mountain. I
thought it would take—”
“And there’s the problem.” Morley’s
voice dropped way down, to a level of softness that meant he was in
a killing mood. Eggwhite started shaking. Morley continued,
“I told you when I hired you I didn’t want any
thinking. I wanted you cutting vegetables. Get out.”
“Chief, look, I can—”
“You’re gone, Eggwhite. Out the door. Walking or
carried. Up to you.”
Eggwhite gulped.
“Uh . . . Yeah.” He headed for the
door.
I observed, “He’s making off with your cook
outfit.”
“Let it go. I don’t want to make a scene.”
I gave him an encore look at my eyebrow trick.
“I hate firing people, Garrett.”
I added the fish-eye to the raised eyebrow. This was the most
feared hired knife in town? Was he putting me on?
He kept plugging. “I do it only because you have to if you
want to be successful in business. Besides, I owe him eight days
pay.” Before I could comment, he eyed me directly.
“What is it this time, Garrett?”
“How about a platter of that stuff with the black
mushrooms, pea pods and whatnot, on the wild rice?” I dropped
money onto the table.
Morley gave me my fish-eye back with interest. He gathered my
coins, examined them as though he suspected they were counterfeit.
“You want to eat? Here? And you’re willing to pay for
it?” He sank his fangs into a coin, the classic hardness
test.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to employ the concept of
privilege, but it is an age of wonders. You’ve converted me.
I’m born again. I’m never going to eat anything but
swamp tubers, bark, and gravel ever again.”
----
----
15
Morley stirred Playmate’s fingers with his toe.
“He’s alive, but I couldn’t tell you why.”
He came back to where I was wolfing the mushroom stuff. It
contained more garlic than mushrooms. “Trying to keep the
girls away?”
“I don’t need garlic for that. I have natural
talent.”
He wasn’t in the mood for banter. Guess I wouldn’t
have been either had my place just gotten trashed. “What are
you into now, Garrett? What do you need?”
“I’m doing a missing person caper.” Love that
word. I told him the story, leaving out only those parts a
gentleman leaves out. “I want to know whatever you know about
Maggie Jenn. Felt like she was running a game on me.”
“Somebody must be running a game on somebody. I
don’t think you saw the real Maggie Jenn.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind the witty remarks. I’m thinking you must
have been chosen for your ignorance.”
“Thanks. How about shoving a stick in the spokes of the
scheme by lighting a torch in the darkness?”
“That wouldn’t be right. Not quite. You not being up
on the adventures of the royals
could
be part of it,
but . . . ”
“All right. I don’t know what you know, Morley.
That’s why I’m here.”
“It isn’t impossible that you spent the afternoon
with a king’s lover, but I’d call it wildly improbable.
Maggie Jenn exiled herself to the Isle of Paise after her Teddy boy
died. If there was a daughter I never heard. Kind of thing that
would be kept quiet, though. On the other hand, that place on the
Hill sounds like the one where Teodoric stashed his doxy.
Curious.”
That was an understatement. “I’m lost, Morley. None
of this makes sense.”
“Only because you don’t have the key.”
“I’m missing the key, the lock, the damned door, and
all the hardware. Somebody ran a game on me? I’ll buy that.
Happens all the time. But the woman also paid me to look for her
daughter.”
“How well?” Was that smile a smirk?
“Handsomely, shall we say? Enough so I’m sure she
expected something in return. Even top of the Hill don’t
throw money away.”
“Good point.”
“
If
Maggie Jenn came back,” I mused,
“what would she do?”
“She has no reason to come back. She lives like a queen
out there. She’d find nothing but trouble here.” Morley
eyed Playmate. “Pity you didn’t get here
thought it would take—”
“And there’s the problem.” Morley’s
voice dropped way down, to a level of softness that meant he was in
a killing mood. Eggwhite started shaking. Morley continued,
“I told you when I hired you I didn’t want any
thinking. I wanted you cutting vegetables. Get out.”
“Chief, look, I can—”
“You’re gone, Eggwhite. Out the door. Walking or
carried. Up to you.”
Eggwhite gulped.
“Uh . . . Yeah.” He headed for the
door.
I observed, “He’s making off with your cook
outfit.”
“Let it go. I don’t want to make a scene.”
I gave him an encore look at my eyebrow trick.
“I hate firing people, Garrett.”
I added the fish-eye to the raised eyebrow. This was the most
feared hired knife in town? Was he putting me on?
He kept plugging. “I do it only because you have to if you
want to be successful in business. Besides, I owe him eight days
pay.” Before I could comment, he eyed me directly.
“What is it this time, Garrett?”
“How about a platter of that stuff with the black
mushrooms, pea pods and whatnot, on the wild rice?” I dropped
money onto the table.
Morley gave me my fish-eye back with interest. He gathered my
coins, examined them as though he suspected they were counterfeit.
“You want to eat? Here? And you’re willing to pay for
it?” He sank his fangs into a coin, the classic hardness
test.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to employ the concept of
privilege, but it is an age of wonders. You’ve converted me.
I’m born again. I’m never going to eat anything but
swamp tubers, bark, and gravel ever again.”
----
----
15
Morley stirred Playmate’s fingers with his toe.
“He’s alive, but I couldn’t tell you why.”
He came back to where I was wolfing the mushroom stuff. It
contained more garlic than mushrooms. “Trying to keep the
girls away?”
“I don’t need garlic for that. I have natural
talent.”
He wasn’t in the mood for banter. Guess I wouldn’t
have been either had my place just gotten trashed. “What are
you into now, Garrett? What do you need?”
“I’m doing a missing person caper.” Love that
word. I told him the story, leaving out only those parts a
gentleman leaves out. “I want to know whatever you know about
Maggie Jenn. Felt like she was running a game on me.”
“Somebody must be running a game on somebody. I
don’t think you saw the real Maggie Jenn.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind the witty remarks. I’m thinking you must
have been chosen for your ignorance.”
“Thanks. How about shoving a stick in the spokes of the
scheme by lighting a torch in the darkness?”
“That wouldn’t be right. Not quite. You not being up
on the adventures of the royals
could
be part of it,
but . . . ”
“All right. I don’t know what you know, Morley.
That’s why I’m here.”
“It isn’t impossible that you spent the afternoon
with a king’s lover, but I’d call it wildly improbable.
Maggie Jenn exiled herself to the Isle of Paise after her Teddy boy
died. If there was a daughter I never heard. Kind of thing that
would be kept quiet, though. On the other hand, that place on the
Hill sounds like the one where Teodoric stashed his doxy.
Curious.”
That was an understatement. “I’m lost, Morley. None
of this makes sense.”
“Only because you don’t have the key.”
“I’m missing the key, the lock, the damned door, and
all the hardware. Somebody ran a game on me? I’ll buy that.
Happens all the time. But the woman also paid me to look for her
daughter.”
“How well?” Was that smile a smirk?
“Handsomely, shall we say? Enough so I’m sure she
expected something in return. Even top of the Hill don’t
throw money away.”
“Good point.”
“
If
Maggie Jenn came back,” I mused,
“what would she do?”
“She has no reason to come back. She lives like a queen
out there. She’d find nothing but trouble here.” Morley
eyed Playmate. “Pity you didn’t get here
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