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"I didn't like you, either," Farold snapped "I' us nowhere Who would have wanted you dead?"

Farold, upside down, shrugged

Selwyn said, "I think it could have been Linton"

"Linton is my cousin," Farold protested "Why would he want , "Because he's your cousin," and instead said, "To get the mill" Linton was the oldest of Derian's sister's children, and for the past two years he had been helping at the mill

"Then he would have killed Uncle Derian, too" Far old seemed suddenly to realize the full implication of this "Will he? Do you really think he killed me? Do you think he plans to kill Uncle Derian?"

For the first time, Farold sounded concerned about someone other than himself "I doubt he would kill Derian," Selwyn reassured him "That would be very obvious People would suspect him if both of you died suddenly"

"But he could wait two or three years," Farold said, getting into the full spirit of suspicion, "and then kill him"

"If he waits two or three years, Derian is likely to die on his own," Selwyn said, "old as he is"

"Well, you certainly are the personable one, aren't you?" Farold snapped "Don't you ever worry about other people's feelings?"

It was hard to think of a sarcastic little bat as having feelings Selwyn told himself he would have done better and been less blunt if Farold had been in his old shape "Sorry," he said

"My uncle Derian raised- "from the time I could barely walk or talk - when my aunt Sela said her hands were already full with Linton"

"Sorry," Selwyn repeated "I didn't " He didn't bother to point out that Faroldand talking when his parents had died Selwyn and Farold were the saht part of the oldEarm Miller and his wife, Liera, and their three older children Selwyn and his family could smell the smoke from their house, seven farmsteads away Derian had not only raised Farold, he had been the one who had rescued hi," Selwyn said

Farold snorted "For a change"

Selondered how to get the conversation back to where it needed to be

But while he was still working at it, Farold said, "If Linton killed me - which I don't think he did - but if he did, hoould you go about getting hi it out as he spoke, Selwyn said, "Well, soe after dark Maybe soe," Farold was quick to point out "With his parents and his three brothers and two sisters"

Selwyn could just hear hi his little bat eyeballs Did he have any idea how lucky he was that the branch he hung from was out of easy reach? "Yes, but Derian says the three of you had supper together, and then Linton went hoain, later, and return to the mill"

"And whoever saw this didn't think tocondemned to death - but they'll tell it now?"

Selwyn squirmed under Farold's sarcasm "Before," he said, "everyone was so convinced I killed you, they ht to mention Linton's activities"

"Oh, very likely That explains everything"

The infuriating thing was that Farold was right "And," Selwyn continued, "I need to find out who had opportunity to find or steal ht Farold's voice sounded odd, and he glanced over

"I was killed with your knife?"

Was Farold going to need to be reassured all over again that Selwyn hadn't been the one to kill him? "Yes," Selwyn said

But all Farold said was "Oh"

"What?" Selwyn asked suspiciously

"I had your knife," Farold admitted

"What?" Selwyn repeated

"Don't take that tone withmuch the sa

Selwyn refused to be drawn into that argument "Don't talk to me about tone when you stole my knife"

"I just meant it as a joke," Farold said "Can't you take a joke? I would have given it back"

"A joke would have been giving it back after a day You had it for three weeks"

"Yeah, well," Farold said, but obviously couldn't think of anything else to add He readjusted his wings "This isn't getting us anywhere," he sniffed

Selwyn still wanted to shake hiritted his teeth "Did anybody know," he asked through his teeth, "that you had the knife? Like, for exa, "not Linton Merton"

"Merton?" Selwyn repeated in amazement Merton was brother to his best friend, Raedan - and also a friend Or, at least, Selwyn had thought he was a friend It was bad enough realizing that - all those days he'd been frantically searching for theknife - Merton had knohere it was That made him as bad as Farold But worse yet hat had happened at Bowden's house: when, under Bowden's questioning, Selwyn had explained that he'd lost the blade, and Merton had agreed that this was so And never aNot even when Bowden pronounced that the knife beingto murder Farold