Part 43 (1/2)
”You say he's more or less sane now?”
As much as can he. To roughly the baseline that existed at the time of his stroke. More than that is beyond even the Luck of A-Lat. And that will persist only so long as he remains within the influence of the child and the kittens.
”So what do we do with him?”
Exactly.
”Well?”
Waiting on you, Garrett. I owe him nothing. I would hand him off to Colonel Block. Along with his memoirs. Then he issued one of his cryptic, one-hand-clapping p.r.o.nouncements. There is a workable answer implicit within the existing situation, though it is as complicated as the situation itself There is a workable answer implicit within the existing situation, though it is as complicated as the situation itself All right. He's a little windy for a perfect master.
Pa.s.sing everything and everyone off to the law was, no doubt, a rational final solution. And one I wish I was hard enough to invoke. But I'm me. Garrett. The old softy. ”What about his family?”
Also as healed as can be. But wounds leave scars. And scars never go away.
”Hey! What about that message from Morley?”
Mr. Dotes says the Sculdytes and their a.s.sociates are dead or in custody. He suggests we wrap up anything we don't want examined closely because we may find ourselves the focus of the Watch as soon as Colonel Block and Director Relway have rested.
”You should've told me that first.”
The matters are related. Mr. Contague, Miss Contague, and most of these others need to be out of here when the law invites itself in. Make no mistake-if they make a hard decision to get us, they can.
”I have no interest in a game of macho with the Watch.”
We may not have many more unenc.u.mbered hours. I have set certain processes in motion, but no good will come of them in time.
Of course. They'd start out just watching. But well-rested men would rotate in behind the first wave, two or three for one, and so forth, till they stood shoulder to shoulder. If Block and Relway felt the need. They were planners. They didn't move without being prepared. For all the speed they've shown trying to establish the rule of law.
Crus.h.i.+ng the Sculdytes wouldn't mean an end to organized crime. n.o.body is dim enough to think that's possible, or even entirely desirable. But the Outfit's power to corrupt would be reduced dramatically. Its power to play favor for a favor would be pruned way back. Meaning those villains on the Hill wouldn't have so many dirty hands on call. Let alone the occasional beakful of found money.
”Singe. Get Tinnie down here. Dump a bucket of slush on her if you need to.”
”I will defer to the grand master on that.”
”Huh?”
”Do your own dumping. Tinnie dislikes me enough already.”
73.
Colonel Block came himself. He'd believed Constable Scithe, who'd believed me when I told him Chuckles was snoozing. Or, as seems more likely, he didn't care. He thought he didn't need to hide anymore.
He came in looking tired, ragged, and suspicious. His gaze darted around like he expected trouble. He must've been right out there on the sharp end of the spear.
”You seem awful twitchy.”
”It was a close-run thing. Thank heaven I've got committed people. And had bad weather. That kept my friends off my good back. They couldn't help me with negative advice. But they'll catch up yet. I may be looking for work soon.”
Dean showed up with refreshments. Then Singe brought Kolda's voluminous scribblings. I told Block, ”You'd have time to read all this then.”
He paid no attention. Just held the papers in his lap. ”Where are they?”
”Where are what?”
”The people you were hiding here.”
”Kolda is in the small front room, sleeping off a bad case of writer's cramp. The big bruno from Ymber is in with the Dead Man. His boss we dragged back over to your shop on account of he was too strong and stubborn for Chuckles to manage and keep up with everything else he wanted to get done before he drifted off.”
”Same old Garrett. I don't give a rat's a.s.s about those people.”
”And Tinnie's upstairs, in bed. Sick.”
”A higher power than I has decided the A-Laf cult is too dangerous to tolerate. I want to know where Harvester Temisk, Chodo Contague, and Belinda Contague went.”
I put on my dumb look. Like all my sergeants during basic, he didn't buy it. Coldly, he reported chapter and verse of comings and goings at my place for the past several days. Every one. From a very specific point in time.
The Dead Man was more flabbergasted than me. He thought so much of himself. When he'd said n.o.body was watching he'd done so in absolute confidence.
”Captain Ramey List,” I said. ”He wasn't what he seemed.”
Captain List was exactly what he seemed. He brought something in without knowing it. Almost certainly aboard one of his spear carriers, who would would have been more than he seemed. Now that I am aware of its existence I will not be long locating it have been more than he seemed. Now that I am aware of its existence I will not be long locating it.
”Now that it's too late and doesn't matter.”
Colonel Block allowed himself a thin smile.
He is not aware of details. Director Relway was behind the plant. Which appears only to have betrayed comings and goings, not anything that was done or said.
”Then we're in good shape.”
”Where are they, Garrett? We could put paid to the whole underworld right now.”
”You can't possibly believe that. It's part of the social fabric. All you've done is make life easier for Belinda. You got rid of the people most likely to have eliminated her. Made for a smoother transition of power.”
”Stipulated. But the baddies won't be the old bunch. Well?”
”Well, what?”
”You refusing to tell me what I want to know?”
Colonel Block's recent activities left him more exhausted intellectually than he is aware. He is not thinking clearly. Consequently, he is dramatically overconfident. It is not necessary to be stubborn. He will not remember anything he hears.