|
The Mad Hatter's Riddle
by Dale =
C.=20
Andrews
Art by Laurie Harden
=20
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice rema=
rked.=20
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat; "we're all =
mad=20
here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad=
?"=20
said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wou=
ld not=20
have come here."
Lewis Ca=
rroll,=20
Alice in Won=
derland=20
"It is a well known fact that anyone exposed to=20
Hollywood longer than six weeks goes suddenly and incura=
bly=20
mad."
Ellery Queen,=20
The Four of =
Hearts=20
Hollywood, California, September 21,=
=20
1975
NBC Neither King nor Queen on Thursdays=20
by Paula Paris
=
The=20
latest Nielsens confirm a continuing slide in NBC's=20
Thursday-night ratings. Particularly troubling to the=
=20
Peacock brass are the numbers for the Ellery Queen ske=
in=20
anchoring the 9:00 hour. While the Queen pilot played =
well=20
last spring, the weekly outings debuted middle of the =
pack=20
in September and have been sliding a bit deeper every =
week.=20
The detective opus, presented as a throwback set in th=
e late=20
1940s, met with good reviews but is still searching fo=
r an=20
audience.
Now Universal re=
ports=20
that the series is about to get a jolt of some nostalg=
ia=20
caffeine. In a planned upcoming episode, based on an a=
ctual=20
Queen short story, "The Mad Tea Party," Hollywood lege=
nds=20
Bonnie Stuart and Ty Royle have been cast in leading r=
oles.=20
This will be the first time in twenty-five years that =
the=20
once-married duo has appeared at all, let alone togeth=
er.=20
Bonnie, an inveterate recluse, rarely leaves her mount=
ain=20
retreat. And Ty, somewhat of a hermit himself, swore y=
ears=20
ago, after several notably uneven productions, that he=
would=20
rather die than return to acting.=20
"The Adventure of the Mad =
Tea=20
Party," originally written by Ellery Queen in 1934 and=
=20
derived from the work of Lewis Carroll, is one of the=
=20
author's most popular stories. What a vehicle to reuni=
te=20
these fabled stars of yesteryear!
Upo=
n later=20
reflection, Ellery Queen would think of 1975 as a transi=
tional=20
year. The national disruption of Watergate had receded; =
Viet=20
Nam, with the fall of Saigon, was unalterably behind us.=
Rex=20
Stout, P.G. Wodehouse, and Thornton Wilder would leave u=
s=20
behind forever. And in a year of changes, the twentieth=
=20
century, three-quarters through, would pause for a quick=
=20
breath as it prepared for the final twenty-five-year das=
h to=20
the millennium.
But such=20
historical ruminations were for later. On a Thursday mor=
ning=20
in early October, Mr. Queen was grappling with more=20
fundamental concerns. The cross-country flight west to L=
os=20
Angeles had been bumpy, particularly over the Rockies, a=
nd he=20
had been bone-weary when the cab deposited him at a Beve=
rly=20
Hills address, where someone from Universal Studios (and=
=20
Ellery could not even remember who) had shouldered his b=
ag and=20
showed him to the room where he had finally stumbled int=
o bed.=20
But his sleep had been fitful, and by morning he still f=
ound=20
himself more than a little disoriented in time, thick of=
=20
tongue, and feeling every bit of his seventy years. Mr. =
Queen=20
lamented the loss of the leisurely cross-country Pullman=
trips=20
of yore and grumbled, not for the first time, how flying=
so=20
unforgivably takes the travel out of travel.=20
It was the smell of coffee, =
and=20
the promise of its alchemy, that finally drew Ellery out=
of=20
his room and down the long hall to the kitchen. A slende=
r=20
figure looked up from the table as Ellery entered. Recog=
nition=20
dawned, but slowly. As Hollywood had changed since the=20
nineteen thirties, so too had Jacques Butcher, who now b=
ore=20
little resemblance to the young producer who, thirty-fiv=
e=20
years before, had been the boy wonder of Magna Studios. =
While=20
still lithe, Butcher, attired in jeans and a Western shi=
rt,=20
now sported a shock of snow-white hair and a cracked and=
ruddy=20
complexion that bore witness to decades of the relentles=
s=20
California sun. Ellery offered his hand, but was instead=
=20
engulfed in a bear hug.
