How Now Purple Cow

by Marja McGraw

  Sharon didn’t find any humor in my comment and she ignored it. “What’s this about? You can tell me something, can’t you?”

  “No. I honestly can’t.” The sugar disappeared from my words. “Besides, Sharon, you owe me. Haven’t I always given you information first? Chris and I have done a lot for you. Why, you even met your boyfriend because of us. If it wasn’t for us and our stories, you’d still be doing fluff pieces for the paper.” I was building up steam. “And just this once I need a favor with no questions asked.” I almost said I didn’t want to put anyone in danger, but I caught myself before the words came out of my mouth.

  She didn’t answer right away.

  “Sharon?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Okay. Send me the picture and the details and one way or the other I’ll make sure it goes on the front page.”

  I could see her squinting, in my mind’s eye, trying to figure out what I was up to.

  “I’m on it,” I said. “You’ll have the photo as soon as I turn on the computer. I’ll give you the details over the phone. Can the story go in tomorrow’s paper?”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” She said it grudgingly, but I knew she’d do her best.

  I told her how this frail little old couple (uh huh) had been walking down the street when a mugger attacked them. No one had been around except one other little old man, and he knew some karate or some such thing from his younger days. He fought off the mugger and saved the couple. I left it at that, thinking the simpler, the better. Besides, I knew Sharon would embellish the story.

  “Oh, and Sharon, you can’t use names in the story. It needs to look like a witness took the picture and sent it to the paper.”

  “Gotcha.” Her voice was beginning to sound tight, like she was holding in her frustration.

  We hung up and I forwarded the photo to her.

  Walking to the front of the house, I peeked out the window, half expecting to see Rick sitting in his car across the street. He wasn’t there.

  Heading upstairs to change clothes, I thought about how much I’d miss my son, even if he’d only be gone for a few days.

  I thought about his remarks before he left, and how sad I’d felt on my way to the car.

  It suddenly struck me that on my way to the parking garage I’d found myself looking at every elderly man I saw with suspicion.

  It was starting already, and by it, I meant the search for a spy.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  In the spirit of the moment, and with thoughts of spies in mind, I put on a plain white blouse with no collar, a black pantsuit with white pinstripes, and low-heeled shoes. Low-heeled shoes are better for running if the occasion arises. After rummaging through the closet I found a black fedora I’d bought at a hat store while on vacation.

  I combed my dark auburn hair into a French braid and put on the hat, wearing it forward on my head with the brim turned down in front.

  The full-length mirror in the bedroom gave me a good view, and I smiled at myself. Chris would laugh when he saw my outfit, if I knew him, but for some reason it perked me up a little. I thought I looked just a little continental and maybe a little dangerous, or spyish.

  He’d taken the vintage green Chevy to work so I climbed into the Jeep and headed out.

  I felt like I was ready for anything. Yeah, right. Halloween, maybe.

  The supper club had just opened when I arrived. Parking in the rear, I entered through the dogs’ yard and walked through my office and the kitchen.

  Chef Luis looked me up and down, not insultingly by the way, and saluted me. “Great outfit,” he said.

  Phillip, the sous chef, chuckled and agreed.

  I could feel their eyes boring a hole in my back when I left the kitchen, heading for the Reservation Desk.

  And then I understood. Chris was behind the desk wearing, of course, a pinstriped suit and a fedora.

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw Chef Luis and Phillip watching us. They returned to their jobs and I heard them laughing.

  I walked over and stood behind Chris. “You’d think we planned this.”

  He turned around and looked me up and down, much as Chef Luis had, and started to laugh. “Great minds… I’ll take care of this.”

  He removed his suit jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. He’d worn a vest under the jacket and a black shirt.

  “Okay, so what’s the deal? What happened after I left this morning?”

  “Not much. Did Ace get off okay?”

  “Of course. And he knows. I mean, he knows what we’re up to. Can you believe that?”

  “Not much would surprise me about that kid. He’s too wise for his years, not to mention too observant.”

  “He’s worried about us. I told him I’d call him every single day while he’s gone. He wants details.” I sighed. “Details.”

  Chris smiled. “Ace is a one-of-a-kind. What happened with Sharon? Is she going to use the story?”

  “Yes. She’s suspicious, but I told her she owed us and she let it go, at least for now. The story, hopefully, will be in tomorrow’s paper.”

  “Good. As soon as the story is out, we’re going to start shadowing the spies. We’ll all take shifts. You and me and my mother will take one shift, and the twins and my father will take up the slack. We’re going to lay back a little though so if Grigori finds them, he won’t be able to finger us.”

  “Works for me. If we have to stay with them during restaurant hours, we’ll have to get George or Phyllis to cover for us. Gloria is leaving on vacation.” Gloria is our Myrna Loy lookalike and cute as a button. I wondered how a button could be cute, but shook off the thought.

  “I already talked to both of them.”

  “When do we start?” I hoped it would be soon because Mikey wouldn’t be gone for long.

