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Fear washed through nore it And hope that fate had a better plan for hi but fire I turned to Azriel "Let’s head to Adeline’s, and see if she can help us"

He nodded, caughtoutside Adeline’s front gate I raised an eyebrow "Why not inside?"

"Because she would not appreciate such an unannounced intrusion, and given ish her help, I thought this wiser"

"Good thinking," I said, and opened the wrought iron front gate

"Someone in this team has to do it," he replied evenly

It took a moment for me to realize I’d just been insulted By Azriel, of all people My gaze shot to his, and I saw the a underneath the serious expression "I can’t believe you just said that!"

"Is not such a corinned "Yeah, but it’s not sorew "Alas, the more time I spend in flesh, the more human my tendencies become"

"So I’ve got a lifeti that would warrant such a co now"

"No" His smile broke free "But it seemed an opportune ently usheringthe tiled pathway that wove its way to Adeline’s front door Her house was one of those beautiful old Victorians filled with character and age Two graceful old elms dominated her front lawn, but underneath them lay a riot of colorful flowers that filled the air with perfume It should have overwhelmed my olfactory senses, but it didn’t

I made old bell sat on the right edge of the door fra it a couple of ti

Footsteps echoed inside; then the wooden door opened Adeline Greenfield was a short woray hair, weathered features, and round figure She rerandmotherly types so often seen on TV sitcoht blue eyes that you began to suspect she was anything other than that Her eyes gloith a power that was al the security door with a welco"

I raisedlad your reaper chose to be polite, however I do so detest visitors popping into etin unannounced" I stepped past her

"Just head for the sitting room, dear," she said "And yes, I do Ghosts have no sense of privacy these days, I’eneration No manners"

I s on the old wooden floorboards The air inside Adeline’s house generally ser and various spices, but underneath them this time ran the war me, because Adeline didn’t drink it – she preferred tea to coffee Her sitting rooloithin the ashes and lent the room extra warmth Tell-padded armchairs sat in front of the fireplace and, in between them, there was a small coffee table on which sat a teapot, a bone china cup and saucer, and the source of the coffee s of it, in fact

"Please, sit," Adeline said When I did so, she handed , young man?"

"No, thank you," Azriel said, auess there were a few people who actually called hi down on the chair opposite and pouring tea for herself "What can I do for you?"

"I’m afraid we’re here to ask your brother, Michael --"

"Michael?" she cut in, with a light frown "He’s been dead for forty-odd years now"

"Yes, I know, but we came across his name in our search" – I hesitated, then remembered I’d told her at least some of the story the last tiates, and were just wondering --"

"I assure you," Adeline interrupted again "Michael would never be involved in such a theft Alive or dead"

"I didn’t ht have assumed his identity In which case, we need to know more about Michael in order to track down the fraud"

She studied me for a moment, then rose and walked over to the raph and offered it to me "That’s Michael It was taken just before he died"