157. Back in the Sitting Room
Amy wonders if she might have missed some important clue in the sitting room. She decides to return and scour the room once more. The place is still a mess. There are gaping holes in the door and the furniture and there's shattered glass all over the floor. Picking through the wreckage, Amy finds a small leather pouch bound tight with a thick string. An examination of the immediately surrounding area makes it clear that it came out of a now-shattered display case. Amy finds a tarnished plaque on the floor that reads, “Artifacts of head-shrinking tribe recovered on safari up the Zambezi, 1872.”
Amy regards the pouch dubiously. “I'm pretty sure head-shrinking isn't a real thing. And besides, even if it is, it's totally culturally insensitive to talk about it.” As she contemplates the bag she allows it to idly dangle by its string. As she does so, the knot that held it closed starts to come loose. Amy quickly grabs the bag to keep it from opening.
“On the other hand, if I'm so sure it doesn't work, why am I so scared of opening this pouch?” she wonders. A malicious grin creeps across her face. “Maybe I could use this on Boswell. See how well he guards that door with a tiny head!”
What should Amy do?