"And you may wish for the nine of Cups, yet have the five of Cups to regret. The outcome. Hmmph.PeHmmph.Perhaps;ll escape."

She stopped, waiting.

The Gypsy stared at her. At last he said, "If any of this has any meaning, old woman, tell me now. I am older than you, and far more weary. I am living too many riddles to take any pleasure in hearing yet more from your lips. I don't know why I've been put on this path, but it isn't to serve your whims."

She stared back at him from behind eyes like velvet curtains, then she looked away and nodded. "Very well," she said. "Perhaps it will hinder more than help, but you have the right to know the little I can tell you.

"The Hermit reversed is someone on a path, seeking. He's looking for something. Does that make sense?"

"If I want it to," said the Gypsy.

"Yes," agreed Madam Moria. "Exactly. The Queen of Swords reversed is, huh, have you noticed that all of the women in this reading are reversed? You are either dealing with evil women, little Dove, or you have some attitudes-"

"Tell me about the Queen of Swords, old woman."

She glared at him for a moment, then said, "She is intelligent. She is perceptive. She is cruel. She reasons well. Her influence is all around you. Does that sound familiar? Have you a guess who it could be?"

"Save your irony, old woman. This card?"

"Yes. The Tower. The flash of truth or inspiratinspiration.Theall you've believed."

"It looks worse than that."

"It will feel worse than that when it happens."

"And the card with the wheel?"

"The Wheel of Fortune reversed is just past. You have been unable to effect the course of events, and you've been forced to wait. This is the passing."

"And this card, that you said meant the gathering of forces?"

"Call it the pivot point. How you will affect the events, obviously. Through the actions of others.Dothers.Doesartle you?"

"Go on."

"Temperance. You wish to bring the parts together that have been sundered. But this, too, I think you know already. The outcome, though, is split. You have two choices. One is pestilence, disease, the ten of Swords. The other are these three cards, the nine of Cups for wishes coming true, the five of Cups for sorrow, the Sun for escape and protection."

"So perhaps I will die, or perhaps I will escape, but I can't win?"

"So I read it. You may read it better if you can."

"The cards you use, they seem to be of many different styles."

"I use the cards that please me, some from one deck, some from others."

"Yes, I believe this."

Her eyes flashed. "It is not for you to judge me."

He laughed suddenly. "If I don't, young woman,who will?"

She frowned. "Young woman?"

"Older perhaps than the woman who was killed trying to help me, but younger than my brothers and I."

"You are more than you seem. I think…" Her voice trailed off and she frowned again.

"What do you think, young woman?"

Her lips twitched. "I think you are as much a fool as the Coachman, who sees the route, but not the ending. You push us all along a path that-"

He stood up, suddenly lost in a torment of fear,hope, and anger. "Coachman? What do you know of a Coachman?"

"I know he is a drunken fool," she snapped. "I sent him away so we could have some priv-"

"You sent him away?" cried the Gypsy.

For the first time, she seemed uncertain. "He had played his part in-"

"The Queen of Swords reasons well, you say, but what if her facts are wrong? What then for her powers? What damage will she do? Perhaps you are the Queen of Swords reversed, woman, and your arrogance will destroy us all."

"Perhaps the painful revelation is yours, and it is to happen now."

"I never wanted to be part-"

"Be still. Which of us did want to be part of it? You dare to accuse me of using people? Is your wit so keen that you can outguess Luci Herself? Is your Sight so great that you can see into Her heart? Are your hands so skilled that you can untangle every thread She weaves? Is your power so great that you can send Her away? What have you done, woman?"

She stared at him, puzzled and frightened. "Who are you?" she asked in a whisper.

"I? I am Csucskari the Gypsy. I am a T altos. I am the one who has sworn an oath against the Fair Lady and all Her works. I am the only hope we have against Her, poor though it be. You are an arrogant fool, old woman. You see the bottom of the stream so clearly,you forget there is water above it, and you'd let us drown in your pride, then curse us for being unable to breathe. Well, if you have such keen sight, use it now, while there may yet be time. Where is the Coachman?"

"I don't know," she whispered after a moment."My sister would know."

"Then ask her. Now."

She looked up at him, then looked away. She seemed to shrink into herself, then she sighed and stared down, absently, into her teacup. She stirred the leaves with one bony finger., and after a time she spoke.

Well, I left there running like a thousand

Devils were on my trail

Woah. lannan sidhe let me be.

"LANNAN SIDHE"

Ed reached for the remote control, turned the TV down three clicks before answering the phone.

"Ed?" demanded a voice before he could even say hello.

He sat up on the couch, trying to place the voice."Yes," he said guardedly.

"It's me. Tiffany Marie," she went on, and when he didn't answer right away, she added, "Say you don't know me, and I'll drag a nail down the side of that Caddy the next time I see it parked in our loading zone."

"Tiffany Marie, no one could ever forget you, or that red hair. I'm just wondering why you're calling me."

"Look, Ed, this is important. Man, I think I knowhow important better than anyone else," she added,almost to herself, "I can't get Stepovich, his phone just rings, and maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to get him anyway. And Randy… Durand doesn't answer either, so I figured I'd better call you. It's about Mike's kid."

"What?" Ed was already sticking his feet back into his shoes. All the skin on his scalp was tingling, ancient hackles standing up as his cop sense sent alarms screaming.

"His girl, whatshername, Laurie? You know her?"

"I stood godfather to her," Ed answered grimly,but Tiffany Marie was still talking.

"She's in here. At least, I'm pretty sure it's her, I only met her those two times. Anyway, she's painted up like a whore, and she's with this older guy, this gypsy-looking guy, and he's like, all over her. Christ,Ed, she can't be more than fourteen, and this guy is really moving on her, and she's acting like, well, she's not exactly pushing him away. And the guy isn't some street kid, I mean, he's a corner musician or something. Hell, he's not only too old for her, he's too old for me. Look, Ed, I don't think she's made any really big mistakes yet, and maybe if someone like you gets down here-dammit, now there's a fight.Gofight.Gottah;"

"I'm coming," said Ed and hung up the phone as he reached for his jacket. Shit. Someone was putting little Laurie out on the streets? Where the hell was Mike, what was he thinking of to let his little girl run loose at this hour of the night? He picked up his Caddy keys off the coffee table, thought briefly of calling Jenny. Decided against it. She'd just get shrill and jump into the middle of it and make it messy. Well,it wasn't going to be messy. Good thing Tiffany Marie had called him. He'd make it fast and quiet.

He stopped by the door, then turned and went back to his bedroom. In a bottom drawer was a gift box with a sap-glove in it. It had been a long-ago gag from Stepovich after Ed had done a lot of pussyfooting in an interrogation one night. "Next time, try this," the note had said.