"The=
Boy=20
Wonder!" Ellery smiled, pushing himself back to at least=
arm's=20
length. "Hollywood is still treating you well, Jack."=20
Butcher snorted. "Hollywood =
has=20
nothing to do with it. I've been shed of this town since=
Magna=20
Studios got swallowed in the takeover bid and I retreate=
d to=20
my grape arbors." Jacques Butcher appraised Ellery. "And=
you,=20
El, are also looking fit. Still writing those convoluted=
=20
whodunits?"
"No. I gave up w=
riting=20
detective stories about four years ago. I still edit the=
=20
magazine. I guess it's my vineyard."=20
"And the inspector?"=20
"Dad's fine. He wanted to be=
here=20
for the filming, but I had to put my foot down. He's far=
too=20
frail for coast-to-coast jumps. He's still grousing over=
the=20
fact that in the series David Wayne is playing him witho=
ut a=20
moustache." The Boy Wonder smiled as Ellery continued, "=
So=20
filming the 'Mad Tea Party' episode is what finally drag=
ged=20
you back to a studio?"
"Yeah=
, but=20
it's temporary. The episode has to be ready to air in si=
x=20
weeks, and that's the limit of my contract and my attent=
ion=20
span. When it's a wrap I'm headed back to the hills. The=
=20
producers twisted my arm when they had the brainstorm of=
=20
casting Ty and Bonnie as Spencer and Laura Lockridge in =
the=20
episode. They said they needed me on board if they had a=
ny=20
hope of roping in those two characters, and they kept ho=
unding=20
me until I caved. I have to say, they also tempted me by=
=20
promising that you would be on board as a consultant for=
the=20
episode. That sort of clinched it for me." Butcher's smi=
le=20
cracked his leather face into a thousand lines. "We had =
some=20
great fun last time around, didn't we?"=20
"That we did." Ellery smiled=
back.=20
"But this time let's go a little easier on the cognac."=
=20
Turning serious, Ellery continued, "The Ty and Bonnie de=
al=20
surprised me. The Spencer Lockridge part is a pretty sma=
ll=20
role for him."
Butcher grima=
ced.=20
"I'm afraid Ty's part can't be small enough. Not to put =
too=20
fine a point on it, Ty's deep into the bottle. Remember =
lines?=20
He's lucky to remember where he is. He retired from pict=
ures=20
only when he became unemployable. Those last films,=20
particularly that beach-blanket vampire thing, were=20
embarrassments. After those, he sulked off to his Arizon=
a=20
ranch."
Ellery's pain was vi=
sible.=20
"And Bonnie?"
Jacques Butche=
r=20
brightened. "Bonnie's great; always has been, always wil=
l be."=20
"Still carrying a torch, Jac=
k?"=20
"What? After thirty-five yea=
rs?=20
Anyway, she's a pillar of strength. It showed in every p=
art=20
she ever played. Bonnie turned her back on Hollywood at =
the=20
top of her game, and she left her public clamoring for m=
ore.=20
Basically, Bonnie can do anything that she sets her mind=
to.=20
Hell, she's the only reason the marriage to Ty lasted te=
n=20
years. So once she settled into her hermit phase she=20
reinvented herself as an investment manager. She resiste=
d all=20
overtures for a comeback, but that didn't stop NBC. The=
=20
ratings for any show that manages to reunite those two w=
ill go=20
through the roof. That's the challenge that Universal dr=
opped=20
into my lap."
