The Cat Who Went Underground (14 page)

Qwilleran said to Roger, “There’s something satisfying about the sound of an old cash register: the thump of the key, the ring of the sale, the scrape of the drawer popping out… How come you’re not eating your pie?”

“You threw me a curve,” said Roger, who had been staring into space. “What kind of criminal activity do you mean? Is something going on that I don’t know about?” Like most natives of the county he considered it his privilege to know everything that was happening, and as a reporter he considered it his duty to know it first.

“It’s happening right in front of your eyes. If you’re going to be a journalist, you’ve got to start thinking as well as reporting.”

“Gosh! Give me a clue!”

“I ran into a similar case in Rio fifteen years ago, but you expect that sort of thing in South America; you don’t expect it in Mooseville.” Qwilleran was purposely prolonging the suspense.

Roger stared at him expectantly, with his fork poised in midair.

“I seriously suspect,” said Qwilleran, taking time to groom his moustache, “that someone in the Mooseville area has put a curse on carpenters.”

Roger relaxed. “What’s the joke, Qwill? Give me the punch line.”

“It’s no joke. Carpenters are dying and disappearing at an ungodly rate. Anyone who believes in UFOs should be able to accept the age-old mystique of the curse – an evil spirit exerting influence in an otherwise healthy community.”

Roger put down his fork. These statements were coming from a veteran journalist whom he admired and respected. “Where do you get your statistics, Qwill?”

“It’s common knowledge. We’ve had two accidents, one death from so-called natural causes, and a couple of disappearances. And it’s all happened in the last two months. Joe Trupp appears to have been the first.”

“Everybody knows the tailgate of a truck fell on him,” Roger said. “It was an open-and-shut case of accidental death. That’s what the coroner ruled.”

“That’s the beauty of a curse. Everything looks so natural, so normal, so accidental. Then there was the underground builder who was putting up Lyle Compton’s garage. He vanished completely, and all efforts to trace him have failed.”

“Well, you know those itinerants,” said Roger. “They come and go. Half the time I suspect they’re fugitives, and when the law starts to catch up with them, they take off!”

“Then how about Buddy Yarrow, drowned in a fishing accident? He was neither an itinerant nor a fugitive. He was a family man and highly respected craftsman. Also an experienced fisherman. Also a strong swimmer.”

“Yeah, I know,” Roger said with regret. “I knew Buddy well. But the coroner ruled that he slipped on the muddy bank of the river – after that big rain we had – and hit his head on a rock.”

“And how about Captain Phlogg,” Qwilleran persisted. “He masqueraded as a sea captain, but actually he was a ship’s carpenter.”

“We all knew he’d drink himself to death sooner or later.”

“Roger, if you’re not going to eat your chocolate pie, push it over this way.”

The young man applied himself to the dessert, consuming it but not necessarily enjoying it. “That’s four victims,” he said. “Are there more?”

“I suspect the fifth is Clem Cottle.”

“Clem Cottle! What happened to him? Nothing has been reported.”

Qwilleran finished his second piece of pie before continuing. “I don’t know what happened to him. He’d been building a new wing on the cabin for me and doing a great job. When he left Thursday night he told me he’d be marching in the parade the next day. He also said he’d be on the job Saturday. Now listen to this: He wasn’t in the parade, and he didn’t work Saturday, nor did he attend the Wimsey reunion with his fiancee yesterday. Again this morning he failed to show up, so I called his folks. His father said Clem was out of town, and he had no idea when he’d be back.”

“There’s nothing unusual about that, is there?”

“Only that Maryellen was looking worried and Mrs. Cottle was sobbing when she answered the phone.”

“Do you suppose he got in some kind of trouble?”

“Wait a minute. Here’s the clincher: This afternoon I went biking on the Old Brrr Road, and I found Clem’s truck, headed into a ditch. There was no sign of a crash; it was simply parked there – abandoned – with the key in the ignition!”

“What did you do?”

“I told Maryellen it was time for the family to notify the authorities. So we may not be dealing with a curse in the old sense of the word, but you have to admit that something bizarre is happening in Mooseville. The town has a few peculiar characters. I won’t mention any names. You know them as well as I do. Perhaps better. You’ve lived here all your life.”

“Jeez!” said Roger in a daze. “You wouldn’t think anything like that could happen in Mooseville.”

