"Hey, you're good." What did I do to deserve this?

Max got herself under control. "Hey, you really going there?"

"Why not? I have a rich uncle."

"You must. You rich?"

"I'm John."

She giggled politely. "Good one."

Max handed me a map, which I noticed had lots of thin, winding roads that ran through open spaces, with very few towns. I thought of Harry, who liked the Adirondacks, and I asked God to do the right thing this time.

Max put an X on the map. "The Point is on Upper Saranac Lake, about there. You should call for directions. Also, you have to call for reservations. They're, like, always booked."

"At a thousand bucks a night?"

"Yeah. Can you believe?" She pulled a phone book from under the counter, found the number of The Point, and wrote it on the map, saying to me, "You won't find a brochure on this place in the wire rack."

"Really."

I put the map in my pocket, and Max said to me, "So, you're from New York City?"

"I am."

"I love New York. So, what brings you up here?"

"A helicopter."

She started to smile, then a little light went off in her head, and she said, "Oh, you're the guy who flew in on the FBI helicopter."

"Right. Fuller Brush Incorporated."

She laughed. "No ... FBI. Like Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Kate appeared, carrying two containers of coffee, and asked me, "You having a good time here?"

"I'm renting a car."

"I could hear you laughing from the restaurant. What's the joke?"

"What's the point?"

Max laughed. Kate did not. I said, "It's a long story."

"Shorten it."

"Okay, there's this place ... a hotel or something-"

"A resort," said Max helpfully.

"Right. A resort called The Point. So, Max-that's this young lady-no, first I asked, 'Is there a good place to stay?' so she says, 'What's the point-?'"

"No," interrupted Max, "I said, 'The Point,' and you said, 'What's The Point?' and I said-"

"All right," Kate interrupted, "I get it." She put my coffee on the counter. "At what point are we now?"

I replied, professionally, "I was just about to identify myself as a Federal agent."

Kate beat me to it and showed her credentials. She said to Max, "I need photocopies of all car-rental contracts from Thursday to now, including vehicles that have been returned. See if you can do that in ten minutes. We'll be in the restaurant." Kate went to the next counter, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and spoke to the young man there.

I said to Max, "That's my wife."

"Gee, I never would've guessed."

I took the coffee and went into the restaurant, which was actually just a small cafe. The walls and ceilings were painted a horrid sky blue, complete with white clouds unlike any I've ever seen on this planet. Plastic models of biplanes hung from the ceiling, and photos of various aircraft added to the motif. There was a four-stool lunch counter, which was empty, and a dozen empty tables from which I could choose. I sat at a table near a picture window where I could see the runway.

An attractive waitress came over with a menu and asked, "And how are you this afternoon?"

"Great. I'm happily married. Can I have another menu? My wife will be here in a few minutes."

"Sure ..." She put the menu down and moved off to get another one.

My cell phone rang, and the caller ID said "Private," which 90 percent of the time is the office, so I let it go into voice mail.

Kate came into the cafe and said, "My cell phone just rang."

"Probably Bergdorf's looking for you."

She sat down and listened to her voice mail. "Tom Walsh-wants me to call."

"Wait a few minutes."

"All right." She took the sheaf of CommutAir printouts from her briefcase and laid them on the table. I took half and started flipping through them while dialing my cell phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"The Point."

A man named Charles answered, and I said, "I'd like to make a reservation for this evening."

"Yes, sir. We have some availability."

"Do you also have rooms?"

"Yes, sir. We have the Mohawk Room in the Main Lodge, the Lookout in the Eagle's Nest, the Weatherwatch in the Guest House-"

"Slow down, Charles. What can I get for a thousand bucks?"