Page 19 (1/2)

'I think I knoho it is,' said Angua 'I'll see to it'

She tucked in her shirt

'Pull the door to if you go out,' Mrs Cake called after her as she went out into the hall 'Oi'e the dirt in Mr Winkins' coffin, on account of his back giving hiravel to me, Mrs Cake'

'Orthopaedic, see?'

Carrot was standing respectfully on the doorstep with his helmet under his arm and a very embarrassed expression on his face

'Well?' said Angua, not unkindly

'Er Goodvery much about the city, really I could, if you like, if you don't o on duty for a whileshow you soht she'd contracted pre-science froination

'I haven't had breakfast,' she said

'They ood breakfast in Gimlet's dwarf delicatessen in Cable Street'

'It's lunchtiht Watch'

'I'etarian'

'He does a soya rat'

She gave in 'I'll fetch my coat'

'Har, har,' said a voice, full of withering cynicis behind Carrot, trying to glare while scratching hiht we chased a cat up a tree,' said Gaspode

'You and ether, style of fing'

'Go away'

'Sorry?' said Carrot

'Not you That dog'

Carrot turned

'Hi you now? He's a nice little chap'

'Woof, woof, biscuit'

Carrot automatically patted his pocket

'See?' said Gaspode 'This boy is Mister Sis in dwarf shops?' said Angua

'No,' said Carrot

'On a hook,' said Gaspode

'Really? Sounds good to etarian?'after them 'Oh, my'

'Shut up'

'Sorry?' said Carrot

'I was just thinking aloud'

Vierly It was cold and hard because it was not a pillow but a table His cheek appeared to be stuck to it, and he was not interested in speculating ith

He hadn't even e to unstick one eye

He'd been writing in his notebook Trying to one to sleep

What time was it? No time to look back

He traced out:

Stolen froonne – > Hammerhock killed

Smell of fireworks Lump of lead Alchemical Symbols 2nd body in river A clown Where was his red nose? Gonne

He stared at the scrawled notes

I'ht I don't have to knohere it leads I just have to follow There's always a crih And the Assassins are in this somewhere

Follow every lead Check every detail Chip, chip away

I'ered to his feet and looked at his face in the cracked mirror over the basin

Events of the previous day filtered through the dogged gauze of memory Central to all of thery just thinking about that The cool way he'd told Vimes that he mustn't take an interest in the theft from--

Vi his ear and slass

Vimes stared at the hole in the plaster, surrounded by the relass tinkled to the floor

Vithe conclusion that his brain was somewhere else, threw the rest of him to the floor

There was another tinkle and a half bottle of Bear-hugger's exploded on the desk Vines couldn't even re it

He scraht alongside the

Ih his mind The dead dwarf The hole in the wall

A thought seemed to start in the small of his back and spread upwards to his brain: These were lath and plaster walls, and old ones at that; you could push a finger through them with a bit of effort As for a lump of metal--

He hit the floor at the sah the wall on one side of thePlaster dust puffed into the air

His crossboas leaning against the wall He wasn't an expert but, hells, as? You pointed it and you fired it He pulled it towards him, rolled on his back, stuck his foot in the stirrup and hauled on the string until it clicked into place

Then he rolled back on to one knee and slotted a quarrel into the groove

A catapult, that's what it was It had to be Troll-sized, perhaps Soh

Draw their fire, draw their firehe picked up his hel to do was crouch below theand

He thought for a moment Then he shuffled across the floor to the corner, where there was a pole with a hook on the end Once upon a ti rusted shut