Gilded Latten Bones

'I just told you.'

'But. . If I wanted my life all planned and managed I could've just stayed on Factory Slide.'

Oh, my! What did I just say?

'I am not running your life. I'm making it move more efficiently. This meeting had to happen, sooner or later. You would have gone at it piecemeal, catch as catch can.'

'Exactly what I mean. Running my. .'

Children, enough! Garrett, please resist becoming all machomale excited because someone is thoughtful enough to ease your burdens. He put some power behind that. It was a command. Pour yourself a fresh mug, then join me for a moment before you start your chores.

This was not going to be a good day. I resented every minute already. I'm not self-employed because I care about efficiency. I'm interested in not having to do more than it takes to get by. Which was why I moved out of my mother's house as soon as I could.

Was that why she always favored Mikey?

Could be, come to think.

34

'Tell me something that makes sense,' I told the Dead Man as I settled facing him. Shivering. My teacup sent up clouds of steam.

Life and afterlife have become more structured. Only you seem to consider that a bad thing.

'The world hasn't changed that much, has it? Everybody still wants to unload on me.'

He was amused. He did not argue. I heard my mother telling me I had a wonderful mind. Why couldn't I just try to live up to my potential?

The amusement deepened, still absent comment.

'Did you find anything interesting in the Windwalker's mind?'

She believes you would make an excellent husband.

'What?' There was a hit from the blind side.

I know. If she can delude herself that deeply in a personal matter how can we possibly credit anything else inside her scrambled brain?

That was not what my expletive meant. 'Are you making up for time lost?'

No. We have no time for amusements. You have chores that need doing. Pay attention. Feel sorry for yourself later. The Windwalker was, overall, as honest as she could be. She is frantic about her daughter. She is in the cleft stick of a quandary that no parent should have to face. Her only child may be a monster in human guise.

I could see the quandary. It might take a stronger spirit than mine to roll over on my own family, though that would save the lives of strangers.

You have done the equivalent. You have the strength to champion the right. The Windwalker's deepest fear is that her daughter may not only be a villain. She may have created corpses for her experiments.

What could I say to that?

Young, undamaged corpses would be at a premium. Many lost souls roam the byways of this city and are unlikely to be missed. Mr. Dotes could have stumbled onto the harvesting in progress. Nothing I have found in his mind rules that out.

'Look, I remember that kid. Her head was messed up because of her family situation but she wasn't homicidal. She was creative. Weird creative, like Kip. Not deadly weird.'

You are correct. To that point. But people can change. When they do, it is usually for the worse.

'I take it you haven't had much luck with Morley.'

Very little. He is remarkably closed. If he were an animal I might think he was hibernating. Inasmuch as he is intelligent I have to believe that something was done to keep him untouchable.

'He might never come back?'

He will be back. I promise. As the challenge grows bigger I become more determined. I will build him a path of escape. Henceforth, do not be startled if I reexamine every second of your recollections of your time together before you came here.

Clever Garrett got it in one. Morley had started to wake up. Then he had gone away. 'Belinda's healer. We need to find him.'

Yes. Though I was thinking about what tried to get in through the window.

'Maybe he just decided to dig a hole and pull it in after him.'

That would not be in character. Enough. Do your chores. I have a visitor arriving momentarily. She is not comfortable in your presence.

That had to be his pet priestess, Penny Dreadful. He had taken Penny under his intellectual wing when she was little more than a toddler. He had mentored her ever since.

I considered lying back in the shadows at the foot of the stairs just to get a look but thought better of it. I was upstairs being domestic when Penny arrived.

35

I was still upstairs, taking a nap. Singe invited herself into my room. She poked me with a stiffened finger. Impossible! It couldn't be! Not across species as divergent as redheads and artificially intelligent rats.

'Ouch! Once was enough.'

'Drag your lazy ass out and go downstairs. People are waiting. Their time is valuable, too. Look at this mess. You didn't do anything.'

'I made the bed.'

She snorted derisively.

'And I considered the possibility of changing the lock on the front door,' I grumped, sourly enough for her to take me serious for a second. 'That might get me some peace.'

'I despair of seeing you grow mature and responsible.'

'I don't. It isn't on my agenda.'

'Be that as it may, you need to go downstairs. Otherwise, those people will drink all the beer and eat everything in the pantry.'

'A blatant provocation of my natural inclination toward frugality.'

'The correct word is parsimony, but if you prefer the illusion of thrift, indulge.'

I was out of practice. I had to settle for being proud of me because I did not let my frustration overcome my self-control. I swung my feet off my bed, planted them firmly on the floor. 'Look at me. I'm on my way. Now would be a good time for you to get yourself a head start.'

Clever Singe realized this was not the best time for further nagging. Maybe she got private advice from the Dead Man. She scooted out.

I saw Dean leave the kitchen with refreshments as I descended the stairs. He staggered under the weight of the provisions. An absence of cups, mugs, plates, milk, and sugar bowls suggested that this was not his first run. The natural parsimony that Singe had mentioned kicked in-as she had intended.

A dull roar of conversation came from the Dead Man's room.

I followed Dean, wondering if I hadn't made some mad, long-term mistake when I took Singe in.