(Continued from March 11, 2010)
“Here is a good example of the negative aspect of blogs,” Elsie observed. “They help criminals in taking advantage of good, honest citizens. I imagine that we need to make an attempt to prevent the culprits from making more victims.”
At that moment, the bodyguard appeared in the lobby of the boardroom. He held a strip of paper between tweezers. “This is from the inner layer of the bag,” he explained. The telephone number on it was the same as the one that Alice had just called. Apparently, several of the fragments, remaining after the robot had done his job, displayed the phone number.
“It appears more likely now that the clothes are part of the aforementioned extortion scheme,” aunt Dorothy said. “We will write a detailed report of everything pertaining to the ‘case’ and hand it and the garments to the police. Hopefully, they will find time to deal with the criminals. There are probably more than a hundred similar schemes in operation.”
While we dealt with the various issues relating to the nightgowns we had continued to nibble on the appetizers. The few remaining ones were placed on a counter that was a few meters away from the large table where we had all taken place.
Aunt Dorothy had directed each of us to a seat of her choosing—a formality that I enjoyed. As expected, my chair was beside Thea’s and she took pleasure in pouring a bit of red wine in my glass, requesting that I assess the quality of the vintage.
Aunt Dorothy, who was seated across from her niece, commented: “I understand that you have spent some time in France; and, while you were there, you became acquainted with a wine enthusiast. So, we consider ourselves privileged to have a connoisseur at our table. Apparently, there can be quite a difference even in bottles from the same barrel.”
Pointing at the bottle from which Thea had poured, I observed: “Fortunately, I am familiar with the various crus from this winery. Therefore, I would be able to reject a bottle, containing an inferior wine. A mix-up can occur, but it happens very seldom. The French are usually very careful when it concerns export. Since there is a worldwide glut of wine, they cannot afford to lose overseas customers.”
The wine that Thea had poured into my glass was excellent. My taste buds immediately recognized the flavor. Some say that les grand vins don’t travel well and never completely recover from the trip, but I agree with those who feel that, after a period of repose in a proper cellar, they will regain their original quality.
(To be continued)