Cover-Up Story by Marian Babson Page B

air for the rest of us, and a lot fresher, too, once Bart had left the room. The Cousins gave it a count of ten, then slithered out of the door themselves. That improved the atmosphere, too.
    Sam crossed over to Lou-Ann and Maw Cooney, speaking to them in a rapid undertone I could not hear. Not that I was interested.
    By that time, I had met Gerry’s accusing eye. ‘You should have told me,’ he said reproachfully. ‘You’ve let me go on living in a fool’s paradise, when I should have been crawling on my hands and knees to the hyphenated-hag and trying to get back into her good graces – at least long enough to get us paid.’
    â€˜I don’t know,’ Penny said thoughtfully. ‘He was super out on the stage, wasn’t he? Maybe he’s just tired after the performance. I’ll bet he’s awfully high-strung.’
    â€˜Child, child.’ Gerry patted her head gently. ‘Keep your youthful illusions, but don’t let them run away with you. If ever I saw a prize candidate to join the Great Unmentionables at an early date –’
    â€˜Did you get some good shots?’ It was an unnecessary question, I just threw it in to cheer him up.
    â€˜I got some magnificent shots. Far better than any of them deserve.’ He glanced across the room thoughtfully. ‘You know, that girl has a wonderful bone structure. Why doesn’t she try to look like a member of the human race?’
    I knew what he meant. None of Gerry’s birds would have been caught dead in last year’s Quant, last season’s restaurant, or last month’s hairstyle. Lou-Ann, on the other hand, would have died before abandoning her ‘comedy costume’. Somewhere, there must be a happy medium.
    â€˜...I don’t care.’ Maw Cooney’s voice rose abruptly. ‘He ain’t been treating my Lou-Ann right for a long time now. I’m gonna go after him and give him a real good piece of my mind! ’
    â€˜Maw! –’ Lou-Ann caught at her elbow as she tried to leave. ‘Just cool off, Maw. It’s all right, honest –’
    â€˜There ain’t nothing right about it! He should remember your position. He thinks he’s the Great I-Am, and nobody else counts for nothing. Well, it’s high time he learned different, and I’m gonna –’
    â€˜Okay, okay, but not just now, huh? We need you here.’ Sam glanced over at me, signalling desperately. I was interested to find that he could remember I existed – when he needed me. ‘Doug, bring the photographer over here, will you, please? We want to get some good shots of Lou-Ann, while we’ve got a clear field.’
    Nothing else could have brought Maw Cooney to heel so quickly. ‘Oh, well now, that’s a real good idea,’ she said, all the fire dying away. ‘It sure is nice to know we’ve got a Road Manager who knows his onions.’
    Sam winced. ‘Thanks.’ He turned to Lou-Ann briskly. ‘Now, we’ll just get rid of that –’ He yanked off the appalling hat.
    â€˜No, give that back!’ Lou-Ann clutched for it.
    â€˜Take it easy. We just want a couple of straight shots,’ Sam held the hat out of reach. ‘Be a good girl and get into your street clothes, will you?’
    He should have known better. In the short time I had had to observe her, even I had realized that the one thing calculated to throw her into a blind panic was any suggestion that she come out from behind the mask of comedy and look or act like a normal human being.
    She fought like a wildcat, or whatever the local fauna was in the territory she came from. Sam tossed the hat away and used both hands to defend himself. He wasn’t doing too well. Maw Cooney circled them like a stray bitch, watching her chance to get in there and sink her teeth where they’d do the most damage.
    The best idea I could come up with was to throw a bucket of cold