  “Tomorrow morning. By the way, James said to dress down because you’re a dish and you’ll be spotted.”

  “I’m a dish? How sweet.”

  “You are a dish, but get over yourself.”

  “Uh, how does anyone know if Grigori will even see the article?”

  “Rick has that covered. Remember, there’s a leak in the agency. Grigori will be watching newspapers and digging for information. He’ll see it.”

  “If you say so.”

  I fed the dogs before getting to work in the supper club.

  Mikey called when he arrived in Virginia. The first words out of his mouth were, “Has anything happened yet?”

  “No, son. Things are quiet.”

  He sounded disappointed.

  Several customers commented on our “uniforms”. They thought we looked cute in our pinstripes.

  ~ * ~

  Too early the next morning the phone rang.

  I groaned and reached for it while Chris continued to snore softly. I felt like pinching his arm so he’d be awake, too, but when I started talking he came to.

  “Yes?” Who might call us so early?

  “Pamela, this is Piper. We’ve had word.”

  “Word?” I wasn’t very alert yet.

  “Word that Grigori’s seen the newspaper. At least, we think that’s what happened. Our contact called us, unofficially, of course. He suggested we go out for our morning coffee and sit outside at the coffee house that was in the photograph.”

  “Coffee house. Uh huh.”

  “Pamela, wake up. We need you and Chris there in an hour.”

  “An hour?” That woke me up. “Okay, we’ll be there.”

  Chris rolled over. “Your side of the conversation wasn’t very informative, doll. What’s up?”

  “We have to be at the coffee house in an hour to watch Piper and James drink coffee.” I shook my head. “Apparently, word is that Grigori has seen the photo in the paper and he’s on the job.”

  Chris practically leaped out of bed. “First dibs on the shower.”

  He was gone for about fifteen minutes and returned wearing nothing but a towel. He grinned. “Don’t get any ideas, babe. We don�
��t have time for romance.”

  Ignoring him, I headed for the bathroom and a hot shower.

  Chris was about to head downstairs to take care of the dogs when I returned to the bedroom.

  “I should have said, ‘In your dreams’.”

  “Huh?”

  “Your reference to romance? At a time like this?

  I put on jeans and a loose shirt, adding athletic shoes. I combed my hair into a French braid again and put on a shapeless cloth hat. I didn’t think I’d garner anyone’s attention. Chris wore jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap pulled low on his brow. He was successful in hiding his Bogey Man face.

  Downstairs, the dogs sat by the door with leashes attached to their collars.

  “Chris?”

  “I figured if we take them along we’ll look like a couple out for a morning stroll with their dogs.”

  “Ah.”

  We took the Jeep because the vintage Chevy was too noticeable.

  “Have we ever gone undercover before?” I asked.

  “Not that I can remember.”

  I took a seat at the table in front of the coffee house and held both leashes while Chris went inside to buy us some breakfast and coffee.

  Looking around, casually, I saw that we’d beat Piper and James. They were nowhere in sight.

  Within five minutes, the spies arrived and James went inside to place an order while Piper sat at a table not too far from ours. Chris held the door for James after stepping out with our food. The two men did a great job acting like they’d never seen each other before.

  Piper stood and walked to our table.

  What the heck is she doing? I thought.

  She reached for Watson. “Are your dogs friendly?” She spoke a little louder than necessary, but at her age she could have been hard of hearing.

  “Yes, they are.” I spoke up as though I was afraid that was her problem.

  “May I pet them?”

  “Of course.”

  She leaned forward and scratched Watson’s head. “Look over my shoulder,” she whispered. “There’s a gray car with an old man in it. He’s sitting and watching the coffee shop, or should I say he’s watching us. Keep your eye on him.”

  I casually leaned back in my chair and looked past her.

  “Well, have a lovely day.” She straightened up and held her back like the effort hurt her while she returned to her table.

  I turned to Chris. He was eating, but he looked up from time to time to check out the gray car.

  An elderly woman walked out of the coffee house with two coffees in a cardboard holder. She approached the car and climbed in after handing the drinks through the window to the elderly man. They drove away.

  “I guess that wasn’t him,” I said.

  James exited with donuts and coffee for himself and Piper. He never looked our way.

  I turned to my breakfast.

  “Don’t look up, but there’s another man sitting at the far table. He’s staring at James and Piper over the top of a book. I wish we had some idea of what this Grigori character looks like.”

  “But we don’t. We’re going to have to be suspicious of every elderly man we see.”

  An employee of the coffee shop walked out of the building and headed for the spies’ table. “A man asked me to give this to you.”

  He placed a piece of paper on the table.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  James picked up the note. “Thank you. What man?”

  We were close enough to hear the conversation.

  “Some ol’ guy… I’m sorry. An older man gave me the note and left by the back door.”

  “Oh? What did he look like?” Piper sounded far more casual that she must have felt.

  “He was maybe six feet tall with gray hair.”

  “That’s it? Was he slender or heavy, and did he have a lot of hair or was he balding? Any distinguishing marks?” I noticed Piper’s lips tightening as she spoke.

