The Adroit Alien, page 37
part #18 of Nick Williams Series
There was also a private dick who was tailing us for a couple of weeks just before all this happened. On Friday, the cops told us he was hired by Tremont to dig up dirt on us and had left the country (probably Italy, which is just down the road from here) after everything happened and before they could pick him up.
There is some sort of cover-up but I think it's mostly about not wanting to frighten tourists away from Nice. I've heard that The Ritz (where both of us were shot in almost the same spot) might be closing. Apparently, two shootings in a year are too many for their guests, who've been canceling bookings. I haven't mentioned this to Nick yet. He'll probably want to buy the place.
We're sold out at the Beau through the end of the year. The 4 Terrors are all here making sure the hotel opens on the 1st. Hortense (our manager) is pulling her hair out because of Lettie, who means well. I've told her to just let them take charge (what else can she do?). After we open, everyone will head back home and Hortense (hopefully) won't be too exhausted if she lets them do what they want to do. I think she understood. I just hope she doesn't quit because she's good.
We both wish you could be here for the grand opening, but we also agree it's better if you come in November. We won't be as busy then and, if the weather is good, I hope we can sail over to Corsica. It's quite a trip.
Ben, I told Nick about your idea for a legit studio and he says to go ahead. He suggests you use Pete and I agree. He's turning out to be a great actor. Of course, you know what you're doing, but "The Horses Are Few" had us both in tears.
Carlo, when things were really bad on Friday night, I started thinking about some of our firehouse escapades, including that one call we had back in December of 1951. Remember? The house with the cat that got up on the roof and wouldn't come down? And then you crashed through the ceiling into the attic apartment where the tenants were doing it? It got me laughing, which I really needed.
I know I don't have to say it, but you two are very dear to us both. We can't wait to see you in November. Nick wants me to make sure you know how much you mean to us. And I agree, more than I can ever write in a letter.
Love,
Carter
P.S. Almost forgot the reason Nick wanted me to send this next. We FINALLY heard from Marge Rocha. Did you know she's back in Hollywood? I've enclosed her address and phone number. Nick would like you to consider using her, if you can, on the legit side. He thinks she's got a future back on the screen. Sadly, Alfonso passed away back in May. Gov. Maldonado finally got his hands on the hotel, but in an odd way. Marge's old boyfriend back in Detroit (the one who gave her the hotel) got wind that she and Alfonso were in love and didn't just get married so she could become a Mexican citizen. Who told him? One guess and the first three letters are M-A-L. Anyway, Utley (the old b.f.) sued to get the hotel back and got a judgment from the B.C. state court. Marge left Ensenada for Phoenix in the dead of the night in Dec. 1955 (with a briefcase of cash, taking a lesson from Nick). Alfonso followed a few months later but only after being arrested by the municipal police (Jeffery's old pals, remember them?) who were trying to enforce the court judgment. He convinced one of the cops that he needed to get his medicine, or something like that, and they let him out for the day. He walked out and disappeared from Mexico. Nick's convinced it was the usual money game. Marge said they met up in Phoenix and then traveled for a while before buying a little bungalow in the Hollywood Hills. That's where she is now (not far from your old place) and where Alfonso was when he had a heart attack. Now there's a screenplay for you!
Author's Note
Thank you for buying and reading this book!
This story, like all the others involving Nick & Carter, came to me out of thin air.
Many thanks, as always, to everyone who has read, reviewed, and emailed me about the Nick & Carter books. It is deeply gratifying in ways that words will never be able to fully express. Thank you.
. . .
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Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to thank the folks who help makes these books happen: my wonderful team of beta readers. I really wouldn't be able to do this without you.
Additionally, I'd like to thank TPH for his excellent assistance in helping me in a number of ways regarding the Citroën DS. In particular, he located videos of surviving Citroën DS cars from 1955 and 1956 in action. That was very helpful. They really are remarkable automobiles.
I referred to But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame, a book (sadly out of print) by Richard Tyler Jordan that's all about the history of Auntie Mame, from the book's publication to the film version of the musical and beyond.
Finally, I'd like to thank Melvyn Clarke of Czechlist, a Czech-English discussion group on Facebook, for suggesting Václav Mlčoch's idea of using "Mother of the Regiment" (Matka pluku) to describe something more Czech-like than just "mother hen." Děkuji!
As always, I want to thank my mother for passing down the gift of telling a story. Love you!
Historical Notes
The use of addresses in this book follows the French standard of the time. The street number was offset by a comma and street-type words such as rue, avenue, boulevard, are not capitalized as Street, Avenue, and Boulevard would be in English. I am not, however, following that format in these notes.
Eagle-eyed readers will notice that I didn't use French indicators for the time and date. For example, "Five in the afternoon" is not shown as "17.00" or "17h." Nor is "January 1, 1956" shown as "1 January 1956" or "1 Janvier 1956." After experimenting, I decided to follow the format I of previous books set in Hong Kong and Sydney (as well as Paris) and use the local language and usage for street names and leave the rest in Nick's vernacular at the time.
Of the five hotels cited by name in this book, only the Crillon is real.
Hôtel de Crillon was built as a palace in 1758 and originally commissioned by King Louis XV and is a twin to Hôtel de la Marine, which is also on the Place de la Concorde. The Crillon opened as a hotel in the English sense of the word in 1909 and is still open today.
The other four hotels are utterly fictional.
