"Well," admitted Joe, "it was dropped this morning."
"In what?" demanded Walt.
"Just on the floor."
Wes Farrell nodded. "Probably re-arranged some of the molecular patterns in the recording," he said.
Joe put both bottles in the duplicator and turned the switch. They disappeared in seconds, and then Joe took another recording and made a bottle of a different brand. Again Walt tasted gingerly, smiled hugely, and took a full swallow.
"Whew," he said. "That was almost enough to make a man give up liquor entirely."
"And now," said Don Channing, "let us in on your big secret—or was this just a ruse to get us in this gilded bistro?"
Walt nodded. He led them to the back of the bar and into the back room. "Refrigerator," he said.
Arden took his arm with affected sympathy. "I know it's big enough but—"
Walt swung the huge door open and stepped in.