Free Talk of the Town by Anne Marie Rodgers Page A

onto hope.

    After dinner, Alice went to the telephone. Smiling to herself, she dialed a familiar number.
    The phone rang once, then a second time. “Mark Graves.”
    “Hello, Mark. It’s Alice.”
    “Alice! Hello. How is business at the inn?”
    “Very good, thanks. We have two guests right now and another lady arrives tomorrow. How are you?”
    “I’m great. I’m packing to fly to California tomorrow. The San Diego Zoo has asked me to do a consult. I’m going to help design a new pachyderm habitat.”
    “That’s exciting. You really enjoy working with elephants, don’t you?”
    “I do.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Weird, right?”
    “Not for a veterinarian,” Alice said. “I think it’s fascinating.”
    “When I return from San Diego, do you think there might be a room available at the inn for a weekend stay?” His voice deepened. “I haven’t seen you in far too long.”
    “I know.” Alice cleared her throat. “I’m sure we can work out something. I’d like to see you too. But that isn’t really why I called.”
    “Don’t burst my bubble. I’m imagining that you can’t live without seeing me.”
    Alice laughed, and he said, “All right. Tell me what’s going on.”

    “I called Mark,” Alice announced to Jane an hour later. Jane was at the computer. Looking over her sister’s shoulder, Alice could see a recipe for some kind of pancakes.
    “That’s nice.” Jane looked up, puzzled. “Is there some significance to calling Mark that escapes me?”
    Alice smiled. “I asked him about Bigfoot.”
    “Ah. And he said…?”
    “Well, I was hoping he could come out and take a look around, but he’s leaving town tomorrow, so that’s a no-go.”
    “How disappointing. I know how much his professional opinion means to you.” Jane was grinning.
    “Stop that,” Alice said with mock severity. “We’re just friends.” She went on. “I was a little surprised at what he said when I told him how big a furor those prints have created around here.”
    “Let me guess. He laughed and said people are gullible.”
    “No, that’s what I said—in a nicer way, of course. I think it’s implausible that an animal that size could have escaped detection for so long. But Mark reminded me that only last year scientists got their first-ever video of a living giant squid. He seems to think it’s possible that a shy creature with significant animal intelligence could evade humans for a long time.”
    “Wow.” Alice had caught Jane’s full attention. “You’re kidding me. Mark believes in Bigfoot?”
    “I wouldn’t say he believes,” Alice hedged. “But he was more willing than I was to entertain the possibility of its existence.”

    Despite their hopes, Wendell did not appear when Alice and Louise went to Potterston on Friday afternoon. They distributed all their posters but one and made a list of several other places that would allow them to hang a flyer.
    Discouraged and disappointed, they stopped at the animal shelter located between Potterston and Acorn Hill on the way home and put up their last poster. The girl at the desk had no record of any gray tabbies brought in recently, but promised to keep an eye out for Wendell.
    Riding home, Alice began to feel the first stirrings of resignation. What if Wendell was gone for good?
    When Louise suggested they stop at the Coffee Shop, Alice agreed, eager to push away her morose thoughts.
    The little restaurant was fragrant with freshly baked pies. As they looked around for seats, a waving hand caught their attention.
    “There’s Maxwell,” Alice said. “Shall we join him?”
    “Lead the way,” Louise said. “I’ll sit anywhere as long as Hope brings me a piece of that blackberry pie.”
    “Hello, ladies.” The young man rose courteously as the sisters walked toward him. He wore pressed khakis and the rolled up sleeves of his blue Oxford-cloth shirt revealed a hefty gold watch that Alice suspected must be a Rolex. “Won’t