What Polly Saw
"Why would I kill Pez? Sure we broke up. I break up with a lot of guys." Daniela pouted prettily, but unfortunately it was lost on Det. Martin.
"And how many of your ex-boyfriends are alive today?"
"Uhh... Tchadde is." Daniela paused a moment. "But most of those other guys committed suicide! You can't blame me for that... well, yeah, you can, but not directly."
"Ms. DeSka-"
"That's 'Your Highness' to you."
"No, I'm a federal agent. I don't recognize you as queen of anything, Ms. DeSka. Now, as it seems you won't cooperate, I shall ask you to leave."
"Some way to treat a prime suspect." Daniela stalked away, miffed.
"She's proud of being our prime suspect?" asked Martin. She wasn't asking anyone in particular, but Deru, Daniela's new boyfriend, answered.
"Daniela collects titles. 'Prime Suspect' is just another title to her."
"Uh-huh," said Martin. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"Not at all, as long as it's over with in five minutes. I have to get to work."
"Sure, Deru." Martin glanced around the bar, making sure no one was near enough to listen in. "How is your investigation going?"
"Oh, just fine, Josie, just fine..."
Across the Club, nearer the stage, Marianna was talking to Dream as they took chairs off of tables and set them on the floor.
"I don't believe it, Dream, I just don't believe it!"
"So the cargo pilot thing was just a cover?"
"Not exactly. He does ship surfboards, wax, sunscreen, wet suits... he's made quite a bundle doing it, too. If anything ever happened to Mac, Polly and I would be millionaires."
"There's that much money in surfing equipment? I mean, I wouldn't know. I don't surf."
"On the Surf Strip, there is." Marianna jumped to one side to avoid being beaned by a falling chair. "And I guess flying all over was good... y'know. That's how Pez was getting the stuff in. On Mac's plane!"
"Should you be telling me this?" Dream asked. "Isn't it classified?"
"Pollythene hacked into it. Well, Doreen and Inda's daughter did. Nothing's classified anymore, anyway." They sat on the edge of the stage. "Besides, it'll all be in the newspapers tomorrow."
"Yeah... so Mac is a Fed."
"Never thought I'd hear you say Fed. But he is. And all these years I've had 'Legalise Hemp' posters all over the place. And minors in a bar! God only knows how many laws I've broken over the past five years."
"But what was Pez smuggling?"
Marianna opened her mouth to respond, then stopped. She pondered a moment. Finally, she said, "I haven't the foggiest. That's the one thing I haven't been able to find out. It's not in any of the files Pollythene saw. The cops aren't saying. And Pez is dead- he ain't telling."
"Does Daniela know?"
"Maybe... maybe that's why she broke up with him..."
Later that night, the cops were back at their hotel in Layla:) centre, and the Club was hopping. Well, Frogman was. Everyone else was dancing, talking, drinking... At the juice bar,
Pollythene was arguing with Marina Nett again.
"Marina, you can't use my modem anymore. I'm gonna start charging."
"Bite me, Trench."
"Don't tempt me, Nett. Or my piranhas, or my fighting fish." Said fish lived in precarious harmony in a fishbowl on the juicebar counter. "Now buzz off."
"What-ever. Say, how's your dad the Fed?"
"How's your dad? I hear Inda's got a little girl-trouble with Karina..."
"That Prima Donna should go die somewhere! I think it's about time someone else got a lead over in Newshregsburg. Not that I care about my father or anything. Doesn't even pay child-support like he's supposed to. He deserves all the trouble he gets. And my stupid mother and her webfooted freak boyfriend live off of fish, ice cream, and flied rice. Ugh! If it weren't for this bar, I'd die of starvation!" Marina smiled wryly at Pollythene. "Y'know, Pol, you must be my best friend."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean, we spend so much time together, and we do have fun despite all our fighting..."
"Yeah, I guess, but don't let anybody know. We wouldn't want to disappoint their standards!"
There was a storm raging over Calypso Beach. Daniela DeSka was watching it from her enclosed porch. The storm outside was nothing compared to was going on inside Daniela's head, though.
"Yes, I killed Pez," she thought. "I didn't mean to, though! I didn't know that one more drink would give him alcohol poisoning. I thought I was being nice... helping him to drink away the pain of losing me!" She grabbed a Tiffany vase and hurled it across the room. It hit a framed poster, broke the glass, and shattered. "There goes another vase..."
Princess Teff, who had recently tied for runner-up in the Club Calypso ska dance competition, had run into the room when she heard the glass shatter. Now she started to pick up the glass shards.
"Daniela, where's Deru? I thought you guys went to the Club together?" For the first time since she'd left the Club, Daniela noticed Deru wasn't there. She shrugged. "That's weird. That he isn't here. He's been following you around like a puppy all week, and all of a sudden, he disappears."
