Wilson looked at him curiously. “So what difference does it make whether he was chewing coca leaves or tobacco or bubble gum, for that matter? Or where he got it?” He sat up slightly. “Wait a minute ... I know what you mean. Coca leaves are the source of cocaine. They're a drug. The old man could have imagined half of what he said.”
Da Silva looked at him with simulated disgust. “I suppose I should forgive your ignorance. I'd be just as much in the dark if we were talking about peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches or another of your typical American dishes.” He smiled. “No; the old man didn't imagine anything. He didn't even swallow the juice. Don't you see?”
Wilson shook his head without taking his eyes from his friend.
Da Silva leaned forward, serious now.
“Coca leaves don't grow in Brazil. But you do find them in Ecuador—near where you find Jivaros.”
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About the Author
Robert L. Fish, the youngest of three children, was born on August 21, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the local schools in Cleveland and went to Case University (now Case Western Reserve), from which he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He married Mamie Kates, also from Cleveland, and together they have two daughters. Fish worked as a civil engineer, traveling and moving throughout the United States. In 1953 he was asked to set up a plastics factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and his family moved to Brazil, where they remained for nine years. He played golf and bridge in the little spare time he had. One rainy weekend in the late 1950s, when the weather prohibited him from playing golf, he sat down and wrote a short story that he submitted to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. When the story was accepted, Fish continued to write short stories. In 1962 he returned to the United States; he took one year to write full time and then returned to engineering and writing. His first novel, The Fugitive, won an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery. When his health prevented him from pursuing both careers, Fish retired from engineering and spent his time writing. His published works include more than forty books and countless short stories. Mute Witness was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen.
Fish died February 23, 1981, at his home in Connecticut. Each year at the annual Mystery Writers of America dinner, a memorial award is presented in his name for the best first short story. This is a fitting tribute, as Fish was always eager to assist young writers with their craft.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1963 by Robert L. Fish
Cover design by Jason Gabbert
ISBN: 978-1-5040-0656-9
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