G'Day to Die by Maddy Hunter Read Free Book Online

youth for the elderly. An elixir for the infirm. A cure for male pattern baldness!”
    “Do you suppose it could do anything for irregularity?” asked Margi. “That’s a real common complaint at the clinic.”
    Bernice studied the photo over Conrad’s shoulder. “If you’re expecting it to do all that, you’re gonna need more than one crummy plant.”
    “Are you absolutely sure about this?” Tilly asked. “How does a plant that’s been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years suddenly turn up at a local tourist site?”
    “It’s very simple,” Conrad enthused. “Plants that thrived when the earth was one solid landmass couldn’t survive the climatic changes when the continents split apart, so they died out. But on this continent, the climatic changes were less dramatic. The plants that died everywhere else not only survived here, they flourished. Australia boasts over twenty-five thousand species of plants. Think of it!”
    Our thinking was accompanied by clueless staring and silence. “Is twenty-five thousand a lot?” I finally inquired. Hey, somebody had to ask the tough questions.
    “As a comparison, Britain is home to only sixteen hundred species. Australia is a stew of botanical surprises. No one knows what’s in the jungles because they’re too dense to explore; no one knows what’s in the interior because it’s too hostile to survey; and the country has neither the financial resources nor the manpower to remedy the situation. Believe it or not, there are still eight thousand unnamed species of plants in government labs waiting to be classified.” He crushed the photo to his chest, delight jacking his eyebrows to his hairline. “I’m beside myself. This type of angiosperm has never been known to exist this far south!”
    I knew exactly how thrilled Conrad must be to have an extinct species reappear. I’d felt the same heart-pounding excitement when Clinique reintroduced a lipstick shade they’d discontinued years ago. “Should we be telling someone about this? A natural history museum? A university? Some government agency?”
    “I’ll call the University of Melbourne right away,” Conrad said. “If their School of Botany can’t help me, they should be able to direct me to someone who can.”
    “It’s after hours, dear,” Ellie reminded him. “They won’t be answering their phones.”
    “They won’t?” He checked his wristwatch, looking surprised at the hour. “But they have to answer. This is an emergency. It won’t wait until morning.” He wrung his hands in panic. “What am I supposed to do now?”
    “I seen a couple a guest computers in the front lobby,” Nana spoke up. “If I was you, I’d log on to the university’s website, find the faculty directory, and phone one a them botany professors at home. That’d probably work.”
    He studied Nana for a heartbeat. “Here’s your photo. I’ll be right back.” He took off for the elevator.
    Ellie patted Nana’s arm. “Bless you, dear. Even though he belongs to that organization for people with genius IQs, simple problems often stump him. Our life together would have been much easier if he’d been a moron.” With a long-suffering sigh, she scurried after him, returning a short time later with a beaming Conrad in tow.
    “It worked out splendidly,” he chirped. “I talked to the head of the School of Botany himself, and he was so excited to talk to me. They use my textbook for their introductory botany courses! I’m apparently quite the luminary with the fossils people. Dr. Limeburner even mentioned my autographing a few textbooks before I fly back home, complete with media coverage. You see? This reinforces what I’ve always said: the farther you get from home, the more—”
    Ellie elbowed his ribs. “Tell them what he said about Marion’s photo, dear.”
    “He’s going to send a team to Port Campbell tomorrow.” He grinned at Nana. “Your trip Down Under could turn out to be momentous, Marion. You