That wasn't all that long ago I didn't want to remember. That had been a hairy one. There'd been some sick people involved. Only good that came out of it was Maya. "I remember."

"No wisecrack? You must be getting old. So. One day you come out to the house. Dotes was with you. We gived you a little stone. An amulet, like. Eh? Maybe you thought we forgot to take it back"

I'd been hoping. That stone was hidden in the Dead Man's room with our most precious possessions. I'd expected to have to use it someday.

It was a magical gizmo that kept the thunder-lizards away, Chodo isn't fond of unannounced visitors. To discourage them, he has his grounds walled. Behind the walls he keeps whole herds of small, carnivorous thunder-lizards. They're more efficient than dogs, though he has packs of those, too. Thunder-lizards don't leave much evidence laying around. No telling how many valiant adventurers have scaled Chodo's wall only to become monster munchies.

"You set me up."

"We thought it might be handy someday, having one on the outside."

"You guys are too damned smart for me

"That's a fact."

I doubted it, but he and Crask were a lot smarter than they let on. "So you need the stone to get through to the house, where everybody's going to be polluted. Then what?"

"Then Chodo expires in his sleep. Maybe because they're all drunk and not watching what they're doing, a couple thunder-lizards get inside and gobble up a few guys who been trying to take over me and Crask's spots."

"You think you can run the outfit?"

"Between us we can. It don't take a lot of running. We got the machine all oiled up. We go break somebody's head once a month or so, it keeps running smooth. We can handle that."

No doubt. "And I get the book, eh?"

"Soon as we find out where it is. That's a promise. And we'll find it. You know that."

They would if they wanted. But would they really deliver? That is, would they bother collecting it if it turned out to be in the clutches of a Fido Easterman or would they just point me in the right direction? "Three in the morning, eh?"

"I know you been keeping regular hours. But that's the way it is."

Another night without much steep. And no nap between now and then because I'd be trying to think of a way to slide out of being part of a gangland killing.

Morley would say this was an opportunity to show I wasn't under Chodo's thumb, forgetting it would give Crask and Sadler a rather ferocious hold on me Speaking of Morley Dotes, where was he? Now I needed a helpful hand. Not to mention Saucerhead. "Hey, you got any idea what's become of Dotes and Tharpe?"

"Nope. Still sulking?"

"Looks like." Something about his answer told me he really didn't know. Probably it was the fact that his tone said he didn't care

He asked, "You aren't thinking about bringing them guys with you?"

I caught the edge of something there. "No." This deserved some thought. "Just haven't seen them since this mess started. I'm concerned."

"Um. I been sitting still too long. Got to keep moving. Don't want to let anything catch up. We'll meet you at the milestone on the hill down the road from Chodo's place. Two o'clock. Bring that amulet stone."

"Sure."

Sadler went away, stooped like he was a hundred and ten. He did it pretty good. I wouldn't have recognized him from a distance.

I wondered what they would do if I didn't show.

He'd left his packet of crumbs. I fed the pigeons while I mused, till some jerk came up and pounced, wanting to tell me all the latest from the Cantard.

36

I hadn't gone a block when Winger fell into step beside me "Must be my lucky day."

She asked, "What was that about?" No sensitivity, Winger I wondered if she could be insulted.

"What's what about?"

"Your little cheek-to-cheek with Chodo's boy Sadler."

So she had an eye. His disguise hadn't fooled her. "You're too nosy, along with all your other charms."

"That's what they tell me." She gave me a big grin, followed with a comradely punch to the shoulder. Would I ever get used to her? Tell the truth, I hoped I didn't have to. There were moments when I wished the odds would hustle up and overtake her. "Bet I can figure it."

"Go right ahead." I did my surly best to lengthen my stride till she couldn't keep up. Lot of good it did me. She cruised along, had me huffing and puffing before I was halfway home. Big old country girl.

"How's this, Garrett? Sadler and his boyfriend figure out their hopes for moving up ain't worth squat if their boss grabs that book. Eh?" Big chuckle, up from the gut, like a Saucerhead Tharpe chuckle. "They put in their time, played it straight, figure they deserve better. Eh?"

"That you been following me all over?" I hadn't sensed her presence at all. Nor that other presence, if that hadn't been her. Scary, her that close and me not feeling a thing. And her in that outfit.

"Only since you left Easterman's hangout. Them guys want you to help them promote themselves, don't they?"

Was I giving myself away? Usually I do good hiding my thoughts. She laughed. "Yeah. I thought so. When they going to do it?"

"What're you babbling about? You been smoking weed?"

"Sure. My imagination's gone berserk. You ever seen that place that Chodo lives?"

"I've been there."

"Bet whoever cleans that out would be set for life."

"Be a short life if somebody tried."

"Them thunder-lizards? No problem. Your pals got some way to get past them. I ride in on their coattails, stay low while they're doing the dirty deed, grab a sackful of the best loot, hightail out in the confusion afterward. No big deal."

Incurable optimism. "When did you get out to look at the place?"

"I get around. You made a big deal about the guy being bad, I figured I had to check him out."

"You ever sleep?"

"I got a lot of energy. You do when you got ambition. You, you're an old box turtle. Never move unless you're starving and then only far enough to get yourself fed. You're never going to amount to anything, Garrett."

Was she taking lessons from Dean? "I manage. I have my own house. Not many can say that."

"I heard about how you made the money, too. People kept sticking pins in your ass till you did something. Then you fell in the shit and came up with a sack of gold."

It really was something like that. But I do think I gave value for money. I stomped up the steps to my front door. Winger invited herself along. I thought about tossing her back when I recalled my little joke on Dean. What the hell? It would do his old heart good to get to pounding. I knocked.

Dean opened up. He took a look at Winger. His face scrunched up but he didn't say anything. Winger said, "How you doing, Pops? You got any more of that good beer? I'm dry as a mummy." She gave him a friendly thump on the chest. He almost went down. He regained his balance, took off down the hall shaking his head.

Only after I shut the door behind her did I recall how things had gone last time Winger visited. I had to see the Dead Man and couldn't let her run amuck while I did. No telling what would leap into her pockets. "Come on. It's time you met my partner." I shouldn't use that word so close to him. He'd make a point of bringing it up.

My partner was as thrilled to meet her as he'd be to be the star at a witch burning. Carla Lindo could charm him some, but even she was a woman, and I'd not be forgiven for having her around so long. Winger was something else. Say she lacked Carla Lindo's grace.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"The Dead Man. My sidekick. Not as frisky as some, but he does his part. If you light a fire under him."

"That ain't no man, Garrett. That's some kind of thing. Gots it a snoot like a mammoth. Gods, it's ugly. Kind of ripe, too." Like I said, a real charmer. All the sensitivity of a dire wolf.