Part 45 (1/2)

77.

”You know either one of those guys?” Tinnie and I were peeking around the corner of a decrepit redbrick tenement. The men in question had Harvester Temisk's dump staked. There was no foot traffic. They stood out. They weren't happy.

The weather was turning again. And wasn't going to be long getting nasty. The sky was filthy.

”No.” Tinnie was s.h.i.+vering. She wanted to go somewhere warm. But she was made of stern enough stuff not to whine after having bullied me into letting her tag along. ”I don't. Should I?”

”I hope not. They're the lowliest lowlifes. The tall one works for Deal Relway.” I'd seen him with Relway occasionally. But I let her think I'd deduced it, employing special detective powers. ”The other one is a gangland operator.” Actually, more likely a stringer or wannabe on the pad now because Relway's fervent work ethic had drained the bad-boy manpower pool down to the muck on the bottom. I knew him by affected mannerisms and dress, paramount to him when it would be smarter to be invisible.

Relway's man recognized him, too.

He, however, hadn't made the lawman, despite his being right there in plain sight.

I explained. ”So what you do is-”

”You're trying to get rid of me.”

”I'm trying to utilize your talents since you're here. Go tell the sloppy one you're lost. Bat your eyes. Get him to help you.”

”Why not the tall, handsome one?”

”Because he's tall and handsome? And, probably, not likely to be distracted by a pretty face. Not to mention, if he leaves to help you, the other dimwit won't tag along. He doesn't know that Handsome is there.”

She mulled that. ”The tall one would follow?”

”I would. I'd figure that you were a messenger. I'd want to see what was up.” Because I'd know that the Sculdytes had gotten hammered, so this fool would be working for someone else whose interests paralleled those of the departed faction.

In this neighborhood that meant good old Teacher White.

”Scoot,” I told Tinnie. ”Vamp the man. Get him out of here.” I dug in my pocket. The key was there. Harvester Temisk had managed, somehow, to lose it while he was at my place. I didn't know what the Dead Man had gotten from him, just that he wanted me to toss Temisk's place. Something the Watch and the Outfit had done already, I suppose.

”If he touches me...”

”I'll die of envy.”

She stuck out her tongue, headed out. Haughtily.

I couldn't have scripted it better. Her victim didn't have one ounce of brain above his beltline. Tinnie set her hook, pulled him in, and led him away in as much time as it takes to tell it. And Relway's man decided he needed to see what was going on.

78.

It was gloomy inside Temisk's digs. Not much light crept in through the feeble excuses for windows. There wasn't a lot out there to spare. But I didn't fire up a lamp. Its light would slip out and alert the world that somebody was housebreaking.

The first thing I learned was that n.o.body had had a notion to toss the place. Though it did look like somebody had taken a polite look around.

I did little but walk around at first, getting a sense of the place. The Dead Man wanted me to find something. Unarmed with a single hint.

The building was three stories tall. Temisk had the ground floor, which wasn't all that big. Who lived upstairs? I couldn't recall having ever seen any other tenants.

I checked the street. It was a ghost town out there. Fat flakes had begun to swirl, antic.i.p.ating the main event. I slipped out. It had gotten colder fast. A nasty wind snapped and snarled between buildings. I crossed, turned, immediately saw where the stair to the upper floors had been. It had had an outside entrance on the right side as I faced the building. The outside steps were gone. A bricklayer had done well matching colors but hadn't disguised the shape of the old entrance.

Upstairs windows had received the same treatment.

Not unusual in a city where everybody is paranoid about invasions and break-ins.

I caught movement from the corner of my eye. A long, lean, slumped figure shuffled toward me, obscured by the snowfall, hunched miserably.

I drifted back into Temisk's place.

Skelington hove to outside.

So. Teacher was still in the game. Without showing much imagination.

I resumed examining Temisk's place. Nothing jumped out. It wouldn't if it wasn't supposed to. But... there was a grand fireplace on the wall backing on the stairwell. A fireplace that didn't look like it saw much use. In a location that made no architectural sense.

I'd just discovered the iron rungs in the unnaturally ample chimney when somebody tried the street door. There were voices there. Querulous.

I quickly kicked the fireplace gewgaws back into place, hoisted myself. I'd just gotten the feet out of sight when the newcomers busted in.

”Where did he go?” Teacher demanded. ”Quick. Check in back. Maybe there's another way out.” Feet tramped around, fast and heavy.

”There ain't no back way,” Skelington said. ”I watched this place enough to know.”

”Good for you. I'm really trusting your good sense and thinking these days.”

There were four of them. I was in no shape to handle those odds. Not even Teacher and his clowns. It had been a long day. And the samsom weed still had some effect., ”Ain't no sign of him, Boss.” I didn't know that voice.

”Allee allee in free, Garrett,” Teacher called. ”Come out, come out, wherever you are. Skelington, you sure he came in here?”

”I was right there in the d.a.m.ned street.” Skelington didn't have much patience left for his chief. I couldn't imagine why he hadn't defected already.

”All right. All right. And you let the girl get away, Pike?”

”Wasn't no 'let' to it, Boss. I told you. That Tin Whistle was all over me soon as I made my move. She bugged on both of us. I wouldn't of come got you if she didn't. h.e.l.l, I'm lucky I got away from the d.a.m.ned Runner. I could be sharing a cell tonight in the Al-Khar.”

Teacher grumbled something about maybe that would've learned him something.

None of those boys were happy. Nothing was going their way, they had no use for each other, and the guy in charge had gone totally whiny. They were sticking together out of habit and a slim hope that the worm would turn.

Teacher muttered, ”That b.a.s.t.a.r.d is here somewheres. Temisk must of told him about his secret places.”

”What secret places is that, Boss?”