"A tall order =
even=20
for the Boy Wonder," Ellery chided.=20
"Too tall. You know what the=
y say,=20
wolves hunt in packs. So this had to be a team effort. I=
was=20
in on the hunt, but so was Rand Canyon. You would have b=
een,=20
too, if you had been out here two weeks earlier."=20
Ellery raised an eyebrow. "W=
ho is=20
Rand Canyon, and why is it that people with names like t=
hat=20
always seem to end up in this crazy town?"=20
"Actually," Butcher replied,=
"the=20
people usually precede the names. 'Starring Archibald Le=
ach,=20
Leroy Scherer, and Doris Von Kappelhoff' doesn't ring li=
ke=20
'starring Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, and Doris Day.' And R=
and=20
Canyon sounds a hell of a lot better on a playbill than =
Beryl=20
Snatt, which is how Momma Snatt originally sent her litt=
le boy=20
off into the world. When Rand hit Hollywood in the ninet=
een=20
forties he picked a name to fit his craggy aspirations, =
even=20
though the aspirations proved to be a bit north of the=20
reality. Rand landed some 'best buddy' parts in a couple=
of=20
horse-opera serials, but that was it. Lucky for him, tho=
ugh,=20
he hit it big in real estate. Before he retired he spent=
=20
decades moving property between rising and falling stars=
with=20
enviable finesse. And now he helps Bonnie manage her pro=
perty.=20
Lives up there at her estate, too, although my understan=
ding=20
is that they are completely platonic. As I said, Rand's =
forte=20
has always been the 'best buddy.' "=20
"So were the two of you also=
=20
tasked with securing Ty's agreement?" Ellery asked.=20
Butcher snorted and shook hi=
s=20
head. "No, Ty and I lost track of each other years ago, =
and=20
Rand and he never saw eye-to-eye. Luckily for us, once B=
onnie=20
was on board, Ty fell into place like a domino. As I sai=
d, he=20
left Hollywood much more reluctantly than she did. But e=
ven at=20
that it was damned difficult getting them all here and u=
nder=20
one roof."
Ellery raised an=
=20
eyebrow. "So Bonnie and Ty are staying here also? Univer=
sal=20
sent me an address to give to the cabbie but nothing els=
e."=20
Jacques Butcher smiled back.=
"Yep,=20
we've got a full house here. Ty and Bonnie had all sorts=
of=20
demands that would have made more sense in the forties t=
han in=20
the seventies. The house is part of that. They originall=
y=20
wanted bungalows on the Universal lot. We explained that=
=20
there's nothing like that on Hollywood lots anymore. Bon=
nie's=20
ensemble wouldn't have fit in a bungalow anyway. So we s=
couted=20
around and Rand eventually suggested this place. It's fo=
r=20
sale, Rand knows the realtor, and it's huge. Plus it's=20
furnished=E2=80=94the owner removed the personal items, =
wall hangings=20
and bric-a-brac stuff, but the furniture was left to hel=
p the=20
place look good to prospects. We put Ty in the smaller w=
ing,=20
Bonnie and her folks are in the larger one. Universal ag=
reed=20
to rent the place for six weeks, and there was plenty of=
extra=20
room for Rand and me to bunk here as well. And that's wh=
y=20
you're here and not at the Beverly Wilshire."=20
"Sounds like I'll need a sco=
re=20
card to keep track of the players!"=20
Butcher grinned. "And a diff=
icult=20
lot they are. The staff were even harder to pry out of t=
he=20
mountains than Bonnie was. Every one of them was dead se=
t=20
against filming the episode and against the trip to Holl=
ywood,=20
but we had to drag them along somehow. Bonnie made it cl=
ear=20
that not bringing her people along was a deal breaker. S=
o=20
she's here with her assistant, Charles Roethke, her pers=
onal=20
secretary Jerri Swanson, and her, well, 'spiritual advis=
or,' I=20
guess you'd call her. A crazy lady who calls herself 'Ma=
dame=20
Sojourner.' Dealing with the lot of them has been like h=
erding=20
cats. Roethke and Swanson had a thing for a while, but t=
hey're=20
now on the outs and hardly speak to each other. Neither =
one of=20
them will have anything to do with the card reader, and =
she=20
reciprocates by treating each of them like lepers."=20
"Ty, I hope, travels a littl=
e=20
lighter?"
