CLICK* HERE }} 
 

~ ~ EPIC*SODE 4 ~ ~

"HI JINKS!"

~ By Absolutely*Kate 

and

Harry B. Sanderford

It was warm the way spring beckoned this year, warm like the spirit within sweet Mrs Laurita Poe walking her little dog Jinks to and fro, to and fro, much like a pendulum, if you can view the wag of that tail. It was the peculiar way Jinks preferred to go. Laurita particularly admired the peculiar ~ the way winds of nature tended to blow. She never complained but went with the flow. Today though, she had method to their traipsing, circling the last remnants of slushy melting snow, past the hardware store, the 5 & 50, which, before inflation used to be the 5 & 10, past Martha's Merry Malt Shoppe and The Lucky Shot Bar & Grille. At the top of the street, the view commanded such a thrill. Laurita and her little dog paused as was their habit, to breathe it all in. The majestic view beckoned the whole valley to breathe it in, a setting which set the stage for the uptown theatre, AT THE BIJOU. Jinks sniffing, enjoying, to and fro, to and fro. Laurita turning, peering, trying to read past the rungs of the hook and ladder truck what was next playing at her favourite neighborhood matinee show.
 
Hook and ladder truck! When half past peculiar, Laurita's preference leaned decidedly to being in-the-know. With Jinks' red leash wrapped loosely in tow she angled both neck and vision, all the better to gain advantage of a vantage point of who or what would possibly enlighten her so. There. Around the back BIJOU parking lot, a dark flash of movement, a car door slam and laughter . . . The fluster of spring wind flutterered a Phillies cap and her ears keened to a low engine hum with gravel on the grind. Laurita was nothing if not kind. Though she and her spouse Edgar were Baltimore fans, she stooped to retrieve the cap before it sank to slush. 

Straightening up, recognizing teenagers she once gave piano lessons to, she called, "Say there Mary Lou! Edward! Heavens, where's the fire? Do you know what's going on AT THE BIJOU?"
 
There was no other explanation for how Mrs Poe's exclamation jolted the lipstick of Mary Lou's liplock on Eddie than what a startle will do when sent spiraling into surging motion. Both physics and physical attraction bear heat and velocity. So did Eddie's moves. Fondling fond farewells through the tiny driver's window of Mary Lou's dimunitive VW, the popcorn popper's head reeled into steel door frame, Eddie's expletive shot clean into fresh air, his grip on the door handle . . . no longer there. Mary Lou gasped at the pinching squeeze of her main squeeze's class ring nipping breast buttons of her no longer pristine Dairy Queen uniform. Her clutch foot slipped. Her boyfriend and his clutch did too. Eddie's instinct kicked in as Mary Lou kicked at that stubborn clutch. But, hustling to regain fast-footing with a slow moving vehicle, his jacket pocket spilled out a parking lot trail. The little dog barked to see such sport and broke away from Laurita Poe.
 
"JINKS! No! No!" It was too late. Or perhaps . . . it was fate.
 
"I'll take that Madam!" claimed the crunch of gravel coming out of her left field of vision, best described as the spectral of a charging blur which bested the Phillies ballcap from the startled Poe's poorer grip. "And this tooooo," chortled the bent torso scooping the I-Phone fast out of Eddie's scrambling reach.
 
"Why, aren't you --- "
 
Jinks barked before he bit and the former was not worse than the latter. Expletives exploded of a matriarchal familial nature, as the man fell to the slush with nary a hush. And the dog ran away with the phone.

 

“Oh dear! I am so sorry Mr. Davenport, are you alright? I don’t know what on earth has gotten into Jinks. JINKS! You come back here this instant!” Laurita pleaded, but Jinks was not so inclined.

“It’s just a scratch my dear. I guess I should have known better when I downloaded that Fetch App,” Leon chuckled rising to his feet and other than the sodden spot on the seat of his pants looked no worse for the wear. 
 
 “You’re sure, you’re alright then? I . . . I had better go get him,” Laurita hesitated. Leon gave the thumbs up and waved her on. Laurita hurried after Jinks still confused about the commotion up front and even more so by her ordinarily gentle Jinks' behavior.  
 

 “You mean that I-phone is yours?” Eddie had not considered this possibility. He’d not yet had a chance to search the phone’s contacts but he’d been sure it belonged to either Ms Jeanette or her abductor.
 

