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and at the climax of the stretch the dog lowered its head, raised its tail and
farted so loudly that the other dogs glanced up with a look of astonishment
and admiration. The dog then walked over to Mrs. Hubbard, laid its nose on her
lap and whined piteously.
 Duty calls, said Mrs. Hubbard, placing a wrinkled hand on the dog s head.
She heaved herself to her feet and shuffled over to a small cupboard next to
the fridge. Even Jack could see from where he was standing that it contained
nothing except an old tin of custard powder and a canned steak-and-kidney pie.
She searched the cupboard until satisfied that it was devoid of bones, then
turned back to the dog, which had sat patiently behind her, thumping its tail
on an area of floor that had been worn through the carpet and underlay to the
shiny wood beneath.
 Sorry, pooch. No bones for you today.
The dog strode off and sat among its brethren, apparently comprehending every
word. Mrs. Hubbard resumed her seat.
 Now, young man, where were we?
 What sort of person was he?
 Nice enough, I suppose, she said grudgingly, the same way a Luddite on
dialysis might react to a kidney machine.  Never any trouble, although I had
little to do with him.
 And did he often sit on the wall in the yard?
 When he wasn t working. He used to sit up there to I don t know tothink or
something.
 Did you ever see him with anyone?
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 No. I don t permit callers. But therewas a woman last night. Howling and
screaming fit to bring the house down, she was. Really upset and unhappy I had
to threaten to set the dogs on her before she would leave.
He showed her the photo of the woman inVienna .  This woman?
Mrs. Hubbard squinted at it for a few moments.  Possibly.
 Do you know her name?
 No.
Another dog had risen from the basket and was now whimpering in front of her
like the first. She got up and went to the same cupboard and opened it as
before, the dog sitting at the same place as the first, its tail thumping the
area of shiny wood. Jack sighed.
 Sorry, dog, she said,  nothing for you either.
The bull terrier returned to its place in front of the fire, and Mrs. Hubbard
sat back in her chair, shooing off the tomcat, which had tried to gain
ascendancy in her absence. She looked up at Jack with a puzzled air.
 Had we finished?
 No. What happened last night after the woman left?
 Mr. Dumpty went to a party.
She got up again asanother dog had started to whimper, and she looked in the
cupboard once more. Considering the hole in the carpet and the area of shiny
wood that the dogs tails had worn smooth, Jack supposed this little charade
happened a lot.
 When did he get back? asked Jack when she had returned.
 Who?
 Mr. Dumpty.
 At about eleven-thirty, when he arrived in the biggest, blackest car I ve
ever seen. I always stay up to make sure none of my lodgers bring home any
guests. I won t have any sin underthis roof, Inspector.
 How did he look?
 Horribly drunk, she said with disgust,  but he bade me good evening he was
always polite, despite his dissolute lifestyle and went upstairs to his room.
 Did he always spend the night here?
 Sometimes. When he did, he slept on the wall outside. The next time I saw
him, he was at peace or inpieces, to be more precise in the backyard when I
went to dump the rubbish.
She had expected Jack to laugh at her little joke, but he didn t. Instead he
sucked the end of his pencil thoughtfully.
 Do you have any other lodgers?
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 Only Prometheus upstairs in the front room.
 Prometheus? asked Jack with some surprise.  The Titan Prometheus? The one
who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind?
 I ve no concern with what he does in his private life. He pays the rent on
time, so he s okay with me.
Jack made several notes, thanked Mrs. Hubbard and beat a grateful retreat as
she went to the same cupboard for the fourth time.
5. Prometheus
TITAN ESCAPES ROCK, ZEUS,CAUCASUS , EAGLE
A controversial punishment came to an end yesterday when Prometheus, immortal
Titan, creator of mankind and fire-giver, escaped the shackles that bound him
to his rock in theCaucasus . Details of the escape are uncertain, but Zeus
press secretary, Ralph Mercury, was quick to issue a statement declaring that
Prometheus confinement was purely an  internal god-Titan matter and that
having eagles pick out Prometheus liver every day, only to have it grow back
at night, was  a reasonable response given the crime. Joyous supporters of
the  Free Prometheus campaign crowded the dockside atDover upon the Titan s
arrival, whereupon he was taken into custody pending applications for
extradition.
 FromTheLondon Illustrated Mole, June 3, 1814
Jack walked upthe creaky steps to the upstairs landing. He had just raised
his hand to knock on the door opposite Humpty s when a deep male voice,
preempting his knock, boomed,  One moment!
Jack, puzzled, lowered his hand. There was a sound of movement from within,
and presently the door opened six inches. A youthful-looking, darkly tanned
man with tightly curled black hair answered the door. He had deep black eyes
and a strong Grecian nose that was so straight you could have laid a
set-square on it. He looked as though he had just got out of the shower, as he
had a grubby towel wrapped around his waist. On his muscular abdomen were so
many crisscrossed scars on top of one another that his midriff was a solid
mass of scar tissue. He was so cleanly shaven that Jack wondered whether he
had any facial hair at all, and his eyes bored into Jack with the look of a
man used to physical hardship.
 Yes? he asked in a voice that seemed to rumble on after he had spoken.
 Mr. Prometheus?
 Just Prometheus.
 I m Detective Inspector Spratt, Nursery Crime Division. We re investigating
Mr. Dumpty s death. I wondered if I might talk to you? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]