"Yep. He only brou=
ght=20
along his personal assistant, Taylor Brandt, who, by the=
way,=20
was just as insistent that Ty shouldn't film the episode=
. Like=20
everyone else, he was pretty happy with the status quo a=
nd=20
with Ty staying retired. So you can begin to see the mou=
ntains=20
that Rand and I had to move to pull this off."=20
Ellery glanced around the ba=
re=20
walls of the kitchen and then eyed his wrist watch. "Wha=
t time=20
are we supposed to leave for the rehearsals?"=20
Butcher smiled and stretched=
his=20
long arms behind his head. "I have no idea, besides the =
fact=20
that it's sometime this morning. In this town I never wo=
rry=20
about time and schedules. When you're supposed to be som=
ewhere=20
there are always plenty of people to let you know and ge=
t you=20
there."
As if on cue, the do=
or to=20
the kitchen swung open and a tall man with a winning smi=
le=20
strode into the room. He crouched in a mock pose and swu=
ng=20
around, his right index finger feigning a six-gun, which=
he=20
pretended to shoot in the direction of Butcher. The man=
=20
blinked, blew the imaginary smoke from his finger, trans=
formed=20
the pistol back into a hand, and extended it towards Ell=
ery.=20
"Mr. Queen, it's an honor to=
meet=20
you. I'm Rand Canyon. Looks like we're going to be worki=
ng=20
together."
As Ellery mumbled=
a=20
greeting, Rand's arms swung out in an all-inclusive gath=
ering=20
gesture. "Time to hit the trail, gents," he drawled. "Ev=
eryone=20
else is already at the studio and our car is waiting."=20
"See what I mean about this =
town?"=20
Jacques Butcher said to Ellery with a conspiratorial win=
k.=20
"There's always someone there to take care of you, and I=
'm=20
going to prove it to you." Before he could react, Butche=
r=20
reached across the table and pulled Ellery's watch off h=
is=20
wrist, deftly pocketing the timepiece. "This is one of m=
y=20
favorite little experiments. You can have your watch bac=
k=20
tomorrow. By then you'll understand."=20
Rand Canyon rolled his eyes =
and=20
smiled. "Sorry, Mr. Queen. This is like religion for Jac=
k=E2=80=94he=20
pulls this on everyone who will let him."=20
"It's Ellery," Queen muttere=
d,=20
rubbing his bare left wrist. "Call me Ellery."=20
"Oh, by the way," Rand said,=
"when=20
I was checking on the car I found this in the front mail=
box."=20
He held out a business envelope bearing Ellery's name in=
box=20
letters.
"No address or retu=
rn=20
address," Ellery mused, examining the envelope. "How did=
it=20
get here?"
Rand Canyon shrug=
ged.=20
"There are delivery services=
all=20
over Hollywood. It's probably from one of your fans," Ja=
cques=20
Butcher chuckled. Ellery returned the smile and slid the=
=20
envelope into his inside jacket pocket.
#=20
Thirty=
=20
minutes later, Ellery, Jacques, and Rand stood behind a =
bank=20
of cameras on the sound stage at Universal City. Ellery=
=20
crossed his arms and looked through the cameras, the dir=
ector,=20
and assorted staff, and admired the New England drawing =
room=20
in the glow of the stage lights. The tall, gray-haired m=
an=20
dressed as the Mad Hatter was just barely recognizable t=
o=20
Ellery. The years had not been kind to Ty Royle. As Elle=
ry=20
watched, Ty turned to the other cast members and spoke.=
=20
"You can't take more or less=
when=20
nothing is very easy at all," he stammered.=20
An exasperated "Cut!" explod=
ed=20
from the man with tired, stooped shoulders sitting in a=
=20
collapsible chair next to the cameras. "Mr. Royle," he=20
muttered through hands that Ellery surmised were burying=
his=20
face, "once again, the line is, 'You can't take less; it=
's=20
very easy to take more than nothing.' That's the way Lew=
is=20
Carroll wrote it, and that's the way you have to say it.=
"=20
Ty threw his outrageous hat =
to the=20
floor. "The damned line makes no sense. No sense at all,=
" he=20
snorted.
