“Leave it to me, Cara Mia! I’ll get to the bottom of this in no time! “ With enthusiastic strides, Gomez began to pace back and forth through the room. “Where should I begin... I could get a fingerprint analysis! Or maybe there’s some clue to be found in that armor. The helmet looks like Prussian cavalry armor -except that it has a bellows visor, of course- but then there’s that cuirass..”
“I have an idea,” Fester cut in. Gomez stopped in his tracks, interrupted, to hear the suggestion. “Why don’t we take off his helmet and see if any of us recognize him!”
“Brilliant idea, Old Man!”
The doorbell rang.
“Who could that be?” Morticia wondered, taking a step toward the window.
“Perhaps another piece of the puzzle!” Gomez replied, already heading out of the room. He ran down the stairs just in time to see Lurch open the door.
“Ah!” came a woman’s surprised voice. “Please tell me you’re not Gomez Addams!”
Lurch groaned and then motioned for the woman to enter.
“Now, Lurch, old man,” Gomez laughed. “Is it really that bad to be mistaken for me?”
Lurch turned to Gomez and let out a long, low groan before turning back to close the door. Gomez frowned at the response: apparently it was that bad.
“’Mistaken for you’? Then you must be Mr. Addams!” The young woman was tall and shapely. Her tanned skin contrasted with her long, blond hair and the pearly white teeth of her broad smile.
“At your service.” Gomez bowed his head in a polite greeting. For Addams men, chivalry wasn’t dead - even in times when an ugly duckling came knocking at their doors. “And you are?”
“I’m... Oh! I’m sorry. My name is Glenda Goodman. I sell perfumes and colognes... But I... That’s not why I’m here today. You see, I’m having some car problems and was hoping I could use your phone...” The poor girl seemed very nervous. Gomez sympathised for her; she had probably led a very hard life, being as unsightly as she was. It had clearly damaged her confidence.
“Why certainly, Ms. Goodman. Just follow me.” After leading his visitor to the phone, Gomez spotted Morticia and Fester, both quietly observing the young women from the top of the stairs. He scaled the steps and began explaining the situation.
“I don’t like the look of her, Gomez. You’d better keep an eye one her.”
“Now, Fester,” Morticia scolded. “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Sure you can,” Fester insisted. “Remember that book I bought about the black plague? The reason I picked it out in the first place was the picture of the big rat on the cover!”
Morticia considered Fester’s comment. He did have a point.
“Don’t worry, Fester,” Gomez assured. He looked down the stairwell at his visitor. “She won’t be here long.”
Morticia sighed. “Very well, Darling. I think I’ll go help the children. They’re talking about stating a lemonade stand. Apparently they’ve been experimenting with ingredients.” She turned and, with her normal grace, headed down the hallway. Fester sent a sneer down the stairs at the young women, before following after Mortica.
“Mr. Addams?” Ms. Goodman called. Gomez heard the sound of the phone receiver being put down and decided it was time to return downstairs.
“Did you have any luck?” He asked in his usual, charming manner. He certainly hoped she had had luck. She didn’t seem to hold any clues for his investigation and the sooner she left, the sooner he'd be able to get back to solving the mystery. Not to mention the prospect of finally beginning funeral arrangements!
“Yes. AAA is sending someone to help me right away.” She smiled and stepped in closer to Gomez. “...I don’t know how to repay you.”
“For the use of my phone?” He frowned and leaned back. With the young lady drawing nearer, he couldn’t help but notice how rosy and pink her cheeks were... The poor girl was truly hideous. It took all of his willpower to hold back a cringe.
“For that and... other things,” she said in a deep voice, still drawing closer. “Oh, I know how I can repay you!” She was now only inches away.
“You do?” asked Gomez in a hoarse voice. He was beginning to wish he’d heeded Fester’s warnings.
“Uh-hu.” Suddenly, she lifted a large briefcase up in front of Gomez’s face. “Perfume!” She shifted to rest her case on a nearby table and popped open the case’s top. “I’ll let you pick out a bottle - for free. It would make a great gift for your wife!”
Gomez smiled, glad to once again have some distance between himself and the young woman. “That’s very kind of you but...”
“Now I won’t take 'no' for an answer! Here, come try a sample of a few of our most popular fragrances.” She quickly picked out two decorative bottles. One was a lush deep color that resembled black but was actually a subtle lace of reds and purples. The second bottle was very different: a bright, cheery pink color that closely resembled at the same time both cotton candy and Ms. Goodman’s rosy cheeks. “Which one would you like to try?” she asked.
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