Tales of the City 03 - Further Tales of the City

Halcyon Hill?”
    “Uh … well, he didn’t know the address. He knew mine, so he brought them here …”
    “And then you called Halcyon Hill and told Emma to get my mother out of the house immediately. What sense does that make, Prue?”
    “Well … he was furious at your mother, and I didn’t want her to be subjected to …”
    DeDe rolled her eyes impatiently. “If he was coming to Halcyon Hill anyway, why didn’t he bring the children with him?”
    Prue’s eyes welled with tears again. “DeDe … please … I don’t know…. He wasn’t making any sense. I thought you’d be grateful to have your children back.”
    DeDe employed a more lenient tone. “I’m just trying to get at the truth. You can understand that.”
    Prue nodded, wiping her eyes. “He was acting funny. That’s all I can say. It was just an instinct I had. If your mother had stayed at Halcyon Hill, she would have seen that!”
    DeDe heaved a long sigh. “She did stay, Prue.”
    “What?”
    “She was sound asleep,” said DeDe.
    “Then, maybe Emma …”
    “Emma sat up all night, watching the house.”
    “And she didn’t see him?”
    “That’s right,” said DeDe. “He never showed up.”

Buffaloes in London
    A FTER LEAVING PRUE’S APARTMENT, DEDE AND MARY Ann took the twins to breakfast at Mama’s in Gramercy Towers. A hot meal and the sound of laughing children did wonders for Mary Ann’s faltering spirits.
    The ordeal, she realized, was finally over.
    “It’s a great story,” she remarked, “even without … him.”
    DeDe wiped a blob of jelly off Edgar’s chin. “I’ll do all I can to help. Give us a few days, O.K.?”
    “Sure.”
    “Do you still want to do it on your movie show?” asked DeDe.
    “I’m not sure about that,” said Mary Ann. “Do you mind including the children, by the way?”
    DeDe hesitated, then smiled. “Of course not. Not after what you’ve done.” She turned to the twins. “Hey, you guys … wanna be on TV with Mary Ann?”
    The children cheered.
    “There’s your answer,” smiled DeDe.
    “Great,” said Mary Ann.
    Edgar tugged on his mother’s arm. “Can Dad be on TV, too?”
    After a pregnant pause, DeDe said: “Dad?”
    “Can he?” asked Anna, lending support to her brother.
    DeDe looked from one child to the other, then said quietly: “Do you mean Mr. Starr?”
    Both heads nodded, eyes wider than ever. Mary Ann turned and waited with them for DeDe’s answer.
    “Darling,” said DeDe, “Mr. Starr has gone back to London. We won’t be seeing him for a while.”
    “Why?” asked Anna.
    “Well … because that’s where he lives. He was just on vacation when you met him on the ship. His house is in London.”
    “His house is neat, ” said Anna.
    DeDe stared at the little girl. “What, darling?”
    “He has chipmunkies,” said Anna.
    Edgar corrected her. “Chipmunks.”
    Anna stuck her tongue out at her brother. “And buffaloes,” she added defiantly.
    “And a great big windmill,” said Edgar, upping her one.
    “It’s in Japan,” Anna revealed. “He has a bridge in his yard that goes way high up in the air.”
    “Right,” said DeDe. She cast a wry glance in Mary Ann’s direction. “There’s no telling what that bastard told them.” Then she turned back to the children. “You guys ready to go home?”
    “Where?” asked Edgar. A damn good point, thought Mary Ann.
    “To Gangie’s house,” replied DeDe.
    The children said yes.
They spoke their parting words in the garage next to L’Etoile. DeDe waited there for her Mercedes—Mary Ann, her Le Car.
    “You’ve been an angel,” said DeDe, sounding oddly like a clubwoman from the peninsula.
    Mary Ann smiled ruefully. “Glad to help.”
    “Right,” grinned DeDe.
    The Mercedes arrived. DeDe held the door while the twins scrambled into the front seat. When she slid behind the wheel, Mary Ann leaned down and spoke to her.
    “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
    “What?” asked DeDe.
    “You know. If we got the right guy.”
    DeDe shook her head.
    “Why? Because we didn’t?”
    DeDe smiled. “If we didn’t, I don’t want you to suffer because of it. You’ve done enough already.”
    “What if we did?”
    DeDe shrugged. “I don’t want you to be tempted.”
    “Tempted?”
    “You know,” said DeDe. “By the story.”
    “DeDe … I’m your friend. I would never betray the trust….”
    “I know. And you’d never forgive yourself either. How could you? You’re a