 “Well I can’t be sure of that now son," he said nodding in the direction of Mrs Poe and her runaway mutt. "But yes, well, I mean maybe. I seem to have misplaced mine at any rate. Just where did you find it anyway?” 

 Eddie considered his initial deduction that the I-phone was either Ms Jeanette's or that of her abductor. He wasn't so sure this new information disproved his theory and for the moment sidestepped answering the detective's question. 

 
Leon had propped his boot on the front bumper of the Volkswagen and hiked his pant leg up to dab at the blood on his calf with a handkerchief. Mary Lou tooted the horn apologizing that she really needed to get back to work. Leon stepped back and Eddie stole another kiss through the window as she ground around for reverse. He ducked his head back out the window just as she found it and waved them both goodbye. She tooted once more as she passed her piano teacher Miss Poe who was trying to entice Jinks into a Milkbone for I-phone upgrade.

 

“You got out of the theater in a bit of a hurry Junior. Consta . . . er Captain Phillips will be wanting a statement from you, you know.” Leon said shaking his pant leg straight and pocketing the hanky. 

 “I just went to my locker to get something . . . and then well, I saw Mary Lou, and well . . . ” his cheeks blushed. 

 “Say no more Junior, I understand.”

“I wish you’d call me Eddie, Sir.” 

“Well OK, what was so important in your locker Eddie?”

  
Eddie unzipped his backpack and proudly presented his Super Spy Private Eye Finger Printing Kit. Detective Davenport could see the seriousness in the boy’s face and to his credit suppressed outright laughter but could not arrest the grin that spread on his world weary face. “Ok son, I mean Eddie, we better get back inside and see just what we can turn up.”  

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

"No way!"

 

"Yes, Way!"

 

A dripping Zelda and a whooping Sugar whooshed out the front lobby of the BIJOU, leveling appreciative up front glances at local out front firefighters, swiftly snapping to attention to flex the femmes their muscled manhood from big shiny vehicles waiting further instructions to the call of the answered alarm. Joey Costanza hooted Zelda's way. Not alarmed, she held hand to ear in C-formation and mouthed, "Call me."

 

"C'mon. Come ON Zelda, let me SEE it!", Sugar tugged impatiently on her sister's soggy silken sleeve. "And why for crying out loud didn't you finish wiping up when we were in there. If I call Mom tonight, she's gonna bitch, big'time."

 

"Sheeesh Sugar. Catch a breath. Cut me a break. Give the Big Sis routine a rest already. You know Mom always liked me best."

 

Sugar punched Zelda's upper arm, but not too hard, or not in any manner to mess up a major manicure as a little dog leaped to see such fun and wagged well his tail into their tale. The spring sunlight outside distanced them in spirit as well from the fear, danger and unease within the theatre's usual carefree nature.  Their giggles were a needed release in sync with the bouncing pup on the rise. "HI JINKS! What's shaking?"

 

Zelda shot the faux injury her best feigned look and rubbed where her sleeve still dripped, "Ewww Shoogs. It stunk in there. If you wouldn't have taken so long stickin' quarters in the Ajax Comb machine to get the red one, we woulda made a quicker, cleaner, dryer getaway. I thought you said the stalls were EMPTY when you looked under."

 

"They WERE. Geee Z, you count on me for everything. No wonder Dad always liked me best. I was concentrating on squirting the soap dispenser to suds away your bloody yucky hands and with so many men in uniforms -- " Sugar paused, her hand to heart, dancing eyes doing double time to sigh on the rise, while playfully scratching under the jumpy puppy's chin. "Whatcha got there, fella?"

 

"Ladies! Ladies," Laurita exhaled on her sprint from Jinks' latest spurt. "How good to finally find someone in the know to let me know WHAT the heaven is going on AT THE BIJOU?! Jinks! Come back here!"

 

"Howdy there Laurita," Zelda drawled to the first friend in their set to have married happily to her ever after. "You see, my fine upstart of a sister here started to wash away the blood from the Ladies Room all over me in the Gents Room which came after the scream and Sparky's lights going out and well, the Professor was there and that sexy Sergeant Stine and what seemed like a platoon of police and there was a candlestick which shed little light in the balcony and -- Shoogs, you remember, that waft of Windsong that stayed on our minds?" Gesturing a shouldered nudge Sugar's way, "Well then, this cockle-brained dame got all intent on the Ajax Comb machine -- "

 

"They still have those things in Gents Rooms? Sugar, show me, let me see, what did you get?"

