Then-” she instinctively fingered the pocket with the two lockets in it, her own and the one she’d taken from the assassin-“we’ll work out what to do next.”
They spent a nervous night in the anonymous hotel room, high above any threat from world-walking pursuers. In the morning Miriam pointed Brill at the shower-she had to explain the controls-while she called room service, then went to check the wardrobe.
A big anonymous-looking suitcase nearly filled the luggage niche, right where she’d left it. While breakfast was on its way up, Miriam opened it and pulled out some fresh clothing. Have to take time to buy some more, she thought, looking at what was left. Most of the suitcase was occupied by items that wouldn’t exactly render her inconspicuous on this side. Later, she resolved. Her wallet itched, reproaching her. Inside it was the platinum card Duke Angbard had sent her. Two million dollars of other people’s blood money. Either it was her “Get Out of Jail Free” card, or a death trap, depending on whether whoever had sent the first bunch of assassins-her enemy within the Clan, rather than without-was able to follow its transactions. Probably they wouldn’t be able to, at least not fast enough to catch up with her if she kept moving. If they were, Miriam wasn’t the only family member who was at risk. It’s probably safe as long as it keeps working and I keep moving, she reasoned. If somebody puts a stop on it, I’m in trouble. And better not go buying any air tickets. Not that she was planning on doing that-the idea of introducing airline passenger etiquette to Brill left her shaking her head.
There was a discreet knock at the door. Miriam picked up her pistol and, hiding it in her pocket, approached. The peephole showed her a bored bellhop pushing a trolley. She opened the door. “Thanks,” she said, passing him a tip. “We’ll keep the trolley.”
Back inside the suite, Brill emerged from the bathroom looking pink and freshly scrubbed-and somewhat confused. “Where does all the water come from?” she asked, almost complaining. “It never stopped!”
“Welcome to New York, baby,” Miriam drawled, lifting the cover off a plate laden with a full-cooked breakfast. “Land of plenty, home of-sorry,” she finished lamely and waved Brill toward a chair. “Come on, there’s enough food for both of us.” Damn, she thought. I don’t want to go rubbing her nose in it. Not like that.
“Thank you,” Brill said, primly picking up a knife and fork and going to work. “Hmm. It tastes slightly… odd.”
“Yeah.” Miriam chewed thoughtfully, then poured a couple of cups of coffee from the thermal jug. “The eggs aren’t as good. Are they?”
“It’s all a little different.” Brill frowned, inspecting her plate minutely. “They’re all the same, aren’t they? Like identical twins?”
“It’s how we make things here.” Miriam shrugged. “You’ll see lots of things that are identical. But not people.” She began working on her toast before she noticed Brill surreptitiously following her example with the small wrapped parcels of butter. “First, I’m going to call my friend. If she’s all right, we’re going to go on a journey to another city and I’m going to leave you with her for a few days. The way we tell it is: You’re a relative from out of state who’s coming to stay. Your parents are weird backwoods types, which is why there’s a lot of stuff you haven’t seen. My friend will know the truth. Also, she’s got a contact number for Roland. If I-” she cleared her throat-“she’ll get you back in touch, so you can go home. To the other side, I mean, when you need to.”
“ ‘When I need to’,” Brill echoed doubtfully. She glanced around the room. “What’s that?”
“That?” Miriam blinked. “It’s a television set.”
“Oh. Like Ser Villem’s after-dinner entertainments. I remember that! The cat and the mouse, and the talking rabbit, Bugs.” Brill smiled. “They are everywhere, here?”
“That’s one way of putting it.” Kid, I prescribe a week as a dedicated couch potato before we let you go outdoors on your own, she resolved. “I’ve got a call to make,” she said, reaching for her mobile.
The first thing Miriam did was switch her phone off, open the back, and replace the SIM chip with one she took from her billfold. Then she reassembled it. The phone beeped as it came up with a new identity, but there was no voice mail waiting for her. Steeling herself, she dialled a number-one belonging to another mobile phone she’d sent via FedEx a couple of days before.