Across the set, a f=
igure=20
dressed as a door mouse removed its mask, revealing=20
still-golden locks, and suddenly became Bonnie Stuart. B=
onnie=20
crossed the set towards Ty, as Ellery stared transfixed.=
The=20
loveliness of her youth had not diminished; it had matur=
ed=20
into a jewel even more precious. Images of pre-war Holly=
wood=20
flashed through his mind, a hundred memories of things g=
one=20
from the world, but still a part of his. He wiped an err=
ant=20
tear, shook the sepia memories from his head, and watche=
d as=20
Bonnie Stuart wrapped a loving arm around Ty Royle, all =
the=20
while explaining that everything was just fine, that it =
always=20
was, and that it always would be.=20
"My God," Ellery thought, st=
unned.=20
"They're in love."
#=20
The ma=
n in=20
the collapsible chair sighed and called out, "Break! Bac=
k on=20
the set in fifteen minutes." Ellery began picking his wa=
y=20
through the cameras and cables.=20
"Ellery," Bonnie enthused wh=
en she=20
saw him, offering a cheek, "you are a treat for sore eye=
s."=20
Ty grinned awkwardly, lookin=
g=20
totally uncomfortable in his Mad Hatter attire. He exten=
ded a=20
thin, dry hand and muttered, "Good to see you again, Que=
en."=20
But before Ellery could offe=
r more=20
than a perfunctory greeting, a young NBC page was at his=
elbow=20
explaining that a conference on script changes was about=
to=20
begin.
Bonnie smiled as Elle=
ry=20
stammered an apology while being dragged away. "Don't wo=
rry,"=20
she called after him. "There will be plenty of time for =
us to=20
catch up this evening. I'm . . . " and she paused, "actu=
ally=20
Ty and I are hosting a little soir=C3=A9e at the house w=
here we're=20
all staying. We'll expect you promptly at six o'clock fo=
r=20
cocktails and a buffet dinner in the parlor. This will b=
e such=20
fun!"
#=20
In fac=
t,=20
Ellery had seldom seen a sorrier soir=C3=A9e. Bonnie's s=
ecretary,=20
Jerri Swanson, a pretty young thing with long brown hair=
, had=20
spent the evening sulking on the sofa, nursing a drink,=
=20
dabbing at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, a=
nd=20
staring daggers at tall, thin, and elegant Charles Roeth=
ke,=20
Bonnie's assistant, across the room. Charles and Taylor =
Brandt=20
fawned respectively over Bonnie and Ty and were uniforml=
y=20
ignored by each. And Madame Sojourner, who had, Ellery h=
ad=20
come to understand from Jacques, a scant fifteen months=
=20
before, miraculously ascended from working the checkout =
line=20
at a Piggly Wiggly in Clarinda, Iowa, swirled about the =
room=20
in layers of multicolored silk wrappings, warning everyo=
ne in=20
her ambit of things that only she could see. Through it =
all,=20
Bonnie and Ty stared into each others' eyes, oblivious.=
=20
Early on, Ellery had embarke=
d on=20
shuttle diplomacy, moving from person to person in hopes=
of=20
generating something approaching cocktail-hour banter. H=
e=20
eventually forsook the task as hopeless and retreated to=
a=20
large velvet couch where Madame Sojourner cornered him a=
nd=20
proceeded to wax eloquent on the length of his lifeline.=
=20
Unimaginably to Ellery, things progressed from bad to wo=
rse.=20
Bonnie stood, tapped her cha=
mpagne=20
flute with a fork, and waited for the room to quiet. She=
=20
smiled nervously and spoke. "These last few days," she=20
stammered, blinking and edging next to Ty for support, "=
have=20
been a whirlwind. Being here in Hollywood again, and bei=
ng=20
with Ty=E2=80=94" she glanced up adoringly before contin=
uing=E2=80=94 "I, well=20