“Think about it,” Qwilleran said. “Keep your eyes open when you cover your beat. Don’t believe everything you hear. Cogitate beyond the obvious… And finish your pie. I’ll get the check.”

After Roger had left for home, Qwilleran thought, “That’ll give the kid something to ponder while he’s babysitting. It’ll take his mind off UFOs.”

He moved over to the bar where Gary was filling drink orders.

“Squunk water and a twist?” asked the barkeeper. Mineral water from a flowing well at Squunk Corners was Qwilleran’s regular drink at the Black Bear. Gary trucked demijohns to the well and filled them without charge, then retailed the precious stuff in his bar at an incalculable markup.

Qwilleran said to him, “Considering what you make on Squunk water and paper napkins, you could afford to buy new chairs – or at least glue the old ones.”

“The place would lose all its character. The boaters especially like the shabby atmosphere.”

“Do you ever sail out to Three Tree Island, Gary?”

“Nah! What’s there? Nothing but a stinkin’ fish shack. The beach is okay for sunning, but I get all the sun I need on deck. And the water’s too cold for swimming. That’s the only thing wrong with this lake. Don’t fall overboard, or you’re an instant ice cube.”

“Do you ever see any UFOs over the lake?”

“Oh, sure. All the time. They like us. I don’t know why.”

A few stools down the bar a man in a silk designer shirt and alligator Loafers joined the conversation. “I’ve seen seventeen this year.” Among the come-as-you-are crowd he was highly conspicuous.

Gary said, “Mighty Lou is the official scorekeeper for extraterrestrial activity. Do you know Mighty Lou?”

Qwilleran turned and nodded at the man who had ridden in the parade as grand marshal. The man ignored the introduction but said, “I write them down in a book.”

Gary moved away to serve a customer, and Qwilleran went to the men’s room. When they resumed their conversation, Qwilleran said to the barkeeper, “Do you happen to know a good carpenter who would take on a small job? I’ve been building an addition to my cabin, but the guy let me down.”

“They’re hard to find in summer. They sign on with the big firms.”

“I’d even consider an underground builder.”

“Funny you should mention it,” said Gary. “Iggy’s back in town. He came in last night.”

“Iggy?” Qwilleran repeated. “Can you recommend him?”

“He’s a good craftsman, I guess, but he’s lazy. You have to keep on his tail.”

“Does he have a job lined up?”

“I doubt it. He just got in on his broomstick last night.”

“Is he that bad?”

“Nah, I’m kidding. Want me to send him out to your place? He’ll probably come in the bar later tonight. Write down your address.”

Qwilleran wrote the information on a bar check. “Ask him to come early tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll try, but I doubt whether ‘early’ is in his vocabulary.”

“Can you tell me anything about him?” Qwilleran asked.

“For one thing, he’s the skinniest guy I ever saw – with a nicotine habit that won’t stop. But he’s strong as an ox! Can’t understand it. He hardly ever eats.”

“But he drinks?”

“He does his share of boozing, but the thing of it is, he’s just lazy. And wait till you see his truck! I swear the only thing that holds the body onto the chassis is the brake pedal.” Gary got a signal from a customer down the bar and moved away.

Mighty Lou settled his tab and threw a large bill on the bar for a tip. Then he approached Qwilleran with a chesty air of importance. “You need a builder?” he asked. “I can handle a few small jobs between contracts. Here’s my card.” He handed over a business card with engraved lettering on good stock: MIGHTY LOU, CONTRACTOR. There was a telephone number but no address.

“Thank you,” said Qwilleran, putting the card in his wallet. “I may get in touch.” He looked questioningly at Gary as the big man left the restaurant.

The barkeeper shrugged in a gesture of sympathy. “Harmless,” he said. “Another Squunk?”

“No, thanks. I’m driving.” As Qwilleran left the restaurant, he was hailed by diners at one of the tables. Lyle and Lisa Compton were lingering over coffee.

“Sit down and have a cup,” said the superintendent.

Qwilleran lowered himself carefully into one of the wobbly chairs. “You’re just the people I wanted to see! What was the name of the fellow who was building your garage?”

“Mert,” said Compton. “He never told me his last name, and I was afraid to ask. These underground characters are very suspicious. They value their privacy.”

“I’m hiring a guy named Iggy.”

“What happened to Clem Cottle?” asked Lisa. “We were counting on him to do our garage when he finished with you.”

