Read Online The Dragon Done It by Mike Resnick, Eric Flint - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mike Resnick, Eric Flint
Tags: Science-Fiction
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a wereman. An Alsatian in a lycanthropia hat. Now I've seen it all. All you need to tell me now is why."
"I told you, I was desperate. If I go back to the Titans they'll turn me into something horrible and I'll never get back in one piece. If I try to run they'll track me down and kill me anyway. You don't know what those Titans are like."
I stopped rubbing her shoulders for a moment. An old scar on the back of my hand throbbed suddenly. Remember me , it seemed to be saying.
"Oh yes," I muttered, "oh yes I do."
"You do?" she looked at me curiously.
"Another story," I said. "Another time. You were telling me why you shot the dog."
"So you could get me put away," she said. Then she added, "Could you rub my shoulders again? It feels kind of nice."
Dumbstruck, I obliged.
"You?" I said when I could speak again. "The woman who framed her own husband to avoid the clink . . . and now you're framing yourself!"
"It was the hat that gave me the idea. I sat there staring at it, just like you said, when the idea came to me. If I could commit what looked like a murder on the doorstep of someone I could trust, I could get myself into safe custody before the Titans even got a sniff of what was going on. Nobody can touch you once they put you in Wulan Pen, not even the Titans. But only a murder would guarantee me a life sentence. I could never kill anyone, not for real, and that's when I thought up the trick with the dog."
"And when the dead body turned back into what looked like a wolf, everyone would assume you'd killed a shapeshifter. Even me. Making it, in the eyes of the law, first degree murder."
"I really thought you'd believe the blackmail story," she said sulkily. "The whole thing would have worked if you hadn't been so damned keen on following up the clues."
I adopted my best hurt expression.
"Ma'am," I said, "it's what I do."
Pressing herself into my embrace, she said softly, "Now you know the truth. So what are you going to do? Take me back to the Titans? Or turn me over to the cops?"
Her eyes flashed, once, twice, and my heart did the high-wire thing again. Then, so help me, I said, "Hold tight, lady. I got a better idea."
We stood beside the dancing railroad tracks: me, the dame and three Titans. Winter wind howled into our flesh. Lightning flashed above us, beneath us, inside our heads. In the far, far distance, a familiar smear of light came galloping out of the gloom.
The great lobster shape of the Search Engine crashed to a halt just inches from our faces, spilling its load of noxious gases and lubricants into the noisome filth of its wake. Even the Titans had the good grace to look impressed.
Something like a head emerged from the cab. Following it out, moving with sidewinder speed, came something like a body. This time, instead of inviting us up, the driver was coming down.
We backed away. Even the Titans backed away. We had to, to give the driver room to stand.
The Titans, I noticed, had dipped their massive, horned heads in respect.
"Which one of you's brought it?" said the driver, with something like anticipation.
The dame took one step forward and handed it over. When she stepped back, I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Don't worry," I whispered in her ear. "It'll all work out."
Raising something like an arm, the driver put on the hat.
We sat in my office: me, the dame and the two remaining Titans.
"I'd offer you coffee," I said, "only the machine's busted."
Hyperion, the bigger of the two, waved away the offer with one gargantuan hand.
"Who'd have thought it?" he rumbled in a voice like boulders in a tumble-dryer.
"Ah well," drawled Oceanus. "We lost a bet. So what?"
"We lost Iapetos, is what we did. We shouldn't have bet him."
"He was noisy. You never liked him."
"Yah."
Then Hyperion turned to me and said, "We got you to thank for showing us that place, buddy."
"Interesting place," Oceanus put in.
"Sure enough. Strange fellow though, that driver.
"I told you, I was desperate. If I go back to the Titans they'll turn me into something horrible and I'll never get back in one piece. If I try to run they'll track me down and kill me anyway. You don't know what those Titans are like."
I stopped rubbing her shoulders for a moment. An old scar on the back of my hand throbbed suddenly. Remember me , it seemed to be saying.
"Oh yes," I muttered, "oh yes I do."
"You do?" she looked at me curiously.
"Another story," I said. "Another time. You were telling me why you shot the dog."
"So you could get me put away," she said. Then she added, "Could you rub my shoulders again? It feels kind of nice."
Dumbstruck, I obliged.
"You?" I said when I could speak again. "The woman who framed her own husband to avoid the clink . . . and now you're framing yourself!"
"It was the hat that gave me the idea. I sat there staring at it, just like you said, when the idea came to me. If I could commit what looked like a murder on the doorstep of someone I could trust, I could get myself into safe custody before the Titans even got a sniff of what was going on. Nobody can touch you once they put you in Wulan Pen, not even the Titans. But only a murder would guarantee me a life sentence. I could never kill anyone, not for real, and that's when I thought up the trick with the dog."
"And when the dead body turned back into what looked like a wolf, everyone would assume you'd killed a shapeshifter. Even me. Making it, in the eyes of the law, first degree murder."
"I really thought you'd believe the blackmail story," she said sulkily. "The whole thing would have worked if you hadn't been so damned keen on following up the clues."
I adopted my best hurt expression.
"Ma'am," I said, "it's what I do."
Pressing herself into my embrace, she said softly, "Now you know the truth. So what are you going to do? Take me back to the Titans? Or turn me over to the cops?"
Her eyes flashed, once, twice, and my heart did the high-wire thing again. Then, so help me, I said, "Hold tight, lady. I got a better idea."
We stood beside the dancing railroad tracks: me, the dame and three Titans. Winter wind howled into our flesh. Lightning flashed above us, beneath us, inside our heads. In the far, far distance, a familiar smear of light came galloping out of the gloom.
The great lobster shape of the Search Engine crashed to a halt just inches from our faces, spilling its load of noxious gases and lubricants into the noisome filth of its wake. Even the Titans had the good grace to look impressed.
Something like a head emerged from the cab. Following it out, moving with sidewinder speed, came something like a body. This time, instead of inviting us up, the driver was coming down.
We backed away. Even the Titans backed away. We had to, to give the driver room to stand.
The Titans, I noticed, had dipped their massive, horned heads in respect.
"Which one of you's brought it?" said the driver, with something like anticipation.
The dame took one step forward and handed it over. When she stepped back, I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Don't worry," I whispered in her ear. "It'll all work out."
Raising something like an arm, the driver put on the hat.
We sat in my office: me, the dame and the two remaining Titans.
"I'd offer you coffee," I said, "only the machine's busted."
Hyperion, the bigger of the two, waved away the offer with one gargantuan hand.
"Who'd have thought it?" he rumbled in a voice like boulders in a tumble-dryer.
"Ah well," drawled Oceanus. "We lost a bet. So what?"
"We lost Iapetos, is what we did. We shouldn't have bet him."
"He was noisy. You never liked him."
"Yah."
Then Hyperion turned to me and said, "We got you to thank for showing us that place, buddy."
"Interesting place," Oceanus put in.
"Sure enough. Strange fellow though, that driver.
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