Insects: A Novel Read Online Free Page B

Insects: A Novel
Book: Insects: A Novel Read Online Free
Author: John Koloen
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Barbosa’s body. He’d been taking notes dutifully when he asked Silva about the condition of the body.
    “Were there any obvious wounds?” the inspector asked, his fingers poised on his computer keyboard.
    “No.”
    “What was the condition of the body?”
    “What do you mean, ‘condition’?”
    “Was it fresh or had it been lying there for awhile. You know, how much did it stink?”
    “Oh, it didn’t stink at all. It was mostly bones.”
    Dias stopped typing. Turning in his swivel chair, he faced Silva, who was sitting beside the inspector’s desk.
    “I thought you said you talked to him recently?”
    “I did.”
    Dias eyed Silva suspiciously. Silva didn’t flinch.
    “How did the body turn into a skeleton in a single day?”
    “I’m not sure, sir,” Silva replied, nervously. “I only know what I saw.”
    “This is very puzzling,” Dias said, thoughtfully. “You have no idea then how Mr. Barbosa was killed?”
    “No, no, no. As I told you, I was expecting him to visit, and the only reason I went to his place was because he didn’t respond to my radio calls. That is not like him.”
    Dias realized he had no choice but to go to Barbosa’s camp in the forest and see for himself. Silva offered to take him in his boat. Initially this appealed to Dias until Silva described the boat and mentioned that it would take three to four hours. He shook his head. He didn’t mention that he couldn’t swim and had a fear of water and had trouble with motion sickness.
    “That’s a very small boat for such a big river,” he observed. Silva shrugged.
    “I’ll see about getting one of our boats. They’re bigger, have twin outboards, and it won’t take as long.”
    After some coaxing, Silva agreed to accompany the inspector.
    “Is there any way I could get paid for guiding you?” Silva asked, sheepishly. “I make my living as a guide.”
    Dias frowned.
    “This man was your friend, correct?
    “Yes.”
    “You want to profit from his death?”
    Silva grimaced and stared at his hands, which were folded in his lap. He felt ashamed, but his wife was constantly after him not to share his time freely. She accused him of being an easy mark and not taking advantage of opportunities, such as when he helped friends do a job without pay, or for payment in liquor. Now he would lose a day guiding the police, something he hadn’t counted on. Without pay. And then his wife would have her say. Now he was glad he’d taken the hides. The money he would get for them would help compensate him for the lost day as well as his wife’s badgering. The small pang of guilt he’d felt when he took the hides evaporated. His wife would be proud of him for turning nothing into something. For once.

7
    Howard Duncan spent the evening poring over Professor Azevedo’s four unpublished papers, which were in English. He could see why they’d been rejected.
    “They’re not well organized,” Duncan noted to Boyd in a whisper. “Lots of typos and the conclusions are overly dramatic, almost like he was writing fiction. But don’t ever repeat this, okay?”
    “Do you think he made it up, the papers?” Boyd asked.
    “I don’t think so. The science seems strong, and he knows a hell of a lot more about these bugs than we do.”
    “Still…” Boyd wondered.
    “He’s an emeritus professor, for chrissakes. I suppose it’s possible, but I don’t think anyone could fake a forty-year academic career.”
    “Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve barely started my academic career. I’ve got no reason to doubt him and, besides, I like him,” Boyd said.
    “I like him, too. He’s very friendly and not anything like some of the old guys on campus I have to deal with.”
    Boyd understood that Duncan was confiding in him and expected discretion. Most of the time Duncan treated him civilly but without any warmth. Boyd was Duncan’s employee and little more. But he treasured these moments when he and Duncan spoke as equals, while on the job no

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