Part 34 (2/2)

”So of course he-it-threatened to shoot her! Nelli shouldn't have done that!”

I glanced in her direction, but the familiar seemed fully absorbed in her examination of the scattered debris.

”We must keep in mind,” Max said soothingly, ”that Nelli entered this dimension to protect New York City from Evil. Therefore, she would naturally react with vehemence to encountering a mystical ent.i.ty created by a killer for the specific purpose of cursing a human victim with certain death.”

”Oh, my G.o.d!” The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. ”Lopez!”

”It wasn't Lopez,” Lucky said patiently. ”It-”

”No, Lopez Lopez,” I choked out. ”Duplicated! Cursed! In danger!”

”Madre di Dio!” Lucky said. ”She's right! Now the killer's trying to whack the cop!” Lucky said. ”She's right! Now the killer's trying to whack the cop!”

Max said decisively, ”We must warn Detective Lopez.”

”Right away!” I said. ”Now! Where's my phone?” I gasped, suddenly remembering. ”He called me! He was on the phone when I pa.s.sed out.”

”That was he?” Max said. ”Oh, dear. I thought you said it was your agent. So I told him you'd call him back and hung up.”

”You did what? what?”

”Hey,” Lucky said, ”you were lyin' on the floor in a cold faint after seeing your boyfriend's head cut off. You weren't exactly in shape to talk business.”

”But-”

”In any case,” Max said soothingly, ”this means we know that Detective Lopez was fine just a short while ago.”

”Oh, my G.o.d,” I said more slowly. ”He was on the phone. He heard heard.” He must have thought I was in the middle of a deadly riot. And then Max had spoken to him. ”If he realized where I was when he called me . . .”

”His doppelgangster looked for you here,” Lucky said, handing me my cell phone. ”So the real McCoy might look for you here, too.”

”Yes.” My heart was pounding. I heard a siren in the distance, approaching fast.

Lucky heard it, too. He went still and listened intently. When it sounded as if the vehicle had turned onto Max's street, Lucky's eyes met mine. ”Here comes the cavalry.”

The wailing siren came to a stop right outside the bookshop, then went silent. I heard a car door slam.

”Lucky,” I said faintly, ”help me stand up. Max, go to the door and show him in.”

Max trotted around the nearby bookcase and headed for the door while Lucky hauled me to my feet. I felt like a toddler learning to walk, sure I would topple over at any moment. But I took a couple of faltering steps away from Lucky and toward the bookshop's entrance.

The door crashed open. The bells rang wildly. Nelli gave a little bark and lunged in that direction.

Lucky grabbed her collar. ”No, don't,” he admonished. ”This one might be the real thing.”

I heard Max say in a rush, ”Ah, Detec-yahhh! Esther's fine! She's right here! There's no need for a gu-Agh!”

The sound of scuffling feet moved rapidly toward me. Max came around the bookcase by stumbling backward. He was propelled by Lopez, whose left hand was on Max's throat. A gun was in his right hand. Lopez pointed it at Nelli and Lucky while his gaze went to me. Nelli growled.

I said, ”No, Nelli! No! No!”

Max's knees sagged and he made a little choking sound, as if the grip on his throat was tightening. His distress agitated Nelli, who growled more vehemently.

”Are you all right?” Lopez said to me.

”You have to let him go, you're upsetting the dog,” I said, terrified of what was about to happen.

”Maybe that's that's not what's making her growl,” Lucky said in an ominous voice. not what's making her growl,” Lucky said in an ominous voice.

”No,” I said to Lucky. And then to Nelli, ”Stop that!” And then to Lopez, ”Please let Max go.” I said to Lucky. And then to Nelli, ”Stop that!” And then to Lopez, ”Please let Max go.”

”Are you all right?” he demanded.

”I'm fine, I'm fine, everything's fine,” I babbled. ”You called at a bad moment, that's all. I'm fine. Now please let him go.”

Nelli's growls were getting louder.

Lucky's hand crept toward the pocket where he kept his knife.

Lopez wasn't looking at the gangster, but he saw the motion anyhow. ”Freeze!” ”Freeze!”

Lucky froze. We all all froze. Nelli even stopped growling. froze. Nelli even stopped growling.

Lopez said more calmly, ”You're sure you're okay?”

I tried to sound calm, too. ”Yes.”

”What happened?”

I shook my head. ”It's hard to explain, but . . .” I searched for something that would get him to let go of Max, so Nelli would calm down. ”They were protecting me.”

It worked. He released Max. Then he said, ”Is there anyone else here?”

”Well, not anymore,” Lucky said.

Max staggered toward me, wheezing for air. I caught him by the arm and patted his back.

As Lopez holstered his gun, he looked around at the unsanitary mess covering this portion of the shop. ”What the h.e.l.l is going on here?”

Realizing that Nelli was calmer now, Lucky released her collar. She looked uncertainly at Lopez for a moment, then crept forward and delicately sniffed his legs while Lucky said, ”Oh, this mook came into the store a little while ago and got out of hand, that's all.”

”Who?”

Lucky looked at me. I looked at Max.

Max said faintly, ”We have not yet ascertained the name of the individual responsible for the mayhem here tonight.”

<script>