Chapter Four

In Pittsburgh, the first stop, I checked again for a telegram. To my surprise I found one.

Meg, STAY WHERE YOU ARE! Wait until I get there. That mouse was likely lying. I can't chase you halfway across the States. DO NOT PURSUE THOSE MICE! Leaving today on 3pm liner.

Basil

I tore up the telegram. That jerk!

My reply was:

Basil, Not waiting. Already in Pittsburgh. Questioned Flaversham's apprentice, found out I was right. Finding them on my own.

Meg

For the next three days I traveled by rail all the way to San Antonio. By the end of the trip, I was running low on cash and had not received a response.

As soon as I got off the train, I was dumbfounded. All the Texan towns I had heard of were very dusty, dry, and quite uncivilized. San Antonio had neat rows of wood and stone buildings, with very little dust. It was buzzing with activity.

I found a room in a boardinghouse and immediately after searched out Childres' headquarters in town. After asking a few mice, I found out that it was about 2 miles outside of town. I would need to get a wagon, coach, or some other service to get there. Luckily Mrs. Pipton, the woman who ran the boardinghouse, told me that he usually stayed at the Carlton Hotel when he was in town.

The third day I was in San Antonio, I went to the hotel, but that surprised me too. It was very elegant; many rich mice stayed there. At the front desk I asked for Childres' room number, and actually got it. But then I was stumped. I had not thought of how I was going to find the Flavershams this way. They were most likely at Childres' headquarters outside of town, but I could not be certain of that. I needed a plan.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

I jumped to my feet, banging my head on a wall painting as I straightened myself up from behind a large, potted plant. The maid gave me a confused look. "Oh! Um, yes, I'm fine. I just lost my earring, and I thought I might have dropped it here."

"Ma'am, your earring is on your ear-"

"Oh, um, yes... how foolish of me. Thank you!" I said in a loud voice.

The maid waited for me to leave first. When I did not, she asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Yes!" I practically shouted. I tried to compose myself. "I mean, yes, I'm quite all right. Goodbye now."

Trying not to seem rude by staying, yet unsure of my suspicious behavior, the maid slowly walked away, giving me small glances every few steps.

When she was out of sight, I returned to my spot behind the plant, always keeping an eye on Childres' door. Why isn't he coming out? Dinner was brought to him an hour ago. He has go to see the Flavershams sometime!

A quarter of an hour later, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I yelped.

"Ma'am?" the same maid asked again. "Are you feeling well?"

"Um... I... uh..."

The door I had been watching opened, and a middle-aged mouse with slightly gray fur came out. He was dressed in a darker gray suit, and carried a silver cane.

"Pardon me," I asked the young girl, "But who is that man?"

"Him? Why, that's Mr. Childres, the oil owner."

"Really?" My voice was faint. I had not expected to actually be this close to him. "Um... pardon me..." I slowly followed the millionaire down the hallway.

Ten minutes later, I found myself in front of a saloon. I should've known. All men are alike. All they do is drink and gamble. I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Another astonishment. The air was full of cigar smoke, but it was well-lit and fairly clean inside. A solitary piano player was in the corner. No showgirls, and many of the "barmaids" looked very respectable. It was nothing like the seaside pubs in London.

I took a table in the corner and ordered a small bottle of brandy. I tried to sip it, but it was too strong for me. I watched Childres talk with three other, well-dressed mice for two hours. I was starting to get bored. This detective stuff was not as interesting as it was made out to be.

Around 11 o'clock Childres got up and bid the others goodbye. I quickly paid and followed him out of the saloon.

He took a cab back to the hotel.

I went back to the boardinghouse. Maybe tomorrow...

It was the same for four more days. Childres went out around 8 or 9 and drank at the saloon for two hours, usually playing poker with the same three mice.

On the fifth day I waited until he went out, then picked the lock to his room. I searched for an hour for any clues as to the whereabouts of the Flavershams, but came up with nothing. So I went to the saloon, but almost ran into him on his way out.

"Oh! Pardon me," I said quickly.

"That's quite all right, miss," he answered, tipping his hat. "Good evening."

I went into the saloon so I would not arouse suspicion from Childres. He took a cab. I ran to the sidewalk and hailed another cab, following him to another saloon.

Immediately I could tell that this one was rowdier than the last one. Much rowdier. The loud screaming and drunken yells from the inside said it all.

I went around to the back, looking for an entrance where I would not be noticed. I found myself in a crowded dressing room. Showgirls in revealing dresses were bustling about, putting on makeup and adjusting their costumes. Some of them stared at me.

They know I don't belong here.

I went to the stage and peeked out at the crowd. There was Childres, at a table with a ferret and a much larger mouse. Childres was facing my direction, and he seemed to be in good spirits.

"Hey!" someone shouted, pulling me backwards. It was a piano player. "Are you the replacement for Kristen? She said she was sending a friend to perform until she-"

"No! I... um... wait, yes!" I stuttered.

"Good," he said. "I'm Jesse, the piano player. Now, she said that you didn't have an act or anything, but that you were a decent singer. What songs do you know?"

He pulled me to the dressing room as he spoke. "Sarah! Emily! Rachel! Help this girl into her costume!"

I was pulled out of my plain dress and into a gold and black silk thing. The girls Jesse had called put on large amounts of makeup on my face as the piano player chatted on.

"Okay, you're singing three songs, then offstage with you! Remember them?" he asked.

"Yes," I gasped as I was pushed towards the stage.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Name?" I had not thought of an alias. "Uh..." I looked around me. There was a fake rose in one of the dancer's hair. "Rosie."

"Okay Rosie, let's go!"

Loud piano music started to play. The curtain lifted as a young girl started up an old sailor ditty. Her voice was beautiful.

Childres and his two comrades, who had been deep in conversation before, stopped to watch the dark-haired girl on stage.

"She's right pretty," the ferret, who had a bit of a twang to his voice, said stupidly. He was getting himself fearfully drunk.

"Yes..." Childres looked closely at the girl's face. She ended her song and started up another one. "I do believe I have seen her before..."

The ferret did not seem to hear the comment. "Me think I'll pay her a beer."

"Don't get yourself drunk!" Childres snapped. "I didn't come all this way just for you to intoxicate yourself so. You're here on business."

The large mouse next to him ignored them. The singer enraptured him.

He murmured to himself, "It can't be..."

The yells and catcalls of the rodents in the saloon followed me as I left the stage. I hurried to the dressing room to look for my dress. After searching for five minutes, I finally found it thrown in a corner. I went to a mirror and started to take my makeup off.

"Megana!" an angry voice behind me barked.

I saw the speaker's reflection in the mirror. My blood froze.

"You!"

JWJ: (Mockingly) Sarah! Emily! Rachel!

RAEB: (After a slight pause) Hey, we're in the story!

Emma: You changed my name...

RAEB: And mine!

Meg: You both asked me to!

Sarah: How come Leigh and Lizz aren't in it?

Meg: They didn't want to be.

JWJ: (To himself) They're the only smart ones around here besides me, of course.