Page 79 - Effable Encounters

The Formic Solution

“Ugh. If you want to sit there all day and stare at those insects,
that’s your business. I found the gelato you wanted, but I had to go
all the way down to Cornerkopia to get it. So, you’d better wait for it
to harden up a bit in the freezer.”
Gill scowled.
“Damn it. You know that ruins the texture. Well, I guess it can’t be
helped. Is there enough cherry cola in the fridge to last a couple of
days?”
Ann rolled her eyes heavenward.
“You could take a look yourself, once in a while. Yes, there’s
plenty. Now, what are my marching orders? I assume you want to
pad the billable hours in your usual highly ethical fashion.”
“My clients expect nothing less than a completely thorough
investigation. Here are the letters Miss van Ehrbagge extracted from
her cousin’s mail; we must assume nothing of greater consequence
can be gleaned from that source, as it is legally inaccessible to us—
unless you feel like sweet-talking Ms. Pye’s landlord. No, that won’t
be necessary if these other leads pan out. The basic idea is to
determine when in the course of that four-day period the woman
went off her rocker. That will probably indicate why she suddenly
deviated from a life of predictable dullness. This bank statement
indicates she withdrew her life’s savings on Friday afternoon, the day
before departure. Therefore, you will have to retrace her steps from
Tuesday until then. The trail may be warmer in Bermuda—” he
stopped to laugh at his little joke— “but it will not lead us to the
missing person, nor will it solve the mystery of her disappearance.”
“Nuts. I thought I might get a week in the tropics out of this
boondoggle.”
“Dream on. Now, hit the sidewalk, my girl: we are on the clock. I
want a preliminary report tomorrow morning.”
“Verbal?” she asked, heading for the door.
“Oh, all right. But you’ll have to type it up later. And don’t forget
the eclairs at Chateau d’If: tomorrow is Wednesday and they’ll be
fresh at eight o’clock.”
His attention was on the barely three-dimensional construction
work now beginning on the ant farm as she slammed the door on the
way out.

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