He came out, his face a study in perplexity. "Not here!" he said. "This is the first time I've been wrong in fifteen years!"
"That's because it's the first time you've been up against Uncle Izzy. He must have closed the port behind him the same way I opened it."
I climbed through the door, feeling immensely relieved. I realized then what had really been worrying me. If the gods had abandoned Isadore at the last, what did they have in mind for the rest of us mere mortals?
I kicked at my mind irritably, knowing these were young thoughts. But then I am young, I explained to myself.
The inside of the ship was neat and empty. Stuck on the instrument panel with a vaccup was a note, in Uncle Izzy's flowery script.
My boy. I have died of boredom. Do not look for the remains. I have hidden my body to avoid the banality of a decent burial. I bequeath you my entire fortune. Find it.
Rene groaned. "I suppose now you want to look for the body."
"No. If he says it's hidden, it's hidden. But it would be a little silly to go off without finding his fortune, wouldn't it?"
"Looking for buried treasure wasn't in the contract," Rene pointed out. "You'll have to make it worth my while."