“Hello?” The voice at the end of the line sounded positively chirpy.
“Paulie! Are you okay?”
“Miriam! How’s it going, babe?”
“It’s going messy,” she admitted. “Look, remember the other day? Are you still home?”
“Yes. What’s come up?”
“I’m going to come pay you a visit,” said Miriam. “First, I’ve got a lot of things to discuss, stuff to get in order- and a down payment. Second, I’ve got a lodger. How’s your spare room?”
“Oh, you know it’s been empty since I kicked that bum Walter out? What’s up, you wanting him to stay with me?”
Miriam glanced at Brill. “It’s a she, and I think you’ll probably like her,” she said guardedly. “It’s part of that deal I’ve made. I need you to put her up for a few weeks, on the company-I mean, I’m paying. Trouble is, she’s from, uh, out of state, if you follow me. She doesn’t know her way around at all.”
“Does she, like, speak English?” Paulette sounded interested rather than perturbed, for which Miriam was immensely grateful. Brilliana was toying with her coffee and pretending not to realize Miriam was discussing her, on an intimate basis, with a talking box.
“Yeah, that’s not a problem. But this morning was the first time she’d ever met an electric shower, and that is a problem or me, because I’ve got a lot of travelling to do in the next few weeks and I need to put her where someone can keep an eye on her as she gets used to the way things are done over here. Can you do that?”
“Probably,” Paulette said briskly. “Depends if she hates my guts on first sight-or vice versa. I can’t promise more than that, can I?”
“Well-” Miriam took a deep breath. “Okay, we’re coming up today on the train. You going to be home in the afternoon?”
“For you, any day! You’ve got a lot to tell me about?”
“Everything,” Miriam said fervently. “It’s been crazy.”
“Bye, then.”
Miriam put the phone down and rubbed her eyes. Brill was watching her oddly. “Who was that?” she asked.
“Who-oh, on the phone?” Miriam glanced at it. So Brill had figured out that much? Bright girl. “A friend of mine. My, uh, business agent. On this side.” She grinned. “For the past few days, anyway. We’re going to see her this afternoon.”
“ ‘Her’?” Brill raised an eyebrow. “All the hot water you want, no need to feed the fire, and women running businesses? No wonder my mother didn’t want me coming here-she was afraid I’d never come back!”
“That seems to go with the territory,” Miriam agreed dryly.
After breakfast she chivvied Brill into getting dressed again. Her tailored suit and blouse would blend into the background just fine: another business traveller in the heart of New York. Miriam thought for a moment, then picked another jacket-this time a dressy one rather than one built for bad weather. She’d have to keep her pistol in her handbag, but she’d look more in keeping with Brill, and hopefully it would distract any killers hunting for a lone woman in her early thirties with thus-and-such features.
Miriam took the large suitcase when they left the room and headed downstairs. Brill’s eyes kept swivelling at everything from telephones to cigarette ads, but she kept her questions to herself as Miriam shepherded her into a nearby bank for ten minutes, then flagged down a taxi. “What was that about?” Brill murmured after Miriam told the driver where to go.
“Needed to take care of some money business,” Miriam replied. “Angbard gave me a line on some credit, but-” she stopped, shrugged. I’m talking Martian again, she realized.
“You’ll have to tell me how this credit thing works some time,” Brill commented. “I don’t think I’ve actually seen a coin since I came here. Do people use them?”
“Not much. Which makes some things easier-it’s harder to steal larger amounts-and other things more difficult- like transferring large quantities of money to someone else without it being noticed.”
“Huh.” Brill stared out of the window at the passing traffic, the pedestrians in their dark winter colours, and the bright advertisements. “It’s so noisy! How do you get any thinking done?”
“Sometimes it’s hard,” Miriam admitted.
She bought two tickets to Boston and shepherded Brill onto the express train without incident. They found a
