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Chapter Twenty-four

Murphy&039;s house had belonged to her grandhborhood built before Edison&039;s lights went into vogue, and while soed and run-down, this particular street looked more like some kind of historical real estate preserve, ell-kept lawns, trimmed trees, and tidy paint jobs on all the homes

I pulled the Beetle into the driveway, hesitated for half a second, and then continued up onto the lawn and around to the rear of the house, parking beside a little outbuilding that looked like a toolshed as envisioned by the Gingerbread Man I killed the engine, and sat for asounds Without the headlights, it was very dark My leg hurt like hell It seeet some rest

Instead I fumbled around until I found the cardboard box I keep in the car Next to a couple of holy-water balloons, an old pair of socks, and a heavy old potato, I found a crinkling plastic package I tore it open, bent the plastic tube inside sharply, and shook it up The two chean to shine with gold-green light

I got out of the car and hauled my tired ass toward the back door Thomas and Mouse and Butters followed me I unlocked the door with Murphy&039;s key, and led everyone inside

Murphy&039;s place was dare I say it, really cute The furniture was old Victorian, worn but well cared for There were a lot of doilies in its decorating scheirly sort of place When Murphy&039;s granded it o&039;s toughest little detective was a simple wooden stand on the fireplace mantel, which held a pair of curved Japanese swords one over the other

I went froot into the drahere Murphy kept her matches I lit a couple of candles, then used theoing

Tholow stick, and held it in one hand while he opened the refrigerator and rued inside

"Hey," I said "That&039;s not your fridge"

"Murphy would share, wouldn&039;t she?" Thomas asked

"That isn&039;t the point," I said "It&039;s not yours"

"The power&039;s out," Tho to spoil anyway All right, pizza And beer"

I stared at him for a second Then I said, "Check the freezer, too Murphy likes ice crealanced up atyou so"

"I&039; is bleeding again"

I blinked at hih with fresh, dark red The bandage wasn&039;t saturated yet, but the stain had covered most of the white "Damn That&039;s inconvenient"

Butters appeared in the kitchen doorway, ghostly somehow in his pale blue scrubs His hair was a one, and he had his eyes squinted up as he looked at us He had a cut on his lower lip that had closed into a black scab, and he had one hell of a shiner for over his left cheekbone, presumably where Grevane had struck him

"Let me wash up," Butters said "Then I&039;ll see to it You&039;ll want to make sure that stays clean, Harry"

"Go sit down," Thory?"

"Yes," Butters said "Is there a bathroom?"

"Hall, first one on the left," I said "I think Murphy keeps a first-aid kit under the sink"

Butters moved silently over to one of the candles, took it, and left just as quietly

"Well," I said "At least he&039;s clear now"

"Maybe so," Thoe to the kitchen counter "They know he doesn&039;t know anything But you risked your life to protect his That "

"What do youto die to protect hih about friendship to coriht start wondering whatwhat you know that they don&039;t" He rued in a cupboard and found some bread, so But it reelanced atout now?"

"Soon as I eat so," I said

"Don&039;t be stupid," Thoht Eat Get some sleep"

"There&039;s no tilared at me for a second, then pressed his mouth into a line and said, "Let&039;s talk about it after we eat sory Makes for bad decisions"

"Probably smart," I said

"Take the coat off Go sit down Let Butters look at your leg"

"It just needs a new bandage," I said "I can do thatmy point, dummy," Thomas said "A friend would let Butters deal with a proble He&039;s had plenty of the other kind tonight"

I glared at Tho room "It&039;s easier to deal with you when you&039;re a siet how limited you are, brain-wise," Thomas said "I&039;ll be more careful"

I settled cautiously down onto Murphy&039;s old couch It creaked as I did Murphy isn&039;t large, and I doubt that her grandma was, either I&039;m not exactly layered in htweight I shoved soet blood all over the up on the table It took a little bit of the pressure off of the injury, which didn&039;t ressively Whatever, anything was a relief

I sat like that until Butters eed from the hall that went back to the bathroom and the house&039;s two bedrooms He had Murphy&039;s medical kit in hand I remembered one of those little standard first-aid kits that would fit into the glove box of a car Murphy had evidently been planning ahead She&039;d replaced the little medical kit with one the size of a contractor&039;s toolbox

"I don&039;t think I&039;m quite that hurt," I told Butters

"Better to have it and not need it," he replied quietly He set down the kerosene laed in the box, ca the bandage away, his e clear, he peered at the injury, et a better look, and winced "This is a lanced up at etically "I&039;ll have to replace the to tear out one at a time"

I sed I did not want to do sutures without anaesthetics Hadn&039;t I already experienced enough pain for one day?

"Do it," I told hi the bloodied skin around the injury He wiped his hands doith a couple of sterilizing wipes, and snapped on soloves "There&039;s a topical here I&039;ll use it, but it&039;s not et for a toothache"

"Just get it over with," I said

He nodded, produced a curved needle and surgical thread, adjusted the laain, and set to work He was fairly quick about it I did my best to hold still When he was finished, h I hadn&039;t actually done any yelling, but only by strangling any screams before they came out

I lay there kind of limply while Butters re-covered the wound "You started on the antibiotics, right?" he asked

"Not yet," I said

He shook his head "You should take theht have gotten into the wound back at your apartment" He sed and went a little pale "I mean, my God"

"That&039;s the worst part about the walking dead," I said "The stains"

He smiled at me, or at least he tried to "Harry," he said "I&039;m sorry"

"For what?"

"I" He shook his head "I was useless back there Worse than useless You could have been hurt"

Thomas appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, pale and silent He arched his brow, so to say, "I told you so," without actually opening his lared back at his He smiled a little and faded back into the kitchen Butters

"Don&039;t worry about it," I said "You ever had anything like this happen before?"

"Like zohosts and necro and dangerous," I said

"Oh" He was quiet for a o into the arh boot Wound up in the hospital Sa when I tried to be a police, but Butters eak"