run
over.” Morley put the tube down, looked at me. “I hope
he gets pneumonia.”
“You have a problem with the man?”
“Yes. I don’t like him.”
“So bar him.”
“His money’s as good as yours. Maybe better. He
spends it here.” That didn’t get a rise, so he asked,
“What’s up? You look like you can’t wait to get
something off your chest.”
“I got a line on the coach.”
“Coach? What coach.”
“The one out front that they tried to drag Chodo’s
kid into. I found the man who built it. He told me where I can find
it.” I explained.
Morley sighed, took his feet down. “Isn’t that just
like you? Here I am, having the time of my life, and you have to
walk in and mess it up.” He got up, opened a closet, dug out
a raincloak and fancy hat that must have set him back a dozen
broken bones.
“What you doing?”
“Let’s go check it out.”
“Huh?”
“Way I see it, that beats hell out of trying to get to see
Chodo. You carrying?”
“Here and there.”
“Finally started to learn, eh?”
“I guess. What’s the problem with Chodo? I thought
you were tight. It’s me that’s on his list.”
“I don’t know. I sent word I needed to talk. That it
was important. I never got an answer. That’s never happened
before. Then comes a roundabout kind of hint that nobody out there
wants to hear from me and if I’m smart I won’t bother
them ever again.”
“Odd.” I couldn’t figure that. Morley was an
important independent contractor. Chodo owed him a listen.
“Been odd ever since you and Winger went out there. And
getting odder every day.” We were headed downstairs now.
I asked, “What’s with the mustaches? That the coming
thing?”
“Huh?”
“I’m seeing them all over. On you it don’t
look bad. On Spud it would look good if he could grow one. But on
Puddle it looks like some damn buzzard built its nest on his
lip.”
“He doesn’t take care of it.” Morley darted to
the counter, spoke to Puddle briefly. I noted Licks’s absence
and Puddle’s wet shoulders. Licks remained with us in spirit.
The smoke was thick enough to slice.
----
----
17
When it rains and the wind blows, it gets real dark in TunFaire.
Streetlamps won’t stay lighted, though those lamps exist only
in neighborhoods like the Hill and the Tenderloin, where the wraths
of our lords temporal and lords criminal encourage thieves and
vandals to practice their crafts elsewhere. Tonight the Hill was
darker than a priest’s secret heart. I didn’t like it.
Given my choice, I want to see trouble coming.
Morley was as excited as a kid planning to tumble an outhouse. I
asked, “What’s your thinking on this?” I looked
around nervously. We’d approached Lady Hamilton’s place
unchallenged, which made me just that much more anxious.
I don’t believe in good luck. I do believe in cumulative
misfortune, in bad luck just lying back piling up interest till it
dumps on you in one big load.
“We climb over the wall, see if the coach is
there.”
“You could give Glory Mooncalled lessons in innovative
tactics.” I didn’t like his idea. We could get
ourselves arrested. We could get ourselves hurt. We could get
ourselves fatally unhealthy. The private guards on the Hill are a
lot less inhibited than their public-payroll counterparts.
“Don’t get all worked up, Garrett. Won’t be
anything to it.”
“That’s what you said the time you conned me into
helping deliver that vampire to the old kingpin.”
“That time you didn’t know what you were
doing.”
True. But where would he get the idea I knew what I was doing
now? “You’re too optimistic to live.”
“Comes of living right.”
“Comes of eating horse fodder till you have the sense of a
mule.”
“You could do with more horse fodder yourself, Garrett.
Meat is filled with the juices of things that died terrified. They
make you timid yourself.”
“I have to admit I never heard anybody call a cabbage
over.” Morley put the tube down, looked at me. “I hope
he gets pneumonia.”
“You have a problem with the man?”
“Yes. I don’t like him.”
“So bar him.”
“His money’s as good as yours. Maybe better. He
spends it here.” That didn’t get a rise, so he asked,
“What’s up? You look like you can’t wait to get
something off your chest.”
“I got a line on the coach.”
“Coach? What coach.”
“The one out front that they tried to drag Chodo’s
kid into. I found the man who built it. He told me where I can find
it.” I explained.
Morley sighed, took his feet down. “Isn’t that just
like you? Here I am, having the time of my life, and you have to
walk in and mess it up.” He got up, opened a closet, dug out
a raincloak and fancy hat that must have set him back a dozen
broken bones.
“What you doing?”
“Let’s go check it out.”
“Huh?”
“Way I see it, that beats hell out of trying to get to see
Chodo. You carrying?”
“Here and there.”
“Finally started to learn, eh?”
“I guess. What’s the problem with Chodo? I thought
you were tight. It’s me that’s on his list.”
“I don’t know. I sent word I needed to talk. That it
was important. I never got an answer. That’s never happened
before. Then comes a roundabout kind of hint that nobody out there
wants to hear from me and if I’m smart I won’t bother
them ever again.”
“Odd.” I couldn’t figure that. Morley was an
important independent contractor. Chodo owed him a listen.
“Been odd ever since you and Winger went out there. And
getting odder every day.” We were headed downstairs now.
I asked, “What’s with the mustaches? That the coming
thing?”
“Huh?”
“I’m seeing them all over. On you it don’t
look bad. On Spud it would look good if he could grow one. But on
Puddle it looks like some damn buzzard built its nest on his
lip.”
“He doesn’t take care of it.” Morley darted to
the counter, spoke to Puddle briefly. I noted Licks’s absence
and Puddle’s wet shoulders. Licks remained with us in spirit.
The smoke was thick enough to slice.
----
----
17
When it rains and the wind blows, it gets real dark in TunFaire.
Streetlamps won’t stay lighted, though those lamps exist only
in neighborhoods like the Hill and the Tenderloin, where the wraths
of our lords temporal and lords criminal encourage thieves and
vandals to practice their crafts elsewhere. Tonight the Hill was
darker than a priest’s secret heart. I didn’t like it.
Given my choice, I want to see trouble coming.
Morley was as excited as a kid planning to tumble an outhouse. I
asked, “What’s your thinking on this?” I looked
around nervously. We’d approached Lady Hamilton’s place
unchallenged, which made me just that much more anxious.
I don’t believe in good luck. I do believe in cumulative
misfortune, in bad luck just lying back piling up interest till it
dumps on you in one big load.
“We climb over the wall, see if the coach is
there.”
“You could give Glory Mooncalled lessons in innovative
tactics.” I didn’t like his idea. We could get
ourselves arrested. We could get ourselves hurt. We could get
ourselves fatally unhealthy. The private guards on the Hill are a
lot less inhibited than their public-payroll counterparts.
“Don’t get all worked up, Garrett. Won’t be
anything to it.”
“That’s what you said the time you conned me into
helping deliver that vampire to the old kingpin.”
“That time you didn’t know what you were
doing.”
True. But where would he get the idea I knew what I was doing
now? “You’re too optimistic to live.”
“Comes of living right.”
“Comes of eating horse fodder till you have the sense of a
mule.”
“You could do with more horse fodder yourself, Garrett.
Meat is filled with the juices of things that died terrified. They
make you timid yourself.”
“I have to admit I never heard anybody call a cabbage
Similar Books
