Whispering Nickel Idols

56

“Don’t you ever sleep, girl? Where’s Tinnie?” I was alone.

“She went home. Saucerhead took her. She was not feeling well. She was afraid she caught what you had. She wanted to be where she could get a real physician to visit.”

“Crap!” Something to worry about on top of everything else.

“She said don’t worry on her account. She will be with her family.”

“Double crap. You know what that means.”

“In my limited experience, I would say it means you had damned well better find room in your busy day to go hold Tinnie’s quivering hand. You can rest after you are dead.”

She’d read Tinnie pretty good. “Nothing I can do about that right now. So why wake me up?” There was no light from outside.

“The Dead Man says it will be time to get moving when Saucerhead gets back. Also, Mr. Dotes just returned. I thought that might be important.”

I glanced at the window. It had better be real important. It was flat dark out there.

Singe told me, “Dean is grumbling like a volcano god, but he is cooking and fussing about going back to bed later. When you dress, remember that it is raining again. And looks likely to turn to ice or snow.”

“Sounds exciting.” I swung my feet onto the floor, stood. I didn’t know how bad I’d felt before until I realized how good I felt now. “Wow! I think I’m cured.”

“Yes. And your bed buddy left a little too soon.” She nodded toward half-mast.

I glanced down. And flushed. “We’re getting too casual and comfortable with each other around here.”

Singe resisted further comment. “I should consult the poisoner. I’m due for a season. None of us need that distraction.”

She was right. Ratgirls in heat distract everybody. They have no more control than a cat in heat.

“Where are our kittens? I haven’t seen them for a while.”

“Hiding from A-Laf’s wicked men.”

“I see.” Interesting.

We all breakfasted while Morley explained his appearance at such an ugly hour.

“My place caught on fire.”

“With you there? Your boys are more clever than I thought.”

“Yes, with me there. And it wasn’t their fault. To my surprise. Though, shall we say, not so much a surprise after all, considering. I hear you got your rock back from the guy who switched it out. May I see it?”

“Huh? On the curio thing. Top shelf.” I looked at Old Bones. He wasn’t inclined to explain.

“There are two here, Garrett. Which one?”

“The one with the scratches is the one that got flung at me.”

“I don’t see any scratches.”

“You can feel them. And there’s a chip out of the pointy end. Do you see that?”

“A little black spot?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“The fire started in the dent where this hit my door. I don’t know how. Or why. Or why now. It was like a charcoal fire. About this big when we found it.”

He made a circle with his forefingers and thumbs. “It wouldn’t go out. We ended up taking the door down. We piled ice and snow on, but it kept burning till the wood was all gone.”

“I know a good door and hinge man.”

“Well, you’d have to. Wouldn’t you?”

“Ha! And ha again. Old Bones. What do you think?”

Consider the possibility that you were not the target of that stone. The intent may have been to burn Mr. Dotes’ business.

“That’s a long jump.”

Not too long considering what I prized out of the Brittigarn person. And hints I find in these minds. Though one is a wasteland and the other remains mostly locked.

“What motive could these lunatics have?” Morley asked. “I hadn’t heard of them then.”

Possibly they wished to distract you from Garrett’s situation. No. That is too great a stretch. We do not have sufficient information. You have eaten. Garrett, I suggest you get started. Mr. Tharpe is about to arrive.

“Am I up to this?”

Yes. Though you will not be alone.

“What’s up?” Morley asked as Singe appeared, ready for the weather.

“Got a couple of things to check out. Buy Claxton first.”

“Oh. I’ll tag along on that.”

I didn’t argue with him or with Singe. The Dead Man told me, Singe knows where you are going. Do you?

Not unless he told me. Because John Stretch hadn’t chosen to trouble me with that little detail.