Red Iron Nights

36

We walked maybe a mile, into an area of dense tenements occupied mostly by newcomers to TunFaire. Reasonable enough. The man we wanted couldn't have been in town long. Only the ignorant would've gotten into what he had.

Downtown and Dickiebird led us to a four-story row place in the middle of a long block. Pure people storage, though more upscale than most. Depressing.

The clouds parted, let a moonbeam sneak through. It was the only light, but I didn't complain. It was nice to have the drizzle stop, even for a little while. Downtown said, "Top floor, rear door. Hired a sleeping room all to hisself."

"You did a lot of research, Downtown."

His weasel face stretched in a nasty smile. "I knew somebody was going to want the goods on this one."

Block growled but stifled his opinion. Even starry-eyed idealists knew you couldn't sell TunFaire's people the idea of civic responsibility. Not after they'd watched their betters do nothing but look out for themselves for centuries.

"Top-floor rear," I grumbled, thinking of the climb. "Inconsiderate bastard."

"Right. You get him out, we'll finger him, we'll all go home. Right?"

"Right. Saucerhead?"

Tharpe materialized. He lugged a limp Shaker over one shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Just making sure you were there." Why had he bopped Shaker? Maybe just for the hell of it.

Block said, "Ripley, scout the place out."

Shadows detached from shadows. Downtown gawked as two men entered the row building. He knelt beside Shaker, muttered about maltreatment and distrust. I asked, "If you was us, would you trust you?" He didn't have an answer for that.

Block's man returned, puffing. "Somebody's in there, all right. He's snoring. There's only one door. Ain't no other way out. Unless there's a window."

Downtown volunteered, "There is. If he's got real spring in his legs, he could maybe jump across to the roof behind this place."

I said, "If he's asleep, he shouldn't have time to get up, open a window, make a jump."

"Better let me make sure," Saucerhead suggested, gently pointing out that he was the specialist.

"All right."

Saucerhead and Block and I went upstairs while Ripley went around back, just in case. We tried to be quiet, but there's something about your step when you're headed for trouble. I sensed sudden fear and alertness behind those doors where people were awake.

Block's other man waited upstairs. Block whispered, "Still snoring?"

He had to ask? Hell, yes, he was still snoring. I never heard anything like it. That ripping and roaring had to be one of the wonders of the world. "Careful," I told Saucerhead. He nodded.

Everybody got out of Tharpe's way. He seemed to swell up, then charged. The door exploded. Though I was right behind Saucerhead, it was over before I could contribute anything. Meat hit meat, snores turned to baffled groans, Saucerhead said, "Got him under control."

I said, "Take him downstairs."

Tharpe grunted. Block slid around, opened the window. "Got him, Ripley. Get around front."

We clumped downstairs. I smelled the fear from behind those doors we hadn't destroyed. The more I thought how this was for those people, the less I liked what I was doing.

Our prisoner was groggy when we hit the street. Block demanded, "Is this the man?"

Downtown and Dickiebird stayed out of the moonlight while edging closer. "Yeah," Dickiebird said. "That's him."

I asked, "You saw this man help put the girl into the coach?" I was playing a role now and Saucerhead was good enough to catch my cues. I believed Dickiebird. The prisoner was one of the men who'd tried to kidnap Chodo's daughter. We had a different killer but the same assistants, apparently.

"That's the guy, Garrett," Downtown insisted. "What do you want? Come on. Pay up."

Block had his helpers take the prisoner while he paid up. "You know these three men, Garrett? In case this is a con and I want to find them?"

"I know them." I was still reserving the incident at Morley's place, couldn't explain my confidence in them.

"Hey, Garrett! I ever do a number on you?"

"Not yet, Downtown. Go on. Enjoy yourselves." A man could make ten marks go a long way in this part of town.

Downtown and his buddies flew off like the breeze. With money in hand, they would be hard to find. For a while.

"You want to help with the questioning?" Block asked.

"Not particularly. Only if you insist. What I want is to go to bed. I've been knocking myself out finding this lead. I do want to hear what you find out from him."

"Sure." He shook my hand. "Thanks again, Garrett. Winchell. Get him moving."

I didn't say, "Anytime, Captain," because he was the kind who would take me up on it.