Cover-Up Story Read Online Free PDF

hour, he reluctantly agreed, probably just to get me off the phone.
    After that, I did some fast telephoning, then scrawled a longhand Press Release for Penny to type when she came in.
    After that, it was time for me to show willing at rehearsal.
    It wasn’t the Palladium, but it had its points. It was close to the centre of London, it had a good stage with decent acoustics, and it had been available. It also had a large auditorium – and we’d be lucky if we could fill it and keep it filled, particularly in view of the short notice Gerry and I had had of the imminent arrival of America’s Newest Sensation.
    Sam was standing at the far side of the stage, talking to Crystal and Lou-Ann when I arrived. The Cousins were rehearsing centre stage, and I wondered how they had become so popular – even as a backing group. And how Sam was going to tone them down for American television. I had the nasty feeling that the way they were gesturing with those guitars was part of the routine and, while it might get by on BBC-1, any American television station would black out the act. They like to keep things pure and untainted for the Bible Belt and family audiences over there.
    Sam was looking nervous, perhaps because Bart was standing nearby glowering at them all. Crystal was ignoring Bart – a little too obviously. Lou-Ann, in ‘comedy costume’, kept darting sidelong glances at Bart.
    Uncle No’ccount leaned against the wall, midway between Bart and the girls, whuffling softly into his harmonica, paying no attention to anything going on around him. Just an old no-account bum doodling musically until it was time for his cue.
    But he was the one who greeted me, who bothered to murmur that Cousin Zeke was feeling better now that the doc had seen him and would probably be all right for the opening, although not feeling up to the strain of rehearsals. Then he seemed to feel that he had done his duty, his eyes glazed over with a distant look and he went back to his harmonica. I walked over to join the others.
    Sam nodded to me absently, then went on with what he was saying. ‘Just try it straight. Just once. I tell you, it’s a mistake to hoke it up after that introduction.’
    â€˜I don’t think I ought to change it,’ Lou-Ann said doubtfully, ‘it always gets good laughs.’
    â€˜That’s the point – you don’t want laughs with that number. It isn’t right.’ Sam sounded hoarse, as though the argument had been going on for a long time. Lou-Ann looked unconvinced.
    â€˜Leave her be,’ Bart broke in. ‘Let her get the laughs – it’s what she’s here for. If you want the number to stop being funny, then give it to me to do. Or maybe Crystal.’
    There was a nasty silence, during which I had the illusion of watching wheels within wheels – all going round. I hadn’t much doubt about what Crystal did, and now it seemed she was going to be pushed into the act. Did that mean Lou-Ann, the ‘comedy star,’ was in the process of being pushed out?
    â€˜I don’t think so,’ Crystal said. She had a nice voice, but it held the ineradicable twang of the Ozarks, betraying her inevitable beginnings in some hill country cabin. Somewhere along the line, she’d been educated, perhaps even sent to finishing school. But the finishing school hadn’t been one of the top-flight ones, and it had still been too far south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The Ozarks were in her voice to stay.
    â€˜What do you mean?’ Bart snarled.
    â€˜I don’t want a number,’ Crystal said. ‘I don’t want to be part of the act. I don’t want to go on stage.’
    â€˜You shut up!’ Bart raked her with a lazy, proprietorial glance. ‘ I’ll tell you what you want.’
    â€˜Things better stay the way they are,’ Lou-Ann said. ‘We know where we stand, then.’
    â€˜You think so, huh?’