Casebook 1: The Open-and-Shut Case - 1.1[index]
Fishing is not about what you catch. Fishing is about what happens while you are waiting. Choosing the bait and hook. Finding the right spot on the pier. Eating your sandwiches as the dawn sunlight warms your face. Fishing is a noble pursuit. But, let me be clear: I am hopeless at it. I never catch a thing. Every Sunday, every holiday, every spare moment I have, I sit out on that pier front and wait. I never catch a thing.
So, on that day, first I was happy. As I hauled in a fat, flippering, massive fish, I was overjoyed. I smiled to myself as I looked around me at my fellow fisherman. I laughed triumphantly while driving home, and beamed as I presented the monster to my wife.
Maud was pleased to see me, but even more pleased to see the fish! She took it straight into the kitchen to fry it up for supper. I was exultant as I sat back in my favourite chair and picked up the newspaper. But, before I had turned a page, I heard Maud cry out my name. I rushed into the kitchen, to find her standing by the counter. The fish was in front of her, its belly sliced open. She was holding something. Turning towards me, she gave me a strange look.
“It was inside the fish,” she said, handing me a small capsule, no larger than an inch long. I examined it gingerly.