[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
world will end when I die anyway."
Morley muttered, "A solipsist in despair. Interesting."
"I still care," Singe told her.
I wondered how much of this the Dead Man knew or had reasoned out without
bothering to tell me. I also wondered why so many people had been able to
dodge around His Nibs. Was he starting to fail? Or was it just the way the
dice had come up? The unlikely does happen.
My life is a testament to that possibility.
Page 286
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"How many of those changers were there?" Morley asked. "Do you have any idea
how many are still running around loose?"
Tama shrugged. Her hands remained busy, crawling all over her, but her eyes
had glazed over. We weren't going to get anything more from her until she'd
smoked a pipe and then had had time to ease back out from behind a veil of
dreams that were sweeter than life.
Dotes muttered, "We'll end up all having to wear silver amulets if this
doesn't get wrapped up soon."
He had a point. I didn't have to invest much imagination to foresee a future
in which if the shifters reproduced successfully a silver test would be part
of every transaction. Every home that could afford them would have silver and
spells worked into its doorways. The price of silver would soar. "We'll find
out. I know who'll know." The Dead Man had been inside Glory Mooncalled's
head. Mooncalled would've known exactly how many shapeshifters had come to
TunFaire. We could work it out from there.
"What shall we do with her?" Morley asked. Singe watched me with big eyes, as
though this was some kind of test. I had a feeling I would disappoint her.
"I still owe Max Weider. She chose the targets. She sent the killers."
I considered my first night at The Pines. That night visitor with the knife
might have been Carter Stockwell thinking about settling up. Might have been.
But it might have been Tama Montezuma with a special surprise for the
troublesome fellow who turned up just as she was about to take over The Call
completely.
Separate bedrooms, eh? I owed that little sneak Tinnie an extra kiss. No
telling what I'd have gotten myself into if she hadn't been there.
Right now Miss Montezuma looked like the ideal gift for a friend in the
secret policeman racket. Nor did Morley demur, she no longer having any fiscal
capacity for arousing his sympathy. Singe did feel for her, as for a sister in
despair, but even she wasn't prepared to excuse the evils Tama had wrought of
which those known to us were likely to be only a fraction.
113
I sent a note asking Lieutenant Nagit to visit me when next his duties
brought him into the city. I received a polite, formal reply to the effect
that he was under instructions to have nothing further to do with me. Insofar
as Marengo North English and The Call were concerned we had nothing to say to
one another anymore.
I didn't try again. I took it up with Max while I was helping interview
prospective employees. Morley tagged along and stood around looking bored.
Probably because what I was doing was as dull as watching rocks mate.
Nicks sent Lieutenant Nagit an invitation to dine with the Weiders. To no
one's surprise but hers Nagit not only showed up, he arrived early, polished
till he shone, reeking of rosewater, a bouquet of posies in hand. He was less
than thrilled to discover that he'd share the dinner table with me and my
feathered haunt but chose to endure the bad with the good.
Page 287
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The Goddamn Parrot attached himself to Nicks as soon as I went over to the
mansion, early in the afternoon. They were made for each other, those two. Why
couldn't they see it themselves?
Nagit never scowled once at Tinnie or Alyx. He didn't know what to make of
Morley since they'd never been introduced. Morley paid him no attention. Dotes
was charming to Alyx and all her male relatives. Nagit had no trouble with Max
or Gilbey or Ty, either, so it had to be the way I parted my hair. Or
something. But he was coldly courteous to me at best.
The servants brought dinner all at once, instead of in courses, then
withdrew, except for Neersa Bintor, who made sure the kitchen door stayed
closed. She kept her giant maul in hand.
There was little conversation while we ate, though the lovely ladies all
tried to get something going, each in her own unique way.
Max growled, "Get on with it, Garrett." He'd barely nibbled his venison and
had touched nothing else at all.
I made a small gesture. Morley excused himself from the table. He and Neersa
Bintor left the room. With no apology for tricking him I said, "Mr. Nagit, we
have one final problem. One more shapeshifter to expose." Now that he had
demonstrated that he could eat using real silverware, off real silver plates.
"Process of elimination says it's inside The Call now. For a while I thought
it had replaced your boss. Then I decided it hadn't. You've just demonstrated
that it couldn't be you . . . Yes, boss." Max had begun to glower. He wanted
me to get on with it.
I said, "If it wasn't Marengo, I wouldn't much care except that having a
shapechanger inside The Call means Glory Mooncalled still has a foothold
there. A reliable witness tells me that Mooncalled has become an evil old man
with terrible plans. This shifter could help Mooncalled do truly wicked things
to TunFaire. Then I realized that even though Marengo hadn't been replaced by
a shifter, the way I'd worked it out at first, back when he was attacked, he
still could've been later, at The Pipes, in the last week or so. But why
should I care? Marengo is Mr. Weider's friend. They went through the Cantard
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]