Hôtel Philippe le Long ("The Phillip") in Paris. I couldn't make up an address on a main street (which is my usual habit) since all the numbers are already assigned, Parisian efficiency being what it is. So, I decided to set it at 21 Boulevard du Montparnesse, on the southeast corner of the intersection of Rue du Cherche-Midi. My apologies to the restaurant, school, and upholsterer currently (2018) at that location.
Hôtel Vallée de Chamonix in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. If such a place still existed, it would be right at the foot of the Téléphérique de La Flégère (the red trams that Nick describes moving up and down the side of the mountain) and at the west end of what is now the Golf Club de Chamonix.
The Hôtel Beau Rivage ("The Beau") in Nice. Its address is the same as the Hôtel Negresco and some of its layout and history is borrowed from the Negresco but The Beau is utterly fictional.
As far as I can tell, there never was a hotel in Nice called The Ritz. In this story, it is located to the east of Jardin Albert 1er, which is the park where Nick and Carter go for a stroll. The hotel steps would face the spot where Avenue Gustave V ends at Promenade des Anglais.
The Republican Guard (Garde républicaine) is an elite unit of the French Gendarmarie. Among other duties, it is tasked with guarding important public buildings in Paris and protecting persons of national interest to the French Republic. It is the heir of numerous similar elite units that pre-date the French Revolution. Its name comes from the Municipal Guard of Paris, which was formed in 1802 by Napoleon. Its current form dates to 1848 when it was called the Republican Guard of Paris. The official name of the Guard in 1956 was Legion of the Republican Guard of Paris. It was given that name in 1952 when it participated in the Indochina War. In 1978, the name was changed to simply Republican Guard. In 1956, the Guard was headed by a colonel (whose name I could not identify), so a lieutenant colonel is not an insignificant person. At present (2018), the head of the Republican Guard is a major general (general de division).
The idea of Madame Marika's "troops" arose from an email I received from Melvyn Clarke in response to a query. I wanted to find something that would sound more Czech than describing her as a "mother hen." It turns out that idiom is the same in Czech as in English. He told me, however, that another Czech-English translator had already devised a way to do what I was hoping to do. To quote Mr. Clarke: "Václav Mlčoch came up with a neat idea. He suggested Mother of the Regiment (Matka pluku), part of the title of a well-known opera written by Josef Kajetán Tyl, who also wrote the Czech National Anthem. The name is well known here [in the Czech Republic], and crops up elsewhere in Czech popular culture... The protegés might then be referred to as troops..."
Auntie Mame, starring Rosalind Russell, opened at The Broadhurst Theatre at 235 West 44th Street on Wednesday, October 31, 1956. The original novel was written by Edward Everett Tanner III under the name Patrick Dennis. The book was an immediate New York Times bestseller on publication in early 1955 and stayed on that list for two years. Tanner later told Roz that he wrote it with her in mind. And, long before they met, she read the novel and realized how right a part it would be for her.
The tale from publication to opening night is a long and twisted one and worth reading if you have the desire to do so. But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame is out of print but is available to buy second-hand. I highly recommend doing so.
The reaction of the audience on the night when Nick and Carter see the play is borrowed from that book. During the final two previews, the audience offered little to no response. This was after a long series of previews in Wilmington, Philadelphia, and Washington where the audiences were wildly enthusiastic and responsive to the play. This was reported in all the reviews of the out-of-town shows. As recounted by Jerry Lawrence (who, with Robert E. Lee, adapted the novel for the stage), this is what happened during the penultimate preview performance at The Broadhurst after the audience offered no response to the show:
"Rosalind was furious," recalls Jerome Lawrence. "During intermission that night she called for the leader of one of the theatre parties that purchased tickets. 'Bring her backstage!' Russell demanded. When the woman arrived, Rosalind turned on her and screamed, 'You bitch! How dare you! How dare you just sit out there—we know this is a funny play. How dare you give us an audience that doesn't have the brains to laugh! Are you afraid your false teeth will fall out!?'"
I take this description of Roz's reaction and language with half a grain of salt because, for many reasons, Jerry Lawrence had an ax to grind when it came to Roz. That being said, I decided to add it in (along with the fanciful idea that the same thing might have happened during previews for Wonderful Town).
In the same book, Peggy Cass (Agnes Gooch in the play) is quoted as saying:
"You'd think we were doing a passion play during Holy Week for all the laughs we got."
In any event, the show opened on October 31st to rave reviews. Ticket pre-sales exceeded a million dollars (the most expensive seat was $5.75 on weeknights and $6.90 on weekend nights). It did so well, in fact, that Roz was able to amend her Run-of-the-Play contract to cover their New York living expenses (Roz and Freddie lived at The Pierre for the duration) and take July and August of 1957 off. That's how they were able (in the Nick and Carter universe) to be in Nice for Bastille Day of that year.
Roz continued to play Mame Dennis-Burnside at The Broadhurst until January of 1958, when she returned to Hollywood to begin shooting the Warner Brothers film of the play, but that is a tale for another time.
More Information
Nick Williams Mysteries
The Unexpected Heiress
The Amorous Attorney
The Sartorial Senator
he Laconic Lumberjack
The Perplexed Pumpkin
The Savage Son
The Mangled Mobster
The Iniquitous Investigator
The Voluptuous Vixen
The Timid Traitor
The Sodden Sailor
Excluded Exile
The Paradoxical Parent
The Pitiful Player
The Childish Churl
The Rotten Rancher
A Happy Holiday
The Adroit Alien
Nick & Carter Stories
An Enchanted Beginning
Golden Gate Love Stories
The One He Waited For
Their Own Hidden Island
. . .
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Frank W. Butterfield, The Adroit Alien
