beer, Tom?”
“No,” Tom said. “I’m used to regular hours. Good night.”
Kelp, still with his amiable smile, said, “You off to bed?”
“Not till you get up from it,” Tom told him, and stood there looking at Kelp.
Who finally caught on: “Oh, you sleep here, ” he said, whapping his palm against the sofa cushion beside him.
“Yeah, I do,” Tom agreed, and went on looking at Kelp.
May said, “Let me get you sheets and a pillowcase.”
“Don’t need them,” Tom said as Kelp slowly unwound himself and got to his feet, still smiling, casually holding his beer can.
“Well, you need something, ” May insisted.
“A blanket,” he told her. “And a towel for the morning.”
“Coming up,” May said, and left the room, with alacrity.
“Well,” Dortmunder said, having trouble exiting, “see you in the morning.”
“That’s right,” Tom said.
“Nice to meet you,” Kelp said.
Tom paid no attention to that. Crossing to the sofa, he moved the coffee table off to one side, then yawned and started taking wads of bank–banded bills out of his various pockets, dropping them on the coffee table. Dortmunder and Kelp exchanged a glance.
May came back in, gave the money on the moved coffee table a look, and put an old moth–eaten tan blanket and a pretty good Holiday Inn towel on the sofa. “Here you are,” she said.
“Thanks,” Tom said. He put a .32 Smith & Wesson Terrier on the coffee table with the money, then switched off the floor lamp at one end of the sofa and turned to look at the other three.
“Good night, Tom,” Dortmunder said.
But Tom was finished being polite for today. He stood there and looked at them, and they turned and went out to the hall, May closing the door behind them.
Murmuring, not quite whispering, Dortmunder said to Kelp, “You wanna come out to the kitchen?”
“No, thanks,” Kelp whispered. “I’ll call you in the morning after I talk to Wally.”
“Good night, Andy,” May said. “Thanks for helping.”
“I didn’t do anything yet,” Kelp pointed out as he opened the closet door and took out his bulky heavy pea coat. Grinning at Dortmunder, he said, “But the old PC and me, we’ll do what we can.”
“Mm,” said Dortmunder.
As Kelp turned toward the front door, the living room door opened and Tom stuck his gray head out. “Tunnel won’t work,” he said, and withdrew his head and shut the door.
The three looked wide–eyed at one another. They moved away in a group to huddle together by the front door, as far as possible from the living room. May whispered, “How long was he listening?”
Dortmunder whispered, “We’ll never know.”
Kelp rolled his eyes at that and whispered, “Let’s hope we’ll never know. Talk to you tomorrow.”
He left, and Dortmunder started attaching all the locks to the front door. Then he stopped and looked at his hands, and looked at the locks, and whispered, “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
EIGHT
----
You roll aside the two giant boulders and the tree trunk. You find the entrance to a cave, covered by a furry hide curtain. You thrust this aside and see before you the lair of the Thousand–Toothed Ogre.
Wally Knurr wiped sweat from his brow. Careful, now; this could be a trap. Fat fingers tense over the keyboard, he spat out: Describe this lair.
A forty–foot cube with a domed ceiling. The rock walls have been fused into black ice by the molten breath of the Nether Dragon. On fur–covered couches loll a half–dozen well–armed Lizard Men, members of the Sultan’s Personal Guard. Against the far wall, Princess Labia is tied to a giant wheel, slowly rotating.
Are the Lizard Men my enemies?
Not in this encounter.
Are the Lizard Men my allies?
Only if you show them the proper authorization.
Hmmm, Wally thought. I’ll have to do a personal inventory soon, I’m not sure how much junk I’ve accumulated. But first, the question is, do I enter
“No,” Tom said. “I’m used to regular hours. Good night.”
Kelp, still with his amiable smile, said, “You off to bed?”
“Not till you get up from it,” Tom told him, and stood there looking at Kelp.
Who finally caught on: “Oh, you sleep here, ” he said, whapping his palm against the sofa cushion beside him.
“Yeah, I do,” Tom agreed, and went on looking at Kelp.
May said, “Let me get you sheets and a pillowcase.”
“Don’t need them,” Tom said as Kelp slowly unwound himself and got to his feet, still smiling, casually holding his beer can.
“Well, you need something, ” May insisted.
“A blanket,” he told her. “And a towel for the morning.”
“Coming up,” May said, and left the room, with alacrity.
“Well,” Dortmunder said, having trouble exiting, “see you in the morning.”
“That’s right,” Tom said.
“Nice to meet you,” Kelp said.
Tom paid no attention to that. Crossing to the sofa, he moved the coffee table off to one side, then yawned and started taking wads of bank–banded bills out of his various pockets, dropping them on the coffee table. Dortmunder and Kelp exchanged a glance.
May came back in, gave the money on the moved coffee table a look, and put an old moth–eaten tan blanket and a pretty good Holiday Inn towel on the sofa. “Here you are,” she said.
“Thanks,” Tom said. He put a .32 Smith & Wesson Terrier on the coffee table with the money, then switched off the floor lamp at one end of the sofa and turned to look at the other three.
“Good night, Tom,” Dortmunder said.
But Tom was finished being polite for today. He stood there and looked at them, and they turned and went out to the hall, May closing the door behind them.
Murmuring, not quite whispering, Dortmunder said to Kelp, “You wanna come out to the kitchen?”
“No, thanks,” Kelp whispered. “I’ll call you in the morning after I talk to Wally.”
“Good night, Andy,” May said. “Thanks for helping.”
“I didn’t do anything yet,” Kelp pointed out as he opened the closet door and took out his bulky heavy pea coat. Grinning at Dortmunder, he said, “But the old PC and me, we’ll do what we can.”
“Mm,” said Dortmunder.
As Kelp turned toward the front door, the living room door opened and Tom stuck his gray head out. “Tunnel won’t work,” he said, and withdrew his head and shut the door.
The three looked wide–eyed at one another. They moved away in a group to huddle together by the front door, as far as possible from the living room. May whispered, “How long was he listening?”
Dortmunder whispered, “We’ll never know.”
Kelp rolled his eyes at that and whispered, “Let’s hope we’ll never know. Talk to you tomorrow.”
He left, and Dortmunder started attaching all the locks to the front door. Then he stopped and looked at his hands, and looked at the locks, and whispered, “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
EIGHT
----
You roll aside the two giant boulders and the tree trunk. You find the entrance to a cave, covered by a furry hide curtain. You thrust this aside and see before you the lair of the Thousand–Toothed Ogre.
Wally Knurr wiped sweat from his brow. Careful, now; this could be a trap. Fat fingers tense over the keyboard, he spat out: Describe this lair.
A forty–foot cube with a domed ceiling. The rock walls have been fused into black ice by the molten breath of the Nether Dragon. On fur–covered couches loll a half–dozen well–armed Lizard Men, members of the Sultan’s Personal Guard. Against the far wall, Princess Labia is tied to a giant wheel, slowly rotating.
Are the Lizard Men my enemies?
Not in this encounter.
Are the Lizard Men my allies?
Only if you show them the proper authorization.
Hmmm, Wally thought. I’ll have to do a personal inventory soon, I’m not sure how much junk I’ve accumulated. But first, the question is, do I enter
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