Book 12 - Cruel Zinc Melodies by Glen Cook Page A

the necessary fine motor skills. ‘‘What is it?’’
    ‘‘We could get ratpeople work clearing the rats out of places. Ratters are expensive.’’
    She and John Stretch looked fiercely uncomfortable.
    ‘‘I say something wrong?’’
    Singe shrugged. ‘‘John Stretch is the only one who can command the rats. And they have to be willing to listen.’’
    I shrugged in turn. ‘‘If it can’t be done, it can’t. You guys get going.’’
    I went back to where Git and Bank were managing the removal of the body. I dug a usable gunnysack out of the mess the dead man had used as bedding. Nobody found any gang sign. Nor any evidence that the derelict had suffered any violence other than the attack of the bugs.

15
    Hector wasn’t excited by my return. But he did let me in. ‘‘Wait here.’’ He had a voice like a bucket of rocks being shaken. He went to announce my petition for an audience.
    People from the back stairs popped out to get a look while I waited. Remarkable things had happened back there a while ago, with me deeply involved. These folks would have been hired since.
    I suppressed my theatrical urge. I didn’t do a buck and wing.
    Manvil Gilbey came. ‘‘So you’ve done your usual marvelous job and have it wrapped up already?’’
    ‘‘Not quite. Actually, just the opposite.’’
    ‘‘Ah. So. Your usual marvelous job.’’
    ‘‘And you’re gonna love it.’’
    A minute later I dumped the gunnysack in front of Max and Gilbey. I was forthright about what I’d done. I even mentioned John Stretch’s special talent without naming his name. ‘‘Also, we got a murder of a security guard, with gang sign. The way those things work, that’ll be the source of your vandalism and theft. Setting you up for protection payoffs.’’
    Max considered the bug corpses. He considered me. He said, ‘‘They told me they were big bugs. I was thinking woods roaches. Those flying cockroaches the size of your finger. Not something the size of your mutant feet.’’
    ‘‘Even bigger ones down below, Boss. So I’m told.’’
    ‘‘This ratman can command the rodents? He could get rich calling the rats out of places like the brewery.’’
    ‘‘I suggested that. He wasn’t interested.’’
    "He’d see the problems better than we could. So what do you need?"
    ‘‘I just want you to be aware. Ghosts may not be a real problem. Nobody I talked to admitted seeing any. There was some muttering about weird music. They all seemed to think somebody was faking in order to force a slowdown. Maybe as part of the coming shakedown.’’
    ‘‘Not a surprise. What about the murder?’’
    ‘‘We actually found two bodies. The guard was an old guy called Handsome. The other was a squatter. It looked like he was attacked in his sleep by bugs. Bugs chewed Handsome up pretty bad, too. Singe couldn’t get a track on the bad guys but he was definitely murdered.’’
    ‘‘Not good, that. Did Handsome work for me?’’
    ‘‘He told me his boss was Lego Bunk when I saw him yesterday.’’
    ‘‘Bunk works for me. He used to, anyway. He’ll be looking for work after this. Find out what you can about Handsome. If he has people we’ll have to do something for them. Take care of his funeral arrangements, for sure. Now that Lego Bunk is gone, what’re you going to do about taking care of the World?’’
    He wasn’t that interested, though. He’d delegated the work. His direct involvement ended there. Unless I screwed up and had to go the way of Lego Bunk.
    ‘‘Escalate. Bring in more rats. A lot more, if my ratman is right. Do the stuff for Handsome that you said. And let the tin whistles take care of the murder. The killers really want to work protection, they’ll turn up.’’
    ‘‘Do what you have to,’’ Max growled. ‘‘Don’t come back here bothering me unless you get grief from somebody who thinks they’re more important than they really are.’’
    Never before had he so blatantly