"No thanks needed," Frannie wrote back. "Just doing my job."

Neil filled the museum's vacant post with Louise Pynchon, eminently qualified. Her title was upgraded to Technology Implementation Coordinator. Information about the museum's program would be advertised over local cable television. Press Releases would be made available to all area newspapers.

Neil worked closely with Veronica Pillsbury on a gayla "Grand Opening" party for the museum. A Grand Opening Committee had been formed and a free-for-all brainstorming session held. Some of Camperdene's best, most illustrious, and creative townspeople were there, making for a rambunctious session. It was decided that food for the shindig would be catered by The Golden Spoon restaurant. Former Massachusetts Governor Chub Peabody was invited -- also the curent Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, State Representatives and Senators, past and present Regional Administrators, CEOs of Companies, and just plain folks. They aimed to have a thousand people show up. Why not? Everyone would be invited -- librarians, trustees, dignitaries, museum afficionados -- anybody who wanted to come. Strangely, no complaint or insult was issued or hurled by ferocious, aristocratic Carla Spagnoli. Neil's guess was that Barrow had succcessfully imposed his gag rule over her -- him with his "way with women."

At the Grand Opening were Bluegrass musicians, a palm reader, a handwriting analyst, a caricaturist, a DJ with hits from the 60s. Neil enjoyed memorable conversations over drinks and a very good dinner with bursts of laughter throughout the evening. He got to see old colleagues and got to know some new people. Veronica Pillsbury was wild with glee, throwing her arms around Neil's neck, planting kisses with loose abandon on his cheeks and neck.

Wheel Barrow saw that and, almost as if on cue, went over and presented Neil with his sketch for Museum Emergency and Evacuation Procedures: "A Supervisor should report the Emergency. If no supervisor is present, report the emergency yourself. Act quickly. Remain calm. One person should place a call to the police. Notify other staff of the emergency, and of the calls placed...." and so on. "After evacuating the building, all museum staff will meet in the staff parking lot."

Barrow also provided Neil with his notes on standards for patron behavior: "No Loitering on library premises is permitted. The front steps and entrance must be kept clear to allow allow easy access to the museum. NO SMOKING, NO FOOD (NO GUM, NO CANDY, NO DRINKS in the museum. Any conduct deemed to be inconsistent with the orderly operation of the museum will not be permitted. Respect other people's right to privacy. Harassment of any kind, whether by obnoxious or threatening language or behavior, is not allowed. Anyone found damaging/defacing museum property will be prosecuted. Removing any material is THEFT, and will be prosecuted as such. The museum reserves the right to search any bags or parcels. No solicitation of any kind may take place on museum property. Appropriate footwear and attire are required in the museum. Parents are responsible for the behavior and supervision of their children. Bicycles must be left outside the museum in the racks provided. Pets are not allowed in the museum."

Wheel Barrow! Neil had long indulged him his grandstanding. He'd long indulged him his harangues. It had often been said that Neil had let him down. Of course he had let him down! What good was it to do work one loved where one was used and abused, where one constantly faced losing one's sense of humor? -- which was far worse than losing one's job.

After the Grand Opening of the Museum of the Year 2012, Barrow began yet another smear campaign, telling people around town that Neil was having an affair with Veronica Pillsbury. When Neil denied it, he got wind of Board Chairman Ben Mulvane's going around Town telling people, "Neil Neil is a liar."

At the next meeting of the Board of Museum Trustees, Neil wanted to talk about that, so he asked that an executive session be called to discuss the allegation that he was "a liar." Ben Mulvane took Neil's proposal "under advisement."

The next morning, Technology Implementation Coordinator Louisa Pynchon stepped up to him and handed him an envelope, and remained standing -- in obvious expectation that Neil should read the contents. Neil smiled, opened the envelope, and began reading Louisa Pynchon's typed letter: "I realize you're trying to do a good job under both internal and external pressure," she had written, "but there are areas of your performance that you are not doing well in: You need to schedule time to work in all of the departments; you need to experience firsthand what personnel both do and are up against; you should never suspect any staff member of being motivated by anything other than pure and simple devotion to public service."

Neil told Louisa Pynchon he would give her observations careful, honest, sincere consideration.

"Go to hell!" Louisa Pynchon blurted out.

Now Neil didn't want people to think like him, be like him, be "yessir"- sayers, brown-nosers. He no more wanted those kinds of staffers around him than he wanted to be such a one himself. But Neil was no more going to stand for being scalded or insulted by anybody who simply and inexplicably and compulsively had that need.

Neil had the weekend to digest and contemplate these things. He came up with a "plan of action." He restored his old use of a "block schedule" which showed the library work schedule hour by hour, day by day, showing (proving) his presence and involvement at the front lines of all of the departments.

Ben Mulvane recommended Neil explain the situation to the Trustees, illuminating why a staff member, hired by Neil, with trust and faith in her personality and abilities, had emerged with so great and furious spite in so short a space of time. He said Neil could not effectively do his job until all the players, from the simply cunning to the utterly deceitful, laid some cards on the table.

Neil again started getting weird anonymous threats at work and at home. Threats -- strange, untraceable phone calls, harangues. But he just kept on keeping on, acting as if nothing fundamental was terribly wrong. What would it take to be the curator of the Museum of the Year 2012? -- devilish cunning? A suit of armor? A lobotomy? He had thought the old Museum Corporation Board was hell to pay. Now all that looked to him like warm-up sessions.

"It seems the Museum of the Year 2012, though the building is new, has an entrenched, long familiar history of bickering and politics," wrote one Natalie Rossi (apparently a newcomer to local politics) to the editor of the Daily Journal. She correctly identified "an insidious culture of in-house fighting."

There was just nothing that came to the attention of the Trustees that did not then come to the attention of the entire community via the media. Once a Trustee knew of it, it was all over town. Neil was receiving letters in confidence from Trustees and MAPE union members, only to hear and see the information on the radio and in the news the next day.