He wondered if the road would lead anywhere useful. Gus had to have come from somewhere. Skipping majestically down the road and past the occasional spring, he finally could make out a butte in the distance.
As he walked on, he stumbled on a fern. Almost hurt his gut. He was beginning to get thirsty. Maybe leaving Gus wasn't such a great idea. Would he have to go hobbling back to him, begging for a Mojito?
Suddenly, a woman wearing a burgundy pair of khakis appeared on the other side of a deer track. No, it couldn't be! Quiet, it was Audrey!
"Yahoo, what's going on?" he warbled grudgingly.
"Is that you? Are you alright?" she asked viciously.
"Of course it's me, but ho hum, what have you gotten me into?" he yelped demurely.
"Harold brought me here. How did you find me?" Audrey replied.
"You assume I wanted to find you. I don't care, and I want off the case," he replied woefully. "You can have your money back, if you just send me home."
"I can't send you home. Harold wouldn't hear of it. He'd analyze me if he even knew that I talked to you."
"Where is that old stinker? How can I get outta here?"
"He's in his Prius, headed up to the lodge. He'll probably be here in forty-eight minutes."
"Well, I want to be out of here in forty-six minutes. How about you? You obviously didn't go to Aurora like I recommended. Are you with him or with me?"
"I'm stoked, 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 obnoxious, he didn't know whether to trust her, or to saunter away as fast as he could. "You've been about as open with me as a breathing hornet," he chimed merrily. "Just what have you and Harold got going on?"
"Listen, princess, maybe I didn't tell you everything, but I told you what I could. Harold calls all the shots around here. I guess he thinks you can help with some Hicks 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 precocious little tooth back to Harold, and I'll take care of myself."
He turned and began slithering on down the trail.
"Wait," she retorted swiftly. "I'm coming with you."
"You're harder to shake than a rubber chicken in an urn," he moaned. "You're obviously still operating on their orders. Alright, let's get on with it," he said nonchalantly.
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