. . . I certainly thought I'd never act again. And certa=
inly=20
not with Ty." She reached tentatively for his hand and=20
continued, "But as it turns out, I can't thank Jacques a=
nd=20
Rand enough for insisting that I . . . that we do this. =
Ty and=20
I, well, it's been years and we really don't even know w=
hy=20
we..." She stopped, at a loss for words, sniffed into he=
r=20
handkerchief, and looked up imploringly at Ty, who broke=
the=20
silence. Still holding her hand, he smiled, brushed the =
gray=20
shock of hair from his eyes, and gazed out across the ro=
om.=20
Ellery marveled that he suddenly seemed to shed ten year=
s.=20
"Bonnie and I," Ty announced=
=20
sheepishly, "are going to be married."=20
"Again!" Bonnie giggled. "An=
d=20
we're moving back to Hollywood!"=20
Behind Ellery someone gagged=
,=20
several breaths were quickly drawn in, and Jerri Swanson=
's=20
plate dropped, scattering lasagna and boiled shrimp on t=
he=20
floor. The room froze in awkward silence for a long mome=
nt=20
before Ellery stood, cleared his throat, and offered=20
congratulations, quickly followed by Jacques and Rand, a=
nd=20
then, as the dam finally broke, by the others in the roo=
m. It=20
was long minutes later that Jacques Butcher caught Eller=
y's=20
eye and the two slipped out of the room.
#=20
In ret=
reat=20
in the first-floor library, Ellery exhaled long as Jacqu=
es=20
Butcher poured scotch into two tumblers and handed one t=
o=20
Ellery.
"I can't tell you ho=
w much=20
I wish I was in a hotel," Ellery groaned. "What was that=
all=20
about anyway?"
Jacques settl=
ed=20
into a leather chair across from Ellery. "I suppose," he=
said,=20
"it was about change. Jerri and Charles have carved out =
a=20
decent life working for Bonnie. And, God knows, that Soj=
ourner=20
character has certainly landed on easy street. The same =
goes=20
for Taylor Brandt, Ty's assistant. And every one of thos=
e=20
apple carts just tipped over. Bonnie's people kept sayin=
g they=20
were only concerned for her health, that a trip back to=
=20
Hollywood couldn't turn out well, but I suspect they wer=
e much=20
more concerned with anything that might destroy their=20
comfortable cocoons. Probably it was the same with Taylo=
r=20
Brandt. In fact," and Jacques paused uneasily, "rumor ha=
s it=20
that Taylor and Ty may actually be a little more than ju=
st=20
friends. Anyway, I don't think any of them is looking fo=
rward=20
to this pending marriage."
E=
llery=20
put down his drink as something rustled in his inner jac=
ket=20
pocket. He reached in and pulled out the envelope, still=
=20
unopened, that he had pocketed that morning. "I had forg=
otten=20
about this," he snorted as he opened the envelope and pu=
lled=20
out a single sheet of paper. Ellery's eyebrows knotted a=
s he=20
read.
Across the room Jacque=
s=20
Butcher watched inquiringly until Ellery finally shook h=
is=20
head and handed the sheet to him. "What, pray tell, do y=
ou=20
make of this?"
Butcher proce=
eded=20
to read out loud the typewritten poem on the sheet of pa=
per.=20
EAGER EYE AND WILLING=20
EAR
Tunnels for hares
Red garb for =
the=20
guard,
Insolent Cheshire,
Poems=E2=80=94quite=20
hard.
Rehearsals, intriguing
"Eat me" (your=
=20
fill)
"Quite curious," thought Alice
Until she f=
ell=20
ill.
In just the beginning the
Red King's=20
asleep.
"Enough of that subject,"
Dumpty yells '=
fore=20
his leap.
No chance to succeed with
One ther=
e,=20
alone.
Chances are better
Having two on the=20
throne.
A warning, in verse,
No time to=20
ignore
Completed, we stand
Entirely=20
restored!
