Krowl rose stiffly from his chair. "I don't give out information," he said coldly. "I never discuss my clients. You owe me forty dollars."
I stood up, counted out the money from my wallet and placed it on the table. "I don't want to talk about any of your clients; what I need to know involves one of mine. The sick child you saw in the cards; that could be her. She's dying because something was done to her; I have to find out exactly what's wrong with her."
Krowl's gaze dropped to the layout on the table, and he stared at the cards for a long time. Finally his eyes flicked back to my face. "What are you talking about?" he asked tightly. His face was flushed to the point where it almost matched his eyes.
"The girl's father got himself involved in some bad witchcraft business," I said, watching Krowl carefully. "I think his new friends killed him and did something to the girl. She's in a coma. It will help if the doctors can find out what was done to her. I'm trying to find the people responsible. Garth said that you might be able to help me. I have to find a ceremonial magician who uses the witch name 'Esobus.' Have you ever heard the name?"
Krowl quickly reached for his glasses and put them on. "What makes you think I'd know anything about this?"
"I just told you: Garth told me you might know who Esobus is."
The albino started to put the cards in the layout back into the deck. Both his hands were trembling now, and he looked sick. Suddenly he pushed the cards away and walked quickly to a bookcase filled with occult icons and books. He leaned against it, arms outspread and forehead touching the leather-bound volumes, as though drawing strength from the symbols and words there. He spun around as I started across the room toward him.
"Get out!" Krowl said firmly. His flesh had returned to its normal parchment color, and he'd stopped shaking. It was quite a transformation. "What right do you have to come to me under false pretenses and start asking questions?"
"Hey, buddy; I'm just asking you to help a little girl who's dying. Esobus works out of your bailiwick, not mine. I can see that you're afraid; okay. I absolutely guarantee that no one will ever find out you gave me his real name."
"I don't know anything." He half-turned toward a louvered door behind him. "Jonathan! Come here!"
"Bullshit," I said quietly. "You sure as hell know something; you looked like you were about to toss your cookies when I mentioned the name. Come on, Krowl. Anything you tell me will be kept in the strictest confidence. Nothing is going to happen to you. Tell me Esobus' real name."
A huge man, almost seven feet tall, appeared in the doorway, and Krowl motioned toward me. "Get him out of here," he said to Jonathan. Then to me: "Don't come back here again."
I waved an embarrassed, reluctant Jonathan off and headed for the door, where I paused with my hand on the knob, turned. "I don't know what your problem is, Krowl," I said softly, "but I want to make a prediction of my own. I'm betting that I can be an even bigger pain in the ass than Esobus. I'm making up a creep list, and it looks like you're on it. If that girl dies because the doctors don't have information you could have given me, I'm going to be back. You think on that, you son-of-a-bitch." I took a card out of my pocket and handed it to the bemused Jonathan. "Here's my number; you call me if you want to talk."
I made a point of slamming the door behind me.
I walked to a phone booth at the end of the block and called Garth. I let the phone ring ten times and was about to give up when Regina finally answered.
"Hi, Regina. It's Mongo. Let me talk to Garth, please."
Garth came on the line a few seconds later. "Jesus, Mongo," he growled. "You pick the most incredibly inopportune-times to call."
"Think of me as your conscience."
He grunted. "How's the little girl?"
"The same."
"Did you get anything from John?"
"A hard time. He doesn't like me; I don't like him."
"That's too bad. He's a great contact. If anyone knows who Esobus is, I'd have laid odds it would be John."
"And you'd win. Krowl knows something, all right; I thought he was going to pass out when I mentioned Esobus. The problem is that he threw me out. He's afraid of something. If Krowl won't tell me about Esobus, I'm going to start finding out about Krowl. How well do you know him personally?"
"Not well enough to tell you anything useful. I met him through some of my other contacts."
"Okay. I want you to do something for me. Have you heard of Harley Davidson?"
"The motorcycle or the singer?"
"Ho-ho. I thought he was out on the Coast, but it turns out he's one of Krowl's clients. He may have digs here in the city. If so, some of the Special Details boys may know where to find him. Make a couple of calls for me in the morning, will you? Davidson used to be a student of mine, and he may be able to give me a better line on Krowl."
"Will do. Incidentally, a friend of yours has been very busy lately."
"Who?"
"Daniel-or Crandall, or whatever the hell his name is. He's been cutting a pretty wide swath through the underground here. You've got company; the word is that he's looking for Esobus too. The difference is that those nice folks are afraid of him. I hear he's scaring the shit out of people."
"Yeah? Well, good for him. Get back to me on Davidson as soon as you can, okay?"
"Check. May I go now?"
"You may go now. Listen; save some energy, will you?"
Garth cursed good-naturedly and hung up. I dug another dime out of my pocket and called Madeline Jones. Madeline had also known Bobby Weiss before he'd become Harley Davidson. Weiss had enrolled in my classes because he was interested in criminology; I was sure he'd taken astronomy because he'd lusted after Madeline.
"Hello?" It was a stranger's voice-hollow, thin and strained.
"Uh … is Dr. Jones there?"
"This is Dr. Jones speaking. Mongo?"
"Yeah. Mad? God, you sound terrible."
"I. . have a cold. And I'm very tired."
"Sorry to be calling so late."
"It's all right. Is something. . wrong?"
"First of all, I just saw John Krowl. I'm sure he knows something about Esobus, but he won't talk to me. I'm afraid our relationship got off to a rather rocky start."
"What. . makes you think John knows anything about Esobus?"
"Big reaction when I mentioned the name. Anyway, I was hoping you'd talk to him for me; assure him that I'm relatively straight and that anything he tells me will be in strict confidence. I know you think Esobus is a myth, but it looks like you're wrong. Hearing the name definitely upset Krowl. I just don't have the time to lean on him. Will you talk to him?"
There was a long pause at the other end of the line, and I repeated Madeline's name.
"Yes, Mongo." The stranger's voice was barely a whisper. "I'll talk to John, but I don't think he'll have anything to say to me."
"Well, I'll appreciate your making the effort. And I may have another lead. Do you remember Bobby Weiss?"
"Uh. . vaguely."
I wondered; rumors around faculty circles had it that the student and the middle-aged woman had been lovers. "I think he may be in New York," I said. "I was wondering if you'd heard anything from him."
Again there was a long silence; again I repeated her name.
"I'm sorry, Mongo," she managed to say at last. "I'm just so. . exhausted I can't think. I don't know what's the matter with me."
"Mad, have you seen a doctor?"
"No. I just need. . some rest. I haven't heard from Bobby. I'm sorry I can't help you there."
"It's okay. Listen, sweetheart, you take care of yourself. Okay?"
"Yes," Mad answered dully. "I will. Thank you, Mongo. Goodbye."
When I hung up, I found that I was concerned about Madeline. I quickly reminded myself that I had enough other things to worry about, and that Madeline-to say the least-was a strong woman who could take care of herself.