Part 34 (1/2)
”Oh. I'll tag along on that.”
I didn't argue with him or with Singe. The Dead Man told me, Singe knows where you are going. Do you Singe knows where you are going. Do you?
Not unless he told me. Because John Stretch hadn't chosen to trouble me with that little detail.
57.
First thing I noticed-after I stopped whining about the cold-was that Penny Dreadful was no longer across the street. ”I hope she found someplace that's warm.”
”She'll be all right,” Saucerhead told me.
”You in this with Dean now?”
”Tinnie took her home. On account of she was half frozen. She was killing herself.”
We went on over past The Palms, where Morley's troops lurked behind a down comforter hung in place of the door. He showed me the seared hardware. ”Not much to see, is there?”
”There is a stench of all evil unleashed,” Singe said. She breathed in little puffs, the way I would do around a badly blown carca.s.s. When Puddle came out I told him how to get hold of Mr. Mulclar. ”He'll cut you a discount if you tell him I referred you.”
”That's exciting,” Morley said. ”Why am I suspicious of your generosity? Why do I think you're straining to keep a straight face?”
”I don't know. Why?”
If Mr. Mulclar hadn't changed his diet... heh, heh, heh.
Morley stayed with us. It was a short half mile on to the Bledsoe. It was getting light. The scaffolding outside the hospital was clotted with ice and snow. An incessant drizzle had no luck was.h.i.+ng them away. The scaffolding seemed abandoned. The mortar boats were gone. Any bricks that hadn't been set had walked away. I was surprised the scaffolding hadn't disappeared.
”Armed guards,” Saucerhead said. I didn't see any. He told me, ”You want to, grab on to something that ain't yours.”
”I take it you know who's on the job.”
”They're Watch guys picking up a little extra on their own time. I would've done it myself if I wasn't already helping you.”
”Who's paying them?”
Tharpe shrugged. He didn't know. And probably didn't care.
We entered the hospital unchallenged. Morley said, ”I'll see what I can find out.” One weak lamp burned ahead. Its light was enough to show us an unfamiliar woman at the reception desk. She was delighted to see Morley. His earlier conquest must've talked.
”I cannot come in here!” Singe told me suddenly, after not having spoken since we left home, except to whine about her tail dragging in the slush.
”n.o.body will give you any c.r.a.p.”
”That is not the problem. The problem is the air. It is thick with madness. I cannot endure it.”
”I'm sorry. I should've thought of that. Mr. Tharpe. Would you stay with Singe? In case some moron gets obnoxious?”
Tharpe grunted. He and Singe went back outside. Morley turned on the charm spigot. I headed for Buy Claxton's suite. And got there without seeing another human being.
I wasn't surprised. This was the Bledsoe, warehouse for the sickest of the poorest of the poor and craziest of the crazies. Their dying place.
Some crazies were venting madness right now.
Buy Claxton was awake. She was knitting by candlelight. A dead flower in a clay pot stood on a stand with the candle. She remembered me. She didn't seem surprised to see me. ”See what the lady sent me?” She indicated the flower, uncommon for the season.
”The lady?”
”Miss Contague. She's quite thoughtful for a woman of her position.”
”She has her moments.”
”Did she send you to see how I'm doing?”
A small fib wouldn't be entirely misplaced. ”And to see if we can't find out what happened, now that you're feeling better.”
Mrs. Claxton put her knitting aside, teary-eyed. She controlled herself. ”I'm no widow, you know. And I have two sons and three daughters. My Ethan died in the Cantard. He'd be your age. He's the only one with a good reason for not visiting.”
”I'm sorry to hear that. Some people are thoughtless. Especially family.”
”I'll bet you're good to your mother.”
”My mother is gone. I did try when she was still with us.” But I've been a louse since then. I haven't visited her grave in years. ”But let's not be sadder than we need to be. Not here.”
”That would be sound thinking, young man. How can I help?”
”It's the fire. I'm supposed to find out what happened.”
”I don't know. It just happened. It hurt! Bad.” She smiled weakly.
”I can tell you this, Mrs. Claxton...”
”Call me Buy.”
”Yes, ma'am. You might not have noticed because you weren't looking for it, but that didn't just happen. There must've been something leading up. So I want to go over the whole evening with you. Why were you there in the first place? You didn't work for the caterer.”
”No. For Mr. Hartwell.”
”Is that the Mr. Hartwell who manages the Contague estate?” A man I'd never trusted. A slimy type. But I couldn't imagine him stealing from the Contagues.
”His son. Armondy. He asked me to help set up, do kitchen work, and clean up afterward.”
”So it wasn't odd that you were there?”