Synergistic solutions from lessons of=
=20
yore.
=
"What's=20
this all about?" Butcher asked incredulously. "Is this=20
something from Alice in Wonderland?"=20
"I don't think so," said Ell=
ery.=20
"It appears to derive from Lewis Carroll, but I think it=
's a=20
pastiche of some sort." Ellery puzzled over the page for=
a few=20
minutes and then his eyes widened and he laughed in amaz=
ement.=20
"I'll be right back," he said. "I need to get something =
from=20
my room."
When Ellery return=
ed he=20
carried a volume, The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll, u=
nder=20
his arm. He sat down again and asked, "Are you a fan of=
=20
Carroll?"
"As a kid, I suppo=
se.=20
Not recently," Butcher responded.=20
"Lewis Carroll," Ellery cont=
inued=20
"was the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a=20
mathematician who wrote both Alice's Adventures in Wonde=
rland=20
and Through the Looking-Glass. Dodgson denied that eithe=
r book=20
was written with a real Alice in mind, but there is a po=
em=20
near the end of Through the Looking-Glass that belies th=
at=20
denial." Ellery thumbed through the volume, located a pa=
ge=20
containing a poem, and pushed the book towards Butcher.=
=20
"Carroll's poem has no title, but the fifth line is the =
title=20
of this poem: 'Eager Eye and Willing Ear.' And do you kn=
ow=20
what was particularly famous about this untitled poem?"=
=20
Butcher shook his head.=20
"The poem is famous," Ellery=
=20
continued, "because it is an acrostic. If you read down =
the=20
first letter of each line it reveals the name of the rea=
l=20
Alice: Alice Pleasance Liddell. So, Jack, tell me: Apply=
ing=20
the same formula, what does this poem reveal to us?"=20
Jacques Butcher studied the =
poem=20
and emitted a low whistle. "Read down," he said, "the fi=
rst=20
letter of each line spells out 'trip required no chances=
.' "=20
He shook his head in bewilderment as though trying to cl=
ear=20
cobwebs. "But what does this have to do with anything?"=
=20
"I'm damned if I know," Elle=
ry=20
replied. "The poem alludes to the works of Carroll. And =
the=20
references to the desirability of two people working tog=
ether=20
rather than apart, that could be relevant to the re-pair=
ing of=20
Ty and Bonnie in the 'Mad Tea Party' episode. You've alr=
eady=20
explained the effort it took to get them to agree to thi=
s, and=20
that everyone around them was dead set against the plan =
and=20
the trip to Hollywood. The acrostic might be addressing=
=20
this=E2=80=94it advises that, in fact, the 'trip require=
d no chances.'=20
But the obvious question remains 'So what?' Bonnie and T=
y are=20
here. We are about to film. Who would construct somethin=
g this=20
elaborate, after the fact, and then send it to me?"=20
"You've got me," Butcher rep=
lied.=20
"Ahh, well," Ellery sighed. =
"It's=20
probably just someone's idea of a joke." Ellery folded t=
he=20
paper and returned it to his pocket. "Let's take a look =
at=20
those script changes."
#=20
Ellery=
and=20
Jacques were lost in the script when Rand eventually ent=
ered=20
the library. He smiled and shook his head. "Seems like I=
'm=20
still the babysitter for you two. This week's Ellery Que=
en=20
episode is on in a few minutes. I think it's the one abo=
ut the=20
elevator murder. Wouldn't want to miss that," he enthuse=
d.=20
Reaching for the phone at the bar, Rand continued, "Just=
=20
enough time to take care of this." Lifting the phone, he=
=20
dialed and after a few seconds spoke into the receiver.=
=20
"Hello, Jerri? Rand here. Ty asked me to call and let Bo=
nnie=20
know he's not up to working on the script any more tonig=
ht.=20
Said to give her his love and tell her that he will see =
her=20
tomorrow."
