Songs for Perri (27 page)

There was quite a few people lingering in the lobby after the show. Carl Freedman and Junior were waiting for the elevator and didn’t seem to notice her passing beyond them.

Nolan soon joined her and they went to her floor. The hallway was empty and they entered her room unobserved.

"Wait here," Nolan ordered, unlocking the connecting door. Her step-father was resting on the bed, coming awake when his leg was touched. "Uh...Nolan?"

"Yes. We'll take the passports over now. I was thinking of putting Owen in Hugo's spot and sending him out with the band. I'd like to get him out of here."

"Perri too," Walt insisted.

"Differently, though. I don't want her with Owen."

"Keep her with us?"

"I'd rather; we make a pretty good team."

"I've no objection. Perri?"

"Whatever you say." Secretly she was happy to stay with Hugo...Joe ...Nolan. Nolan! He was Nolan now.

No wonder he hadn't wanted her to know his identities. She could see how easy it would be to mess up. Nolan. Nolan. She said it over to herself several times.

"Change clothes, Perri, while I do the same. Do you have anything you haven't worn yet?"

"Not really."

"Then put on my shirt, wear it out over those white pants of yours." He pulled a flat tam-like cap out of the suitcase. "Wear Hugo's leather jacket tonight. Put your hair up inside this."

When she was ready, she looked like a teen-age moll, and Nolan shook his head. "That won't do."

Fishing out a bottle of brown hair coloring, he handed it to her. "Use this, then comb and spray the top down flat. We want you to look as plain as we can make you...although that's going to be a challenge."

Walt laughed at Perri's sour face. She wasn't pleased with the thought of dulling her hair. "That's like trying to change a peacock into a mouse, Nolan. It's impossible."

"Go ahead and use it, Perri," he urged. "It'll wash out."

"I know," she said, stalling nevertheless, not at all sold on the idea of making herself unattractive. "I was just reading the instructions. Are you sure it's necessary?"

"No. But I want to make you harder to spot."

"All right." Reluctantly, Perri went into her own bathroom and began to prepare her hair for coloring. It dulled her sufficiently that she was no longer a bright beacon, and this time Nolan nodded acceptance.

"Those agents died after they contacted Owen. I want to make it harder for whoever's out there to spot us. We'll wash it out afterwards."

Walt gave her a kiss and wished them well, locking the connecting door as they left.

Nolan had changed into jeans and a large floral printed shirt, wildly colored. He sent Perri ahead of him, following her down the stairway, then took a separate taxi to the restaurant.

It was still open. Perri was immediately shown to a table. With her hair color changed, she wondered if Owen would spot her. But when the waiter handed her the bill, it had instructions written on it along with the amount.

Go into the women's room and wait
.

Perri handed some money to the waiter, who thanked her and left. Rising, she saw that Nolan was eating at another table. Making no sign to him, she walked towards the women's room.

While still in the hallway she was intercepted by the woman she had earlier passed the camera to. She had entered from another door and motioned Perri through.

It opened into the owner's own apartment, it's red tiled floor accented with a colorful tapestry. A single lamp burned. Owen greeted her with a quick hug and led her over to the wall. From a small viewing slit, they could see into the restaurant. "Which one?" he asked.

She pointed Nolan out to her brother, and soon watched the waiter take him his "bill." He paid and left the restaurant.

After a few minutes, the apartment’s outer door opened and he followed the waiter inside. "This is Joe...uh...Nolan Nyle. Nolan, my brother, Owen," Perri introduced them. At last, she had done what she had come down for. The final weight was lifted from her shoulders. They could take it from here. She was out of it.

Relieved, she sat down in a chair they offered her. Owen introduced Nolan to Alvaro, then the two Americans sat at the table to talk over their plans.

They were speaking in English and Perri heard Nolan say that he wanted to send Walt and her out on a flight tomorrow night, to get them clear. She realized that although Walt was boss, he probably wouldn't get his wish to see Owen first, after all...Nolan sounded very definite on that point.

Alvaro stood near them for awhile, then drifted over to talk to her in Spanish.

"Your brother is a good man. He speaks often of his father. But never of you, until recently. He says you are somewhat of a dare-devil."

