Catch Me If You Can Page 0,79

are you based?"

My girl: "Oh, I'm not based anywhere. I'm just over here on a P.R. thing."

Actual stew: "You're not a stewardess?"

My girl: "Not really. There're eight of us, and we're doing some photographic modeling for promotion and advertising purposes."

Actual stew (to herself): "Like hell. I've been with Pan Am for five years and I never heard of any such work. I'd better report this to the chief and see if these people are for real."

I wanted to avoid any such scenario, so I would frequently reinforce my instructions to the girls with repeat lectures. "Look, when you're out in civilian clothes and you meet a Pan Am flight attendant in uniform, don't say you fly for Pan Am, too, because you don't," I'd warn them.

"If you're in uniform and you encounter another Pan Am stewardess, just say you're here on vacation if your status is questioned. You may feel that's being deceptive, and it is, but we have a reason. We don't want other airlines to find out about this venture, because they'd most likely, with some justification, put the word out in the industry that Pan Am isn't using real stewardesses in our travel ads or promotional brochures. And we don't really want our line stewardesses to know, as I've told you, because it would likely cause dissension. For a working stewardess, this would really be a choice assignment."

The girls cooperated splendidly in that respect. And I rented a comfortable, almost luxurious Volkswagen bus for our meandering around Europe. At times my scheme seemed more like a leisurely vacation than a felonious venture, for we often spent days, sometimes a week or more, in colorful little out-of-the-way spots in this country or that one and during such detours I curbed my crooked activities. It was not part of my plan to shaft the peasants.

But my scam got back on the track in major cities. Before entering such a metropolis, we'd stop and change into our airline uniforms, and, on our arrival at the hotel of my choosing, the scheme would pick up steam and begin operating again.

Every two weeks I paid the girls with a counterfeit payroll check, then had them endorse the checks over to me in return for cash. Since I was paying all their expenses (although each thought Pan Am was picking up the tab), most of them purchased money orders and sent them home to their parents or their bank.

The girls were entirely guiltless, of course. Not one, during the summer, ever had an inkling she was involved in a criminal venture. Each thought she was legitimately employed by Pan Am. They were completely duped by my con.

Mine was an idyllic intrigue, but often hectic and taxing. Riding herd on eight lovely, vivacious, exuberant, energetic girls is akin to a cowboy riding herd on a bunch of wild steers while mounted on a lame horse-damned near impossible. I had determined at the outset of the scheme that there would be no personal involvement with any of the girls, but my resolve was endangered a score of times during the course of the summer. Each of them was an outrageous flirt, and I, of course, was a prince of philanderers, and when one of the girls was inclined to make a sexual advance (and each of them did on several occasions), I was hardly prone to fend her off. But I always managed.

I did not lead a celibate life during the summer. I had ample opportunities to engage in side liaisons with the girls of whatever localities we were frequenting, and I took advantage of each and every opportunity.

Monique was not one of the liaisons. When we visited Paris and I sought her out, she informed me our relationship was finished. "I'll still be your friend, Frank, and I hope you'll still help Papa in his business, but I want to settle down and you don't," she said. "I've met another man, a pilot for Air France, and we're pretty serious about our future."

I assured her of my understanding and, in fact, was somewhat relieved. I also affirmed that her father would continue to get "Pan Am business," although that statement was a lie. I was beginning to feel some guilt concerning my duplicitous use of Papa Lavalier, and had opted to release him as a pawn in my scurrilous game. Anyway, he'd already provided me with enough supplies to drain a dozen bank vaults if I used them all.

The girls and I ended our