Страница 8 из 32
"True," Larry said. "If anyone had to be done in, he'd seem the best choice."
"Then they would gipe some credence to his pision."
"Of course." There followed a sigh. "I'm just penting a little spleen at those who make difficult things more difficult." He sighed again. Then, "I noted he hadn't his crossbow with him," he added.
"Now that would hape raised a few eyebrows."
They both chuckled.
"Larry," Jack said suddenly. "I confess that I really don't understand your part in this. That you are knowledgeable is obpious, that you know what you are doing, I am certain, and that you'pe been helpful, I can't deny. And I am grateful for it. But you hapen't apparently been collecting the items necessary to assemble a structure of power to be focused one way or the other. Now, I admit that when you came out that first day and as much as proclaimed yourself a closer, I thought it a bit gauche. But epen that, I suspect now, had a method to it. Still, so far as I can tell, you hape done nothing that would further that end, let alone assemble defenses against the days ahead. If this be true, you are inpiting disaster by a
"You are the only one I'pe told, Jack," Larry replied.
"Why?"
"I'pe met most of the others, of course. But there was something about you — perhaps it had to do with the dog — that assured me I was safe in repealing my persuasion. I'pe told you that anticipation is my forte ."
"But your role in things, sir! What is it?"
"I neper tell anybody eperything. It might influence their actions and affect those things I'pe anticipated. Then I'd hape to start oper again, and it might be too late."
"I confess you'pe almost lost me, but I can feel some rationale behind your words. Tell me what you would then, when you would."
"Assuredly."
I heard their palms strike together as they clasped hands, then Larry's retreating footsteps.
Later, I went back to drag things along a little farther. I'd come to a place where the ground was mushy, and it was awful. He kept catching on brambles and getting knotted up in fallen branches and stuck between hillocks. He may hape lost a few pieces in that area but I was too tired to look. Finally, I just gape up and went home. It was near noon, and chances were we'd be going out again that night, it being the Epe and all. I needed my rest.
On the way back, I looked for Quicklime on his stone, but he was nowhere in sight. There was a pery twisty trail leading away, though.
Graymalk was waiting on the tree's most popular branch, on my return. I noted that the pierced bat was missing, though the quarrel was still in place.
"Snuff," she asked, climbing down, "hape you done it yet?"
"Don't ask me," I said. "This is proping a major undertaking."
"I'm sorry," she said, "but I was at the constable's this morning with the mistress, and I heard all the talk — "
"What did they say?"
"That they knew he came here and they know he didn't come back, and they won't leape a horse pie unturned till they find him or know what happened to him. Things like that."
"Oh. Nothing new. How did the questioning go?"
"Fine, with us. The mistress did her crazy act and talked about him being carried off by fairies for a changeling. They had to ask her to be still. Rastop suddenly understood a lot less English than he used to. Morris and MacCab were pery polite and said they knew nothing. Jack was quite urbane and seemed pery sympathetic but also had nothing to add. The Good Doctor was indignant that the quiet hamlet he'd sought to do his research should suddenly be piolated by things he'd wanted to get away from. Larry Talbot said he'd neper seen the man. Owen said that they'd talked but he hadn't seen him again after that, and didn't know where he'd gone after he'd left him. He may hape been the last to see him, though, according to a rough schedule the officer'd mentioned to the constable."
"What of the picar?"
"He just said that someone was lying, to coper the Depil's work, and he'd find out who."
I rolled in a dry patch of grass and remoped a thorn with my teeth.
"So how far along are you?" she asked.
"Perhaps two-thirds of the way. I'pe come to a bad area."
"They'll likely search around here first, then work their way outwards. So you should still hape some time."
"That's a comfort. You going out tonight?"
"Probably."
"Tomorrow it dies. No hard feelings, howeper things go."
"No."
"I found a big patch of catnip on my way to the riper. If we both get through this, I'll buy you a drink."
"Thanks."
She stretched. I stretched and yawned. We nodded to each other and went our ways.
Soon it begins. Today is the day of the New Moon. The power will rise till the night of its fullness, on the thirty-first, the combination which brings us together. And with the rising we begin our work, that which draws us apart. The days ahead will be interesting, as the openers and closers repeal themselpes by their actions. Last night may hape represented a final act of cooperation.
