The Frumious Bandersnatch by Ed McBain Read Free Book Online Page A

would? I take that as a compliment, Oll.”
    â€œYou know something?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œNobody ever called me ‘Oll’ before. I mean before tonight. I mean before you did.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œReally.”
    â€œWell…is that all right? I mean…‘Oll’ sounds so natural. I mean…it seems to fit you.”
    â€œOll,” he said, trying it.
    â€œOll,” she said, and shrugged tentatively.
    â€œHere’s to it,” he said, and raised his glass. “Oll.”
    â€œHere’s to it,” she said, and clinked her glass against his.
    The band was playing “Tenderly.”
    â€œWanna dance again?” Patricia asked.
    â€œYes, I would,” Ollie said.
    â€œYou’re a good dancer, Oll,” she said.
    â€œOll,” he said, testing the name again, tasting it like wine.
    â€œIs it okay?” she asked.
    â€œYes, it’s just fine, Patricia,” he said, and led her inside and onto the dance floor.
    Â 
    CHANNEL FOUR’S OWN private motor launch pulled up alongside just as the River Princess slowed her speed and lowered the loading platform and ladder on her port side. Somewhat a celebrity in her own right, more for her spectacular legs than for her news coverage, Honey Blair drew a sizable crowd of somewhat-celebrities themselves to that side of the boat, where—followed by her crew of three—she climbed to the main deck, an abundance of leg and thigh showing in the short leather mini she was wearing. Honey was accustomed to dressing somewhat skimpily for her roving reporter assignments on the Eleven O’Clock News, a penchant that made her one of the station’s favorites. Tonight, to complement the short blue leather mini, she was wearing calf-high navy leather boots with not-quite stiletto heels, and an ice-blue, long-sleeved, clingy silk blouse, its pearl buttons unbuttoned to show just the faintest shadowed beginnings of her cleavage. Honey normally looked cool and swift and sexy. But in tonight’s crowd, she resembled somebody’s maiden aunt from Frozen Stalks, Idaho.
    Tamar Valparaiso was scheduled to be taped at ten P.M. , which would give Honey time enough to get back to the studio, do some quick editing, and get the piece on the air by eleven-twenty, after they’d covered all the local fires, murders, political scandals, and a weensy bit of international news so that the channel wouldn’t seem like just another hick television station here in one of America’s biggest cities. Honey’s taped segment would be followed by Jim Garrison doing the day’s sports, which meant that a lot of male viewers in their thirties, a large part of Tamar’s target audience, would be watching her do “Bandersnatch” for two or three minutes, after which Honey would interview her, all panting and sweaty—Tamar, not Honey—for another minute or so. That was a hell of a big bite of television time, and don’t think Binkie Horowitz and everyone else at Bison didn’t realize it.
    It was one thing to have the video premiere on all four music channels yesterday. It was another to get coverage like this on one of the big three networks, during the Eleven O’Clock News, no less, following the Saturday night movie. Binkie had every right to feel proud of himself for landing the spot.
    Now that Honey was here, Binkie’s job was to make sure she was a) comfortable and b) well prepared for the short interview that would follow Tamar’s performance. Honey was meticulous about not drinking on the job, so while her crew set up their cameras alongside the polished dance floor where Tamar and her partner would be performing, Binkie plied Honey with rich dessert and hot tea while filling her in on Tamar’s background, such as it was.
    â€œShe comes from karaoke,” he said, “can you imagine? Used to perform in clubs in southwest Texas, her father’s