Book 04 - Old Tin Sorrows by Glen Cook Page B

between the time I left for supper and the time I came back here.”
    “Why would . . . ?”
    “Hey. That’s a petty one compared to why would somebody want to kill the General. If that somebody exists he might be real nervous about me. What did you all do when you split up after supper?” I was going to play logical puzzle. Eliminate me and Cook because I didn’t do it and she was with me. Take Dellwood off the hook because he didn’t need to pick locks. Peters because he knew about me already. Eliminate anybody who was with them the whole time . . . 
    “Dellwood would have gone to get the General up and ready for dinner. I assume Jennifer went with him. She usually does. She stays till Cook brings his food and helps him eat if he can’t manage himself. I was in my quarters writing up the list from notes.”
    “Uhm.” I thought a minute. “I do have one problem with this, Sarge. And that’s a reason for being here. I need to ask questions. I need to find loose strings I can pull on. Kind of hard to do that when I don’t have a good excuse. Cook’s already told me I’m too nosy.”
    “I suppose. I had hopes but I didn’t really think you could manage without giving yourself away.”
    “How many people know about the missing trinkets? As opposed to how many know you think somebody’s trying to kill the General? Why not tell the truth? Say the old man hired me to find out who’s stealing from him. They might even find it amusing if they think he’s imagining it. And the would-be assassin should relax. The others might open up after I convince them somebody is stealing from the old man. Right?”
    “I suppose.” He didn’t like it, though.
    “Figure out a way to let it get out. So everybody knows but it seems like I don’t know they know. Maybe joke about the General having another fantasy.”
    “All right. Anything else?”
    “No. I’m going to turn in. I’m going to roll out early and make a run into the city to put somebody on the track of the stolen goodies.”
    “Is that a hint?”
    It was. “I didn’t think of it that way. But I guess it is.”
    “I’ll see you in the morning, then.” He went out.
    I locked the door behind him, returned to the writing table.
    Seemed to me there might be three puzzles here: who was stealing from the General, who was trying to kill him, and who was eliminating his heirs. It seemed reasonable to suppose that each thing—if any were fact—would be going on independent of the others, since the thefts were petty compared to murder and killing the General wouldn’t be in the interest of whoever was trying to enlarge his share of the estate.
    I could be up to my neck in villains.
    I did hit the sack right away. I doubt Peters believed I would, because he knew the hours I keep. But I did need sleep and I had plans for the wee hours of the morning.
     
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9
    At home I usually control my internal clock. Go to sleep when I want, wake up when I want, give or take ten minutes. I didn’t leave the clock behind. I woke right on time.
    And was aware of a presence before I opened my eyes. I don’t know how. Some sound so soft I didn’t catch it consciously. Some subtle scent. Maybe just a sixth sense. Whatever, I knew somebody was there.
    I was on my left side, facing the wall opposite the door, sunk so deep in eiderdown, I couldn’t move fast if you branded me. I tried sneaky, faking a slow rollover in my sleep.
    I didn’t fool, anybody. All I saw was the tail end of the blonde sliding out the bedroom door. “Hey! Hang on. I want to talk to you.” She bolted.
    I climbed up out of that bed, tangled myself in the covers, fell on my face, said colorful things. That’s Garrett. Light on his feet. A real gymnast. Has moves like a cat. When I hit the sitting room she was gone and there wasn’t a sign she’d been there. The door was locked.
    I lighted a few lamps and surveyed the big room. I hadn’t heard the door. I hadn’t heard a key in the lock. I didn’t like that.
    Damned spooky old house was the kind that