I shook his hand and thanked him for his thoughtfulness and his fine work. He said he hoped we might have a beer together before I left town. I said that sounded great.

I walked past the counter and saw that Gil was explaining to the blonde his billing for the piece called Apaches of the Night. He was doing all the talking; she was doing all the paying, like myself, in cash. Apparently she hadn’t had to pay in advance. Next time I brought in an arrangement to Gilbert Rice, I’d dye my hair blond.

I suddenly stopped at the door as I remembered that the person with the arrangement called Apaches of the Night was Adeline Head.

I slyly turned and said, “Gail Prentice sends her regards, Adeline,” offering my friendliest smile. She looked up and gave a little gasp. I uttered a small gasp myself.

It would seem that Adeline Head, carillonist, composer, and runaway bride, was also the runaway waitress from the Centaur Luncheonette. She grabbed her music, pushed her way past me, and likewise became the runaway customer of RC Copying of Oakland.

Chapter 38

38

Dance of The Sugar Plum Ferry

I’m generally not in the habit of chasing after women who don’t want to be in my company. But this was thrice now she’d fled from me, and I couldn’t imagine why I would be the cause of her fear. Yet that seemed to be the emotion that had swept across her features as she’d spun away from me.

The music parts in my hand were too valuable to take on some merry chase. I slapped them down on the counter. “Will you watch these for me?” I asked Gilbert. He would have quoted me an hourly rate if I’d waited another moment.

I dashed out the door and saw Ada entering the building’s birdcage elevator. Its door closed, but luckily it descended at a leisurely pace.

I raced down the zigzagging stairs that cut through the building’s five galleried floors and was pleased that I reached the lobby well ahead of the elevator. I was somewhat less pleased to see the elevator stop on the second floor and watch Ada run to a door at the far end of that gallery. I ran back up the first flight of stairs and raced to the door through which she’d slipped, which bore the word RESTROOMS.

Beyond that was a short corridor with two doors, LADIES on the right and MEN on the left. There was no other exit. I decided I could wait here in the hall for just as long as she could wait in the bathroom.