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 earlier. He always kept track of the royals.”
“He won’t be doing anything but whine about his headache for a week.”
“You in a hurry?”
I wondered. “Maybe not. No apparent jeopardy.
“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 earlier. He always kept track of the royals.”
“He won’t be doing anything but whine about his headache for a week.”
“You in a hurry?”
I wondered. “Maybe not. No apparent jeopardy.
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