"I want you to calm down and spread it out over the rest of the year. Make a note in your gimmick book: New Year's Resolution by Jordan Lennox. I will faithfully--" Lennox started up from his chair. "My God! Where's the notebook?" Cooper shook his head. Lennox raced up the stairs to his bedroom. He carried a famous black gimmick book in which he noted down ideas, gags, references, characters, and so on. He had carried it for ten years. He was never without it, and had developed a nervous mannerism of feeling for it every few minutes ... a sudden sharp flexing of his right arm against his chest to see if the precious gimmick book was in place in his inside pocket. He came down the steps a minute later. "Where's my overcoat?" he yelled. "Which coat?" "The one I wore tonight." "You weren't wearing any coat." Lennox raced to the front closet, pulled it open and tore at the racks. Then he swung around in dismay. "It's gone." "Which? The burberry?" "No. Yes. I must have carried it in the coat last night. I lost it in the blackout." "Is the coat insured?" "To hell with the coat," Lennox cried. "I'm talking about my notebook. It's gone. Lost. The gimmick book, Sam!" "Forget it. I was hoping you'd lose it. It was beginning to fall apart." "But I've got everything in it. A year of ideas...." "You transcribe 'em every week," Cooper said comfortably. "You've got a complete file upstairs in the office. You haven't lost anything. Calm down." "What the hell is the matter with you? Can't you understand? I've carried that book for ten years. I've never been without it." "Then it's time you bought another one. Start the New Year right." Lennox paced in agitation. "I've got to remember where I was last night. I've got to remember. I've got to find that gimmick book." "Oh come on, Jake. How long are you going to milk this hysteria routine? Lost nights, lost books, threatening letters.... What d'you think you're doing? Auditioning? You need a new script writer, boy." "You lousy bastard! Maybe I need a new friend," Lennox shouted. "Maybe you do at that. Want to start a fight? You want to end it right now?" "I'm damned well fighting right now." "Then let's go." Cooper leaped up and faced Lennox aggressively. He cocked his right fist and pointed to his chin. "Go ahead. Let loose. I've been waiting three years to watch you throw a punch." Lennox looked at Cooper uncertainly. In his blind fury he could not be sure whether Cooper was grinning in anger or amusement. At that moment the Siamese burst out of the hat, leaped to Jake's rump and clawed its way up his naked back to his shoulder. "Jesus!" All the pressure in Lennox exploded in a strangulated yell. He doubled over. Cooper snatched the cat off his shoulder and hurled it onto the couch. He shoved Lennox into the bathroom, held his neck firmly and sluiced his back with rubbing alcohol.