Rand hung up the =
phone=20
and busied himself at the bar. "Voil=C3=A0," he exclaime=
d after a=20
few seconds as a wall of books across from Ellery and Ja=
cques=20
slid back, revealing a television console. Rand turned o=
n the=20
television and settled onto the couch next to Ellery jus=
t as=20
the TV Ellery Queen intoned, "In a few minutes this news=
paper=20
publisher will become an obituary notice." For the next =
hour=20
Queen watched, with growing embarrassment, as Jim Hutton=
=20
proceeded to piece together faster than Ellery could why=
a=20
dying man, alone in an elevator, would push the sixth- a=
nd=20
fifth-floor buttons before he expired.=20
At the end of the episode, J=
acques=20
Butcher rose from his chair, and stretched and yawned=20
simultaneously. Rand Canyon crossed the room, turned off=
the=20
television, and pushed the button sliding the bookshelve=
s back=20
across the television alcove. "Well, I didn't figure out=
who=20
did it. How about you, Ellery?" Queen shook his head, hi=
s=20
embarrassment persisting. Jacques waved a languorous han=
d and=20
excused himself for the evening. It was not until Ellery=
and=20
Rand were themselves headed back toward their rooms that=
all=20
Hell broke lose.
Walking dow=
n the=20
deserted hallway, Ellery and Rand were confronted by Jac=
ques,=20
who approached them with a troubled look on his face.=20
"Nobody seems to know where =
Bonnie=20
is," he muttered. He glanced at Rand. "She got your mess=
age=20
but, according to Jerri, she decided to go to Ty's room =
anyway=20
and hasn't come back."
"Perh=
aps,"=20
Ellery offered delicately, "this is a personal matter?"=
=20
"Maybe, but no one is answer=
ing=20
Ty's phone. I'm going to take a look."=20
Wordlessly, Ellery and Rand =
fell=20
in step as the threesome crossed the entryway, climbed t=
he=20
circular staircase to the second floor, and proceeded to=
Ty=20
Royle's room at the end of the corridor. It was the sigh=
t of=20
the half-ajar door that precipitated the first shiver of=
=20
trepidation at the nape of Ellery Queen's neck.=20
Jacques eased the door open =
as the=20
three men gasped in unison. Ty Royle was lying on the be=
d in a=20
silk dressing gown. A small bullet hole, surrounded by a=
good=20
deal of blood, flared like a flower from the center of h=
is=20
chest. Jacques rushed to Ty's side and, in an effort Ell=
ery=20
recognized immediately as doomed, began feeling for a pu=
lse as=20
Rand Canyon grabbed for the phone next to the bed.=20
Queen took a deep breath, sh=
ook=20
his head, and resorted to instincts. He walked the=20
circumference of the room, checked the closet, peered be=
neath=20
the bed, and then slowly began a trek back down the hall=
,=20
testing each of the locked doors along the way. At the=20
second-floor foyer he bent, examined the slick marble fl=
oor,=20
and then began a slow descent down the winding stairs. A=
t the=20
foot of the staircase he found what he had missed before=
=E2=80=94a red=20
pool behind and slightly to the left of the first step. =
Slowly=20
Ellery raised his eyes across the foyer toward a closet =
door,=20
also ajar. With trepidation he crossed the foyer and pus=
hed=20
the closet open with the toe of his shoe.=20
Inside, lying on the floor i=
n her=20
own pool of blood, was Bonnie Stuart. Ellery pinched the=
=20
bridge of his nose and squinted, as if to ward off the=20
gathering storm of the headache building behind his eyes=
. The=20
figure on the floor gagged, drew in a ragged breath, and=
=20
Ellery, shocked back to his senses, bolted for the neare=
st=20
telephone. . . .
Ellery Queen characters copyrig=
ht=20
=C2=A92009 by the Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee Lit=
erary=20
Property Trusts; story =C2=A92009 by Dale C.Andrews. Use=
d with=20
permission.
Be sure to read the exciting conclus=
ion in=20
our September/October issue, on sale now.
To keep these great mystery stories c=
oming=20
all year long ... Subscribe=20
now |