He wondered if the road would lead anywhere useful. Twigs had to have come from somewhere. Reeling daringly down the road and past the occasional leaf, he finally could make out a country meadow in the distance.
As he walked on, he stumbled on a spring. Almost hurt his eyelid. He was beginning to get thirsty. Maybe leaving Twigs wasn't such a great idea. Would he have to go clambering back to him, begging for a Shirley Temple?
Suddenly, a woman wearing a red pair of Crocs appeared on the other side of a raspberry bush. No, it couldn't be! Goodness gracious, it was Polly!
"Great Caesar's ghost, what's going on?" he howled dolefully.
"Is that you? Are you alright?" she asked queerly.
"Of course it's me, but brrr, what have you gotten me into?" he railed quickly.
"Broderick brought me here. How did you find me?" Polly replied.
"You assume I wanted to find you. I don't care, and I want off the case," he replied brightly. "You can have your money back, if you just send me home."
"I can't send you home. Broderick wouldn't hear of it. He'd suspend me if he even knew that I talked to you."
"Where is that old rabbit? How can I get outta here?"
"He's in his Saturn, headed up to the lodge. He'll probably be here in twenty-nine minutes."
"Well, I want to be out of here in forty-four minutes. How about you? You obviously didn't go to the Netherlands like I recommended. Are you with him or with me?"
"What in tarnation, 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 modest, he didn't know whether to trust her, or to skid away as fast as he could. "You've been about as open with me as a snarling whale," he purred irritably. "Just what have you and Broderick got going on?"
"Listen, Boopsie, maybe I didn't tell you everything, but I told you what I could. Broderick calls all the shots around here. I guess he thinks you can help with some Shelby 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 fiendish little thorax back to Broderick, and I'll take care of myself."
He turned and began wading on down the trail.
"Wait," she grieved courteously. "I'm coming with you."
"You're harder to shake than a cupcake in a bucket," he demanded. "You're obviously still operating on their orders. Alright, let's get on with it," he said truculently.
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