Dread Brass Shadows

40

Joking aside, Dean was right Winger wasn't my type. She wasn't anybody's type. I led her to my office, suggested Dean bring beer. I planted myself. Winger took the other chair, looked at Eleanor like she could read the truths of the painting. Maybe she could.

"One slick character painted that, Garrett."

"An unsung genius named Snake Bradon. A total lunatic How come you're early?" I'd set a time figuring I could slide out earlier. She probably figured that's what I'd try the woman wasn't stupid.

"Nice place you got."

"A couple of big cases broke right. You sneaking around before you get to something?"

"Broke right? Word on you is you're lucky, But it's dangerous to be your friend

"Huh?"

"You got a sharp line of patter, don't you? Word's going around that somebody wants to take you down. Word is, stay away It might rub off."

So, maybe just to keep myself awake, I told her about my adventures since we'd parted.

Carla Lindo brought the beer for Dean. That woman was turning into a spook, around sometimes, but more invisible than not. She looked at Winger like she'd stumbled into the men's loo. Winger looked back at Carla Lindo like she was trying to figure out what she was. Carla Lindo lost the staring match She deposited the supplies and deserted. "You got something going there?" Winger asked.

"Just a client."

"Not much to her."

Debatable. Highly debatable, from where I sat. But I didn't feel like debating. I felt like finding out what Winger was up to. Even more, I felt like taking a nap. The beer didn't help.

Winger said, "Interesting Chodo should take a poke at you right after you talked to his renegade. Think he'll be looking for company tonight?"

I shrugged. "He's no fool."

"Um. I got to thinking about them pets of his. Went out looking for some thunder-lizard hunters, figured on buying them a few drinks, pumping them for tricks of the trade. Know what? Ain't a whole lot of them around. Somebody's been hiring them up. Some shoemaker."

Shoemaker, eh? I could guess which one. That damned fool. "Shoemakers use a lot of thunder-lizard hides making army boots."

She said, "You know you got somebody watching you?"

"I've had that feeling for several days. I thought it might be you."

"Not me. Dwarves. Every time I come around here, there's dwarves. And morCartha. Somebody's hired one of the morCartha tribes to keep track of you. I couldn't find out who."

"MorCartha?" Things fell into place. No wonder I'd never been able to spot anyone following me. I hadn't looked up any more than anyone else does. If I had, I'd've accepted the morCartha the way I accept pigeons. One of the inevitable nuisances that are part of life.

MorCartha tails would explain the erratic nature of my intuitions about being watched, too. MorCartha are neither organized nor responsible. The watching would go on only when somebody actually felt like watching.

"‘Want me to take them off you? Ten marks, I'll do a job that'll have them staying ten miles from you."

"Not before I find out who wants me watched." I had ideas. Gnorst Gnorst seemed a likely candidate. Backup for his ground-bound dwarves The kind of thing a dwarf would do Cover every angle possible. I figured Chodo a likely candidate, too. He was cunning enough to see that morCartha would go unsuspected.

There had been morCartha aloft when I'd met with Sadler. Maybe Chodo ought to be number one on my list. "Thanks for the tip."

"One on me. For letting me come along tonight."

I hadn't planned it to go that way, but now I knew that I had to take a legitimate shot at Chodo I didn't mind as much. Any friend is better than no friend.

Again I wondered where the hell Morley and Saucerhead were. That was becoming a big worry, but events kept pushing it further and further down my list.

Winger considered Eleanor again. "You had something going with her, didn't you?"

How to answer that one? If I said yes, there might be more questions and I might end up mentioning that she'd been dead twenty years before I'd met her—and not like the Dead Man is dead. How to explain an affair of the heart with the ghost of someone who died when you were a child? "Something. I don't know what you'd call it and I sure can't explain it."

"That picture explains it good enough."

She was seeing everything that madman Bradon put into it. Would she ever stop surprising me?

"I can understand you not wanting to talk about it. So. What say we get going? I got some things lined up, give us an edge. You got to have an edge. You in any shape for this?"

She was nervous. She was getting close to chattering, which was how it showed. "Hell, no, I'm not. But I have to take my shot. If people haven't lied to me too much, tonight's the only night I'll ever have half a chance of doing what I've got to do." I told her about the supposed party.

"There's our edge right there. Even if the guy knows we're coming, he's giving up some advantage if he doesn't cancel his party."

Chodo wouldn't. He was a character who wouldn't let the gods themselves nudge him into changing his plans. "Guess we take what we can get." I was getting more down by the minute.

"Won't get nothing done sitting here."

"Sure. Back in a jiffy." I went across and got the amulet stone from the Dead Man's room, wondering what the hell a jiffy was He didn't have anything to say. I rolled upstairs and outfitted myself as well as I could from my depleted arsenal. I included the little padded case with the bottles. This was no time to wimp out. I'd do what I had to.

Winger awaited in the office doorway, eyes sort of glazed. I frowned. She'd had another run-in with the Dead Man. What now? I didn't ask.

Being a born gentleman, I opened and held the front door for her. Even if she was a Saucerhead type in physical drag. She stepped outside. "You hang on here."

"What?"

She eyed the street. "Wait here." She took off down the steps and up the street Fast. She ran without throwing her arms and legs all over, the way so many women do.

I closed the door and leaned against the wall, trying to stay awake, trying to avoid thinking about my aches and pains

A knock. I peeked Winger's eye stared back at me. She backed off only far enough for me to see her grin. I opened up.

She had a dwarf slung over her shoulder, out cold. "He was a feisty little bugger "

"Huh?"

"He was watching your place Thought you might want to talk to him before we shove off."

"Bring him back here." I led the way to the Dead Man's room. "Hey, Chuckles. You want to take a look at this and tell me what we've got9"

A dwarf.

"What an eye. Could you maybe give me a little something more?"

He has been watching the house for about three hours. My old friend Gnorst sent him. 1 will send him back bearing a strong prote3t.

"Wonderful. You do that Why was he on us?"

In case you locate the Book of Dreams, I presume.

"Anything else useful?"

He was selected for his lack of direct knowledge.

Naturally. Gnorst knew the Dead Man. Wasn't much point putting the little hairball through the wringer. "See you later, then."

Have you come to an accommodation with your conscience?

"A man's got to do what a man's got to do." He got a chuckle out of that. Right. My moral discomfitures always amuse him. He'd have no trouble slicing Chodo into cold cuts.

"I can do it. The alternative is unacceptable."

A sneer radiated from that pile of lifeless lard.

"He's the one made it him or me."

You need not justify. The day has been inevitable for some time. He and I knew. Mr. Dotes and Mr. Tharpe knew. Mr. Crask and Mr. Sadler knew. Only you insisted on pretending otherwise.

Hell, I'd known it, too. I'd hoped it would come to a more clear-cut case of good guy against bad guy, though.

Take care, Garrett,

"I plan to."