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My employer looked up sharply. "There is?" she demanded, putting on her glasses.

"Inspector Ibarra," I explained.

She frowned. "Why would he help us?"

"Because he owes you one. You solved a case for him, for which he took the credit. He owes you."

"That was just coincidence. I... What are you saying?"

"He set it up so that you would solve that case for him. That was his plan from the beginning. He put us in the room, and then he put Ron in the room with us so you could interview her. And he had that piece of paper in his pocket. If you hadn't asked about it, he would have made sure it got to you somehow. And you solved the case, and he got the credit."

She started to speak, stopped, frowned, shook her head, and finally said, "Poo!" Which was, for her, a powerful oath indeed.

Stu had kept his expression blank throughout this, but I had a pretty good idea he'd figured this out long ago. Perhaps even before I had. Christy, who had been with us during the college case (where this had all happened) was also expressionless.

"Shall I call him?" Stu asked.

"Give me a minute," she said. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips for a moment, then she nodded.

Then, an extraordinary thing happened. My employer said later that it was the most interesting part of the entire case.

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