Dinner And ...

by Bruce Harris

About the Author: Bruce Harris writes crime and mystery stories. He has also published numerous essays about Sherlock Holmes.

Excerpt

Nola observed the two men from behind an artificial Ficus tree in the hotel lobby. She watched Peter slip three quarters into the vending machine.

“D3,” the voice, high-pitched.

Peter turned his head. “Huh?”

“D3,” the man repeated. “The Baby Ruth bar. Look at the label. Ten-percent more. Why not get more for your money?” Peter’s smile contorted into an oxymoronic amused, annoyed combination. The man noticed. “Let me explain. The candy bar now weighs 9.9 ounces. Obviously, the old, smaller bar was nine ounces. Ten-percent less. The calculation is a simple one. At nine ounces, if the cost is 75-cents, the price per ounce is roughly 8.3 cents. With the added weight, the price drops to slightly more than 7.5 cents per ounce. That’s approximately ten-percent less per ounce. See what I’m saying?”

Peter looked at the short, balding man. The stranger’s chalky complexion and out of shape sweater gave him a cadaverous appearance. The two were physical opposites. Peter was tall, with a full head of dark, wavy hair. His skin had the appearance of having spent a lot of time under a tropical sun. His clothes, immaculate. Peter’s glossy, handmade Italian shoes stood in stark contrast to the stranger’s worn chukka boots.

 “I don’t like nuts,” Peter said.

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