Since they’d barely touched the airplane food, Jason suggested they have dinner before heading out to the Totem Club. Carol changed, and as they entered the dining room, Jason was pleased at how young and lovely she looked. The maître d’ even checked her ID when Jason ordered a bottle of California chardonnay. The episode thrilled Carol, who complained of looking as if she were already over the hill at age twenty-five.
By ten P.M., one o’clock East Coast time, they were ready to leave for the Totem Club. Jason was already beginning to feel sleepy, but Carol felt fine. To avoid difficulty, they left the rental car in the hotel parking lot and took a taxi. Carol admitted she had trouble finding the place with Hayes.
The Totem Club was outside of the downtown area of Seattle, on the border of a pleasant residential neighborhood. There was none of the sordid color of the Boston Combat Zone. The club was surrounded by a large asphalt parking area that wasn’t even littered, and there were no street people panhandling. It looked like any restaurant or bar, except for several ersatz totem poles flanking the entrance. When Jason got out of the car, he could feel the beat of the rock music. They ran through the rain to the entrance.
Inside, the club seemed much more conservative than the Cabaret. The first thing Jason noticed was that the crowd consisted mostly of couples rather than the heavy-drinking men who lined the runway in Boston. There was even a small dance floor. The only real similarity was the configuration of the bar, which was also U-shaped with a runway for the dancers in the center.
“They don’t dance topless here,” Carol whispered.
They were shown to a booth on the first level, away from the bar. There was another level behind them. A waitress placed a cardboard coaster in front of each and asked for their drink order.
After they’d been served, Jason asked if Carol saw the owner. At first she didn’t, but after a quarter hour she grasped Jason’s arm and leaned across the table.
“There he is.” She pointed to a young man, probably in his early thirties, dressed in a tuxedo with a red tie and cummerbund. He had olive skin and thick blue-black hair.
“Do you remember his name?”
She shook her head.
Jason eased out from the booth and walked toward the owner, who had a friendly, boyish face. As Jason came up to him, he laughed and patted the back of a man sitting at the bar.
“Excuse me,” Jason said. “I’m Dr. Jason Howard. From Boston.” The owner turned to him. He wore a plastic smile.
“I’m Sebastion Frahn,” the owner said. “Welcome to the Totem.”
“Could I speak to you for a moment?”
The man’s smile waned. “What’s on your mind?”
“It will take a minute or two to explain.”
“I’m awfully busy. Maybe later.”
Unprepared for such a quick brush-off, Jason stood for a moment watching Frahn move among his customers. His smile had immediately returned.
“Any luck?” Carol asked when Jason returned to their booth and sat down again.
“None. Three thousand miles and the guy won’t talk to me.”
“People have to be careful in this business. Let me try.”
Without waiting for Jason’s reply, she slid from the booth. Jason watched her gracefully make her way over to the owner. She touched his arm and spoke briefly. Jason saw him nod, then gaze in his direction. The man nodded again and moved off. Carol returned.
“He’ll be over in a minute.”
“What did you say?”
“He remembered me,” Carol said simply.
Jason wondered what that meant. “Did he remember Hayes?”
“Oh, yes,” Carol said. “No problem.”
Sure enough, within ten minutes Sebastion Frahn made a swing around the room and stopped at their table.
“Sorry to have been so curt. I didn’t know you people were friends.”
“That’s all right,” Jason said. He didn’t know exactly what the man meant, but it sounded cordial.
“What can I do for you?”
“Carol says you remember Dr. Hayes.”
Sebastion turned to Carol. “Was that the man you were here with last time?” he asked. Carol nodded.
“Sure I remember him. He was a friend of Arthur Koehler.”
“Do you think you could tell me what you talked about? It might be important.”
“Jason worked with Alvin,” Carol interjected.
“I don’t have any problem at all telling you what we discussed. The man wanted to go salmon fishing.”
“Fishing!” Jason exclaimed.
“Yup. He said he wanted to catch some big chums but he didn’t want to drive too far. I told him to go to Cedar Falls.”
“Was that all?” Jason asked, his heart sinking.
“We talked about the Seattle Supersonics for a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Jason said. “I appreciate your time.”
“Not at all,” Sebastion said with a smile. “Well, got to circulate.” He stood up, shook hands, and told them to come back again. Then he moved off.
“I can’t believe it,” Jason said. “Every time I think I have a lead, it turns out to be a joke. Fishing!”
At Carol’s request they stayed for another half hour to watch the show, and by the time they got back to the hotel, Jason was totally exhausted. By East Coast time it was four o’clock Thursday morning. Jason got ready for bed and climbed between the sheets with relief. He’d been disappointed by the results of his visit to the Totem Club, but there was still the University of Washington. He was about to drop off to sleep when there was a soft knock on the connecting door. It was Carol. She said she was starving and couldn’t sleep. Could they order room service? Feeling obliged to be a good sport, Jason agreed. They ordered a split of champagne and a plate of smoked salmon.
Carol sat on the edge of Jason’s bed in a terrycloth robe, eating salmon and crackers. She described her childhood growing up outside of Bloomington, Indiana. Jason had never heard her talk so much. She’d lived on a farm and had to milk cows before going to school in the morning. Jason could see her doing that. She had that freshness about her that suggested such a life. What he had trouble with was relating that former life to her current one. He wanted to know how things got on the wrong track, but he was afraid to ask. Besides, exhaustion took over and try as he might, he could not keep his eyes open. He fell asleep and Carol, after covering him with a blanket, returned to her own room.
CHAPTER 13
Awakening with a start, Jason checked his watch, which said five A.M. That meant eight in Boston, the time he usually left for the hospital. He opened the drapes and looked out on a crystal-clear day. In the distance a ferry was making its way across Puget Sound toward Seattle, leaving a sparkling wake.
After showering, Jason knocked on the adjoining door. There was no answer. He knocked again. Finally he opened it a crack, allowing a swath of bright sunlight to fall into the cool, darkened room. Carol was still fast asleep, clutching her pillow. Jason watched her for a moment. She looked angelically lovely. Silently, he closed the door so as to not waken her.
He went back to his bed, dialed room service, and ordered fresh orange juice, coffee, and croissants for two. Then he called GHP and paged Roger Wanamaker.
“Everything okay?”
“Not quite,” Roger admitted. “Marge Todd threw a big embolus last night. She went into a coma and died. Respiratory arrest.”
“My God,” Jason said.
“Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings,” Roger said. “Try to enjoy yourself.”