Chapter 10 – A Wild Goose Chase

The next day, a very frazzled and jumpy Rapunzel left work carrying the mantle clock to take to the repair man. Just as she got off the elevator, she heard her name.

"Miss Mitty." She turned and saw Eugene. She smiled, so glad to see him.

"It's you, it's really you," she said, walking up to him.

"Well of course it's really me."

"What are you doing here?" Rapunzel asked.

"You called yesterday. I thought it would be better to see you in person."

"Oh, yes, well, yesterday." Rapunzel stopped and looked over her shoulder. Eugene looked over her head. She buffered him into a corner and whispered, "Yesterday, I called to tell you I found the book you were looking for. For some reason, I had it."

"You did?" Eugene smiled broadly. "Oh, that is very relieving news. Where is it?"

"I stuck it in a man's suit."

"You what?" Eugene could hardly believe her words. He was absolutely horrified.

"It was a suit that was being delivered from Macy's Department store. It was being sent to a…uh…a Mr. Greno. That's the name."

"Why on earth did you put it in a suit?"

"Well, I had to! There was a man there with very large knife and another man tried to throw me out the window. He had me hanging by my fingertips. I managed to climb back up, but I've had a very rough time since I left you yesterday afternoon, Mr. Fitzherbert." Eugene looked at her sympathetically and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I am very sorry for that, Miss Mitty. I never intended for you to get involved like this, but we must find that book. Where did you say you left it? Let's go there."

"Oh, I can't. I have to take this clock to the repair shop." She held up to newspaper wrapped time piece. "And then I have a dinner party with my father and fia- others." For some reason, Rapunzel did not want Mr. Fitzherbert to know she was engaged and soon to be married. Eugene looked very crestfallen. He gently took Rapunzel's arm and led her to sit down.

"Miss Mitty, these are the treasures of countries, countries who had everything taken away from them by the war. It's their pride and joy and everything that makes their history. I don't know if you ever saw accurate pictures of Europe after the war, but I saw it in person, and these countries, all they have is their history, but they don't even have that right now, because their history is missing. They need their treasures back, to continue with their reconstruction. They need it to heal their souls. I don't have many people I can turn to in this town, Miss Mitty and Auntie, even though she tries, she can't help when it comes to certain things. I need you and your help, because I need someone I can trust and I know I can trust you." There was that gentle, encouraging smile again. Rapunzel was glad that she was sitting down; Eugene's smiles had a horrible habit of making her lightheaded.

"Oh, well, when you say all that, I can certainly try to do what I can. Let's check the phone book, there can't be that many Grenos."

After finding a handful of Grenos, Eugene and Rapunzel drove to the first one on the list. It was a little outside of downtown, in a residential district. They stopped in front of a white house that needed to be repainted.

"This must be the right address," Rapunzel said, glancing at the paper in her hand.

"Why don't you go check?" suggested Eugene. Rapunzel got out of the convertible car and reached into the backseat for the clock. "You don't need that," Eugene said, grinning at her.

"Oh, but it's grandmother's. I mustn't let anything happen to it. My father likes to hear the chimes."

"I'll keep an eye on it. I'll stay down here in case something happens."

"Alright." Rapunzel turned to walk up the steps, but spun back around. "Wait, what do think will happen?"

"It's a just in case," Eugene reassured her.

Rapunzel left the clock and bounded up the stairs. She checked the name plate on the mail box.

"It says Greno," she called to Eugene.

"Knock on the door."

"Right." As Rapunzel turned, the lady of the house opened the door, because she heard someone yelling on her front porch. Rapunzel knocked without looking, but she was knocking on the woman's chest. She noticed the door wasn't very solid. She looked at it and was met with a sour faced woman.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Are, are, are you Miss Greno?"

"That's Mrs. Greno to you, sweetheart," replied the woman with a very nasally voice.

"Oh good. I was wondering, would you let me look through your husband's suit?"

"What?" The woman became very angry.

"I-I-I mean, yesterday, I slipped something into his jacket and I need it back." Just then, the lady's husband walked up.

"You know this gal, Harry?" asked the wife to her husband. The man didn't even look Rapunzel up and down.

"Never seen her before." Mrs. Greno glared at her and slammed the door.

"Oh, no, please do-" Rapunzel turned to Eugene and threw her arms up. He motioned for her to try again. She kept her frustrations hidden and knocked again. The wife opened the door, a rolling pin in hand. Her husband was beside her, pulling her back.

"So help me, Gretchen, I've never seen her before." The man waved his hand at Rapunzel, urging her to skedaddle.

"You better get out of here or I'll bash your head in with a rolling pin." She waved the marble pin at Rapunzel. She stepped back, terrified. The door slammed again.

"Bash my head…" Rapunzel turned back to Eugene, helpless. Just then, a delivery truck pulled up. The driver got out of the truck with a package. He ran up the stairs, passed Rapunzel and knocked. The door flew open, and the man's wife slapped the poor delivery man right across the face. He stumbled down, massaging his cheek. The package was flung from his hand. Eugene got out of the car and picked up the box, pulling Rapunzel with him. They stayed on the porch and opened the box, but it was not a suit.

'This isn't a suit," said Eugene.

"What is it?"

"It's a coat. And a cheap one at that."

"Oh. Well, I'll take this back up to them. I've caused them enough trouble." Rapunzel took the box up and knocked one more time. The furious little woman opened the door again. "Sorry to disturb you again, but I thought that I would give you your husband's coat."

"What?" The woman lunged for Rapunzel. She ran down the stairs, her hand on her hat to keep it in place. She waved her arms at Eugene.

"Drive, drive!" Eugene started the car and accelerated. Rapunzel jumped in the back seat with the clock and the two got away unscathed, but also empty-handed.