My idea of relaxation exactly. Having someone else undress you. "Maybe the bartender and those people at that other table will leave."

"Or perhaps they would be kind enough not to notice us." He crushed his mouth against mine.

I heard bells. I heard whistles. I heard a door bang open, followed by an intrusive chorus of excited voices. I opened one eye to find Wally leading a contingent of the Golden Swiss Triangle Tour group into the bar. AARRRRRGH!!!

"Hey look!" someone shouted. "There's Emily!"

They swarmed around us like bees. "Imagine finding you here," said Wally in a frosty voice. "I guess when I asked you this morning if you were free tonight, it must have slipped your mind that you already had a date."

Oh, this was going well.

"Official police business," said Etienne, staring Wally down. "Miss Andrew had no choice but to accompany me here this evening. I'm sure you understand."

I worried that someone would ask what kind of police business required Etienne's sticking his tongue down my throat, but no one bothered. They were too busy looking out the window and grabbing munchies from the serving table. "Drinks!" I heard Dick Teig yell. "We need drinks over here."

Nana slithered through the crowd with Bernice. "You wouldn't believe what it took for us to get here, Emily. We hopped a bus outside the hotel, then an electric car at the terminal, then we rode a little cable car up here to the top."

"It's not a cable car," corrected Bernice. "It's a counter-balanced elevator with windows. It's called a funicular."

"I thought you were going to stay in the room this evening," I said to Nana.

"I was, until I got a better offer."

"Emily!" George Farkas fought his way to the table. I guess they didn't want to observe him anymore at the hospital. "There's my little hero. Don't know what I would have done without you today. Your young man won't mind if I buy you a drink to thank you, will he? Maybe I could buy him one, too. Hell, I'm so happy, I'll buy everyone a drink. Drinks on the house!" he shouted to the room in general.

I suspected he didn't realize he'd have to take out a small loan to pay for a single round of drinks in this place.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?" George asked us as he pulled up a chair.

Maybe that was a good idea. I knew CPR. I could probably resuscitate him after the bartender presented him with the bill.

"Marion. Bernice. Jane. Lars. Solvay," said George. "Grab yourselves a chair. Come join us. Maybe we can convince Emily to tell us how she rescued me and my leg today."

Etienne squeezed my knee beneath the table. I flashed him a hopeless smile, then caught sight of the three Dicks and their wives at the next table. They were looking this way, and for whatever reason, they weren't smiling.