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Neon lights, streetlights, war hts at all in some patches, Strome drove us past a myriad of such beacons of city life until we reached the fiery red diahtclub As soon as we paused in front athe car door for me I stepped out, protected froreeted the doors are going with Hoyle and phonethe booth downstairs I&039;ll be here the rest of the night"

"You sure?"

"What d&039;you ood"

I didn&039;t expect that Not fro away froave the doorman tih, usheringa guy stand his whole shift out in the cold, but I didn&039;t see the point Just asas he did his job he could decide for himself where he wanted to be

Wilton was busy at the lobby bar setting drinks before a newly arrived fourso my way

There was a concerned look on his face, too He&039;d been getting ready to open when Strome came to take me away

I tossed the greeting back and asked how things were going so Wilton would knoas none the worse

"Slow, but a good crowd for the weather," he replied

"Any sign of Myrna?" Myrna used to be a bartender here long before I bought the place Now she was a ghost I didn&039;t have anything to do with causing that

"Not yet" Wilton was the only guy here who didn&039;tthe front by himself He liked Myrna even if she did switch the bottles around "Whoops-spoke too soon"

"What d&039;ya mean?"

He pulled out a bowl of bookin orderly rows, neatly folded to show red covers with the club&039;s name in silver letters, they were all opened wide and tossed every which way

"Guess she got bored," he said, looking beain"

"If she likes &039;eirl ca for the stairs and es ago

Froe that led into thea better job with "The Touch of Your Lips" than Bing Crosby could ever hope for I paused next to the easel display for her It held a large black velvet rectangle where her nalittered fro pictures of her, none of the her justice

A second, si talents of Faustine Petrova and Roland Laether It was surrounded by a half dozen stark black-and-white photos of thele drauy Bobbi had discovered when he delivered a singing telegra face and soft eyes were better suited to cootten aith it Silver stars fanned out around his picture, filling up the blank space since he could only afford to have the one photo done Along with his nao&039;s greatest new singing sensation!"

Well, ood, though, or Bobbi wouldn&039;t have given him a break

Bobbi finished her set for the e while Teddy came out to earn his keep, then join him in a duet they&039;d worked up

I wasn&039;t sure how much to tell her about why I&039;d missed the first show Certainly I would let her knohat had happened with Kroun, the question was just how detailed to get and if I shouldtoo h stuff was often a necessary evil, but she didn&039;t need to hear about everything

She would know, though If even Stros and hear sirens

I plodded upstairs

The office lights were on, as they usually were, since they didn&039;t always stay switched off Myrna liked to play with theer I had other spooks to wrestle with, truly scary ones Like what I&039;d done to myself at the Stockyards My body still hurt fro with Hoyle I had not grown hungry, having fed only the night before But I&039;d given in to I didn&039;t knohat deed myself to the point of sickness In the hurried walk froht to stop, turn aside, or even consider that feeding like that , the same as Hoyle when he shot atdown Gordy&039;s full wrath, and yet he&039;d done it anyway

So what horror would drop on et control of myself?

What if it dropped on someone else instead of me? If I

Inside, the excess blood seemed to churn, thick and heavy

The radio would help I wanted other voices besides the nagging ones init and the cru sofa

Then I paced, impatient for the tubes to warm up, for distraction to intervene My skin felt like it was on inside out

An unfortunate picture to conjure, the kind that bunchedthe and a sadist&039;s laughter-

Don&039;t start No more of this no nore, to hold on a little longer, and above all, not to screaony was enough to shred reason and sheetIt cla

This time I was not cold Far from it The blood in me was fever-hot, and there was tooCrashing just short of the sofa, I lay helpless and praying for the fit to pass, unable to control ainst the floor As before in the Stockyards I heard an alien noise; this ti ani air I didn&039;t need, I wheezed and puffed like a living h the worst as it slowly passed

At least I&039;d not given in to the urge to screa that there were people downstairs who could hear and cos Itheh

Scared, too Scared sick

The radio had warmed up, and dance , but seized on it, listening closely to thethe rise and fall of the notes The knots in ether enough to stand up again as though nothing had happened

Then I swiped at my damp eyes and came away bloody Damn

In the washroom across the hall I scrubbed off the red evidence of my latest fit, convulsion, seizure-I didn&039;t knohat to call it Once it had a naain htcrawler had been far more mild, but this kind of bloodshed

There was too ; maybe that&039;s what Strome had noticed Too much, and it had simply seeped out under the strain

I took care not to look at the ee well over a year ago, I had grownThis avoidance was in case I did see so Me Like when I&039;d really been out of ed I&039;d seenI wanted to repeat Too creepy

Back in the office I ran a da to take the starch out of onna stop?" I&039;d asked the general air, which never offered an answer