"It's his life," said Daniela. Teff stared at Daniela as if she'd just bitten the head off of a live toad. Daniela allowing other people to control their own lives? What was wrong with her today? "I'm sorry, Teff! Did I scare you? Come on, get the car. We1ll go find that stupid boy of mine." Daniela smiled. "Then I'll teach him not to leave me... even if it is just for a few hours."
Teff smiled. Daniela was back, and ready to kick butt.
The detectives were back at the Club, and this time Mac Trench and the mysterious (and endangered) Deru were with them. Dava had been sitting quietly at the bar for about three hours, since ten o'clock. He had had about ten Pina Coladas. Marianna, who sold drinks but hardly ever touched one (haha), would have been on the floor by now. The Wizard, however, was not only still sitting up straight, but appeared to be reading the Wall Street Journal and chatting to his stockbroker on his cell phone. Marianna would have to ask him later how those stocks turned out.
It was a full bar tonight. Booths meant for six were holding twelve, people were standing between stools at the bar, and three deep behind that, and the dance floor was so packed that no one was really able to dance. Arnold, the band that had won second in the competition last week, was playing their '50's-style songs.
Everyone in Layla:) was there, it seemed. Doreen Flagg and all of her children, Frogman, UPChuck and Dream, Inda Nett and Karina Brono, Princess Coli, Yosef Matthias Sprechen (the two-headed pain-in-the-neck), Ivory Jade Goldstein (the actress), Ellie Zabul (what was she doing at the Club?- she's never come before), Suki Kyoko, her boyfriend Jax Halfway and his friend Man Melvin, Cueball and Christianne (friends of Dream), Natan Beirut and Cera Queen, Nicolas Kofos, Jens Herrkauf, Esteban E. Room, Oskar, Tchadde (Daniela's only surviving ex)... (a whole lot of other people, too, but these are the ones who were promised a mention).
All of Layla:) knew something big would be going down tonight. Priscilla, Lisha, 'Chelle, May, and some other waitresses were working double shifts- not to accomodate the patrons, but to make sure they were there all night. Even McGregor, Andwou, Usagi, and Rain (members of Myskalogy) were waiting tables, and they didn't normally work at the Club!
Only Daniela and Teff were missing- they'd be there soon... if they could just figure out how to open the garage door! Finally, Daniela said, "Screw it!", put the car in reverse, and drove through the garage door. Less than five minutes later, they were at the Club.
Daniela made her grand entrance (Arnold immediately switched the song they were playing to Dancin' Queen- they were learning the ropes quickly) just as Det.'s Emma English and Josie Martin, Secret Agents Mac Trench and Deru, and Informant Wizard Dava Guru Jini (of course! he's the psychic) took the stage. They allowed Daniela to have her moment, then kicked Arnold off the stage (That Neil guy is cute when he's mad, thought Marianna), and made a few or so stunning announcements.
Attn: This is the Anti-Climactic Climax :)
The next morning, it was all in the paper. The Secret Agents were no longer a secret- they'd be joining the police force in Layla:). Daniela had killed Pez- but not on purpose. So Daniela would plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter next month, and be acquitted. She'd be under surveillance for that month, but basically be free to do whatever.
Pez had been smuggling pipes- tobacco pipes. Daniela had been aware of this- it was her reason for dumping him- but hadn't wanted to turn him in. Maybe she had a nice side after all! (Whatever- don't expect to see too much of it.) Anyway, the smuggler was dead, so the case was at a dead end. They couldn't find the supplier, and anyway it was legal to smoke tobacco outside Layla:). So the case was closed. Martin and English were returning to FBI Headquarters.
Mac would be home all the time now, unless he decided to be a real cargo pilot. Deru would be in town, but he and Daniela had broken up. She didn't want to date a federal agent, he didn't want to date...uhh... a female.
"Maybe I could set up Deru with Mika," said Marianna.
"No matchmaking, please..." said Dream.
"I like Marianna's matchmaking," said UPChuck. Since the dance contest, they had been tentatively dating. (Mari had had a hand in convincing Dream...)
"Hey, Mum!" shouted Pollythene. "I need more coconut milk!"
"Catch!" Marianna chucked a can across the Club, narrowly missing Frogman's head.
"Oooh, just a little bit lower, Marianna!" said UPChuck. Marianna laughed, then realised she couldn't stop. All the excitement was over, for the moment, and this spontaneous lack of tension had rendered Mari helpless! Oh, well...
NEXT WEEK: Changing Winds...
Arnold takes centre stage, and the Trenchcoats have a line-up change-- and that's nothing compared to the shifting (shifty?) relationships!