“Clem… uh… hasn’t come around lately, and I’m not going to fool around any longer. I’m going underground and hoping for the best.”

“Let me give you some advice,” said Lyle. “Don’t give this Iggy fellow any money in advance. Have the lumberyard bill you directly for supplies. And keep a record of the hours he works.”

“Also,” said Lisa, “don’t irritate him or he’ll walk off the job.”

“And one more thing,” said the superintendent. “There’s a law in the county against using an unlicensed builder unless he’s related to you. So let it be known that Iggy is a close relative.”

Qwilleran returned to the cabin, where he was greeted vociferously by the Siamese. “Guess who’s coming tomorrow?” he said without enthusiasm. “Cousin Iggy.”

CHAPTER 10.

ON TUESDAY MORNING Qwilleran was awakened by the bouncing of his mattress and the pummeling of his body. The Siamese were having a morning scrimmage on his bed and on his person. He hoisted himself out of bed and stretched, wincing as certain muscles reminded him of the bike ride on the Old Brrr Road.

“This is the day we’re supposed to meet our new builder,” he said to the cats as he coated some sardines with cheese sauce and garnished them with vitamin drops and crumbled egg yolks. “Let’s hope he shows up. Keep your whiskers crossed.”

“Yow,” said Koko, tapping his tail on the floor three times.

In preparation Qwilleran called the lumberyard and alerted them that a fellow named Iggy would be picking up building materials, which should be charged directly to the Klingenschoen office in Pickax.

“Old horse-face? Is he back again?” said the man on the phone with a laugh. “Lotsa luck!”

The Siamese tossed off their breakfast and looked hopefully at Qwilleran for a chaser.

“Oh, all right,” he said and gave them a few crumbles of Mildred’s cereal. Thus far they had consumed onesixteenth of a tub of the stuff. “You have one-and-fifteen-sixteenths of a tub left,” he told them.

At nine o’clock there was no sign of the builder. At ten o’clock Qwilleran was getting fidgety. When he heard the quiet rumble of a vehicle making its way up the winding, hilly drive, he went to the clearing to wait for it, although he knew it was hardly the sound of a truck held together by the brake pedal. He was quite right; the car that drove into the clearing was Mildred’s little white compact.

She rolled down the window. “I’m on my way to a hair appointment and can’t stay, but I brought you some more cereal.” She handed him a plastic tub. “I toasted a new batch this morning.”

“Thank you,” he said, with more enthusiasm than he actually felt. He thought, I’ll have to get another cat. The stock on hand was now two-and-fifteen-sixteenths of a tub. “Sure you won’t come in for a cup of coffee?”

“Not today, thanks. But tell me – is there any more news about Clem Cottle? Roger called last night and said he’s been reported missing. It’ll be in tomorrow’s paper.”

“I haven’t heard anything further.” When the Moose County grapevine is functioning, he thought, who needs a newspaper?

“What will you do about your new addition, Qwill?”

“I’ve hired an underground builder. He’s due here this morning.”

Mildred said, “I don’t know whether to say this or not, because I know you’re skeptical about such things, but I’ve been wondering…” She bit her lip. “I really feel terrible about Clem’s disappearance, you know. He had such a promising future. Sharon used to date him when they were in high school.”

“What have you been wondering, Mildred?”

“Well, I have a friend who might throw some light on the mystery.”

“Does your friend have evidence?”

“No, she’s a clairvoyant. Sometimes she gets messages from the spirit world.”

“Oh,” said Qwilleran.

“Mrs. Ascott is quite old, and she lives in Lockmaster, but if I could get her to come up here for a brief visit, she might be able to tell us something.”

Mildred waited for an encouraging sign from Qwilleran. Receiving none, she went on. “Mrs. Ascott came up earlier this year for my grandchild’s christening – she’s godmother, you see – and while she was here I invited a few friends to meet her, and she was kind enough to answer questions… How do you feel about it, Qwill?”

“You do whatever you think is… uh… worthwhile, Mildred.”

“Would you be available Saturday evening?”

“Me? What would you want me to do?”

“Just attend the meeting, and if you feel like asking a question, do so. Sharon and Roger will be there. They’re quite enthusiastic about Mrs. Ascott’s powers.”

Uh-huh, Qwilleran thought. And about UFOs. And about horoscopes. And about tarot cards.

“It might be an idea for the “Qwill Pen’,” Mildred said.