Glen Cook Garrett 11 Whispering Nickel Idols

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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
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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?
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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. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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