Book 09 - Faded Steel Heat

Read Online Book 09 - Faded Steel Heat by Glen Cook - Free Book Online Page A

Book: Book 09 - Faded Steel Heat by Glen Cook Read Free Book Online
Authors: Glen Cook
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery
Ads: Link
the same.
    Manvil Gilbey wrestling beer barrels is a hoot. Which might
explain why Gilbey isn’t entirely fond of me. I’ve
witnessed his efforts and feel comfortable reporting that as a
laborer he’s pretty lame.
    I said hello to the brewmasters on duty. Skibber Kessel returned
a sullen greeting. Mr. Klees was too busy to notice a housefly like
me. They were dedicated men, disinclined to gossip at the most
relaxed times. I supposed they were happy with things the way they
were. No brewmaster is shy about raising hell when he’s
bothered. The finest brewmasters are like great operatic
performers.
    When I go to the brewery I try to stay unpredictable. The bad
boys don’t need to catch me in a routine. Sometimes I hang
around only half an hour. Other times I just won’t go away. I
become like some unemployed cousin loafing around the place, though
I will help the guys on the docks, loading and unloading. I shoot
the bull with the apprentices, shovel with the guys in the grain
elevator, just watch the boys in the hops shed. I wander,
double-check counts on the incoming barley, rice, and wheat,
calculating inflow against recorded output. In all ways I try to be
a pain in the ass to would-be crooks.
    The brewery’s biggest problem always was pilferage.
That’s been a lot smaller since I came around but,
unfortunately, human nature is human nature.
     
----

----

15
    I knew some of the teamsters and dock wallopers well enough to
drink with so it seemed I ought to start with them. They
wouldn’t hesitate to talk about conflicts within the
workforce.
    There are two ways to reach the loading docks—besides
going around to the freight gate. One leads through the caverns
beneath the brewery, where the beer is stored. The caverns and the
proximity of the river, on which raw materials arrive, are why
Weider chose the site.
    The caverns are the more difficult route. The other way runs
through the stable. That’s huge. Few other enterprises
require so much hauling capacity.
    I chose the caverns. It’s almost a religious experience,
wandering those cool aisles between tall racks of kegs and
barrels.
    They work round the clock down there and I always find Mr.
Burkel there with his tally sheets. “Mr. Burkel, don’t
you ever sleep?”
    “Garrett! Hello. Of course I do. You’re just a lucky
man. You get to enjoy my company every time you come
around.”
    “How can I argue with that? How are your numbers running
these days?”
    “As good as they’ve ever been. As good as
they’ve ever been.”
    Which still meant a slight floor loss in favor of the workforce,
probably limited to what was consumed on the premises. Which was
fine with Old Man Weider.
    Mr. Burkel handed me a huge stein. As chance would have it, that
stein was filled with beer. “This is a new wheat we’ve
just started shipping.” I sipped half a pint.
    “And a fine brew it is, Mr. Burkel. It’s heavier
than the lager but lighter than the dark I usually prefer.” I
forebore tossing in some wine snob chat. He wouldn’t get the
joke. “This’s why I like Old Man Weider. He’s
always trying something. Thanks. Maybe I’ll come through
again on my way out.”
    “Do. Now answer me something, Garrett. How come you got a
stuffed bird on your shoulder? Looks goofy as hell.”
    “It’s not stuffed. It’s alive. It’s kind
of a signature thing. Other guys in my racket all got a
gimmick.”
    “Oh.” You’d have thought I was threatening to
tell him about my new wall coverings. “Well, you be careful
out there, Garrett.”
    “Likewise, Mr. Burkel.”
     
----

----

16
    The Weider freight docks are chaos incarnate, yet out of that
confusion flows the lifeblood of the tavern industry. From its
heart to its nethermost extremities beer is the blood and soul of
the metropolis.
    The teamsters and deckhands received me with mixed emotions, as
always. Some were friendly, or pretended to be. Others scowled.
Maybe some of those were involved in the theft ring I

Similar Books

Darkness Falls

A.C. Warneke

No Greater Love

Katherine Kingsley

Soldiers Live

Glen Cook

Apocalypse Z

G. E. Swanson