"That was luck." That was something I'd brought away with me. I suspect, though, that I'd been more motivated than Sadler had. "But you sent a note."
"Crask wrote it. He picked up a little here and there. I been thinking we could get us a tutor after Chodo croaks and we take over Only now it don't look like he plans on checking out, ever."
"So you're figuring on helping him along."
"Something like that."
"I don't do assassinations."
"You was in on the old kingpin biting the big one."
"He didn't bite it, it bit him. And you know how it went down. Morley Dotes set me up If Saucerhead or I had known what was happening, we'd have been on the other side of town instead of helping Dotes lug his vampire."
"You help us, Garrett, you'd have friends could help you back."
"How? Chodo embarrasses me now, carrying on like I was his favorite kid."
Sadler was startled. Why? He grinned but didn't say. He had lousy teeth "Maybe so. But he sure as hell ain't never going to give you that book."
"Would you9"
"I can't read and Crask ain't much better. You figure we could hire somebody to read it for us9 You figure we could have that thing and hang on song enough to learn how to read? Without everybody in the world coming after us?"
"You have a point But I have a problem." I don't do assassinations. I didn't have much use for Chodo but didn't want in on sending him to the big rackets in the sky. He hadn't earned it from me.
I didn't not want in badly enough to tell Sadler no, though. He might decide I had to be put to sleep so I wouldn't tell anybody his plan. "It don't look like I have too many options. How you going to do it?" It's called temporizing.
"Old Chodo, he's going to be partying tonight. Going to be distracted His daughter is in town for the wingding he throws her every year
"His what?"
"His daughter." Sadler laughed. "Not a lot of people know about her You'd like her. She's a looker Must take after her old lady I never saw the broad. Before my time, Chodo put her away himself ‘cause he caught her screwing the guy who was the boss back then. So what? History is history. Important thing is, he's throwing a birthday party tonight. Goes on like they have before, everybody will drink themselves blind arid pass out. Me and Crask figure if we hit about three in the morning, it'll he a walk."
"Why do you need me, then?"
He grinned again He was doing more of that than in all the time I'd known him. "Garrett, you do that innocent so damned good. Man, I wish I could do that."
"Glad you get a kick out of it. Because I really don't know what the hell you're yapping about
"Sour today. Little chickie tell you no? Okay. You remember a while back we all had us a problem with that thing that thought it was a dead god? Wanted to bring itself back to life?
That wasn't all that long ago I didn't want to remember. That had been a hairy one. There'd been some sick people involved. Only good that came out of it was Maya. "I remember."
"No wisecrack? You must be getting old. So One day you come out to the house. Dotes was with you. We gived you a little stone. An amulet, like Eh? Maybe you thought we forgot to take it back"
I'd been hoping. That stone was hidden in the Dead Man's room with our most precious possessions. I'd expected to have to use it someday.
It was a magical gizmo that kept the thunder-lizards away, Chodo isn't fond of unannounced visitors. To discourage them, he has his grounds walled. Behind the walls he keeps whole herds of small, carnivorous thunder-lizards. They're more efficient than dogs, though he has packs of those, too. Thunder-lizards don't leave much evidence laying around. No telling how many valiant adventurers have scaled Chodo's wall only to become monster munchies.
"You set me up."
"We thought it might be handy someday, having one on the outside."
"You guys are too damned smart for me
"That's a fact."
I doubted it, but he and Crask were a lot smarter than they let on. "So you need the stone to get through to the house, where everybody's going to be polluted. Then what?"
"Then Chodo expires in his sleep. Maybe because they're all drunk and not watching what they're doing, a couple thunder-lizards get inside and gobble up a few guys who been trying to take over me and Crask's spots."
"You think you can run the outfit?"
"Between us we can. It don't take a lot of running. We got the machine all oiled up. We go break somebody's head once a month or so, it keeps running smooth. We can handle that."
No doubt. "And I get the book, eh?"
"Soon as we find out where it is. That's a promise. And we'll find it. You know that."
They would if they wanted. But would they really deliver? That is, would they bother collecting it if it turned out to be in the clutches of a Fido Easterman or would they just point me in the right direction? "Three in the morning, eh?"
"I know you been keeping regular hours But that's the way it is."
Another night without much steep. And no nap between now and then because I'd be trying to think of a way to slide out of being part of a gangland killing.
Morley would say this was an opportunity to show I wasn't under Chodo's thumb, forgetting it would give Crask and Sadler a rather ferocious hold on me Speaking of Morley Dotes, where was he? Now I needed a helpful hand. Not to mention Saucerhead. "Hey, you got any idea what's become of Dotes and Tharpe?"
"Nope. Still sulking?"
"Looks like." Something about his answer told me he really didn't know. Probably it was the fact that his tone said he didn't care
He asked, "You aren't thinking about bringing them guys with you?"
I caught the edge of something there. "No." This deserved some thought. "Just haven't seen them since this mess started. I'm concerned."
"Um. I been sitting still too long. Got to keep moving. Don't want to let anything catch up. We'll meet you at the milestone on the hill down the road from Chodo's place. Two o'clock. Bring that amulet stone."
"Sure."
Sadler went away, stooped like he was a hundred and ten. He did it pretty good. I wouldn't have recognized him from a distance.
I wondered what they would do if I didn't show.
He'd left his packet of crumbs. I fed the pigeons while I mused, till some jerk came up and pounced, wanting to tell me all the latest from the Cantard.
36
I hadn't gone a block when Winger fell into step beside me "Must be my lucky day
She asked, "What was that about?" No sensitivity, Winger I wondered if she could be insulted.
"What's what about?"
"Your little cheek-to-cheek with Chodo's boy Sadler."
So she had an eye. His disguise hadn't fooled her. "You're too nosy, along with all your other charms."
"That's what they tell me." She gave me a big grin, followed with a comradely punch to the shoulder. Would I ever get used to her? Tell the truth, I hoped I didn't have to. There were moments when I wished the odds would hustle up and overtake her. "Bet I can figure it."
"Go right ahead." I did my surly best to lengthen my stride till she couldn't keep up. Lot of good it did me. She cruised along, had me huffing and puffing before I was halfway home. Big old country girl.
"How's this, Garrett? Sadler and his boyfriend figure out their hopes for moving up ain't worth squat if their boss grabs that book. Eh?" Big chuckle, up from the gut, like a Saucerhead Tharpe chuckle. They put in their time, played it straight, figure they deserve better. Eh?"
"That you been following me all over?" I hadn't sensed her presence at all. Nor that other presence, if that hadn't been her Scary, her that close and me not feeling a thing And her in that outfit.