Part 46 (1/2)

”She drinks a bit,” Tharpe explained. ”Jon, we better watch her, just so things that don't belong to her don't accidentally fall into her pockets.”

My luck stayed in. Sort of.

I fell out of the chimney as I tried to lean down for a peek. That was the bad news. The good news was, n.o.body saw but Tinnie. Who kept her mouth shut when I held my fingers to my lips. I pa.s.sed the note. And got back out of sight before Winger lumbered in to investigate.

Tinnie said, ”I knocked over these andiron things. Trying to get this down off the shelf. It's a note from Garrett. In case somebody comes looking for him.”

”What's it say?” Winger smelled a rat.

Tinnie read it out loud.

”That say what she says, Jon Salvation?”

The little guy reported, ”Word for word.”

”You'd a thunk that a.s.shole White woulda learned. Whadda we do now?”

Tinnie said, ”How about we go back to Garrett's place?”

”Something's rotten here.”

Saucerhead observed, ”You don't have hardly no flaws, darling Winger, but one teensy little problem you do got is, you think everybody's head is just as twisted as yours.”

”What the h.e.l.l is that supposed to mean?”

”It means most people don't have an angle when they tell you what they think.”

”Oh, bulls.h.i.+t! You ain't that naive, are you?”

That was the last I heard. The street door closed behind them. A puff of cold hit me. Air did go up that chimney.

I waited. Winger was the sort who might pop back in, too.

I went down. They'd left lamps burning. I'd thought Tinnie had better sense.

Ah. Of course she did. Including enough to realize I'd need to see what I was doing.

79.

Despite problems getting a schnockered Teacher down the chimney, I almost caught Tinnie and the others, heading home. And that despite the weather. Which hadn't turned as awful as I'd feared. Yet. Just cold and slick.

I brought White along. He needed some special Dead Man work to get his mind right.

I took Teacher straight to His Nibs.

Oh, my! We are in a mood, are we not?

”Yes, we are. It's time to quit fooling around. Hi, sweetie.” I gave Tinnie a hug and a peck and ignored everybody else.

I stipulate that I was remiss where Mr. Temisk was concerned. However, I was preparing Deacon Osgood and had no attention to spare.

Half a minute later I knew the treasures at the lawyer's weren't part of his scheme. He hadn't been aware of them.

I expected more of you at Spellsinger Dire Cabochon's home. However, Osgood cleverly hustled you through and so did his own cause no harm.

I didn't get to pursue that. Somebody started hammering on the front door. With amazing enthusiasm.

That is Mr. Scithe. On behalf of Colonel Block, who became suspicious of the results of his earlier visit. Allow him to enter. But only him.

I went to the door. It was late. Dean was asleep. I didn't have him and his crossbow to back me. But Saucerhead and Winger came to watch. They were enough to keep out the unwanted-except for a high-velocity pixie who surprised us all.

No matter. The kitchen door was closed.

I told Scithe, ”You ought to demand a raise, the hours you're working.”

”My wife agrees. But I do got a job. Plenty don't. You could mention it to the Colonel, though.”

”I will. What's his problem now?”

”You visited the Hill today.”

I didn't deny it. What was the point? ”So?”

”So after you left, a gang of ratpeople stripped the place.”

”After I left. Right. No doubt being watched every minute.” I glared at the Dead Man. That inanimate hunk of dead flesh managed to radiate false innocence combined with smugness.

”Enough to know you didn't carry anything away personally.”

A fib. Everybody but Osgood carried something out of Dire Cabochon's forty-room hovel. ”I don't do that sort of thing.”

”You hang out with ratfolk.”

My resident ratperson had turned invisible during my trek to the door.

The Dead Man seemed more radiant than ever.

”That was the scheme, was it?”

”Excuse me?” Scithe didn't understand that I was snapping at my sidekick.