"Not really. I just never would admit I was scared of some of the things he wanted me to do. I didn't want him to stop doing things with me."

"Ah. And this young man, Nolan?"

"He's just helping."

"An agent?"

"I suppose so." How much information should she give out? Certainly none about Nolan's other identities. He had said only Walt and his manager knew. And now her of course. She must be careful what she said.

"Your brother got me out of Cuba. He knows how to do the impossible." His eyes reflected his gratitude. He continued, giving some of the details of the escape, almost pathetically effusive in his praise of his rescuer. He must have had a hard time in Cuba, staying one jump ahead of their secret police.

"How did you contact him?"

"A message to a man who knows things. He arranged for us to meet."

Nolan approached them. "Out you go, Perri. I'll follow, but don't look for me. Just head on back to your hotel."

"Where are you staying?" Alvaro asked.

"A small place," Nolan said before Perri had time to speak. "You wouldn't know it." If Nolan called that small, she wondered what large was to him. He had probably performed in some pretty large establishments.

Alvaro looked kindly at her. "And your father too?"

"He's—”

"Separate quarters," Nolan interrupted. Honestly, he was as bad as Walt. She wrinkled her nose at him and he just grinned. "Bye."

"Thanks, Perri. See you soon," Owen said, urging her out.

"Bye." She waited for the woman to open the door and check to see if the hallway was empty, then Perri left, threading her way through the diners and into the darkness outside.

The last time she had walked this way, the youth had knocked her flying. He was dead, but were there others? She remembered him vividly and listened as she walked, alert to the sounds around her. She heard footsteps behind her.

Was it Joe/Nolan? The steps didn't come any closer and soon she was on the main street and into a taxi. Back in the hotel she went straight to her room.

A knock sounded on the connecting door a few minutes later. Opening it, she saw...Nolan, his eyes dancing when he saw her struggle with the name. "Just think of `no one.' Can I come in?"

"Yes. I'm glad you can keep yourself straight," she complained. "It's hard."

"That's why I didn't tell you sooner."

"I can see why. Its hard enough for me to remember names when a person has only one set."

"It was hard not to tell you...very hard. That first day, when you struggled with tears at the cafe. I thought you were afraid."

"I was thinking about Mom," she explained.

“I realized that later. At the time, I almost told you I was with Walt. But I'd already decided that was Joe's job. Still, your tears were hard to resist."

"I felt very alone."

Her tone was somewhat accusing. Closing his eyes for a second, he murmured softly, "I'm sorry."

Perri sighed, then shrugged slightly, attempting to dismiss the trials of the last few days. The moments of fear and doubt were over. It was downhill all the way. "How's Papa?"

"Sleeping like a baby. This jaunt—even the waiting while you and I did the leg work—has been hard on him."

"I'm glad it's over!" she enthused. Having to be careful all the time, of what you said and did, became a terrific strain.

Nolan corrected her while he chose a comfortable place on the wall against which to lean. "It isn't. ‘It's not over till it's over,’" he quoted.

Perri nodded. It was such a simple statement of fact, it was ridiculous; yet many had ignored the truism and paid dearly for it. "I guess that's right."

"In this business as much or more as in sports."

"Then let's hope it will end soon."

"Right. I don't enjoy changing identities all the time."

"Do you have to do it often?" His characters fascinated her. Each was so different from the others...all except Joe and Nolan. Nolan was not that much different from Joe, making it much harder for her to keep them separate.

"Not as much as this time. But I've entered a country as Hugo, done undercover work as Joe or Nolan, then left as Hugo again. I prefer Joe for undercover work, for I wear no disguise for him. If I'm caught, I'm not wearing a wig or contacts."

"I see."

"Personality-wise, I'm more Hugo than Joe," he emphasized, with a purposeful, probing look as if trying to size up her reaction.

"Oh?" she hedged, understanding fully why he felt this information so important.

"So...I sort of...wondered how you felt about him. If Hugo walked though that door, how would you greet him?"

"Like this," said Perri, impishly lifting her smiling lips to his. He let go of Nolan's character with the swiftness of a tension-coiled spring and she was once more in Hugo's arms...strong, demanding arms that offered the love she had been seeking all her life.

