I dropped the paper back on my desk.
“That’s why I’m not going after Queen Hemlock myself. I’m going to Perv . . . after Aahz.”
The room exploded.
“To Perv?”
“You’ve got to be kidding. Hot Stuff.”
“But, Boss …”
“Skeeve, you can’t …”
“I say, Skeeve. What if he won’t come back?”
I homed in on that last comment. As usual, Chumley managed to hit the heart of the matter.
“If he won’t come back . . . well, I’ll have tried. I’ve got to at least talk to him. We’ve been together too long to let it go with a letter. I’m going to Perv to talk with him face to face . . . and I’m going alone.”
A new wave of protest rose in the room, but I cut it off.
“When you go after Queen Hemlock… excuse me… if you go after Queen Hemlock, you’re going to need all the manpower you can muster. It’s bad enough that I can’t be there; don’t divide your strength more than it already is. Besides …”
My voice faltered a little here.
“This is my problem … I mean really my problem. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I read this note, and the problem is bigger than Aahz.”
I swept the assemblage slowly with my eyes.
“I’ve gotten pretty wrapped up with being president lately. It’s been hard to … I’ve been trying to justify the faith you all have in me by making the business go. In the process, it’s gotten so I’m pretty sparse with my ‘thank yous’ and ‘atta boys,’ and I’ve all but lost contact with all of you outside of a business context. Aahz has been my best friend for years, and if he … Let’s just say I’ll be looking for myself as much as for Aahz.”