Gamay took her cell phone to a relatively quiet corner of the pub and called NUMA. Austin was out, so she left a message saying they were following the Oceanus trail to Quebec and would be in contact. She asked Austin's secretary to track down a telephone number for Throckmorton and to see if she could put together a flight to Mon- treal. Several minutes later, the secretary called back with the phone number and two reservations on a flight leaving later that day.

Gamay called Throckmorton. She said she was a NUMA marine biologist and wondered if he had any time to talk about his work. He was delighted and flattered, he said, and would be free after his last class. Their Air Canada flight landed at Dorval Airport around midafternoon. They dropped their baggage off at the Queen Eliza- beth Hotel and caught a cab to the McGill University campus, a clus- ter of gray granite older buildings along with more modern structures on the side of Mont Royal.

Professor Throckmorton was wrapping up his lecture as the Trouts arrived, and emerged from his classroom surrounded by a flock of chattering students. Throckmorton's eye caught Gamay's stunning red hair and took in Paul's tall figure. He shooed away the students and came over to greet the newcomers.

“The Doctors Trout, I presume,” he said, pumping their hands. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Gamay said. “Not at all,” he said warmly. “It's an honor to meet scientists from NUMA. I'm flattered that you're interested in my work.”

Paul said, “We were traveling in Canada, and when Gamay learned about your research, she insisted that we make a detour.”

“Hope I'm not the source of marital discord,” he said, bushy eye- brows jumping like startled caterpillars.

“Not at all,” Gamay said. “Montreal is one of our favorite cities.”

“Well, then, now that we've got that settled, why don't you come up to the lab and see what's on the slab, as they say.”

"Didn't they say that in The Rocy Horror Picture ShowY Gamay said.

“Correct! Some of my colleagues have taken to calling me the mad scientist Frank N. Furter.”

Throckmorton was ofshorter-than-average height, chubby rather than plump, and the roundness of his body was repeated in his moon- shaped face and his circular eyeglasses. Yet he moved with the quick- ness of an athlete, as he led the way to the lab.

He ushered the Trouts through a door and into a large, brightly lit space and motioned for them to sit down at a lab table. Comput- ers were scattered at stations around the room. Aerators bubbled in a series of tanks on the far side of the lab, and a briny smell of fish filled the room. Throckmorton poured three lab beakers of iced tea and sat down at the table.

“How did you hear about my work?” he said, after a sip from his beaker. “Something in a scientific journal?”