Here, finally, was a man to match Owen. A man worth loving...who would not fail her. Who would not willingly leave her.

Her emotions exploded at his touch and she could feel the pounding of his heart, the quickness of his breathing, revealing how deeply he also was moved. "Don't squeeze so hard, dearest," he whispered painfully; and she remembered that, as Joe, he had taken quite a beating today.

Gently, she moved her arms up around his neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you too badly, I hope?"

"No...I stopped you soon enough. Not that I wanted to. I had to."

"Hugo said...I mean Joe said— Oh, dear!"

He grinned, with that flash of mischief that lit up his eyes and was prevalent in all his characters, looking not at all sorry for her as she struggled to get things straight. "What did we say?"

"About a question you hadn't asked me. You know."

"Ah...that one." His eyebrows flicked decisively. "You think about it, love. I'll ask you when this is over."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now get some sleep. I'll join Walt. We've got a lot of arranging to do tomorrow."

"Hugo?" Her question was quiet, tentative.

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm so happy, I don't think I can sleep," she admitted. Everything was resolving itself; her world was rosy once more. Somehow, she believed things were well in hand, no matter what Hugo said.

Lifting her chin with one hand, he planted a quick kiss on her lips. It was weird to hear Hugo's voice—for he was using it—and feel Hugo's kiss and open her eyes and see Nolan's light hair and blue eyes. No wonder she kept getting mixed up.

"Try. It's been quite a day. I think once you relax you'll find yourself asleep instantly. I'm going to secure your hall door and leave the connecting one open...just to be safe. Walt's had his rest; he can be on guard tonight."

"Okay," she agreed, and yawning, headed for bed. She really shouldn't have worried about sleeping, for as Hugo had predicted, she was asleep almost before she lay down.

The next morning Nolan changed back to Joe. He called the airport, trying to get two tickets on the afternoon flight. It went to Mexico City and required a long wait before they could make connections for Phoenix, so he booked them on an early flight Saturday morning. Monday, Owen would fly back with the band using Hugo's identity, while Joe took Alvaro out by car.

Perri was ready to wash the brown out of her hair, but Walt wouldn't let her. "Wait till you're home," he said. "You'll be less easy to see at the airport."

The defector, Alvaro, had brought out a fairly large submarine tracking device that was difficult to move without attracting notice. Nolan had looked at it at the restaurant and figured he could fit it into one of the fake amplifiers the band carried with them for such purposes.

"It's already out-of-date," he confided to Walt, "but I don't suppose he knows it. It was probably the latest thing when he was in Cuba and he brought it with him when he defected, as a token of his good faith."

"So it's no use to us?"

"The way technology moves, it could be over five years behind. It took him a couple of years to make contacts and bribe his way to where Owen could get to him."

"Ah, well...one can't have everything. We'll let the experts look at it anyway. There could be something they can learn from it, to help our men. He's brought it this far, we might as well take it the rest of the way."

Deciding it would be better to stay out of sight, Hugo ordered room service—a large breakfast—brought to his room and later Perri ordered a large lunch brought to hers. They visited, played cards and watched television until it was time for Donegal's show.

Hugo left to get ready while Walt and Perri stayed behind. He was to return as soon as the show was over, get them, then pick up Alvaro at a spot designated by Owen not far from the restaurant. After he left, Perri heard a low chuckle from her step-father.

"What's funny?"

"You two. You think because I'm deaf, I can't see?"

"Oh!" Hugo had been flirting with her all day...whenever Walt's back was turned. But there were mirrors in the room, and Perri's face was overly expressive.

"I told him before you came down to attend strictly to business. I made him promise—” He stopped, as if wondering if he had said too much.

"What?"

"To guard you like he would his own sister. With the emphasis on sister. Now I catch him—”

"He's been the very soul of honor."

"Good. He’d better have been. It was my idea for him to act like he was in love with you. I warned him about carrying the act too far. Didn't want you hurt...yet we had to get you to believe it enough for it to look real." He looked at her anxiously. "He did explain, didn't he?"