DTHS01
DINER RECEIPT
RECEIPT NUMBER: DTHS01
RECEIPT DATE: 11 6 1988
MANAGER TITLE: EIGHT
RECEIPT NOTES:
A feather—a gift—from Mr. Andros. Delicate as twilight and twice as strange. He claims it’s as good as a guarantee to meet with his good pal, Mrs. Cass. I picked out the name, though don’t think too hard about it—I doubt Mrs. Cass even has a first name.
Secret’s finally going to be back in town this week, so there’s no better time than now to follow Mr. Andros’ feather wherever it may lead us. Hopefully, it doesn’t tip the scales of our hearts, as it were. :)
The feather points the way. Not literally—no floating, glowing, or compass-like theatrics—but through a feeling. A pull, like… mm… thread. Thread wound tight around your chest, maybe your heart? In any case, this invisible thread should tug us toward Mrs. Cass, way in the Back in Lucy’s region of Ottawa.
Like I said, Mrs. Cass doesn’t have a proper name. Just a smile. And not a warm smile, either. No, hers is sharper. A cold crescent moon, its edges piercing. And believe me, I know a thing or two about smiles. :)
Baltz isn’t thrilled to go. Sure, he’ll pretend he’s grateful for his free palm reading—but I know him. He hates being told what’s going to happen next. He thinks he already knows it. Still, it’s nice to have a professional skeptic on board when we’re so often dealing with the black ichor of the tropics.
He’s been muttering about traps and ulterior motives the whole time, but he’ll still tag along. He always does. Say what you will about his cynicism; it’s never stopped him from sniffing out a good deal. :)
Hopefully, our elusive employee gets in soon, and then we can take off. Tug at this loose thread and see what unravels. Now, I don’t actually think “Mrs. Cass” is the real friendly face of Fate itself. But Fate works in many ways—through countless flashes of teeth and whispered words wrapped in rhyme and meter.