'Sure did,' I said with a grin. 'Poof! Disappeared right into thin air; flew out on a broomstick I found in the janitor's closet.'

She didn't laugh. 'How did you get away, Robert?'

'I was cut loose,' I replied seriously. 'They had me bound with leather straps around my wrists and ankles. Somebody sliced through them, but I was either asleep or too zonked-out to realize what was happening at the time.'

'But who would …' April paused, and I could see that she knew the answer. 'Esobus,' she whispered.

'Right. Esobus again. It had to be. Who else but a member of the coven would know where I was, and what was being done to me? It looks as though Esobus is turning out to be my guardian angel as well as Kathy's. Kee tried to tell me that he was Esobus, but that's nonsense. He was trying to get me to identify with Esobus and the coven; since it was his voice I was listening to, he played Great Pumpkin.'

'It all seems so. . strange.'

'I assume that's meant to be an understatement.'

'But why would Esobus. .?' April's voice trailed off into puzzled silence.

'I'll find the answer to that question when I find Esobus.'

'Oh, Robert,' April sighed, 'you're not going on with this, are you?'

'Of course I am; I still have a client.'

'Kathy is not your client,' April said with real exasperation. 'She's too young to hire you! She's a minor, and I forbid you to look on her as your client!'

'She's not too young to give me everything she had in order to help someone she loved. She hired me to find her father's book of shadows, and I don't want her to be disappointed. Besides, needless to say, I'm curious about that book, and about Esobus. I can't back off now.'

'But if you're right about Frank's book of shadows being an expose of the coven, it must have been stolen and destroyed by them.'

'Probably. I want to find out for sure; and I want to find out who Esobus is.'

'But you're ill, Robert!'

'I'll be all right. I'm going to nail these bastards.'

'The police will take care of it now.'

'I know; it's probably only a matter of time. I just want a piece of the action.'

April slowly shook her head, whispered, 'You're crazy.'

'No. Just slightly put out.'

'I'm afraid they'll kill you, Robert,' April breathed. 'After all you've done for us, after all you. . mean to me. . I don't think I could bear losing you.'

'Hey, it's their side that's losing. I've got momentum, and I absolutely guarantee you they can't kill me. Your spell has cloaked me with invincibility for at least a hundred years.'

'Words!' April said with sudden anger. 'Words, and stupid pride! Death can come in an instant! You'll be killed, and all that will be left will be your stupid words! I don't wanf to have to remember you as a wonderful, stupid man!'

'I'm sorry you feel that way, April,' I replied quietly. 'I just have to follow this thing through to its conclusion. If you can't understand, there's no way I can explain.'

April sighed again. 'Kathy's recovering beautifully, but I'm exhausted-and you're exhausted. I was hoping that in a few days we could all. . go off somewhere together. Kathy would like that so much.' She winked, and growled playfully. 'So would I, lover. Want to think about it?'

'Think about it? My God, I want to go now!' I reached across the table and took her hand. 'But I can't just leave this thing hanging.'

'I can see that,' April said, looking at me hard. 'I was just hoping.'

'Can I get a taking-care-of-business check?'

'You've got a postponement.'

'Where's Kathy now?'

'With Janet.'

'How's she getting along with Horace?'

April smiled warmly. 'Just fine, but she'd love to see her best friend, Mr. Mongo. She's been asking about you all week, and she doesn't understand why you haven't come to see her.'

'Does she know about. . her father yet?'

April nodded. 'She knows that Frank died in the fire you saved her from, but not the details. She doesn't remember anything about what happened before the fire. All she can say is that she fell asleep in the car coming home from my house; that's all she remembers until she woke up in the hospital.'

'It's just as well. Are you and Kathy doing anything this afternoon?'

'No. Why?'

'I have to drop by the hospital for my shot, and then I'd like to do something with the two of you. Like go to the zoo. Can Kathy leave the house?'

'She can, and I know she'd love to go to the zoo.'

'I'm a zoo freak-if you'll pardon the pun.'

April giggled. 'I'll ignore the pun-and I'm a zoo freak too. I love orangutans.' Her smile fluttered and faded. 'Does this mean that at least you're not starting back to work right away?'

'Certainly not before we go to the zoo,' I said, getting up to clear away the dishes.

But I would right afterward, as soon as it got dark. And I had a pretty good idea where to start looking.

Chapter 19

The lights were on in Krowl's brownstone, and the shades were up. I didn't want anyone inside looking out and seeing me, so I stayed across the street in the night shadows. I walked to the end of the block and went down the side street. In the shadows between the glows cast by two street lights I crossed the street to the warehouse behind Krowl's house. The warehouse still looked abandoned, but I didn't think it was; the coven had to have a private and secure place to meet, and the warehouse looked like a perfect spot.

All the windows I could see were painted black, and the glass looked as if it were reinforced with wire mesh. Considering the neighborhood, the building looked in good shape and seemed to be maintained well. In the front was a stainless steel door with a heavy padlock. I was reasonably certain I could work my way through the lock, but the street was too exposed.

I had better luck in a side alley. I had the same problem with a heavy door and padlock, but in the alley I was shrouded in darkness. There was always the danger of setting off an alarm, silent or otherwise, but there didn't seem to be any way of getting around that risk if I wanted to get inside the building-and I most certainly wanted to get inside. The drop-bolt lock was expensive and sturdy; beyond the skills of the average burglar, nervous and in a hurry. It took me almost an hour and my entire set of custom-made lockpicks to get through it.

I stepped inside the door and found myself in pitch darkness. I fumbled along the wall, found a light switch and flipped it. Fluorescent lights came on, throwing a stuttering, soft glow over a narrow stairway. I slowly climbed the stairs, paying close attention to where I stepped in case the setup was booby-trapped. I could find no wires or mechanical devices that would indicate an alarm rigging, and I assumed I was home free.

At the top of the stairway I found myself on a catwalk which circled a broad concrete area on the first floor below. Occult symbols had been painted on the concrete between the perimeter of a large black circle and twelve smaller circles surrounding it. Black draperies encircled the entire area. There was a sloping, sunken area in the center of the floor. The depression was scorched, and I thought I could see three small metal outlets that were probably gas jets. They would make a clean, gas-burning bonfire; all the conveniences of modern covenry.

To my right was a narrow platform constructed of reinforced concrete and jutting out over the ceremonial area below. At the end of the platform was a small enclosure draped in crimson velvet. Assuming I was right about

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