118
After leaving the Façade factory earlier in the
day, and before dismissing the policeman and thanking him for his invaluable assistance,
Bond had called in at a plumbers merchants and picked up a lavatory plunger and
a glass cutter, then at a grocers he had bought a can of Coca-Cola. Now putting
them to good effect he opened the can of Coca-Cola, wetted the rubber suction
cup on the end of the plunger with some of the contents, threw the rest away,
(The concoction had been purchased for its stickiness not for human
consumption, Bond had tried drinking Coca-Cola once but had too much respect
for his stomach to ever risk it again) stuck the plunger firmly to the window,
cut round the edge of the pane of glass with the glass cutter, then carefully
removed the glass from the window frame. Moments later he was inside the Facade
factory. Due to all the windows in this section of the building having been
blacked out it was virtually pitch black inside.
Bond took out his pencil torch and snapped it on. He played its narrow beam all
round the room. He was in some sort of laboratory. Given the involvement of
Professor Gonzalez in Goldnojaws’ plans this came as no surprise to Bond.
He aimed the torch at his immediate surroundings. He was at the end of a long
row of what were maybe packing cases, each one covered by a dustsheet.
He took hold of a corner of the dustsheet covering the
first of the cases, carefully pulled it aside and let it drop to the floor.
Underneath was not the expected packing case but a glass tank, measuring about three feet
by two feet by two feet high. Bond directed the torch at the interior of the
tank. Inside was the largest crane fly he had ever seen, at least five times
the size of a regular crane fly, its dimensions more akin to those of a large
dragonfly. It was obviously dead, and mounted on a small plinth. A plaque on
the plinth was inscribed ‘Crane Fly Diptera, family Tipulidae. 24
hours old.’
