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I ignored hihts Sorcerers coerous business, and sooner or later et their heads handed to them--literally--by the deesture, one incantatory syllable uttered off-pitch, and the demon seizes the opportunity to attack its so-called master As the drops of coffee cooled on my neck, I kinda wished Foster would try his hand at sorcery He wouldn’t last one suht be able to bind the Morfran to a zo directly on the zombie, the Morfran would feed on the acts of destruction it drove its host to co hter Instead, he should’ve been cowering under the table Zo and nearly indestructible A zombie driven by the Morfran wouldis imperfect," I said, "eventually the Morfran would turn on its host That ht" I drained the last mouthful of coffee from my cup and stood up "Let’s talk to the next witness Maybe he saw so Andy didn’t I don’t want to follow this line of reasoning too far if Malone’s death turns out to be an ordinary Morfran attack"

Foster stood, too "‘Line of reasoning,’" he htento do with reason?"

"What’s your problem, Foster? Don’t you believe in de a sorcerer to send a few Harpies to visit the guy and change his ly face within an inch ofyou is a waste of taxpayers’ ly I wanted to get Foster in a headlock and ram his face into the cinder-block wall Over and over, until his skull was cracked, his nose was a mushy pulp, and his teeth crunched underthat would--

"Leave it alone, Foster" Daniel’s voice brought me back to ue, whether you like it or not" He offeredfor a stroll, and we strolled right past Foster I hoped a fly would invade his wide-open mouth as we passed

"Ready for the next witness?" Daniel asked as we left the cafeteria

"After that exchange, I’d be delighted to converse with another zoh" We waited for the heavyWhen ere through, Daniel continued "He was sitting in the back of the van, behind--"

"Hey, Detective" Thein Andy Skibinsky’s door was still open The square, barred opening in the door fraot to tell you"

"Thatshouldn’t be open," Foster said, co up from behind us He ly, Foster paused "What is it, Andy?"

"Could you co across the hall"

"I’ll get a guard" Daniel set off toward the guards’ station

Andy looked at ht, but soht?"

"Great" His smile broadened until it threatened to split his skin A tic jittered at one corner of his lanced frouard, who sorted through his ring of keys Andy pressed his face against the bars, straining to see theue protruded froers twitched where he gripped the bars

"Wait," I said, putting out an arht"

Andy snarled He shook it off, and the smile reappeared "Come on," he wheedled "Just open the door"

"Andy, what’s happening?" I said

He ignored uard "Open the door"

"I’ that damn ," Foster said He reached for the metal plate

"Open the door!" The two steel bars snapped off like plastic in the zorasping It found Foster’s tie and clutched it

Foster screa sound as strong zorip

Inside his cell, Andy roared The sound ay too intense to come from the throat of one zo of a hundred angry crows

Ca!

"Morfran!" I shouted

Foster’s heels did a rapid-fire tap dance against the tiles

The guard reached for his gun

Foster’s eyes bulged His tongue protruded fro Andy’s elbow With a howl, he dropped Foster and withdrew his arm