Dread Brass Shadows

28

I joined my permanent houseguest. "What was that all about?"

He wished to discover if you had learned anything new. He is considering taking matters into his own hands. Miss Tate's relapse appears to have unhinged him.

"You ask me, his hinges never were on tight. Damn. He's one stubborn runt. He could cause a lot of grief."

That appears to be his intent.

"You get anything useful out of that thick head?"

The best time to purchase leather futures. Should you care to get into the shoe and boot trade.

"You're a scream, Old Bones. Har-har."

Gnorst has been in the thick of it lately. Go see if he will tell you anything.

"Right." it was getting dark out. I really wanted to take a stroll amongst the screeching morCartha and lurking dwarves. "Hell, why not? I still got places that don't have bumps and bruises. Maybe if I get out there fast enough, I can even get myself killed."

He knew no mercy. Do not forget to inquire after the latest from the Cantard.

Probably had a bet on with himself. Loghyr can do stuff like that if they're inclined. They have multiple brains and sometimes multiple personalities.

I huffed out of there and told Dean I was going for a walk. Carla Lindo was there with him. I salivated all over the place. She smiled and posed Saucy. That was a good word for her. Along with about twenty others.

Dean hammered me with dirty looks. That old boy knows me too damned well, I ought to fire him and get somebody less opinionated. But where could I luck onto somebody who'd do half the job he does?

I checked the street good before I stepped outside. I checked again after I stepped out. I saw nothing obvious but stayed ready to duck. No bolts came whispering death. The only noise was that of the aerial circus. The morCartha had taken their show to the riverfront tonight.

I headed for the Safety Zone. It wasn't out of my way. Morley's place was closed up and dark. I went around back. Nothing. Amazing. Even when the front door is closed, there's always somebody in the kitchen.

I was getting worried.

I tried Saucerhead's place next. This time I got an answer but not from Tharpe. A little blonde about big enough to sit on his palm told me she hadn't seen him all day. She got worried because it was me looking for him. She thought he was with me. I told her to relax, we'd Just missed each other. She didn't relax.

I didn't either. There was something going on. And I was zooming around in the middle of it like a blind moth amongst a thousand candles.

A sane moth would have landed and saved his wings.

Speaking of flames. I'd accumulated a tail again. I sensed it as I moved away from Saucerhead's place. I didn't run any games on him. Let him think I didn't know. Let him relax. I'd move fast when I wanted to shake him.

I did change my mind about where I'd go next. I'd been thinking of making the rounds of every shady character I knew willing to sell somebody for a copper. None of those people were friends, but they did trust me not to bring down any heat. I'd lose a lot of sources if I went around fingering them even by accident.

So I headed for Dwarf Fort. Gnorst's crowd could take care of themselves.

I went to the same door. The same old boy—or his evil twin—answered my knock. "I'm Garrett," I reminded him, in case his memory was feeble or a different dwarf had taken up residence behind all the facial brush. "I need to see the Gnorst again." I figured if this wasn't the same dwarf, he'd at least have heard of my previous visit.

Same dwarf or not, he had the same talent for public relations. "You Tall Ones are all alike. Think nobody's got nothing better to do than hop when you say frog, even in the middle of the night. All right. All right. If you must. If you insist. Himself, the very Gnorst, said bring you if you turn up again." His manner suggested he thought his boss was a damned fool.

I stepped inside. "Whoa. Let me close that." I pushed the door shut, to a crack, peeked outside.

Whoever was out there didn't show himself. This was starting to spook me. I'd known only one man that good. He'd died. And there wasn't any doubt he was still dead.

Gnorst met me in the same garden Maybe that was the only place outsiders were entertained. "How can I help you tonight, Mr. Garrett?"

"Just checking in I wondered if you'd learned anything since we talked."

He shook his head. "Not one damned thing." Man. He lied with such style I wanted to believe him anyway. You got to admire a character who can jerk you around and make you like it. Only I didn't like it. He almost snarled as he said, "I would have sent a message if I had. I thought I told you I would."

Oh really? When? "None of your people knew anything?"

"No"

"That's curious."

"How so?"

"There've been fights amongst dwarves all day. We've had dead dwarves turning up everywhere. I'd have sworn some were yours."

"You're a victim of your prejudices and preconceptions, Mr. Garrett. Gods bring on the hour when you stop thinking we all look alike,"

I could plead guilty except the little clown was trying to divert attention. He was lying. I knew he was lying. He knew I knew he was lying. He knew I knew he knew, and so forth. But this was his house and no place to challenge him.

I said, "When I came here before, I didn't know anything about any Book of Shadows or what dwarves might have to do with making one. Right'?"

Gnorst nodded. "Agreed. So?"

"You think finding out would make me more dangerous to somebody?"

"Possibly. Not many nondwarves know the story Even among us it's mostly forgotten. It has been said by the wise, knowledge is dangerous."

"That's what I thought

"Sneaking up on something, Mr Garrett?"

I thought some before I explained. I wanted it to stay airborne when I shoved it out of the nest, though it would never soar. "The bad boys paid me no attention before I came down here They've been trying to kill me ever since I walked back out. Makes a guy wonder. How was I different? How did they know? Not to mention how come is it that all these skirmishes between dwarf gangs keep turning out inconclusive?"

Gnorst darkened behind his face fur. He started pacing. "I did hear about you being attacked up the street. I didn't put it together before. Yes. I see your point. One of your points. They weren't keeping an eye on you, but all of a sudden, they knew you'd seen me and had become a danger Though it leaves me embarrassed and ashamed, Mr. Garrett, I must admit that it looks like one of my people is an informer."

Putting it mildly. "That's my guess."

"Out of curiosity, Mr. Garrett, how is it that you're alive to visit me again? I would think that dwarfish efficiency would extend to setting an ambush.

"I got lucky. Chodo Contague's men turned up the first time. Second time I started running before they started sniping. I hope there won't be a next time. I hope they're on the run from whoever has been hitting their hideouts."

He chuckled. It wasn't a nice sound. It was a noise something like the glug-glug of water coming from a ten-gallon bottle crossed with fingernails scraping a slate board.

"I don't find any of this amusing."

"I'm sure you don't, Mr. Garrett. What are you doing?"

I was sneaking toward the edge of the roof. "Somebody's been following me I thought I might get a look at him from here."

I didn't, though. It was so damned dark down there he could have danced in the street without me getting a look I lied, "So that's mainly the reason I came by. To let you know I think you've got a spy on board."

Gnorst grunted irritably. My experience is, his kind are naturally crabby. Gnorst was a paragon of manners and patience. Maybe that was why he was the local boss dwarf. He told me, "You didn't bring me any news I wanted to hear. Now I have to deal with it."

It's hard to read a being who grew up in an alien culture yet looks human enough to make you jump to conclusions. But I had a strong suspicion Gnorst was a lot less unhappy than he wanted me to believe. Maybe he thought having a renegade handy was an asset. I could think of ways that would be true.

"I know what you mean. I've been a regular fountain of bad news all day. Everywhere I go I'm telling somebody something they don't want to hear."

We fenced awhile with words. He wouldn't give up a thing I could use. I surrendered to the inevitable, told him I was going to go dump it all on the Dead Man. He let me go without another word. He wasn't as gracious as he'd been. That questionable attitude infected my guide. The dwarf took no pains to make my passage through the place a comfort.

I froze the moment I hit the street, looked around carefully. Garrett don't get bitten by the same snake twice. I saw nothing. Even so, I moved away ready for anything.

Nothing ever happens when you're ready.

The silence overhead seemed almost ominous. The morCartha had retired, for whatever reason. I almost missed them. They had become part of city life.