Page 9 - Unlikely Stories 2

El Asesino

ontogenetic match to some paleontological characteristic, we
document it and move on to the next roll of the DNA dice.”
“So nothing goes out of that lab that is alive.”
“Correct.”
Flacket laid out a chart on Rabette’s desk. “This is a graph of your
egg consumption. Every one that enters your lab has to be accounted
for. So many go in, and the same number is destroyed, whether or
not it has hatched. Our auditors examined this data, and looked
closer at the unhatched ones. It seems that on occasion an egg is
dropped en route to the incubator.”
“Yes, accidents happen. Human beings are not conveyor belts. We
go through thousands of eggs in a year. I can’t imagine that amount
of waste is significant.”
“It wouldn’t be, Professor, if it were random. But it’s not.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
The inspector pointed to a series of red dots on a calendar chart.
“Lili Ponscombe has not lost a single egg in a year.”
“As I said, she is very skillful and meticulous.”
“But Alfredo Guerrero began dropping them at an increasing pace
during his tenure. Doesn’t that seem odd? Were you aware of it?”
Dr. Rabette frowned. “No, I wasn’t. It doesn’t make sense. He
should have become more careful with experience, not less. I don’t
remember him being intoxicated or sloppy in any other aspect of the
work. What are you getting at?”
Flacket stood up and reached into the inner pocket of his coat.
When his hand emerged, it held an egg.
Warren Rabette’s eyes bulged. He jumped to his feet. “Sir! Did you
take that from my laboratory? It must be returned immediately!”
His outrage met a grim smile. “Relax, Professor. Yes, I carried it
out of your lab—but I also carried it in, nice and warm.”
“But—but—why?”
“As a demonstration of possibility.” Flacket glanced at his watch.
“For anything more definite, you’ll have to go on a little excursion
with me. We have just enough time to get to the ad hoc palenque.”
“The what?”
“Come along: I’ll explain on the way.”
Mystified, Warren Rabette sent a message to his staff that he was
leaving early and followed Jack Flacket out to the biological sciences’
8