Read Online Paint it Black: 4 (The Black Knight Chronicles) by John G Hartness - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John G Hartness
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conservative upwardly mobile henpecked troll buying human jawbones to make girl-tooth necklaces. Somebody please explain to me how this is a better use of my time than me being drunk in a graveyard?”
“At least you’re not littering,” Abby said, reaching over to give me a pat on the shoulders.
Sabrina continued pacing, more a frantic stomping around now than the measured stalking she’d been doing. “So now what? We know Ogg didn’t kill these women, so who did?”
She turned to the troll. “And more importantly, Ogg, where did you buy the jawbones?”
“At the Goblin Market.”
Sabrina froze in mid-step and turned to look at the troll. Lilith leaned forward as if to slap the green-skinned goliath upside the head, and Abby, Greg, and I just looked at each other in confusion.
Sabrina spoke first. “What is the Goblin Market, Ogg?”
“Shut up, Ogg. One word and you’re fired, and you know what OggMarie will do to you if you lose another job. This interview is over, and I’d like for all of you to leave.” Lilith stood and pointed at the door. Nobody moved. She repeated the gesture, with similar effect.
I stood up and put a hand on Ogg’s shoulder. The troll was just sitting there, staring up at Lilith in terror at the mention of his wife. “Don’t worry, big fella. She didn’t mean it. Did you, Lilith? Ogg’s not really going to be terminated for cooperating with the lawful authorities, is he?” I put as much weight into my words as I could, but it’s hard to intimidate a woman who remembers Moses before he had a beard.
“Cooperating with the lawful authorities is listed in my employee handbook as a termination-level offense, Black. But no, I won’t fire Ogg. But you all have to leave, now. No one here will tell you anything about the Goblin Market. We’ve already said too much.”
“But you haven’t told us anything!” I protested.
“That’s the point. And that’s all I will tell you. Now get out of my club.” She pointed toward the door again, and this time I felt a little push behind my eyes. Suddenly the desire to get out of that room and not come back for a long, long time was almost overwhelming. I looked around for Greg, to see if he felt it too, but he and Abby were struggling to get through the door at the same time, a fight that was going very poorly for Abby. I gave my head a sharp shake, but the feeling didn’t slacken. Greg had finally pushed his way past Abby and through the door, freeing up that logjam. Abby was hard on his heels. Sabrina was almost at the door with them, and it took everything I could muster to grab hold of the table with one hand and draw my Glock with the other.
“Lilith, don’t make me shoot you,” I said through gritted teeth. She glared at me, but said nothing. I leveled the gun at her left leg and squeezed the trigger. Lilith moved faster than any living creature I’d ever seen, and faster than more than a few dead ones as well. She snatched the bullet out of the air and flung it back at me hard enough to put a hole in my leather jacket. I poked a finger into the hole to make sure she hadn’t managed to actually hurt me, but the crumpled bullet just fell to the carpet, all its energy apparently expended.
I was kinda glad I hadn’t actually shot Lilith, and even more glad that my attempt to break her compulsion had worked. Greg and Abby were standing just outside the office door looking at one another, probably wondering how they’d gotten there. Sabrina had stopped just inside the room.
I just stood there staring at the immortal woman and said, “This is my favorite coat, you know.”
“And this is one of my favorite legs.”
“Then we understand each other. Now will you stop screwing around in our heads and let us get the information we need, or will I have to go through a whole clip?”
“Sit down.” She waved me to the table and retook her seat. I did the same, leaving my pistol on the table. Lilith raised an eyebrow at
“At least you’re not littering,” Abby said, reaching over to give me a pat on the shoulders.
Sabrina continued pacing, more a frantic stomping around now than the measured stalking she’d been doing. “So now what? We know Ogg didn’t kill these women, so who did?”
She turned to the troll. “And more importantly, Ogg, where did you buy the jawbones?”
“At the Goblin Market.”
Sabrina froze in mid-step and turned to look at the troll. Lilith leaned forward as if to slap the green-skinned goliath upside the head, and Abby, Greg, and I just looked at each other in confusion.
Sabrina spoke first. “What is the Goblin Market, Ogg?”
“Shut up, Ogg. One word and you’re fired, and you know what OggMarie will do to you if you lose another job. This interview is over, and I’d like for all of you to leave.” Lilith stood and pointed at the door. Nobody moved. She repeated the gesture, with similar effect.
I stood up and put a hand on Ogg’s shoulder. The troll was just sitting there, staring up at Lilith in terror at the mention of his wife. “Don’t worry, big fella. She didn’t mean it. Did you, Lilith? Ogg’s not really going to be terminated for cooperating with the lawful authorities, is he?” I put as much weight into my words as I could, but it’s hard to intimidate a woman who remembers Moses before he had a beard.
“Cooperating with the lawful authorities is listed in my employee handbook as a termination-level offense, Black. But no, I won’t fire Ogg. But you all have to leave, now. No one here will tell you anything about the Goblin Market. We’ve already said too much.”
“But you haven’t told us anything!” I protested.
“That’s the point. And that’s all I will tell you. Now get out of my club.” She pointed toward the door again, and this time I felt a little push behind my eyes. Suddenly the desire to get out of that room and not come back for a long, long time was almost overwhelming. I looked around for Greg, to see if he felt it too, but he and Abby were struggling to get through the door at the same time, a fight that was going very poorly for Abby. I gave my head a sharp shake, but the feeling didn’t slacken. Greg had finally pushed his way past Abby and through the door, freeing up that logjam. Abby was hard on his heels. Sabrina was almost at the door with them, and it took everything I could muster to grab hold of the table with one hand and draw my Glock with the other.
“Lilith, don’t make me shoot you,” I said through gritted teeth. She glared at me, but said nothing. I leveled the gun at her left leg and squeezed the trigger. Lilith moved faster than any living creature I’d ever seen, and faster than more than a few dead ones as well. She snatched the bullet out of the air and flung it back at me hard enough to put a hole in my leather jacket. I poked a finger into the hole to make sure she hadn’t managed to actually hurt me, but the crumpled bullet just fell to the carpet, all its energy apparently expended.
I was kinda glad I hadn’t actually shot Lilith, and even more glad that my attempt to break her compulsion had worked. Greg and Abby were standing just outside the office door looking at one another, probably wondering how they’d gotten there. Sabrina had stopped just inside the room.
I just stood there staring at the immortal woman and said, “This is my favorite coat, you know.”
“And this is one of my favorite legs.”
“Then we understand each other. Now will you stop screwing around in our heads and let us get the information we need, or will I have to go through a whole clip?”
“Sit down.” She waved me to the table and retook her seat. I did the same, leaving my pistol on the table. Lilith raised an eyebrow at
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