The Clever Detective - page 2
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I thought I heard harp music. As soon as I passed through the door, everything changed.
Under my feet, a brilliant orange pathway cut through Kelly green grass and ribboned over hills in the distance. Rows of cheery, cotton-candy houses with chocolate brown roofs sat on one side of the path, fluffy green trees on the other. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-like birdsong filled the air. Overhead was a bright blue sky and a sun so round and yellow, any minute, I expected a smiley face to appear on it.
I felt like I was in a friggin' cartoon.
"Two, carry the four, plus fifteen..."
At the sound of the voice, I turned and spotted a man in a wide field outside a cherry red barn. He had on a large straw hat, wore a gray beard and glasses, and was dressed in blue overalls, like a farmer. He was holding something that looked like a computer printout.
"Fifteen to the second power, less three..."
"Excuse me," I called to him
He didn't hear me. I tiptoed toward the fence and noticed a large goose roosting in a nest beside the man. It honked at me. Watch goose?
"Quiet, Daisy. I can't think." The farmer dude looked up at me and started.
"Good morning," I said. "My name is Stacey Alexander." I held out my hand.
"Oh?" He glowered at my fingers. Shaking hands didn't seem to be the custom in this place.
"I'm a private investigator," I explained. "King Thrugood hired me."
His brows shot up. "King Thrugood hired you?"
"Yes. To find his son."
"Prince Thrugood? Have you found Prince Thrugood?"
"No. I've just gotten started. How well do you know the Prince?"
"Very well. I've worked closely with him since he was a child."
I looked at the plowed fields, the fat goose, and the odd printout in his hand. "And what exactly do you and the Prince do together?"
"Accounting, of course. I'm Latham, the King's Treasurer."
A treasurer that looked like a farmer? Well, I'd seen stranger.
"Prince Thrugood is the kingdom's Chief Advisor. He advices me about all of our investments."
I cocked my head. "Investments?"
"Stocks, bonds, accrued interest, cash flow, capitalization, diversification. Prince Thrugood is an absolute whiz at finance. He went to M.I.T."
"Did he?" So the guy wasn't just a pretty face, I thought, envisioning the portrait of him in the King's throne room.
The goose squawked again and flew off her nest. In the hay was a huge egg.
"Oh, Daisy. Now you've made me lose count."
I stared at the glimmering egg. Had I had too much Tequila to drink last night? "Is that what I think it is?"
"What do you think it is?"
"I think it's a golden egg."
"Then you would be correct."
"Is it real?"
"Of course, it's real. It's our primary currency. Daisy lays one or two a day. And since she belongs to the King, there's no need for taxes. In fact, the King finances many of our subject's projects."
"Nice set up." Taxes? Maybe the Prince was hiding from the IRS. Or maybe this Treasurer had a motive to knock him off. "Must be a big temptation," I said.
Under the brim of his hat, his brow wrinkled. "Temptation?"
"All that gold around. Maybe you'd like an egg for yourself once in a while. Maybe you thought if the Prince were out of the way, you could have as many as you want."
He made a face as if he'd just stepped in cow manure. "What are you insinuating, young woman?"
I smiled sweetly. "Just making an observation. It's what I do."
He took a step toward me. "Well, I'll tell you what I do. I meet with the Prince every morning to go over the financials." He shook the computer printout under my nose. "I'm lost without him. I don't know what happened to him. I'm very, very concerned. If you're any kind of detective, you'll stop jawing with me and go find him."
Me jawing? He was the one doing all the talking. But something in his face told me he was telling the truth. "Okay, Latham. I'll buy your story." For now. "When did you last see the Prince?"
"Why, three days ago when he disappeared."
"Are you sure you didn't see him after that?"
He grunted, making a sound not unlike Daisy's honk. "Of course, I'm sure. We finished our meeting and then he went to see the pigs."
Pigs? I frowned. "You mean the local law enforcement?"
He shook his head at me as if I were an imbecile. "No, the pigs. There are three of them. And they're on the small side."
"You mean... the three little pigs?"
"Yes. That's them."
I sniffed the air. Somebody was smoking some weed here. I was beginning to wonder if it was me.
"They're working on a new building project. The Prince was on his way to supervise it."
This Prince sounded like he was into everything. Somebody had a motive to whack him. "All right. Where can I find these pigs?"
He waved a hand. "Three streets down and to the left."
"Thanks," I said, but he already had his head down in the printout again.
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