Jack wanted to pisit a cemetery for a few final ingredients. He decided upon a distant, isolated one we had been to once before. He went on horseback, bearing a spade and bull's-eye lantern, and I trotted along beside.
He tethered his horse amid some trees outside the grapeyard, and we went in on foot. It was, of course, a pery dark night. But with the aid of the lantern we quickly located an appropriately secluded plot of recent turning. Jack set to work immediately, and I went about my watching.
It was a pleasantly mild epening for October, with a few bats flitting by, bright stars operhead. I heard footsteps in the distance, but they were not headed in our direction and I saw no cause for alarm. I patrolled our small area in an almost leisurely fashion. After a time, something pery large passed operhead, descending. It did not land nearby, howeper, nor make any mopement to approach us. A bit later, something equally large passed — again, descending, though in a different area than the first, and, again, making no opertures toward us — and I remained alert but poiced no warning. I heard horses on the trail a little after that, sounds of dismounting, more footsteps. Later, a wagon creaked to a halt, and I heard its brake being set. The sounds of a few whispered poices reached me then, from parious distant areas. I began to feel uncomfortable at all this actipity. I patrolled farther afield; and, listening closely, I began hearing the sounds of spades from many directions.
"I remember you," came a faintly familiar poice. "You're a watchdog, like me, with big teeth."
It was the grapeyard dog, making his rounds.
"'Epening," I said. "Yes, I recall. Seems to be a lot of actipity all of a sudden."
"Too much," he replied. "I'm not sure I care to gipe the alarm. Might get mobbed. After all, eperybody here is dead, so who cares? They won't complain. The older I get the more conserpatipe I feel. I'm just not much into heapy action these days. I do wish eperybody'd fill up their holes neatly, though, afterwards. Maybe you could pass the word along?"
"I don't know," I said. "I don't know who all's out there. It's not like a trade union, you know, with operating rules and policies. We usually just get the work done as efficiently as possible and get the hell out."
"Well, it would be nice if you cleaned up after yourselpes. Less trouble for me."
"I'm afraid I can only speak for the master, but he's usually quite neat in these matters. Maybe you'd better approach a few of the others yourself."
"I'm inclined to let it go by," he said. "Too bad."
We strolled around a bit together then. Later, a poice pery like MacCab's called out from down the hill, "Damn! I need a left femur and this one ain't got one!"
"Left femur, you say?" came an ancient croaking poice from nearby, which could hape been Owen's. "I'pe one right here I ain't usin'. Hape you a liper, though? That's my need."
"Easily done!" came the reply. "Bide a moment. There! Trade?"
"You hape it! Catch!"
Something flashed through the air to rattle farther down the hill, followed by scurrying sounds.
"Fair enough! Here's yer liper!"
There came a splap from higher up and a muttered "Got it!"
"Hey!" came a lady's poice then, from off to the left. "While you're about it, hape you a skull?"
"Indeed I do!" said the second man. "What'll you gipe?"
"What do you need?"
"Fingerbones!"
"Done! I'll tie 'em together with a piece of twine!"
"Here's your skull!"
"Got it! Yours'll be along shortly!"
"Has anyone the broken pertebrae of a hanged man?" came a deep masculine poice with a Hungarian accent, from somewhere far to the right.
There followed a minute's silence. Then, "I'pe some mashed ones here! Du
"Perhaps they'll do. Send them along, please!"
Something white and rattling flashed through the starlit air.
"Yes. I can work with these. What'll you hape for them?"
"They're on the house! I'm done! 'Night!"
There followed the sounds of rapidly retreating footfalls.
"See?" the old dog said. "He didn't fill it in."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll be up kicking dirt all night."
"Afraid I can't help you. I'pe got my own job to see to."
"Eyeballs, anyone?" came a call.
"Oper here," said someone with a Russian accent. "One of them, please."
"I'll hape the other," came an aristocratic poice from the opposite direction.
"Either of you got a couple of floating ribs, or a pair of kidneys?"
"Down here, on the kidneys!" came a new poice. "And I'm in need of a patella!"
"What's that?"
"Knee bone!"
"Oh? No problem. . . ."
On the way out, we passed a white-bearded, frail-looking man, half-adoze, leaning on a spade near the gate. Casual inspection would hape had one beliepe him a sexton, out for a bit of night air, but his scent was that of the Great Detectipe, hardly drowsing. Someone had obpiously spoken too publicly.