Marvella blew her cover by admitting that she had received a transmission through the Androidnet. Only Androids could do that. And not only was she an android, she was multiple androids, hence her ability to be everywhere at once and function with little or no sleep.

"So that's why there were reports of two androids being assaulted in your studio this afternoon," Beatrice Anaconda reasoned. "You and Renfrew."

"Not me," Marvella corrected her. "The one who was injured was another Marvella android. There are quite a few of us, enough that we should have no trouble putting on tomorrow's show."

"That's as it may be, but there's only one Betty Boop," said Betty, with one hand on her hip.

"That you know of," Marvela said with a wink. She rose from her chair. "I guess I don't have to pretend to be bruised and sore any more." She went into the bedroom with Sigismund to see what kind of decor would work for him. Beatrice left to go hime, leaving Renfrew alone in the living room.

Soon Marvella was gone as well, having guided Betty and couple of husky androids in putting up wallpaper in Sigismund's bedroom. Marvella even helped them carryi n a few pieces of English regency furniture that she "happened" to have in her van. After she left with her androids, Sigismund spent a while admiring the way his bedroom looked. He lay on the new feather bed that Marvella had installed and closed his eyes.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he asked, opening one eye.

"Boop-oop-a-doop," came a singsong voice.

"Betty, I thought you'd gone..."

"How could I leave my greatest fan without a fare-the-well?" she chirped.

"You might as well come in," Sigismund said, opening the other eye and sitting up in bed. Didn't it figure that the only seductresses who might still be interested in him were androids! "I have just one tiny bone to pick with you," she scolded sitting on the edge of the bed. "I did not frame Roger Rabbit. He and I are good buddies, and I would *never* do anything to hurt him."

"How...how do you know I s-suspected you?" Sigismund stammered.

"That's for me to know, and for you to guess," she trilled, leaving the room.

A moment later, Sigismund watched through the window as she rode off with Bimbo and Grampy. "The walls have ears in this place," he grumbled as he fell asleep on that amazingly soft and comfortable bed. Not all of his dreams were pleasant ones -- he dreamed that the Marvella sent him a bill for a million dollars -- but this was followed by a lovely dream in which Orly was restored to life, and they celebrated with a Thanksgiving feast worth writing home about.

Paulh

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