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hide. The woman has a tendency toward loud. Tharpe seemed embarrassed to be
caught in her company.
Winger is a good-looking woman. Blond, with the right stuff in all the right
places, and the gods were generous when they built the best parts. But there
are detractions from those natural attractions. Her size and her attitude.
Winger is as tall as me. And argumentative on her best day. Lucky me, I
manage to avoid her a lot nowadays.
Saucerhead tried to look apologetic without saying anything that would get
him an ass kicking. I done some checking on that thing you wanted me to find.
I know where it s hid.
Do you? You know where it is now? Because I could see Penny Dreadful down
the block, conspicuously inconspicuous as she lurked and loitered. She was
tailing Tharpe and his convoy. No doubt trying to find out who was sneaking
around her and why.
A squeak of a voice caught my ear. Are you really Garrett?The Garrett? The
man who ?
Yeah, Winger said. That s him. Definitely the man who.
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Set beside Winger this guy was almost invisible. He was ten inches shorter,
bone skinny, bone pale, twitchy as a whore in church. Jon Salvation, Mr.
Garrett. It s ahuge honor to meet you. I ve heardso much about you.
His name is Pilsuds Vilchik, Winger barked. I call him the Remora.
Jon Salvation broke out a big, nervous smile.
Saucerhead said, He s the boy I told you about. Follows Winger around and
writes up everything she does.
Jon Salvation smiled again and bobbed his head.
I asked, How come?
Winger said, On account of I m a heroic figure and I m so busy being heroic
I don t have time to write my own saga down.
Not to mention that you re illiterate, eh?
Saucerhead chuckled. The real story is, she let the boy have a little one
time when she was plotzed. He liked it so much she ain t been able to shake
him since.
Winger snarled, That ain t what happened. Not quite.
I glanced at Jon Salvation. Seemed he didn t mind being talked about like he
wasn t there. The story of his life, probably. Some people are like that.
Naturally invisible. There are years when I envy them.
Salvation produced a little board with sheets off cheap paper fastened to it
by rivets at the top. He scribbled furiously using the writing stick we make
in the manufactory where I m a minor shareholder.
Feel sorry for them if you like. Jon Salvations create themselves.
Pleased to meet you, I said. Don t write down anything the Watch can use
for evidence. I wondered what he d done in the war. Obviously, he d survived.
Winger sneered.
I told her, You re always on the edge, sweetie. That s her nature. The way
she wants it. Fine by me. As long as she don t drag me in. Saucerhead. One
more time. Where s the item of interest right now?
On the shelf, I reckon. Worried about getting out I and about.
Actually, she s right over there, skulking around in I front of Scuttleman s
coal yard. Watching you.
Nobody looked. Not even the Remora. Tharpe muttered, Damn sharp for a kid.
I don t know. Plenty of kids Penny s age are resourceful enough to survive.
Saucerhead was one himself once upon a time. This one may have more talents
and resources than most.
Saucerhead eyed me expectantly.
I told him, I m headed home. If somebody turned up at my door with a special
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prize, I might turn up holding a fat bonus.
Gotcha.
Winger tried to horn in, hoping she could carve off a slice. I ignored her,
which isn t always wise. She s liable to knock you down just to get your
attention. Good job, Saucerhead. Thing you could do next is, find Harvester
Temisk.
The shyster?
Him. Don t be obvious. Especially not if you find him. Teacher White wants
him, too. And not to give him a birthday present.
Gotcha.
Later, then. Winger. How about you stun the gods above and the gods below
speechless?
What?
Stay out of trouble.
You re a complete horse s ass, Garrett.
But snuggly warm and lovable.
Like one a them giant porkypine thunder lizard things.
Sheis a woman. Shewill have the last word. Since they live longer, there was
no point me trying to win out of stubborn. I made my getaway.
Jon Salvation wrote it all down.
28
There was a subtle difference about home when I got there. And it wasn t all
the loiterers from the Watch and Teacher White s gang. Welby Dell and a
sidekick. Welby s partner was a six-foot-five albino so emaciated a little
girl once called him Skelington. It stuck. They seemed unaware of the presence
of the law. The law, on the other hand, was well aware of them.
There were Relway Runners all over. Mrs. Cardonlos place was busier than a
termite mound.
I knocked. The door man obviously hadn t come round yet. My key would be
useless.
Pular Singe let me in. Did you learn anything?
I m more popular than I thought I could ever be. Fans by the legion are
following me around. None getting in my way, though.
Singe hissed. She saw something behind me. I turned, too late. What?
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One of those men with the obscene trousers.
So Relway hasn t caught them all. What s going on?
Unh?
Something feels funny.
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