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?“A cameo? Where?”
?“I’m not allowed to say. But if you could meet us at the Regent Room at 5:00 PM—”
?“5:00 PM? But I have to break down my stuff. We only have until 7:00 to get it all out—”
?“It shouldn’t take long,” I said.
?He shrugged his chubby shoulders. “I guess, if it won’t take too long. I can leave Cliff to start packing up.”
?I nodded, thanked him, and quickly headed to the YE OLDE MYSTERIOUS TOBACCO SHOPPE booth where John Stewart and Hypno also enjoyed the bounty of the increased customer base.
?Hypno watched me carefully as I approached, and I tried to remember exactly what Sheryl told me to say.
?“Mark,” John beamed as he saw me, “nice to see you're out and about.”
?“Maybe not for long,” I told him, and I gestured to Hypno to join us. She gave a dirty look to John, excused herself from a man who compared two pipes, and stomped over.
?“What?” she scoffed. “We have customers.”
?“It’s important,” I replied. “I am going to be questioned by the police at 5:00 PM at the Regent Meeting Room—”
?“I don’t see how that concerns us,” Hypno maintained.
?“Give him a chance,” John offered. “Whaddya need?”
?“I just need you two to tell them I got the pipe with the red ‘X’ on the bottom here on Wednesday—not the day I paid for it.”
?John exchanged a look with Hypno. “I don’t see how I could be any help. Hypno actually was the one who gave you the pipe. Besides, we gotta break everything down. We only have until—”
?“7:00, I know,” I interjected.
?Hypno gave a shrug. “I’ll go.”
?John looked at her, surprised. I had to admit I was surprised as well.
?“I can talk to the cops,” she volunteered. “Maybe it’ll help them figure it all out.”
?“That’s great!” I urged, relieved that it worked. “I’ll see you then—the Regent Room.”
?I walked away and moved through the crowds in pursuit of my final participant.
?I didn’t have long to wait.
?“Well, there’s the jailbird! They let you go again, huh?” came the voice of Allen Alexander as he approached me.
?“Allen, you’re just the man I wanted to see.”
?He stopped about five feet from me.
?“Don’t try anything,” he said, and gave a gesture to the crowds. “There are a lot of witnesses here—”
?“I’m not going to do anything to you—”
?“No, not where you can be seen. I am really surprised at you, Mark. Who would think that a putz like you could secretly be a criminal mastermind?”
?I stepped closer and he looked wary.
?“You’re right,” I confirmed. “It’s time I came clean and confessed!”
