The Ilium Obligation (A Matt Savage Adventure) Chapter 31

[seymoure]

The Doctor is Out

“In heaven, all the interesting people are missing.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche

 

We slept without interruption until 7a.m. and had breakfast sent up.

I still had three phone numbers to call. I had given up the night before because it was getting later than I wanted to call. This was for a couple of reasons. First, if the numbers were to a business, it was likely that they might not have anyone still at work to answer. Also, one of the numbers had been busy for the four times I had called it before that.

Hugo still had four numbers he hadn’t reached.

Rayleen was supposed to call me with the final results of her search, most of which, I understood, was done.

We got the breakfast quickly. I had eggs and ham, while Hugo treated himself to Eggs Benedict, which he had never eaten before. The morning papers, both D.C. and Virginia, came with the food. I had put in the orders the night before, before going to bed. We also got the New York Times and the Kansas City Star. I didn’t think anybody would talk about this case, but it is important to keep all avenues of information open.

This time it paid to know what the press had found out. In a small interior story the Times mentioned that Gather’s mother, who had been reported missing two days ago, had come back and picked up her dog. She left again without answering any questions, but showed no anxiety. So my inference was that she had not been taken, but that she had gone somewhere under her own volition.

I also thought that leaving the dog in the first place said that her exit had been a panic. People who have pets do not leave them unless they are in a flurry and a chaotic set of circumstances. What kind of tornado situation could make her go off without her treasured canine?

Then we got a truly strange piece of information. Rayleen’s list included Connie Cho! She had not mentioned any contact with him beyond saying “Hi!” as they passed in the hall.

This would have to be looked into before we left town this afternoon.

Hugo and I called for a car, then we tried to get hold of Connie; she wasn’t at home. We called her work number and she didn’t answer. Then her boss told us that she hadn’t come to work that day, nor had she called to tell anyone she was sick or any other excuse.

This thing was getting odder by the moment.

© C. Wayne Owens
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