Walter Rigo sat down on the stool and nodded to the bartender. "Hard-boiled Private Rye, please."

The bartender grunted and started mixing the drink. "You must be with the mystery convention."

There was something in his tone that suggested it was nothing to be proud of. "We treating you well?" Rigo asked doubtfully.

The bartender blew out a mouthful of air. "You folks drink like fish on fire! This is the first quiet moment all weekend. And, as a class," he added, setting the drink on the bar, "you aren't such great tippers."

"Saving our pennies for the book room," Rigo explained.

"Take last night." The bartender was warming up to his subject. "There were three authors sitting at that end of the bar for hours, drinking fancy drinks and talking about their books. When they went to bed, two of them left a lousy two dollar tip each, and the Red Herring Swizzle drinker didn't leave a dime!"

"That's cheap even for mystery authors." Rigo sipped his drink, and his eyebrows shot up. "But if you keep making drinks this good, I'll be glad to boycott the one who stiffed you. Do you remember the name, or what they wrote about?"

The bartender shook his head. "I was running around, and never did figure out who did what."

"Well, what all do you remember?"

"Let's see. The one drinking Butler's Alibis wrote books with a pot-bellied pig that helped solve mysteries."

"I haven't come across that one."

"The one drinking Continental Pops was called Terry."

"There are a lot of Terries here."

"The one called Robin doesn't write the books where the detective always sleeps with the murderers, then has to kill them."

"That sounds like a tough series to sustain."

"And the Red Herring Swizzles weren't Evelyn's, who doesn't write about Rasputin solving crimes in Czarist Russia."

"Rasputin?"

He shrugged. "Whatever sells."

Rigo tossed back a mouthful of his drink. "In any event, I know who stiffed you, and which series not to buy."

Go to the answer.
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This page maintained by Tom Kreitzberg. Send any comments or questions to tak@smart.net. Page created December 24, 1998.