He wondered if the road would lead anywhere useful. Ben had to have come from somewhere. Slinking menacingly down the road and past the occasional stone, he finally could make out a moonscape in the distance.
As he walked on, he stumbled on an egg shell. Almost hurt his piehole. He was beginning to get thirsty. Maybe leaving Ben wasn't such a great idea. Would he have to go tramping back to him, begging for a piña colada?
Suddenly, a woman wearing a pea green wedding dress appeared on the other side of a stone. No, it couldn't be! Alright, it was Jacqueline!
"Doggone, what's going on?" he groaned caustically.
"Is that you? Are you alright?" she asked clumsily.
"Of course it's me, but spiff, what have you gotten me into?" he explained kindly.
"Jared brought me here. How did you find me?" Jacqueline replied.
"You assume I wanted to find you. I don't care, and I want off the case," he replied testily. "You can have your money back, if you just send me home."
"I can't send you home. Jared wouldn't hear of it. He'd quiet me if he even knew that I talked to you."
"Where is that old cretin? How can I get outta here?"
"He's in his canoe, headed up to the lodge. He'll probably be here in fifty-nine minutes."
"Well, I want to be out of here in fifty-seven minutes. How about you? You obviously didn't go to Lithuania like I recommended. Are you with him or with me?"
"Yeeshka, 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 mournful, he didn't know whether to trust her, or to scurry away as fast as he could. "You've been about as open with me as a shrugging mustang," he reminded cautiously. "Just what have you and Jared got going on?"
"Listen, gentle soul, maybe I didn't tell you everything, but I told you what I could. Jared calls all the shots around here. I guess he thinks you can help with some Wykes 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 resolute little paw back to Jared, and I'll take care of myself."
He turned and began trekking on down the trail.
"Wait," she sobbed valiantly. "I'm coming with you."
"You're harder to shake than a telephone in a canister," he proposed. "You're obviously still operating on their orders. Alright, let's get on with it," he said gleefully.
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