Mini-Mystery : 3. Flattery will get you everywhere

Flattery will get you everywhere

Priscilla has a nice word for everyone. But her kindness is not appreciated by one particularly unfriendly stranger…

“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”

What lovely eyelashes!” Priscilla Grebin exclaimed, as she bent over the stroller for a closer look. “Why, I’ve never seen such lashes on a baby－so long, and so curly! How beautiful!”

In fact, he was the ugliest baby Priscilla had ever seen. His eyelashes were all right, but he had huge ears jutting out at right angles to his head, only a few listless wisps of hair, a squat nose, a peevish mouth. But his mother, a tired-looking woman in a faded, skirt and sweater, straightened up suddenly at Priscilla’s words. New light came into her eyes, and she looked at her son.

“You’re right,” she said proudly. “He is beautiful.”

Priscilla smiled as she peered down the street, straining for a glimpse of the bus. She knew how the young woman felt. It had been just the same for her, so many years ago. She’d been on her way to a job interview, miserable because she looked all wrong: she knew her haircut made her look hideous, her suit was worn and out of-date, she was sure no one would hire her. Then, as she was getting on the elevator, a stranger took a moment to pause, smile and say, “What a lovely haircut－it really brings out your highlights and it suits your face perfectly.”

She never saw that stranger again, but he’d given her the confidence to get through the interview. She’d gotten the job and loved it, made many dear friends and eventually married her boss. And she owed it all, she was convinced, to that stranger’s few kind words.

Even now, a widow with a flock of grandchildren, she’d never forgotten the debt she owed that stranger. Every chance she got, she repaid him by giving little compliments to people who crossed her path. “Flattery may get you nowhere,” she’d often say to herself, “but it can turn some poor soul’s day clear around.”

The bus finally came inching through the rush-hour traffic. Priscilla helped the young mother get the stroller up the steps, complimented the bus driver on his crisply-pressed uniform, and was pleased to see his surly, harassed expression brighten into a smile.

The mother and her baby found a seat near the front, and Priscilla edged her way back until she spotted an empty space next to a tall, thin man. Now, he really looked as if he could use some cheering up－sweating even though it was a cool day, clutching an oversized briefcase to his chest as if it were his only friend. Priscilla smiled as she sat down next to him.

“My!” she said. “What a lovely briefcase! It certainly is large. I bet you can fit a lot in there. It’s brand new, isn’t it? You know, my daughter Evelyn needs a briefcase, and I bet she’d like one just like that. Where did you buy it?”

The tall man shrugged uncomfortably and looked away. “I don’t remember,” he said.

“Oh, too bad. Well it must have been at one of those nice little shops downtown. I love those shops. The clerks take a real interest in you, and always remember you the next time you come by.”

The tall man didn’t seem to have cheered up, so Priscilla searched for something else to compliment. She glanced down. “Now, those are attractive shoes－and such good support! You could run for miles in those if need be.”

The tall man gulped hard but said nothing. He seemed to be sweating even more heavily now. He must really be unhappy about something, Priscilla thought. But if she could find just the right compliment, he’d be bound to feel so much better.

“What a distinctive tie,” she said, turning to peer at it more closely. “Is that a monogram? W.G. What a nice job they did!”

The man paled, his hand shooting up to hide the monogram.

Well, Priscilla thought, I guess he doesn’t like his tie. Maybe a more personal compliment would help.

“You know,” she said, “you look very familiar. Wait a minute－I know what it is. You’re－”

She’d been about to say that he was the spitting image of that nice young actor on the new Tuesday night doctors show, but she never got the chance. The tall man leapt up suddenly.

“All right!” he shouted. “I can’t take it anymore! So you figured it out. But I’d like to see you catch me!”

With that, he shoved her with his briefcase, knocking her into the aisle, then stumbled over her and ran for the front of the bus. He didn’t get far. The young mother had heard the shouting and seen Priscilla fall. She jumped to her feet.

“Monster!” she cried, smashing the fleeing man in the face with her diaper bag. “How could you hit that nice lady?”

The bus screeched to the curb, and the driver turned around to see Priscilla still lying dazed in the aisle, the young mother still pounding the tall man with her diaper bag. The driver’s face turned red.

“You rat!” he yelled. “Hitting a sweet lady like that!”

He threw himself on top of the tall man, knocking him over backward. The briefcase flew out of the man’s hands, landing at Priscilla’s feet, and popped open. Priscilla’s eyes widened as a gun and thick bundles of cash spilled onto the floor.

“Hey!” a passenger said. “That must be the guy who held up the bank on Fifth and shop the guard! The police caught his partner, but this guy got away on foot. Hold him down, driver! I’ll go for the cops!”

A passenger helped Priscilla to her seat. “Nice going,” he said. “The bank’s offering a big reward for that guy, and you’re sure to collect. How’d you figure out who he was?”

Still struggling to absorb what had happened, Priscilla managed a smile. “I just used a little flattery,” she said. “It gets you everywhere, you know. And, by the way－that’s a lovely jacket you’re wearing.”

－B.K. Stevens