Two Prongs

Victor returns to Penguin, with his incomplete paperwork, and the Peruvian hat.

Katherine drives to Wynyard.

Margaret, the front seat passenger. Terence in the back.

Hey! says Terence. He took my hat!

He needs it to identify Bernie, says Katherine.

What if Bernie wants it back? asks Terence.

Then Vincent will have to return it, says Margaret. In exchange for the cheese knife, which he  promised Katherine he would recover.

Eventually, says Katherine. Who knows what that means?

I know, says Terence. It means someone wants to hit you with a carpentry tool but they pretend they're not going to so they can hit you eventually.

I didn't mean that, says Katherine. I meant we don't know how long it will be.

Nor did I, says Terence.

Poor you, says Katherine. You must be jolly glad you fell off the Sagrada Familia.

Except for the parrots, says Terence. I miss them. Hey!

Now what? says Margaret.

Jinjing, says Terence. He won't know where we are.

Victor can tell him, says Katherine.

If he sees him, says Margaret.

By now they have arrived in Wynyard, which is not far from Burnie.

Now to see the Wonders of Wynyard!

......

Victor has arrived in Penguin, and pulled up beside Baby Bin Penguin.

Bernie is waiting.

I'm Victor, says Victor.

Bernie, says Bernie.

They shake hands.

Bernie hands Victor the cheese knife.

This is it, says Bernie. Little fellow came at me with it.

Not sure your story stacks up, says Victor. See the way the knife ends in two prongs that point upwards. That's for spearing cubes of cheese. There's no way a grown man would be afraid of a child with a cheese knife, and surrender his hat.

Okay officer, says Bernie. I'll admit it was a swap. I lied because I panicked when I got a call from a policeman.

Never lie to a policeman, says Victor. Lucky for you I haven't filed my report yet. But the fact remains, this cheese knife belongs to a third party.

Shit! says Bernie. You take it. And I'll have the hat.

Sorry, says Victor. I'll need to keep the hat as evidence. You should get it back eventually.

Great. You've got my phone number, says Bernie.

I have indeed, says Victor. I appreciate your cooperation.

No worries, says Bernie.

Victor drives off with the hat and the cheese knife.

Bernie walks away with nothing, but having learned something useful about the police.

Jinjing, who was lurking overhead on a lamp post, flutters down to Baby Bin Penguin.

Hear that? says Baby. Victor's forgotten all about you.

Good, says Jinjing.