While John watched the duck being consumed, his cell phone rang.
"John, Murray here. The CDC has confirmed that there is a cyclospora outbreak and that hundreds are turning up sick in several states, even as far as New York. That's the bad news but it has a silver lining. The pathogen was traced to a packaging plant in Mexico and FDA investigators found thousands of acacia logs not far from one of the largest vegetable farms in the whole country. We may have found the mother lode."
"I've been attacked here, Murray. ACC found a solution and I am in the middle of spraying as we speak. But there's something funny going on and I am going to get to the bottom of it. I'll tell you more about that when I'm sure. Good to hear about finding the logs. I have specimens for you. Now I've got to go, will call you back."
He had noticed Cassie running toward him while on the phone. She bit into John's pants leg and pulled. "Ok," he said, "show me."
John knelt beside me and stroked my head. I raised up on my front legs but that's as far as I could get. I was panting, tongue extended. I couldn't see John or anything else. Darkness except for the slightest bit of gray tone at the extreme edges of my field of vision.
John raised one finger and passed it back and forth in front of my eyes. I could see the blur of his finger at each edge. "Oh no, old boy, don't tell me."
I heard John yell, "Sylvester, come here."
John fished his car keys out his pocket and said, "Sylvester, take the Rover and take Buck to the vet. Have him check him over head to toe. I think he may be blind. Have the vet check that out and see what needs to be done. Tell Doc Hatfield that I think he took a heavy blow to the head though I'm not sure. Do not mention anything about ants. Give Buck some water before you go, but don't dally. I’ll help you load him in the car when you’re ready.” John grabbed me by my spout and said, "I love you old boy, we'll get you fixed up the best we can."
He left to go his den and brought up the web page of CNBC. As he thought he might find, the stock of ACC had risen by fourteen percent overnight and the volume was spiking. He then checked the market prices of four other pesticide companies. Not much movement at all except for slight decreases in price on low volume. He turned off the monitor and rose to return to the spraying after he had laid me on the back seat of the Land Rover.