  The employee began to sound annoyed. “He was thin with just regular hair. I didn’t see any tattoos or anything. What are you? The cops?”

  “Oh, young man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the third degree.” Piper reached in her purse and pulled out a dollar bill, handing it to the young man. “Here. That’s for your trouble.”

  James turned and looked at the building before opening the note.

  The young man started to walk away, but turned and headed back to the table. “I’m sorry. It’s been a rough morning. I didn’t mean to be rude. And now that I think about it, the man had a long scar down the side of his face.” He left the table and returned to the building.

  I could see Piper visibly relax.

  James reached over and put his arm around her shoulders before pulling away and reading the note.

  He didn’t actually look at us, but he tapped his finger on the paper and looked at the dogs.

  Sherlock stood and pulled on his leash. He wanted to greet his new friends.

  “Sit,” I said.

  He gave me a look that made me feel like he wanted to say, “Ah, come on. I just want…” I didn’t know what he might want.

  “Sit,” I repeated.

  James stood and headed for the building with the note clearly visible in his hand.

  Chris tried to take a sip of coffee and stopped to look inside the cup. “Empty,” he said. “I’m going for more. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I took a drink as if to show him.

  Chris followed James inside, returning shortly with a full cup. One hand held the saucer and the other was in his pocket.

  He set down the cup. “You know? I don’t want any more to drink. Let’s head out.”

  I saw James sit down with Piper as I climbed into the Jeep.

  “What’s up?”

  Chris started the car before pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. “The note’s from Rick. He says Grigori has already figured out where to find the Hathaways. He recognized them from the article in the paper.”

  “How could he know this?”

  “According to the one comment James made, Rick still has connections, too. We’re meeting at my mother’s house again.”

  I glanced back over my shoulder when we drove away and saw Piper and James standing up. James stretched and they headed for their car.

  “Get on your cell phone and call everyone. Tell them to meet us at Mother’s place.”

  I called Carol and she said she’d tell Coral. Constance was an early riser and she was already up and ready for the day. She was excited.

  I noticed Chris looking in the rear view and side view mirrors several times.

  “What are you doing?”

  He rolled his upper lip under and I knew what mode he was moving into. “Just checkin’. I want to make sure we’re not being tailed.”

  “Grigori doesn’t even know we exist. Why would he tail us? We don’t look like spies.”

  “You never know about these things. Besides, what does a spy look like?”

  “Good point.”

  We arrived at Judith’s house and no one else was there yet, including my mother-in-law and father-in-law.

  There was a man mowing their lawn and he waved at us.

  Judith had pulled out most of the plants around the house because they were half dead anyway. I wondered what she had planned to spruce things up. At least the lawn looked good.

  I shrugged and waved. “Huh. I guess we’ll have to sit out here and wait. Well, I can let the dogs out to do their business while we wait. I’ll just make sure they won’t be in the gardener’s way. When did your mom and dad hire him?”

  “No clue. And waiting isn’t an issue.” Chris pulled the key out of the ignition and tossed the key ring to me. “My mother gave me an extra key to the house. I was supposed to tell you, but I forgot.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and climbed out of the car. The dogs followed behind me, with Chris behind them. I unlocked the front door and the dogs flew through the house to
the back door, ready to go outside and do a lot of sniffing. Every time we visited they sniffed the entire back yard, just in case some interloper had visited in our absence. Every once in a while they found a scent to track.

  The dogs had given the gardener a perfunctory bark on their way into the house, but I had a feeling it was meant more for the noisy lawn mower than the man.

  Chris and I settled in the living room and waited.

  Rick was the first to show up. “Is your friend going to be here?”

  “Constance? Of course. You’re really interested in her, aren’t you?”

  “You bet. She’s quite a woman. I think she could keep up with me.”

  Chris laughed. “I’ll bet she could.”

  “Okay, you two. Constance is my friend, and she may not want to keep up with you. What do you think she’s going to do? Catch spies with you?”

  “That’s a possibility.”

  I glanced up and saw Constance coming up the walkway. “Here she comes now. You can ask her. Or better yet, tell her what your intentions are.”

  “That’s better left for our time alone.” Rick stood and met Constance at the door.

  I sighed loudly and turned to Chris. “Don’t encourage that man.”

  The twins pulled up shortly after Constance entered the house, each in a separate car. They must have been fussing again, or should I say as usual?

  James and Piper were right behind them.

  Judith and Chris, Sr. slowed down as the passed the house, looking at all the cars, before they pulled into the driveway.

  It didn’t take long to get down to business.

  “Was anyone followed? Did you all think to check?” Rick looked at each of us.

  Interestingly, everyone said they’d watched for a tail. I was impressed.

  “Okay, James, tell them what you have in mind.” Piper deferred to her husband while she excused herself and pulled Judith toward the kitchen with her.

  The two women returned after starting a pot of coffee.

  “We’re going to become very public. There’s no other way to pull Grigori out of the shadows. Rick, did you find out anything from your contacts?”