But the laain It flared brighter than it should have for the wattage, then settled into normal

I untensed from my initial startleht have been working the light panel for the stage, and the load on the circuits could account for what had just occurred, but I knew better The club&039;s ghost was here so incorporeal Maybe she&039;d seen the whole sorry show

I read that ghosts tend to haunt the places where they died Myrna&039;s regular staround was behind the lobby bar About five years back when the place was under different, renade shrapnel in the throat and bled to death The floor tiles there had a dark stainto replace them, the new ones stained up just the sa bar, frequently shifting bottles around for a joke She also liked Wilton, but lately she preferred hanging around h and orried, like h I had to put up a front for Myrna

The lamp flickered, almost too fast and subtle to notice

"I really look that bad, honey?"

Steady burning

"Yeah It stinks, don&039;t it-doesn&039;t it? Aw, hell Look what they&039;re doing tolike &039;eht for responding Usually she wasn&039;t so overtly active I took a breath to say so scent of roses was suddenly in the air Instant distraction

For a second I thought itlike it, but this was different in a way I couldn&039;t pin down It also ooseflesh flare over host stories by a caht here with s stank; she fixed it

I rubbed htness Who could be afraid of roses?

"Trying to tell hts, the smell of roses in a room with no flowers

Silence ? But I&039;d turned the radio on, had been listening to the music The volume was all the way do

When had that happened? I turned it up again, just enough to hear the chatter of a sales pitch for so out How far would that go? Hopefully she&039;d re, even helpedto worry about froain

I stared without interest at the paper ht where I&039;d dropped it the night before That stuff used to be important; Lady Crymsyn was my own business, a source of pleasure and pride Now it all see around once, I inspected the walls, then peered through theblinds at the dark street below Because of the thickness of the bulletproof glass, the world without had a sick green tint to it and was slightly warped I had the feeling it would look like that to ht use, h of that crap I needed a change quick before I swaht on another paralyzing bout of bad ht into the floor Not a particularly pleasant feeling; but it doesn&039;t last, and I&039;d knoorse

In a second or three I sensedforward to and then through a wall Though e in the level of sound Teddy Parris was singing Frorid over the stage I went back to the wall again, following it until buht down It was just like swi underwater with your eyes closed, and this pond was very faet to my corner booth on the topmost tier of the main room

But it was occupied, das, and the staff always kept it reserved unless there was a really big crowd No chance of that inon?

I brushed close to count howcustouess Nose out of joint, I&039;d just have to settle for the next booth over

Then Charles Escott said, "Hello, Jack Won&039;t you sit down?"

The voice and precise British accent were unht have snorted

I lowered into the booth on the opposite side of the round table and slowly took on forht frolow fell on the lean features of my sometime partner in business, strife, and well-intentioned crime Shadows lent a sardonic cast to his expression, but they didn&039;t have to work too hard to bring it out Escott&039;s bony face and big beak of a nose were the kind that could easily shape themselves into a villainous look Years back when he&039;d been on the stage in a Canadian repertory coiven the lead in Richard III I&039;d have paid money to see that

"How&039;d you knoas ain It was fragrant froarettes were his habit when on the move Pipes were for his office or at hoh Instead of the usual gin and tonic, there was a brandy in front of him Must be one a hell of a problem

"I didn&039;t, but the odds favored you" Escott had developed a wary respect for Myrna He&039;d annoyed her once, and she&039;d plunged the whole club into darkness, then the rooot arctic cold, but only for him After that he was always careful to be extra polite to her

"She&039;s in my office Made otten to," he said "It&039;s been quiet, no lights playing up How are you?"

Of course I was ready to attach all kinds of s to the innocuous social inquiry But if anyone had a right to be irrational "I&039;m fine"

"Why the unseen arrival?"

"I didn&039;t want to distract frooing up to ht follow and want to chat with the friendly owner, and I&039;d have to pretend to be cheerful Not in the mood for that just now

The place was much less than half-full, not bad for the ically discouraging It was the sas would pick up again

Come the weekend we&039;d be packed Business wasn&039;t on its last legs just because I&039;d not been at the front door as usual to greet people Until a week ago I was always there, shaking hands, fixing ood time, and so they did But I couldn&039;t trust myself yet to look happy and sincere, nor could I trust the hypnosis to so casual a use if it raine Safer to keep a lid on it until I was in better shape

A spotlight pinning hiood voice I contrasted hie experience, but he sure beat hiht draw in the patrons, but he wasn&039;t worth the trouble Gordy&039;s outfit, being rander in scale than mine, could handle that kind of probleh not on staff, he liked to come over and help out Maybe it reminded him of his theater days He&039;d been here since before opening tonight and must have seen my exit with Stroive it away?" I could feel it was on crooked

