Gilded Latten Bones

29

I said, "That was amazing stuff. But what does it have to do with Morley?"

For that connection you must be patient. I have begun exploration but the work goes like trying to fell a tree by gnawing through the trunk.

Singe rubbed her temples. "That was no fun. I hope that is the last time we will go over it."

I have it memorized, now. I can relive it whenever I want. I will not trouble you again.

I started asking questions. I have that habit. Singe said, "You saw what I saw. You have every scrap of information I did. I need to see my brother before I get too giddy."

"Speaking of John Stretch. Some of his people were outside the henhouse with you. What was that all about?"

"Belinda planned to use them somehow. And Humility had them there to look out for me, too. Belinda changed her mind and paid them off."

"After she got warned off."

I might want to talk to her about that.

No. She would wonder how you knew. Then she would conclude that her hairnet is not infallible.

Singe got up. "Shut the door behind me." And, "I won't be long."

She wasn't. I was still standing there, enjoying a mind-sharing experience with the Dead Man, cataloging faces in the street. I watched Singe approach with two brawny ratwomen. Old Bones told me, Nothing remarkable out there. One watcher from Miss Contague's enterprise whose sole task is to see who else is watching.

"That's it? There's nobody from the Al-Khar?" I opened up for Singe.

Does the woman up the street still maintain a Watch outpost?

"Get with the times. It's not the Watch anymore. It's the Civil Guard these days."

And the answer to the question? The woman up the street?

"Mrs. Cardonlos? Singe? Is Mrs. Cardonlos still a stringer for the red tops?"

"Yes. But since you have been gone she does not have a regular team staying there. She rents rooms for real, now. Let me get these two started on Mr. Dotes."

The burly, badly dressed ratwomen looked at Singe like she was a goddess. They'd never seen a ratperson in a conversation of equals with a human. And Singe was female!

One eyed me like she thought there was something wrong with me.

I followed but stayed in the hallway while Singe explained the job. The ratwomen had done this kind of work before. They had no trouble understanding. Cued by the Dead Man, Dean brought a tray with food for the help as well as Morley.

Before he went back to the kitchen Dean offered a wan smile and said, "The excitement is back."

Not really. We were going to sit here and do every bit of the nothing we had done at Fire and Ice. Everything else would be in the hands of others. Professionals. And criminals.

A warn-off by the gods themselves would not keep Belinda from digging.

I hoped no one on the law-and-order side pushed her. She was crazy enough to push back.

Dean went to bed before the ratwomen finished. I helped Singe clean up; then we resumed gossiping and honoring Weider's beer.

It didn't take much of the latter to slow me down.

I meant to quiz Singe on how I could handle Tinnie. But I stayed sober enough to realize that was stupid. Singe was barely an adult. She wasn't human. And Tinnie was unique, possibly unfathomable by Tinnie Tate herself.

Eventually I dragged myself upstairs. My room was the way I had left it, except that somebody had cleaned it and had made up the bed with fresh linens.

Singe was altogether too efficient. And was, probably, resenting my intrusion into her quiet, orderly world.