all,” he said, trying to hold on to his patience. “I want to be told, very clearly and precisely.”
“But I am telling you,” she said indignantly. “They put a snake in the baby’s playpen. There was actually one curled up on the mat sleeping in the sun when I first saw the baby by the booth at the bazaar, but I snatched it out and threw it away.”
“It’s obvious that we’re going to have to play question and answer.” He stabbed his finger at the weeping woman, who broke off in midwail, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Who’s that?”
“Hanar, the baby’s mother. She’s really quite nice, if a trifle wishy-washy.”
“The one who is afraid of her father-in-law and allows snakes to be put in the baby’s playpen. Now, who is the father in question?”
Pandora pointed to the young man standing by the window being berated by the huge, bearded water vendor. “Beldar, the snake charmer, and that’s his father, Damien, the water vendor.”
Philip gestured to the musicians sitting on the floor, then gritted his teeth as the zither emitted a particularly shrill shriek. “Do they have to do that?”
“Well, I couldn’t stop them. They’re Beldar’s brothers and absolutely crazy about the baby. It’s the first boy born in the family. They think their music soothes the baby.” She glanced down at the docile little boy in her arms. “You know, they may be right. Maybe he has a thing for heavy metal.”
“Well, I do not,” Philip said decisively. “Now that we have the cast of characters, let’s have the scenario. You were at the bazaar this morning. You saw the snake in the baby’s playpen and you took it out. What happened next?”
“Beldar came running up and tried to put it back in the playpen.” Pandora’s eyes were flashing with indignation. “I couldn’t let him do that, could I? So I snatched up the baby and brought him here, until we could pound some sense into Beldar’s head. He picked up the rest of the family as we went through the bazaar. I really think it’s his father’s fault. According to Hanar, he’s very ambitious for his sons.”
“Why does Beldar want the snake in the playpen?” The absurd picture was at last becoming clear. Only a few more pieces to the puzzle and he would be able to restore order to this madhouse.
“His father told him he should do it to get the baby accustomed to reptiles. You see, Beldar’s the success in the family, and his father wants the baby to follow in Beldar’s footsteps.” She lowered her voice. “Just between you and me, those musicians will never make it beyond the poverty level.”
“I can see why. Their music has all the charm of a rusty nail being scraped across a blackboard.”
“That’s why Damien wants his grandson to go into the snake-charming business,” Pandora said reasonably. “I can see that. Musicians have to be damn good to make it, while snake charmers don’t have to—”
“Pandora,” Philip interrupted. “Just tell me what I have to do to get these people out of my salon.”
“It’s very simple. Just do the voodoo you do so well. In short, intimidate the hell out of them. Make them promise not to put a snake back into the baby’s playpen on pain of instant beheading or something.”
“Is that all? Why didn’t you say so?” He brushed by her and strode into the center of the confusion. Pandora jiggled the baby on her hip as she watched Philip draw a royal cloak of arrogance about himself. No one could be more menacing than Philip when he set his mind to it. He moved from the musicians to the snake charmer to the water vendor to the weeping mother, speaking incisively and leaving no room for argument. Then he crossed back to Pandora and took the baby from her arms. “Stand aside,” he said. “I hope we’re going to have a parade.”
She shifted to the side of the archway. He put the baby in the chastened mother’s arms and returned to stand beside Pandora. He crossed his arms over
“But I am telling you,” she said indignantly. “They put a snake in the baby’s playpen. There was actually one curled up on the mat sleeping in the sun when I first saw the baby by the booth at the bazaar, but I snatched it out and threw it away.”
“It’s obvious that we’re going to have to play question and answer.” He stabbed his finger at the weeping woman, who broke off in midwail, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Who’s that?”
“Hanar, the baby’s mother. She’s really quite nice, if a trifle wishy-washy.”
“The one who is afraid of her father-in-law and allows snakes to be put in the baby’s playpen. Now, who is the father in question?”
Pandora pointed to the young man standing by the window being berated by the huge, bearded water vendor. “Beldar, the snake charmer, and that’s his father, Damien, the water vendor.”
Philip gestured to the musicians sitting on the floor, then gritted his teeth as the zither emitted a particularly shrill shriek. “Do they have to do that?”
“Well, I couldn’t stop them. They’re Beldar’s brothers and absolutely crazy about the baby. It’s the first boy born in the family. They think their music soothes the baby.” She glanced down at the docile little boy in her arms. “You know, they may be right. Maybe he has a thing for heavy metal.”
“Well, I do not,” Philip said decisively. “Now that we have the cast of characters, let’s have the scenario. You were at the bazaar this morning. You saw the snake in the baby’s playpen and you took it out. What happened next?”
“Beldar came running up and tried to put it back in the playpen.” Pandora’s eyes were flashing with indignation. “I couldn’t let him do that, could I? So I snatched up the baby and brought him here, until we could pound some sense into Beldar’s head. He picked up the rest of the family as we went through the bazaar. I really think it’s his father’s fault. According to Hanar, he’s very ambitious for his sons.”
“Why does Beldar want the snake in the playpen?” The absurd picture was at last becoming clear. Only a few more pieces to the puzzle and he would be able to restore order to this madhouse.
“His father told him he should do it to get the baby accustomed to reptiles. You see, Beldar’s the success in the family, and his father wants the baby to follow in Beldar’s footsteps.” She lowered her voice. “Just between you and me, those musicians will never make it beyond the poverty level.”
“I can see why. Their music has all the charm of a rusty nail being scraped across a blackboard.”
“That’s why Damien wants his grandson to go into the snake-charming business,” Pandora said reasonably. “I can see that. Musicians have to be damn good to make it, while snake charmers don’t have to—”
“Pandora,” Philip interrupted. “Just tell me what I have to do to get these people out of my salon.”
“It’s very simple. Just do the voodoo you do so well. In short, intimidate the hell out of them. Make them promise not to put a snake back into the baby’s playpen on pain of instant beheading or something.”
“Is that all? Why didn’t you say so?” He brushed by her and strode into the center of the confusion. Pandora jiggled the baby on her hip as she watched Philip draw a royal cloak of arrogance about himself. No one could be more menacing than Philip when he set his mind to it. He moved from the musicians to the snake charmer to the water vendor to the weeping mother, speaking incisively and leaving no room for argument. Then he crossed back to Pandora and took the baby from her arms. “Stand aside,” he said. “I hope we’re going to have a parade.”
She shifted to the side of the archway. He put the baby in the chastened mother’s arms and returned to stand beside Pandora. He crossed his arms over
Similar Books
