Laced

What an idiot, A

Joyce returned to Galway where he found his true love still unmarried and waiting for him. He presented her with a ring whose design featured two hands holding a heart topped with a crown. The couple married, and together they lovingly made copies of her ring for the next forty years. Jewelers in Ireland and now the world over have been making Claddagh rings ever since. The a

That’s this Friday, A

A cocktail party will be held at the Galway Arts Center where the rings will be on display before the 8 P.M. auction. The owner of the house where the rings were found plans to give half the proceeds from the sale of the rings to various Irish charities.

Not if I can help it, A

She could hear Bobby through the wall, laughing and talking loudly. That nitrous must be starting to affect him. She cocked her head to listen.

“We love to travel, just love it. We go all over. Henh, henh, henh. Henh, henh. Yes, we’re American. That’s your mother working out there, huh? My wife was admiring her pin. You picked it out? Super! My wife loves nice jewelry, too. I mean she really likes nice jewelry. I mean really, really, really likes jewelry. Henh, henh, henh, henh, henh, henh.”

A

“Is anything wrong?” Dr. Sharkey asked.

“I heard my husband laughing. He shouldn’t have that gas. He has a little heart problem,” A

“A heart problem? He didn’t tell me that. That’s why we want you to fill out those awful forms!” Dr. Sharkey turned, shut off the gas, and then tapped Bobby on the shoulder. “You’re a scoundrel!”

“But-henh, henh.”

“Sweetie, no gas,” A

“But I-”

“No.”

“I won’t let him have any more of the fu

Average, A

17

Regan and Jack stopped to talk to Clara on the way out of the Get in Shape gym. They showed her the list of people who had signed up at the last minute for the Fun Run in November.

“I don’t know any of them,” Clara said, shaking her head and tugging on one of her many earrings.

“Rory told us that one couple signed up right before the race started and signed a registration form, but their handwriting was so bad, he couldn’t read their names to add them to the final list of ru

“Oh, those two! I remember them.” Clara scrunched her nose and started to laugh.

“You remember them?” Jack asked, surprise in his voice.

“For sure. They came ru

“I understand,” Regan said, thinking of how she and her best friend, Kit, still reminisced about some of the memorable characters they had met since college. “What was the laugh like?” she asked.

“I’m not as good as my friend is at it,” Clara said. “Maebeth is a perfect mimic.”

“Could you try?” Regan asked.

Clara smiled. “Okay. It was-” she scrunched up her face-“Hey, hey, hey. No, wait a minute. It didn’t sound like that. It was hey, hey, hey.” Clara grimaced. “Wait a second.” She picked up the phone and dialed at the speed of sound. “Maebeth, I need for you to do the laugh… I’ll explain later… Let me put you on speaker phone.”

“Hellllllo,” Maebeth said playfully, her Irish lilting voice coming through loud and clear. “Here I ammmmm.” She sounded so young and happy.

“Okay, go,” Clara ordered. “Do it.”

“Henh, henh. Henh, henh, henh.”

“That’s perfect!” Clara exulted. “Do a couple more.”

“Henh, henh. Henh, henh, henh.”

The two friends started to guffaw.

“Thanks, Maebeth. I’ll ring you later-”

“Wait a minute,” Regan interrupted. “Since we have Maebeth on the phone, can we ask you a few more questions?”

“Sure,” Clara answered. “Maebeth, some people here need information about the fella with the laugh and his wife.”

“Henh, henh, henh, henh,” Maebeth continued for good measure. “Henh, henh, henh, henh-”

“That’s great, Maebeth,” Regan said. “Can you give us a description of what they looked like?”

“They were wearing caps and big sunglasses and windbreakers. They both had brown hair and looked as old as my parents. You know, in their forties,” Maebeth volunteered. “But unlike my parents you could tell they both worked out a lot. Not an extra kilo on either one of them.”

“Anything unusual about them at all?” Jack asked. “Besides the laugh?” he added.

“Isn’t the laugh enough?” Clara giggled.

Not really, Regan thought. We’re looking for an average middle-aged couple. Male possibly has a distinguishing laugh. We could use more help. “What nationality were they?” Regan asked.

“American,” both girls answered.

Jack gave Clara his card. “Thank you, girls, so much. If you remember anything else about those two, or anything unusual about the race, please let us know.”

“Sure.”

Out in the car, Regan and Jack looked at each other. “What now?” Regan asked. “Go tell jokes to everyone we meet. Stake out comedy clubs?”

Jack rubbed his eyes. “Call your cousin Gerard. If he knows everything going on in Galway, maybe he can help us with these names.”

Twenty minutes later they were walking into Gerard’s office at a small radio station in the center of Galway.