From Here to Paternity

her case. “Oh, you absolutely must. It’s going to be a rousing good time.“
    Apparently she had complete confidence in her view prevailing.
    “I’m sure you’re right,“ Jane said, glancing at her watch again as if she had a very busy schedule and hoping the genealogist would take the hint.
    But hints were beyond Mrs. Schmidtheiser. “It’s sad, really.“
    “What is?“
    “That so many would be taken in by Stu Gortner. He’s a P.R. man, you know.“ Her voice dripped with disgust. She might as well have been saying he was a known child molester.
    “Oh, I see,“ Jane said weakly. How would I KNOW this ? she wondered.
    “Well, you know the sort.“ Doris was plunging on. “There’s something in it for him. You can bet your bottom dollar on that! It’s contrary to the whole purpose and traditional ethics of genealogy. You never start out to prove a particular point, but rather to immerse yourself in the research and let it guide you to the truth. Not that Stu Gortner is the only one to be misled. Alex Haley, of course, is a prime example. He dabbled in order to write a book. His research was the shabbiest thing. Great sloppy leaps of imagination, terrible documentation, all leading to downright falsehoods. It was a disgrace, but then, he did get a lot of people interested in genealogy. We must give him credit there. It wasn’t his aim, but it was the result. Genealogy is the fastest-growing hobby in the world, you know.“
    Jane’s head was spinning. She’d never quite known anyone to leap so capriciously from subject to subject and fling around so much casual slander and so many unsubstantiated claims along the way. Jane was beginning to appreciate what a really nice man Dr. Lucke must be to have described this woman so mildly. Most people who had to spend much time around her probably foamed at the mouth at the very mention of her name.
    “Excuse me,“ Jane said. “I believe I saw my friend out there in the lobby, looking lost. Thank you for the information.“ With that, she snatched up the pink sheet and her purse and leaped to her feet. She had sprinted across the restaurant and out the door before Mrs. Schmidtheiser could even say good-bye.
    She all but ran to the lost-and-found room, the only place she knew of to hide. After a few minutes, she cautiously peeked out. Shelley, chatting with Tenny Garner at the front desk, saw her. Shelley spoke to Tenny and pointed at Jane. They both laughed. Jane crept out and approached them. “You’re laughing at me?“
    “ With you, Jane. Not at you,“ Shelley specified. “My guess is that Mrs. Schmidtheiser got you.“
    “The woman’s a menace!“ Jane exclaimed. “By my estimate, she can libel one person every forty-five seconds without even breaking into a sweat. Appalling!“
    “She probably tried to get you to come to her debate, didn’t she?“ Tenny asked.
    “Oh, yes.“
    “Poor old thing. I know better than most how annoying she can be. She’s a snoop and a nuisance, and I wish Pete would quit encouraging her and she’d leave poor Uncle Bill alone. But for all that, I think she’s going to really regret this debate. Stu Gortner will destroy her,“ Tenny added.
    “Why? Is she that wrong? Or is he—God forbid!—even nastier than she is?“
    “No, no. He’s not nasty at all. That’s why he’ll win. He’s as smooth as silk. A very accomplished speaker. The kind you go away believing without even knowing what he said. He’s even talked me into deleting charges from his bill, and that’s not easy. Poor old Doris will just get red in the face, pop her heart pills, and get nastier and more outrageous until she’s alienated everybody in the room.“
    “Surely the Society doesn’t promote this debate,“ Jane said.
    “Oh, no. Lucky says Mrs. Schmidtheiser set it all up without even consulting with him. I thought she was speaking for the group when she reserved the room, and by the time I found out different and talked to Lucky, it was too late. She’d had all her flyers printed up and everything. I think Lucky believes it may teach her a lesson to let her go ahead with this.“
    “I’m not sure people like that are capable of being taught lessons,“ Jane remarked.
    Tenny turned her attention to a guest who had approached the front desk with a handful of maps and a desperately confused expression.
    Jane and Shelley went back to the restaurant.
    The table Jane had staked out and then abandoned had been taken, but they