The Archfornicator of Canterbury

33 KSPB Canteen

In general, it was difficult bordering on impossible to find a decent cup of coffee in Bulimia. The two agents who had almost caught Jack Back at the Hotel Excelsior weren't lying, however, when they praised the coffee served at the KSPB canteen. It very rarely contained any rat excrement to speak of, at any rate.

Marcello Finocchio, junior agent at the KSPB, was sitting at a table, leafing through the latest issue of the Royal National Herald. At the opposite end of the canteen, Luigi Scoreggia was pouring himself the sixth mug of coffee of the day. His hands were visibly shaking. Scoreggia picked up his coffee and walked up to Finocchio.

"What's up Marcello."

"Same old same old. Have a seat."

"Don't mind if I do. This Cathedral case is driving me nuts."

"That reminds me of a joke I heard. There was this guy who had a squirrel sticking from his fly."

"I've heard that one."

"You have. Well do you have any leads."

"None to speak of. I should have listened to my Mom and become a doctor."

"Of what."

"Of anything really. I think she meant a medical doctor though."

"She would only have bugged you for free amphetamines."

"Don't be so cynical Marcello. My mother was a sweet and kind woman."

"Who would never have indulged in Mother's little helper."

"Not that I know of anyway. Which case are you working on."

"Some stupid special assignment from the big boss. Seems that for some reason he just has to know what this Biology professor gets up to in his spare time."

"And what does he get up to."

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He sits and reads. And not fiction either. Mushrooms. Scientific papers about mushrooms. I can only imagine how exciting it must be. I'm not sure if you can imagine how exciting it is to watch him do it."

"I think I have an idea. I was a junior agent once."

"Anyway I've got to get going. The professor finishes his lecture at three."

"Have fun."

Finocchio got up and left, leaving the newspaper with Scoreggia. He glanced at the front page. It said CATHEDRAL DESTROYED IN EXPLOSION in big bold letters.

The Archfornicator of Canterbury by Olli-Pekka Rinta-Koski
is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.