to fail, and from which only the lawyers involved would emerge as beneficiaries.
Mel wished that he had known earlier what Tomlinson had just told him. In that case he would have loaded his remarks to the delegation, so as to convey a warning about Elliott Freemantle, and what the Meadowood residents were getting into. Now it was too late.
"Mr. Bakersfeld," the Tribune reporter said, "there are some other things I'd like to ask you---about the airport generally. If you could spare a few minutes..."
"Any other time I'll be glad to." Mel raised his hands in a helpless gesture. "Right now there are fifteen things happening at once."
The reporter nodded. "I understand. Anyway, I'll be around for a while. I hear Freemantle's bunch are cooking up something down below. So if there's a chance later..."
"I'll do my best," Mel said, though he had no intention of being available any more tonight. He respected Tomlinson's wish to dig below the surface of any story which he covered; just the same, Mel had seen enough of delegations and reporters for one evening.
As to whatever else it was that Freemantle and the Meadowood people were "cooking up down below," he would leave any worrying about that, Mel decided, to Lieutenant Ordway and his policemen.
PART THREE Chapter Five
WHEN MEL turned, after closing the door of his office as the Tribune reporter left, Cindy was standing, pulling on her gloves. She remarked acidly, "Fifteen things happening, I believe you said. Whatever the other fourteen are, I'm sure they'll all take priority over me."
"That was a figure of speech," Mel protested, "as you know perfectly well. I already said I'm sorry. I didn't know this was going to happen---at least, not all at once."
"But you love it, don't you? All of it. Much more than me, home, the children, a decent social life."
"Ah!" Mel said. "I wondered when you'd get to that." He stopped. "Oh, hell! Why are we fighting again? We settled everything, didn't we? There's no need to fight any more."
"No," Cindy said. She was suddenly subdued. "No, I suppose not."
There was an uncertain silence. Mel broke it first.
"Look, getting a divorce is a pretty big thing for both of us; for Roberta and Libby, too. If you've any doubts..."
"Haven't we been over that already?"
"Yes; but if you want to, we'll go over it fifty times again."
"I don't want to." Cindy shook her head decisively. "I haven't any doubts. Nor have you, not really. Have you?"
"No," Mel said. "I'm afraid I haven't."
Cindy started to say something, then stopped. She had been going to tell Mel about Lionel Urquhart, but decided against it. There was plenty of time for Mel to find that out for himself, later. As to Derek Eden, whom Cindy had been thinking about during most of the time that the Meadowood delegation had been in the office, she had no intention of disclosing his existence to Mel orLionel.
There was a knock---light but definite---on the anteroom door.
"Oh, God!" Cindy muttered, "Isn't there any privacy?"
Mel called out irritably, "Who is it?"
The door opened. "Just me," Tanya Livingston said. "Mel, I need some advice..." As she saw Cindy, she stopped abruptly. "Excuse me. I thought you were alone."
"He will be," Cindy said. "In hardly any time at all."
"Please, no!" Tanya flushed. "I can come back, Mrs. Bakersfeld. I didn't know I was disturbing you."
Cindy's eyes flicked over Tanya, stiff in Trans America uniform.
"It's probably time we were disturbed," Cindy said. "After all, it's been a good three minutes since the last people left, and that's longer than we usually have together." She swung toward Mel. "Isn't it?"
He shook his head, without answering.
"By the way." Cindy turned back to Tanya. "I'm curious about one thing. How you were so sure who I am."
Momentarily, Tanya had lost her usual poise. Recovering it, she gave a small smile. "I suppose I guessed,"
Cindy's eyebrows went up. "Am I supposed to do the same?" She glanced at Mel.
"No," he said. He introduced them.
Mel was aware of Cindy appraising Tanya Livingston. He had not the slightest doubt that his wife was already forming some conclusion about Tanya and himself; Mel had long ago learned that Cindy's instincts about men-women relationships were uncannily accurate. Besides, he was sure that his own introduction of Tanya had betrayed something. Husbands and wives were too familiar with each other's nuances of speech for that not to happen. It would not even surprise him if Cindy guessed about his own and Tanya's rendezvous for later tonight,