Shoumei white tea is not indicative of invisible pitfalls merely because of its name.

by hjf4dfsf5zd on 2011-08-30 11:05:56

During working hours, Munich is like any other major city in the world: completely crowded. Despite the U-Bahn, an efficient and comfortable rail system, most people prefer the privacy and quiet of their own cars. Artemis and Butler found themselves stuck in a peak hour traffic jam on the airport road, which stretched all the way from the International Bank Kronski to the hotel.

Master Artemis did not like delays. But today he was too focused on his latest acquisition, the fairy thief still sealed in an acrylic tube. Artemis itched to open it, but the previous owners, Sparrow and Crane, could have somehow booby-trapped the container.

Just because there were no visible traps did not mean there could not be an invisible one. A subtle trick could vacuum-seal the canvas and then inject corrosive gas that would react with oxygen, setting the painting ablaze.

It took nearly two hours to reach the hotel, a journey that should have taken twenty minutes. Artemis entered wearing a dark cotton suit, then dialed a speed-dial number on his phone to the Fowl estate, changing the connection. But before he connected, he linked the front line phone to his Powerbook so he could record the conversation. Angeline Fowl answered on the third ring.

"Pretentious," his mother said, sounding slightly out of breath, though she trusted the middle-aged man Angeline Fowl knew not to have given up easily. "You okay, Mom?" Angeline sighed over the phone line. "I'm fine, Pretentious, but you sound like you're conducting an interview as usual. Always so formal. Can't you call me Mom, or even Angeline? Would it be so terrible? I don't know, Mother." The voice softened to baby-talk. "I remember when I was fourteen, right?"

Angeline laughed. "How could I forget? Not many fourteen-year-old boys ask for a genetics ticket for their birthday symposium." Artemis's eye remained on the acrylic tube.