Whispering Nickel Idols

40

“Those people” arrived aboard a big black coach driven by Morley’s man Sarge. The guy I knew only as Theodore rode beside Sarge. They were alert.

The coach door facing the house opened. Puddle popped out. He cursed when he banged into the cart abandoned by Comstock and Nicolist, looked around like he expected to see Venageti skirmishers. I saw no weapons but suspected an arsenal was available.

Puddle beckoned. A man descended from the coach, pushed. He had his hands bound behind him. He was blindfolded. Welby Dell. Ah. Interesting. Puddle made him run.

Theodore jumped down and helped Puddle extract a reluctant Teacher White. Teacher had no idea where he was headed, but he meant to fight all the way. It took Puddle and Theodore both to get him in the house.

There were two more passengers. A Combine third-stringer named Trash Blaser and my very good pal Mr. Morley Dotes. I wasn’t entirely surprised to see him. Nor was I stunned when neither of Teacher’s imported thugs tumbled out of the coach. Which headed on up the street as soon as Sarge saw his boss slide past Mr. Mulclar.

There was a roar that could only be the tradesman losing control of something he’d been holding far too long. Morley gasped, “Oh, gods of the Rime!”

I delayed a half minute, hoping the breeze would disperse the miasma. While waiting, I noted that my pixies were as busy as bees, to sling an old chestnut.

My wait was pointless. Mr. Mulclar repeated himself with a true cathedral clearer just as I got there.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Garrett. I can’t help it.”

“I know that, Junk. None of us can. But we can watch what we eat. How much longer are you going to be?”

“It shouldn’t be long. What the problem is, the screws-”

“I’m not concerned. It’s your craft. One thing you can do for me, though, is keep an eye out for anybody who looks like they’re interested in my place. The kind who try to break doors down might try to get in while this one is off its hinges.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Rumble! “I never even thought about that. I’ll keep a eye out for sure.”

“Excellent. You’re a good man, Junk.” I beat a hasty retreat. Teacher might have done me a favor, fixing it so I didn’t have to breathe.

The new arrivals gathered in the Dead Man’s room. None of them were happy. Morley less than most, probably. He sensed the truth immediately. The Dead Man wasn’t napping anymore.

I confirmed his suspicion. “You and your guys want to get on out of here, go. If you’d be more comfortable.”

They would. The whole bunch tramped back out, Morley leaving me with a dark look and an invitation. “Come by the club when you get a chance.”

“Sure.”

He followed his guys.

The ghost of a chuckle filled the psychic atmosphere.

“They didn’t get out fast enough, did they?”

No. More psychic mirth. They never do.

He was having a good time, glad, now, that he’d wakened.

Singe came in, halfway slinking. She still isn’t comfortable with the Dead Man, either.

His Nibs gave us our instructions.

Singe removed Teacher’s blindfold and gag, but left his hands tied behind him. He found me seated facing him.

“So. Teacher. Things change. You got anything to say?”

Teacher wasn’t happy. Not even a little. But he couldn’t see the Dead Man from where he sat. He didn’t yet know true despair.

He didn’t respond. He wasn’t a complete mental lightweight. He wanted to scope out his situation before he did anything.

“Here’s how it is. Your poison didn’t take. Not completely. So I’m not going to hold a grudge.” I raised an eyebrow, then winked. He wasn’t naturally as pale as Skelington, but he came close. He couldn’t see the Dead Man. Skelington was in plain sight.

His mind is well shielded. I am making headway. While moving carefully enough not to make him suspicious. Distract him.

“Teacher, didn’t you do your homework? Why didn’t you know that you couldn’t pull something like you tried and get away with it?”

Teacher had nothing to say.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time, though, eh?” I gave him a few seconds. “Somebody put you up to it? Dean, I’m getting dry. Can you bring me some water?”

The supporting staff know little of any value. Although, between them, they have developed an extended list of places that Mr. Contague and Mr. Temisk cannot be.

“And might there be a pattern? A hole somewhere?”

Your continued queries have alerted Mr. White to the possibility that I may not be fully expired.

I didn’t need Chuckles to tell me when Teacher grasped the truth. He turned paler than he had been already.

I asked, “What did you do with my stuff you took?

“In your wallet? Good. So. Who killed Spider and Original? No? You can’t tell me? You didn’t know? You left them there with me.”

“They was supposed to look out for you. To make sure you didn’t croak or nothing before you woke up.”

He believes that to be true.

“What happened to Brett and Bart?”

“I didn’t need them no more. I paid them off. Cut them loose.”

Dean arrived with water. And a shopping list. Which looked all right. And made clear just how expensive all the entertaining was getting. “We’re completely out of tea?”

“We are.”

Grumble. “What’s Singe up to? She get the kittens settled down?”

“They aren’t happy. They’re all huddled in their bucket. But they’re not in a panic anymore.”

The voice in my head told me, The gentlemen from out of town were subcontracted through one Squint Vrolet.

A ladder of wickedness popped into mind. Squint worked for Green Bean Ractic. Neither ran a patch where they’d have need of Bretts and Barts. But Green Bean reported to Tizzy Baggs. Tizzy’s sister was married to Merry Sculdyte, Rory Sculdyte’s stupid but enthusiastically homicidal brother.

Rory’s psychotic little sibling managed a stable of violence specialists.

“Teacher, any chance you’ve been doing legwork for somebody without knowing? Merry S., maybe?”

He thinks so now.

Teacher had nothing to say, though.

Our reluctant guest is extremely angry, Garrett.

“I would be, too. Teacher. What about my antidote?”

White looked at me like he wondered if I was hopelessly naive. He asked, “Am I going to get out of here?”

“You got a good chance. What shape you’ll be in remains to be determined. Think we could get Squint and Green Bean in for a sit-down?“

He understood me perfectly. “There is an antidote.”

“I know that. But I don’t trust you enough to send you after it. Not until we fix you up with an unpleasant situation of your own.”

Easily done.

“Huh?”

This man has a strong natural wall around his thoughts. But he cannot protect them consciously.

“Where are you going?”

He has friends inside the Watch. Inside the Al-Khar. Properly pushed, he might help us lay hands on one of those Green Pants fellows.

“Interesting. But why waste the knowledge? Block himself might bring them over.”

You could be right, he admitted. Reluctantly.

“Here’s your situation,” I told Teacher. “My friend just planted a Loghyr mindworm in your brain. It’ll make you go crazy. Slowly. Like those guys you see walking around arguing with themselves. Only it’ll keep getting worse. Until a Loghyr pulls it back out. And there’s only one Loghyr around these days.”

I didn’t highlight any ironies. I didn’t say anything about who did what to whom. At the Dead Man’s urging, I told White, “Get any of these people over for a chat-your life will get a whole lot easier.”

The Dead Man sent him a roster that included the heaviest heavyweights of TunFairen crime. Teacher promised to get someone into the Dead Man’s clutches somehow, but it might not happen fast enough to suit us.

It will, the Dead Man predicted, including Teacher in his sending. Or it will not happen at all. Moments later, White was loose. The Dead Man surrounded him with confusion so he could get a head start.