Part 46 (1/2)

”Call off your dog!” Gabriel ordered.

”Don't say 'dog,' ” Max said tersely, poised to jump Buonarotti if the gangster moved the gun off him to shoot Nelli.

”Call it off!”

”Nelli,” Max said. ”Down.”

With obvious reluctance, Nelli backed away slowly from the ax-wielding priest. Now we were spread out well enough that Buonarotti couldn't cover us all with the gun. We needed to keep it that way.

Still holding the ax, Father Gabriel looked at Max's painted face, then mine, then Nelli's. He frowned thoughtfully. ”Interesting solution. But not one, I think, that will catch on among wiseguys.”

Max look at the gun again. ”You antic.i.p.ated me.”

”Transformations? Of course.” The priest added, as if this were a great compliment, ”You're not just a crazy old man.”

”I'm afraid,” Max said to me, ”I can do nothing about the firearm. Father Gabriel has taken precautions in that respect.”

”So I gathered,” I said.

”Well, that's just great,” said my perfect double. ”Now what?”

I said to it, ”What are you doing here?”

”What do you think I'm doing here? I was kidnapped kidnapped .” It looked at Max. ”What's going on?” .” It looked at Max. ”What's going on?”

I said to Gabriel, ”Why the h.e.l.l did you kidnap it? You created created it.” it.”

”It?” my doppelgangster repeated. my doppelgangster repeated.

”I didn't kidnap her,” Gabriel said with renewed exasperation. didn't kidnap her,” Gabriel said with renewed exasperation.

”You told me to grab the actress!” Buonarotti snapped at him. ”I did what you wanted!”

”Grab me?” I said. ”I thought you were trying to kill kill me.” me.”

”Yes, well, after your little stunt with the widow today, I realized you weren't likely to go down as easily as the others,” said the priest.

”So you did suspect!” I said.

”Suspect what?” said my duplicate.

”Of course,” said Gabriel. ”And so I thought of a better use for you.”

”You adapted,” Max said. ”Excellent.”

”Max,” my doppelgangster and I said in unison. my doppelgangster and I said in unison.

Buonarotti said, ”She's leverage against the cop.”

”We believe your young man is getting rather close to us,” Father Gabriel said to me. ”It seemed a good idea to create circ.u.mstances that would distract him.”

”Kidnapping me me would distract him,” I said. ”He won't miss that would distract him,” I said. ”He won't miss that thing thing.”

”Excuse me?” said the doppelgangster. me?” said the doppelgangster.

”Oh, I don't think the good detective knows what you know, Esther,” said the priest. ”So either one of you could be useful in that respect. That's why I kept her when I saw that Michael had brought me the wrong one.”

”I did?” Buonarotti looked stunned. ”So which one is the real one?”

Gabriel sighed and looked at Max. ”Take my advice, don't ever get a partner. It's really more trouble than it's worth.”

Buonarotti scowled. ”Oh, really? So who'd whack the targets if I didn't have a piece of this action? You You, you little pansy?”

Max said, ”I gather this was a partners.h.i.+p of convenience, rather than one of mutual respect and esteem?”

”Get me out of this chair!” said the doppelgangster. ”I've had enough enough of this!” of this!”

The priest glared at me. ”You are the noisiest woman. You've barely been here an hour, and I swear I've got my first ever migraine now.”

”No, I I've barely been here fifteen minutes!” I said.

”Indeed.” Still holding his ax, the priest crossed the room to stand behind my doppelgangster. ”I heard you arrive. Half the city probably heard you arrive.” He raised the ax. ”You're not precisely the stealthiest enemies a man could have.”

My heart thudded. I got off the floor and sprang to my feet. ”What are you-”

”Don't move.” Buonarotti pointed the gun at me.

”Untie me!” The doppelgangster looked over its shoulder and saw the raised ax. ”Whoa! What are you doing?”

Max made a dive for the gun. Buonarotti slugged him so hard he bounced off the wall and slid down it. Nelli lunged, snarling, then came to a tense halt as she confronted the gun.

”No!” cried my perfect double. ”Don't!” ”Don't!”

The ax came down swiftly, cutting off the doppelgangster's scream of horror in mid-wail. I screamed, too, and covered my eyes with my hands. Nelli barked hysterically. Buonarotti laughed. He really was a pig.

My heart was pounding, my head reeling. I thought I might be sick. Then I realized that in another moment, I might be dead dead. I gasped and lowered my hands, blinking rapidly as I looked around the room. But the priest was back at the altar now, wiping chicken blood off his hands. Max was struggling to rise to his feet. Buonarotti was eyeing both him and Nelli, his gun moving uncertainly between them.

I forced myself to look at the spot where my perfect double had just been beheaded.

There was nothing there, of course, except a pile of by now familiar substances: feathers, dirt, bird bones, pebbles. And my transparent black wrap.

I made a horrible sound. All the men in the room looked at me.

”That is the single most disturbing thing I've ever seen,” I said with feeling. I looked back at the three men. ”And lately, that's saying a lot lot.”

”Come on, come on on,” said Buonarotti. ”We're wasting time.”

”For once,” said Father Gabriel, ”I'm forced to agree with you, Michael.” He bent over and examined the chicken. ”It's not cold yet. I think I can proceed.”

Max's gaze moved to a short marble pedestal on the altar. A gold cigarette lighter sat on top of it. ”Who are you duplicating now?”