 

Shaking her head at Laurita's and Sugar's hair-brained heads huddled over a mere twenty combs spilling out of her sister's pink leather bag, midst further exclamations at explanations of the mystery of the muddle and maybe the murder AT THE BIJOU, Zelda stalked her huff off in Jinks' direction, which just happened to be running Joey Costanza's way. "Hey sweet stuff!".

 

Not clear if she meant man or mutt, Joey held on to Jinks red leash til Zelda got up closer and personal. "Hi Jinks. Hey buddy, whatcha got there?"

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

"So then -- then we hear this tremendous groan from the stall we thought was unoccupied and Zelda and I, well we were scared right outta that masculine zone! Guess that's where you found us, hittin' the street whoopin' and runnin'. And why were you running after Jinks? He always comes when called. Important thing is, I got a big pile of combs to comb through."

 

Laurita hunched down on the marble step of Sugar's cache of coveted combs and caught up in the simple pleasure now too, leaned in, selecting for Edgar a navy blue, then, combing on through, pulled a pale spring green that for her beach bag would certainly do. "Thanks for sharing Sugar. Why do you think they sell pastels in a Men's Room? Just doesn't make much sense to me and -- wait, what about Jeanette? How did she make sense of all of these ghastly goings on?"

 

"Jeanette? Jeanette wasn't there when Eddie and I ran into the theatre from up in the projection room. Didn't I tell you that?"

 

"But Jeanette's always there. Kate even asked Jed to screw that brass nameplate on the back of her seat last birthday, remember? Jeanette's BIJOU people!"

 

"That's why it's so weird Laurita. And then Zelda appeared with blood from the Ladies Room and Harry led the charge for the candlelight brigade up the balcony -- he's so hunky cute, don'tcha think? -- Oh, Zelda -- where'd she run off to?" Sugar twisted, raised her eyebrows and shook the curls of her well-coiffed do at the couple and the dog leaning over Zelda's hand by Engine #9. "Joey. Shoulda known. Zelda always runs back to Joey between who she thinks is The One. Hope that flibbertyjit opens her eyes someday to what's right in front of them."

 

Laurita snickered.

 

"Don't tell her I called her a flibbertyjit, 'k, Laur?"

 

"Your secrets are always safe with me Shoogs." A knowing glance passed between the two.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Joey pulled off his shades and opened his eyes -- wide, to what was right in front of them. "Holy shit Z! I meant 'What you got there buddy?' to Jinks -- " 

 

"Hey Joe. I'm your buddy. I'll always be your buddy. Like what you're seeing Joe?", her stance suggestive, her palm still cupped softly open.

 

"Zelda ~ I may not be the Lone Ranger to you anymore, but that there in your hand is one shining silver bullet. You wanna tell me about it girl?"

 

The little dog yipped at the sudden buzzing in his mouth. No one paid much attention.

* C * L * I * F * F * H * A * N * G * E * R * !

* AT THE BIJOU * 

Please return to next Saturday's Matinee

for the next gut-gripping epic'sode!

" The Prints and The Popper "

THE PRINTS AND THE POPPER ~ Epic*sode 3: "Groping Against Grope" ~ By Absolutely*Kate and Harry B. Sanderford of Harbinger*33

~ PRESENTING OUR

   MYSTERY*MATINEE ~

 "THE PRINTS

AND THE POPPER"

  
FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF

 IN LAST WEEK'S CLIFFHANGER

 *AT THE BIJOU*

LAST WEEK'S CLIFFHANGER?
for Epic'sode 2: "The Clot Thickens"  {{ *CLICK* HERE }} 

FOR THE VERY FIRST PRINTS & POPPER CLIFFHANGER?

{{ *CLICK* HERE }} 
 

~ ~ EPIC*SODE 3 ~ ~

"Groping Against Grope"

~ By Absolutely*Kate 

and

Harry B. Sanderford

With all eyes batting 20/20 at the balcony, Eddie silently hustled his backside in motion, carefully, carefully . . . when he reached it, sliding ass'wise backwards against the BIJOU wall, his fingers went on the grope for the woodmolding Ms Kate had wallpapered over to conceal a doorway that only the staff really knew existed. She kept trying to get everyone to call it the wallway and he had to admit, it was catchy enough to catch on. Ms Kate was like that with words that took more a turn to meaning what they said. Ms Kate was also rather fond of folks havin' a good laughin' time AT THE BIJOU. Though she loved edge-of-the-seat excitable action, Eddie the Popcorn Popper, intrinsic boy detective, knew it took no Sherlock-brains to decipher she would consider the screamin', dying, bloody messes and disappearing acts goin' way too far on the topple over the top. He had to get to his locker in the staff room for the Super Spy Private Eye fingerprinting kit stashed safely on the top shelf. He could be and should be the one to figure all these disturbing goings-on out, make AT THE BIJOU safe and entertainingly happy the way Ms Kate joyed at it most. He might still be a junior at Mathews High School, but guldarnit, he was going to give it the college try now!

