He wondered if the road would lead anywhere useful. Harley had to have come from somewhere. Ambling sagely down the road and past the occasional wolf track, he finally could make out a stream in the distance.
As he walked on, he stumbled on a deer track. Almost hurt his toupee. He was beginning to get thirsty. Maybe leaving Harley wasn't such a great idea. Would he have to go sneaking back to him, begging for a bottle of water?
Suddenly, a woman wearing an azure pair of nylons appeared on the other side of a stone. No, it couldn't be! Idiot, it was Marybel!
"Ooh, what's going on?" he called quietly.
"Is that you? Are you alright?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Of course it's me, but shazam, what have you gotten me into?" he thought obediently.
"Luis brought me here. How did you find me?" Marybel replied.
"You assume I wanted to find you. I don't care, and I want off the case," he replied primly. "You can have your money back, if you just send me home."
"I can't send you home. Luis wouldn't hear of it. He'd grill me if he even knew that I talked to you."
"Where is that old ninnyhammer? How can I get outta here?"
"He's in his Trans Am, headed up to the lodge. He'll probably be here in four minutes."
"Well, I want to be out of here in forty-one minutes. How about you? You obviously didn't go to Cairo like I recommended. Are you with him or with me?"
"Aw, I don't know what's going on. Maybe we'd just better do what they say and get it out of the way."
She was so deadly, he didn't know whether to trust her, or to stroll away as fast as he could. "You've been about as open with me as a backing up parrot," he cajoled lamely. "Just what have you and Luis got going on?"
"Listen, stinkums, maybe I didn't tell you everything, but I told you what I could. Luis calls all the shots around here. I guess he thinks you can help with some Alden business. As for me, I already told you, I want nothing to do with it."
"You think I want to be involved? Why don't you just take your loving little hairdo back to Luis, and I'll take care of myself."
He turned and began dashing on down the trail.
"Wait," she recited glibly. "I'm coming with you."
"You're harder to shake than a rope in a flagon," he screamed. "You're obviously still operating on their orders. Alright, let's get on with it," he said briskly.
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