To the Police
Thursday was his next-to-last day. He had been tenacious in following up every
lead. Now he was behind the eight ball. He could hardly galvanize himself to 
do anything else. The facade of hope he had worn for almost a week was crumbling;
there was nothing left to be sanguine about. In desperation he turned to the
police and placed his problem within their jurisdiction. They asked many 
questions, and they requested that he not expurgate anything. Some of the
questions seemed asinine. When they inquired about his relationship to
the missing girl, he replied, with a grimace, "Fiancee." When they suggested
that she might be hiding in that part of the city where the "punk" coterie
congregated, he was incredulous and accused the police of calumny against
her good name and reputation.


hook, line, and sinker--completely, all the way
The teacher fell for the practical joke hook, line, and sinker.