Whewww, through the wallway into the BIJOU lobby behind Ms Sugar's Candy*Land! He made it! With all the ruckus still wreaking the other side of the double doors to the main theatre, this was a clean getaway. Remembering Mr Leon's patronizing PI talk, Eddie smirked, patted his pocket's slight bulge from his purge below Ms Jeanette's special Row #9, and walked a frenzy of a hurry into how he walked his walk.

"Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just glad to see me, Ed?", mugged the warm stance and teasin' temptin' smile-style of his main squeeze, Mary Lou. "WHATEVER is goin' on with all the police vehicles blockin' the BIJOU? I came 'round back, parkin' next to your Charger, like you tole me I should when I get a chance. Dairy Queen's grand season-opening is such a delicious success that Mr Martin gave us hour shift breaks and said to come back and scoop double duty into the evening hours. So what's the scoop here, and you gonna smooch me or what?" 

Eddie gave her a distracted smack and when her reflexive deflection met thin air rather than Eddie’s customary grab at a grope, Mary Lou knew something big was up. Lord help Eddie if they ever dusted Mary Lou for prints. “You know, I didn’t have to come here on my break.”, she said giving him a push and snapping her gum.

“Aw c’mon, I’m sorry baby.” He tried groping in earnest now but she was a ninja. It was too little, too late. Eddie fished the object he’d found beneath Jeanette’s chair out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. “I am glad to see you Mary Lou, but it wasn’t a pistol in my pocket.”

“You got an IPhone!”, she squealed with glee beyond any rational explanation. Eddie, his hands suddenly quite full of Mary Lou, would hold off breaking the news that it was technically evidence. 

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When The Prof failed to respond to the second round of queries Harry decided it was time to shine some light of his own. He headed for the balcony stairs followed by Sergeant Stine. Lieutenant Philips signaled and the uniformed officers snapped to action, joining the procession up the stairs. In his haste Harry banged his knee into the arm of the first chair and cursing an inspired streak of mostly matriarchal familial vulgarities, hopped the rest of the way to the far wall and switched on the lights. The illumination revealed only what Sergeant Stine had suspected in the dark. The candle holder and its extinguished waxy stub stood on the armrest between seats 4 and 5 in Row 2. The Professor, was not standing. 

Sergeant Stine nudged him with his boot and the beloved BIJOU academic roused, muttering, "Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good!"  

Stine called down to the constable, “Better grab one of those medics before they clear out.” Stine knelt down to the prone Prof, "Better tell me slow and low what you mean by that mutter Matt, before too many on the scene misconstrue what should be safe between . . . just me and you."

Sugar took Zelda to the Gent’s Room to help her clean up and calm down. Lieutenant Phillips instructed the patrolmen to scour every inch of the balcony, if there was a jujube he wanted it tagged. Leon was the only one to take a head count and notice Eddie’s absence and in his spectral way found the shadows and created his own.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, as the two young lovers grappled in their gropings unaware, a struggle of a more untangling nature was chiseling away the knot at wit's end. A woman in her right mind with an emery board in her left pocket can always get by, a determined dame on the ropes, undaunted by how circumstances had tied up her day to what felt like a New Hampshire Hitchcock, given the back back slat and pillow placement, reeled in self preservation ambiance. 

Thoughts back and forth, thoughts forth and back, the orangewood emery board pressing in the same progressive rhythms to its unravel of what felt like…theatre cords before an opening gala? Hard to be certain, blindfolded as she was, but whatever her binds, They do seem looser, a no longer tightly strung Jeanette gleefully assessed.  With just a few more strands undone, I might just be able to wriggle my wrist free and get to my I-phone pocket!

* C * L * I * F * F * H * A * N * G * E * R * !

* AT THE BIJOU * 

Please return to next Saturday's Matinee

for the next gut-gripping epic'sode!

" The Prints and The Popper "