5. Day Five
Day Five
“ I ’m going to kill that bastard. Quarter him and then salt his wounds,” Leo hissed.
“That’s the wrong order,” I said, amused.
I was sitting inside Leo’s small apartment, watching as he struggled with the latest gift.
So far, the puzzle box was winning.
“Then I will resurrect him to kill him again,” Leo growled, trying to twist a part of the complicated construction to unlock the second puzzle out of six, all of which needed to be solved to get to the final hidden compartment.
I didn’t mind all the death threats towards my employer; it was pretty obvious Leo was having fun. The growly little lion was getting enrichment in his enclosure.
“Almost there…. I’m pretty sure if I twist it like this… Yes! No, fuck, that’s even worse!” The blond put the puzzle down on the table with a thunk. “Okay, it’s becoming increasingly obvious I won’t be able to solve this piece of crap anytime soon. There’s no point in you waiting here all day.”
“If you’re sure,” I said.
I was enjoying myself, but staying here for the next ten hours, or however long solving the puzzle was going to take, seemed like a stretch.
Leo exchanged the puzzle for the paper and pen and wrote the haiku with terrifying speed, which told me he was either an old hand at this form of poetry or he multitasked and came up with the poem while trying to solve the puzzle. Maybe both. Either way, he had quite a brain.
Hopefully, enough of it to solve the puzzle as well. I was pretty curious what was going to be hidden inside.
“Mystery doubled
A riddle wrapped prettily
In an enigma.”
I recited the moment Peter ushered me inside.
“He loved it?” the man asked, his eyes bright.
“His currently in a love-hate relationship with it,” I laughed. “But I’m pretty sure he will be purring like a cat who got the cream once he solves everything. What exactly is hidden inside?”
“That’s for me to know and for Leo to find out,” he chided me. “…but I’m sure he will tell you tomorrow.”
That was as good as an official permission to stick my nose in their affairs. Since I was playing the part of a fairy godmother, a cupid, and a Christmas elf rolled into one, I considered it an earned privilege.