As it was, I guess my little chat had taken longer than I had realized, for when I found Tananda she was sitting dejectedly on the steps of the police station, her business inside apparently already concluded. Things must have gone better than I had dared hope, as she was not incarcerated, and the building was still standing.
“What ho, little sister,” I called, as cheerily as I could manage. “You look a little down at the mouth. Problems?”
“Oh. Hi … Chumley? What are you doing here?”
Fortunately, I had anticipated this question and had my answer well rehearsed. “Just taking a bit of a holiday. I promised Aahz I would stop by this dimension and check out a few potential investments, and when Skeeve said you were here as well, I thought I would stop by and see how you were doing.”
“That can be summarized in one word,” she said, resting her chin in her hands once more. “Lousy.”
“Run into a spot of trouble? Come, come. Tell big brother all about it.”
She gave a little shrug.
“There’s not all that much to tell. I’m here on a collection assignment, so I thought I’d check with the local gendarmes to see if this guy had a record or if they knew where he was.”
“And . . .”I prompted.
“Well, they know who he is all right. It seems he’s a wealthy philanthropist. . . has given millions for civic improvements, helps the poor, that kind of stuff.”
I scratched my head and frowned.
“Doesn’t sound like the sort of chap to leave a bill unpaid, does he?”
“The real problem is going to be how to check it out. It seems he’s also a bit of a recluse. No one’s seen him for years.”