Glen Cook - Red Iron Nights

His face screwed up into a frown that had to hurt. He didn't understand. In the old days, less-than-scrupulous peasants sold gullible city folks baby pigs in tied sacks. Only when the sacks were opened, out jumped some very unhappy cats.

"All right, Garrett. I got your point. Here's the way it is. Gal like the one you're looking for, name of Barbie, worked here up to last night. Ain't in tonight, you'll notice."

"So?"

"So the bidding went outrageous. Way high. And when it come time for her to deliver her half, two guys come in to pick her up and take her somewhere, not upstairs."

It might be a lead. But I was less than excited. I'd dealt with Downtown before. He'd try to make a mountain out of some molehill and sell it for a fortune.

"You aren't impressing me yet. It isn't unusual for the high bidder to take his prize home. Not even unusual for him not to show his face."

"He showed his face when he was bidding. Scruffy little dink. Like a bum somebody cleaned up, but not much. Definitely not no high roller."

"Was a bum." That was the third man. Downtown grinned. "Dickiebird says he seen the guy before, on the down-and-out. Anyway, it all looked funny. We decided to scout it out. You never know what might be handy to know. Like, here you are already, wanting to know what we saw."

"Maybe I do. What did you see?"

"You want it all for free, don't you? No way, Garrett. We got to live too. You ain't heard enough to know if you want more, then you're gonna have to do without."

I pretended to study it. Then I dug out a few small coins. "I'm interested. But you'll have to talk a lot more than you've done."

Downtown traded looks with his pals. They had to trust his judgment. That put them in a spot I hoped I'd never occupy. I've never understood how Downtown survived his five in the Cantard.

"Going to take a chance, Garrett. Going to tell you more than I would anybody else, but only on account of I know you. On account of I trust your rep for playing square."

"My hair's getting gray."

"Looks to me like it's falling out. Whoa! Touchy!"

"Talk, Downtown."

"Right. Always in a hurry. Here it is. The two guys that come in for Barbie put her into a coach with the dink that did the bidding. Only he'd changed somehow. Gotten spooky. She didn't want to go, but he grabbed her. I thought maybe I'd give her a hand, only the guy's eyes got weird."

"Green?"

"Yeah. Like green fire."

"You're holding my interest, Downtown. But if that's all you've got... "

"Shaker knew one of the guys helped push her into the coach."

"Ah!"

"I don't know him, see," Shaker said. "It's like I seen him around. He's not somebody I pal with, like Downtown. Just a guy I seen around."

"Here's the one that makes or breaks you, guys. You know where to find him?"

Shaker said, "I know where he cribs."

I dropped coins on the table. "I'll be back in a while. I'm going to bring a guy to talk to you. If you put us together with this guy you know, he'll fill your pockets." I was out of there before any of them could respond.

Morley had company. I had to wait. Then wait. Then wait some more. While I waited, Saucerhead came in. I waved. He joined me, glumly. "Cheer up. I need some muscle," I told him.

"Like now?"

"Right away. Unless your investments—"

"Can't wait?"

"Would I be... ? What's the matter?"

"Just don't feel like it, Garrett. Not in the mood."

"Since when do you have to be in the mood to make yourself a mark?"

"Hey, busting heads ain't all the fun it looks like, Garrett."

"I know. I know."

"How would you? You don't wale on nobody unless—"

"You feel good enough to pick up a few coppers running a message?"

"I guess. Yeah. I could handle that."

I sent him to fetch Captain Block. If I had to wait around forever for Morley to finish playing, I might as well pull in the money man while I did.

I did wait. And I waited. And then I waited. I waited so long I got sober. No Morley. Block and Tharpe showed up, dripping. It was raining again. I thought some more about getting into the boat business. When Morley still showed no sign of growing bored with his guest, I said, "The hell with him. We can handle it without him. Let's go."

Block was relieved. He didn't think it would be politic for him to associate with a professional killer.

Saucerhead said, "I'll tag along."

"Thought you weren't in the mood."

"Maybe I'll change moods."

"It's raining out there."

"It's always raining. Let's go."

Block said very little till we enjoyed the privacy of the street. "I hope this is something good, Garrett. I need it."

"Yeah?"

"Pressure again. You don't feel it down here. The Hill is in a panic. Some people up there are carrying on like the Venageti were at the gates. I need something fast. Anything."

"Tell you what. This doesn't pan out, you pass the word for them to keep their daughters out of the Tenderloin."

"Give me a break, Garrett."

"I mean it. There's a fad amongst the deb set. Go down and play sleazegirl. That won't make their fathers happy, but it's a fact. It looks like our killer picks his victims from rich girls working the quarter."

"That won't make anyone happy."

"Not when it gets out. You recall, none of the stories we got about the victims ever mentioned anything like that. I think we talked to the wrong people. People who didn't know and didn't guess because the bodies weren't found near the quarter."

"Maybe some suspected. I can think of several stories that sounded like somebody trying to make somebody look good." Block sniffed, grunted, hawked. He was working on a cold. "We get lucky, maybe we won't have to deal with any of that."

"We don't get lucky, maybe we can let the word get around without it looking like it's your fault. It will come out if this goes on much longer."

Block grunted again.

I glanced over my shoulder. My instincts were right. We were being followed. "Did you maybe bring a few helpers?"

Block glanced back. "Yeah. They're mine. Clumsy, aren't they?"

"They don't get much practice."

"Thought it might be handy having a few guardian angels hovering."

"Aw. You don't feel comfortable in the Tenderloin?"

"Make fun while you can, Garrett. Things are gonna change."

Nice talk, but I wouldn't put one copper on it. Good intentions can't overcome the inertia of decades.

We reached the Passionate Witch. I checked my companions before I went inside. Tharpe was fine. And Block didn't look like the law. "We're going to be talking to some real lowlifes. Let me do all the jawing. No matter what. Understand?"

Saucerhead said, "Means you, Captain. You want to lose these guys fast, let them get a notion what you are." I gave Tharpe the fish eye. He said, "I know Downtown Billy Byrd, Garrett. Bottom of the barrel."

I said, "I'm going to try to bring them out here. You bring money?" I asked Block.

"Some. I won't let them rob me."

"They don't have imaginations that big. What they'd call robbery you'd call a tip." I shoved into the Passionate Witch.

The evening was fading but Downtown and his pals were hanging on, nursing their stone beer bottles, waiting for opportunity to knock. I knocked. Downtown grumbled, "I thought you forgot us."

"Had trouble finding my man."

"Huh?"

"Guy I work for. One who wants to know what you know. He's outside. Wants to listen. He brought money. You ready to deal?"

"Now?"

"You want to wait for the King's birthday? He don't have time to waste."

"Why don't he come in? It's wet out there."

"He don't want to show his face. You have to get wet anyway. You got to show us the way, right?"

"I guess. Shaker. Take care of the bottles." To recover their deposits, of course. "Dickiebird. C'mon."