Gilded Latten Bones

With Crush gone, she said, 'She has a marvelous voice. She might not be in the life if she had found that out first.'

'Probably not as much money in singing.'

'Not with her looks. So. What's the plan?'

'Belinda said come here, hunker down, and sit tight. That sounded like a good idea at the time but once we got here we decided it was stupid. We should have stayed where we were.'

Mike had a black look for me but the one she laid on Morley was special. Crisp chips of seared Dotes should have flaked off him. Penny's presence saved us some ugly language.

She said, 'I don't know what I did to bring this stuff down on myself.'

'We can leave.'

'Of course you can. Any time you want. With wonder boy asleep and the Capa likely to turn up any second to ask if I'm bending over and taking it like a good girl.'

'Are you really that bitter?'

'Only on days of the week ending in 'day.' I have a nice business here. We like each other, mostly. We look out for each other. I do everything by the numbers. I pay off the right people without complaining. So is it really too much to ask to be left alone in return?'

'Probably not. So why not just go back to work and forget us?'

'Best idea I've ever heard from you.' She stamped out.

Penny said, 'She isn't very nice, is she?'

'Don't let her fool you. That was all show.' I had seen a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

'So what now?'

'We wait. That's mostly what I do. Sit. Watch. Wait. If you're tired you can have the bed. I'll get a folding chair out of the corner.'

'I couldn't do that.'

'Why not?'

'People use it for. . Well, you know.'

I knew, but I was a jaded old cynic. 'A bed is a bed, girl, with some more comfortable than others. When you're tired whatever else happened there doesn't matter. Though you might be smart to see how big the bugs are before you take the plunge.'

'Mr. Garrett! Do you have to be a jerk all the time?'

'You bring out the worst in me. Do you want the bed or not? Because if you're going to be all bluestocking, I'll snag it for myself. I'm not the gentleman you think I am.'

'I believe that would make you exactly the man I think you are, sir. I will sit out the night on a folding chair, thank you.'

'Suit yourself. Turn the lamp down when you're ready. And don't lock the door. People will come to see us at some point.'

Yes. I was that way with the kid. She wanted to be part of the household on Macunado Street, I would treat her like family.

I climbed into the bed.

It was a far better bed than the one it had replaced. It was miles better than the cot.

It was a comfortably cool night so I just stretched out on the covers. Despite the excitement, the strange bed, and the fact that I had had nothing to drink, I fell asleep immediately. Despite the fact that even after she turned the lamp down I could see a sour-faced teenager scowling my way if I cracked an eyelid.

93

'So what is this?'

Was that Belinda?

'Do you believe this?'

The question died in a great, roaring snore from Morley Dotes.

I was on my back, the right side of me pressed against the wall. I did not feel inclined to be awake and sociable so I pretended I was asleep.

Strafa said, 'I thought yours would give in to temptation first.'

'Obviously you thought wrong.'

I detected some amusement in both voices.

I rolled toward them, away from the wall.

All right.

I got it.

I wasn't alone.

Penny had her back to me. She was balanced precariously on the edge but she was in the same bed. And the old women were having fun with that.

That folding chair must have gotten awful hard.

When I rolled she moved too, both of us into the slight depression in the middle.

Belinda and Strafa each said something that did not flatter me.

But for Penny I would have said something juvenile to irritate them.

Then Strafa won me back. 'We'd better get Penny up first. Carefully. Otherwise, she'll die of embarrassment.'

'Really? She's snuggled up to him in the same bed.'

'Please. Be empathetic for one minute of your life.'

Wow. That was my girl telling Belinda Contague to develop a human side. A-maz-ing!

Belinda bowed to Strafa's demands because Strafa was the Windwalker, Furious Tide of Light, who could turn her into a pond's worth of frogs.

I went on pretending to be a sleeping frog in need of the kiss of a princess. I did nothing while Strafa extricated a muzzy Penny from a situation likely to cause a panic attack.

DeeDee and Mike turned up before the ladies started on Morley and me. They brought a meal suitable for the empress of the Combine and her dearest henchfolk. DeeDee fussed over Morley till Mike, high on surviving the night, herded her out.

Miss Tea had little to say, otherwise. She stood by looking grim. She was extremely unhappy.

Strafa read her perfectly. 'We'll clear out shortly, ma'am.'

Belinda nodded. 'As soon as Mr. Dotes is fed and ready to travel.'

Strafa said, 'We blundered. We misread a situation completely, then panicked.'

'Misread, huh?' I said. 'Like how?' Her angle might have been different.

'The Palace Guards were all for show. Prince Rupert wanted somebody to see that he could come down hard on busybodies.'

'Rupert didn't send them. The King did.'

'Whatever, Rupert is at the house now.' Strafa's laughter was pure music. 'Wait till you see his headgear. He is determined not to have his mind read.' She described a monster rat's nest of silver mesh and tangle. 'We never told him that the Dead Man is asleep.'

'We?' Had there been a party while I was away?

'Easy, boy.'

Belinda said, 'You'll have to get used to him getting his exercise by jumping to conclusions.'

Strafa said, 'If we hurry, lover, I can get you there before Rupert's men finish cleaning up.'

'That doesn't sound good. What happened? What did you do?'

'Well. . After I moved Penny and Playmate, Bell and I started picking off Palace Guards. You were right. Some were patrolmen from the Hill.'

'Picking off? What does that mean?'

I was a little loud. Mike had to pop out to the hallway to reassure her security goons.