out what the hell old Chuckles thought he was
doing.
----
----
12
Not yet, Garrett. Dean!
The Dead Man did not often
extend his mindtouch beyond his room. That was a courtesy he
extended us.
Get rid of those harridans. Commend them to your
nieces. We have a commission.
“His nieces?” I hurried into his room. “You
want to create monsters?” Dean had a platoon of spinster
nieces, all front-runners for Miss Homely TunFaire. They drove him
to despair. Which was why he had conscripted himself as a full-time
member of my household. He couldn’t take it anymore.
“Can you imagine that pack in pursuit of a mission from
God?”
Dean has sense enough to avoid that eventuality. While we
await him, I will tell you what to do. Backtrack from events at Mr.
Dotes’s place. But first bring Mr. Dotes and Mr. Tharpe to
see me. We will want their help.
“ ‘We’ might want it, but how are
‘we’ going to afford it? My share of what I’m
getting to watch Barking Dog won’t—”
Captain Block will assume expenses. You should pay closer
attention. I quoted an exorbitant fee. He was desperate enough not
to quibble.
“If they’re as scared as he puts on, they could put
up enough from bribe money to pay anything.”
Exactly. We have been handed an unprecedented
opportunity.
Where he’s concerned, money has no
provenance. It’s never dirty, only the people who handle it
are.
I
intend to pursue it with vigor.
With my vigor, he meant. “That’s the reason
you’re jumping on this?” I didn’t believe it.
Let us say that I find my mind growing as flabby and
slothful as you allowed your body to become. I must get
into shape before it is too late. I am not yet prepared to
slide into oblivion.
Oblivion. I put that away where I could find it next time he
started in on the condition of my immortal soul.
What he said sounded good. I didn’t believe it. And he
knew that. But he didn’t let me press.
There is no time
to waste. Get Mr. Tharpe and Mr. Dotes.
Mr. Tharpe didn’t want to get got. He’d gotten rid
of Billie and had replaced her with a little blond who could have
been her sister. The new hadn’t worn off enough for him to
see that. He wanted to stay home and play.
“Anyway, it ain’t even dark out yet,
Garrett.”
“You only work at night now?”
“Getting in the habit, doing these odd jobs for
Licks.”
“So sunlight for me. Talk to the Dead Man. You don’t
want the work, no harm done. I’ll get somebody else.
Won’t be as good, but I’ll make do.” Never hurts
to butter him up.
“What’s shaking?”
“A serial killer. A real psycho. His Nibs can fill you in.
I don’t know why he wants you. He just started spouting
orders like a fountain.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to him.” He looked at his
friend. She scorched me with a lethal stare.
I said, “I got to see Morley,” and got out of there
before the woman carved their initials in my trunk.
Morley’s place was sparsely populated. It had just opened.
His customers are like the stars, seldom seen before dark. Those in
there then were early bats trying to get a jump on their
competition.
Nobody got excited when I walked in. Nobody knew me. The guy
behind the counter was new. He was a skinny little half-elf like
Morley, handsome as hell but barely old enough to think about
taking advantage of that. He was trying to grow a mustache.
It was catching. “I need to see Morley,” I told him.
“Name’s Garrett. Tell him it
is
business and
there’s a shitpot in it.”
The kid looked me straight in the eye. “Morley? Who the
hell is Morley? I don’t know any Morley.”
One of those. “Kid, I’ll take into account the fact
that you’re new. I’ll take into account the fact that
you’re young and dumb, and figure you got to be a wiseass.
When I’m done accounting, I just might pull you over the bar
and pound away till Morley comes down to see about all the
screaming. Get on the tube.”
The audience wasn’t much, but it did
doing.
----
----
12
Not yet, Garrett. Dean!
The Dead Man did not often
extend his mindtouch beyond his room. That was a courtesy he
extended us.
Get rid of those harridans. Commend them to your
nieces. We have a commission.
“His nieces?” I hurried into his room. “You
want to create monsters?” Dean had a platoon of spinster
nieces, all front-runners for Miss Homely TunFaire. They drove him
to despair. Which was why he had conscripted himself as a full-time
member of my household. He couldn’t take it anymore.
“Can you imagine that pack in pursuit of a mission from
God?”
Dean has sense enough to avoid that eventuality. While we
await him, I will tell you what to do. Backtrack from events at Mr.
Dotes’s place. But first bring Mr. Dotes and Mr. Tharpe to
see me. We will want their help.
“ ‘We’ might want it, but how are
‘we’ going to afford it? My share of what I’m
getting to watch Barking Dog won’t—”
Captain Block will assume expenses. You should pay closer
attention. I quoted an exorbitant fee. He was desperate enough not
to quibble.
“If they’re as scared as he puts on, they could put
up enough from bribe money to pay anything.”
Exactly. We have been handed an unprecedented
opportunity.
Where he’s concerned, money has no
provenance. It’s never dirty, only the people who handle it
are.
I
intend to pursue it with vigor.
With my vigor, he meant. “That’s the reason
you’re jumping on this?” I didn’t believe it.
Let us say that I find my mind growing as flabby and
slothful as you allowed your body to become. I must get
into shape before it is too late. I am not yet prepared to
slide into oblivion.
Oblivion. I put that away where I could find it next time he
started in on the condition of my immortal soul.
What he said sounded good. I didn’t believe it. And he
knew that. But he didn’t let me press.
There is no time
to waste. Get Mr. Tharpe and Mr. Dotes.
Mr. Tharpe didn’t want to get got. He’d gotten rid
of Billie and had replaced her with a little blond who could have
been her sister. The new hadn’t worn off enough for him to
see that. He wanted to stay home and play.
“Anyway, it ain’t even dark out yet,
Garrett.”
“You only work at night now?”
“Getting in the habit, doing these odd jobs for
Licks.”
“So sunlight for me. Talk to the Dead Man. You don’t
want the work, no harm done. I’ll get somebody else.
Won’t be as good, but I’ll make do.” Never hurts
to butter him up.
“What’s shaking?”
“A serial killer. A real psycho. His Nibs can fill you in.
I don’t know why he wants you. He just started spouting
orders like a fountain.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to him.” He looked at his
friend. She scorched me with a lethal stare.
I said, “I got to see Morley,” and got out of there
before the woman carved their initials in my trunk.
Morley’s place was sparsely populated. It had just opened.
His customers are like the stars, seldom seen before dark. Those in
there then were early bats trying to get a jump on their
competition.
Nobody got excited when I walked in. Nobody knew me. The guy
behind the counter was new. He was a skinny little half-elf like
Morley, handsome as hell but barely old enough to think about
taking advantage of that. He was trying to grow a mustache.
It was catching. “I need to see Morley,” I told him.
“Name’s Garrett. Tell him it
is
business and
there’s a shitpot in it.”
The kid looked me straight in the eye. “Morley? Who the
hell is Morley? I don’t know any Morley.”
One of those. “Kid, I’ll take into account the fact
that you’re new. I’ll take into account the fact that
you’re young and dumb, and figure you got to be a wiseass.
When I’m done accounting, I just might pull you over the bar
and pound away till Morley comes down to see about all the
screaming. Get on the tube.”
The audience wasn’t much, but it did
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