I considered my alternatives. I considered trying to lie my way out of the predicament. Finally, I decided to give the truth one last try.
“There isn’t anyone specifically that I’m dealing with.” I said carefully. “The fact of the matter is that I’m looking for someone.”
“Oh? Then you’re hirin’ for your corporation? Out to raid some of our local talent?”
That didn’t sound too good either.
“It’s not a recruiting mission, I assure you. I’m trying to find my . . . one of our employees.”
The policeman straightened a bit, looking up from his notebook once more. .
“Now, that’s a different matter entirely,” he said. “Have you been by a station to fill out a missing person report?”
I tried to imagine Aahz’s reaction if I had the police pick him up. Mercifully, my mind blocked the image. “Are you kidding? I mean . . . no, I haven’t.”
“. . . Or do you think you’re better at locatin’ folks than the police are?”
I was getting desperate. It seemed that no matter what I said, it was getting twisted into the worst possible interpretation.
“He’s not really missing. Look, officer, I had a falling out with my old partner, who happens to also be the co-founder of the corporation and a Pervect. He left in a huff, presumably to return here to Perv. All I want to do is locate him and try to convince him to come back to the company, or at least make amends so we can part on more agreeable terms. In short, while it’s business related, it’s more of a personal matter.”
The policeman listened intently until I had finished. “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place, lad?” he scowled, flipping his notebook shut. “I’ll have you know my time’s too valuable to be wastin’ chattin’ with everybody who wants to tell me his life story.”