“Ja, ja. There are little fine threads of blood on the perch which come from the sore toes of the right foot. It was done today, ja.”
“And the young woman wants to keep him here?”
“Ja.”
“For how long?”
The fat proprietor of the pet store shrugged his shoulders and said, “I do not know. She does not tell me that.”
“For a day?” Mason asked.
The eyes grew wide with surprise. “You joke, nicht wahr? A day! What sort of a storage business is that?”
“No,” Mason said, “I want to know. Did she say anything about leaving him here for a day?”
“Ach, no. By the month I quoted her prices, and by the month she paid. Understand, Counselor, not even by the week; by the month.”
Mason slid from the counter. “Okay, Karl,” he said. “I just wanted to check up on it.”