"That and a few dozen other clues Mr Stro for several hours led ht have been found"

"No such luck"

While Teddy sang, I told Escott almost all of it, fro out the falling-down night, and its sequel in my office Heonstage for the duet, and atched her instead She wore a glittery silver gown that clung tight till it reached her hips, then flared wide She said it was perfect for dancing Teddy took her hand, and they ly to her knees Dandy view

Seeing her, even at a distance, warentle and basic way, like a flaet, for a time, what it was like to be alone in the dark insideinto the introduction for "The Way You Look Tonight," getting a s started She and Teddy sparked off each other in such a way that it seeh they&039;d fallen in love for real and hadn&039;t quite figured it out yet I knew better, but the audience ate it up The applause came not only from the customers, but the waiters as well They adored her

Instead of taking their bows, she and Teddy reone wrong with Roland and Faustine&039;s exhibition dancing Bobbi leaned toward theso their anniversary, so I eased back in ht around until it rested on the right party, and everyone clapped Bobbi and Teddy began a second duet, this ti an instrue in a very staid waltz, looking so serious that it bordered on parody The celebrants in the audience got teased from their chairs by friends and took to the dance floor Before the end, it was filled with other sentimentally minded couples In all, a very successful e, and Teddy continued with another of his love songs, which wasn&039;t part of the regular program

"Where&039;s Roland and Faustine?" I asked They&039;d arrived at their usual ti toward my office to work on the books Then Stroe, I believe," said Escott "There&039;s nothing a for the dancers to clear so they can start"

Teddy and the band gave out another three hts co up Everyone looked pleased as they wandered to their tables and put the waiters to work Thethe pause Waiters circulated, snagging e theain For someone who see too much nervous concern Escott certainly must have picked up on it, but made no remark He finished his pipe and tapped the bowl into the thick glass ashtray between us

"Well About Hoyle," he said "That&039;s a remarkably nasty business Very sudden"

"Nah, he&039;s been building up to it I just wasn&039;t paying attention You ever deal with him?"

"Rather less than you Strome will be your best source of information on him, should you need it Or Gordy"

Who was on the bench for the moment "I won&039;t bother him with this My job is to hold the fort and try not to break anything God, I can&039;t believe he turned up there tonight He looked like hell"

"Heme If he&039;d just rest up like he&039;s told he&039;d be back in a week"

"I think you should inforht&039;s near calamity"

"It&039;s covered"

"Hoyle and five others made a sincere effort to kill you You may well be nearly bulletproof, but it would be unwise to so lightly shrug off such an assault"

"I&039;ed He&039;ll be too busy licking his wounds tonight to do anything else If he&039;s stupid and hangs around town, I&039;ll have hiht in for a more severe talk to keep hi vacation, ain?"

"I don&039;t feel that kindly" I quirkedsome of the words to "Minnie the Moocher" "What do you think of Sweden? Some place really cold so he can cool off"

"There&039;s always the lake," he said casually "Very cold down there"

Every once in a while Escott scared me It wasn&039;t a joke He had a dark streak in him and definite opinions on what to do with trouble on here Maybe he wanted to see how I&039;d react "I just want the guy away When Gordy&039;s back he can deal with this kind of bother He&039;s good at it I&039;ll turn the whole et about it"

"One may hope for as much"

"What do you h Bobbi that Gordy&039;s lady friend is urging him to find another type of business"

If Gordy left, my temporary position could become permanent My still very full belly tensed at that horror I made myself ease down Adelle Taylor had a lot of influence over Gordy, but not in certain areas "Gordy won&039;t leave This kind of work is what he&039;s all about"

Escott ood luck then None of this can be too terribly easy for you"

"Actually, it is Derner does all the day-to-day stuff and keeps the Nightcrawler running smooth, Strourehead-or target-and now I&039;ve got Kroun&039;s approval Sort of It would have been fine if Hoyle hadn&039;t put his foot in There won&039;t be a repeat with hied to put a lot ofinto that

"You think I should have killed hies"

"It&039;s the way their world spins &039;round Do you see Gordy as soland Robin Hood? That he never killed anyone to keep his position secure?"

"Of course not I know the score with hiuys out there lots worse than Gordy You and I&039;ve bothin the air That was one Escott couldn&039;t dispute

The lights faded, and the general conversation noise died down The band started in on a low, dra louder as the darkness increased The dru like a thunderstorm For a few seconds the whole place went pitch-black, then whaically on the dance floor, still as statues, poised for their first step Their tio, carrying the At first it see, but they went on with the South-Aenerally stea up the place

It shouldn&039;t have worked, but it did More than half the heat came from their own kind of electricity They were recently h, but they&039;d already crashed into soht here at the club Roland loved Faustine, but had a hard ti his pants buttoned around other women, like Adelle Taylor

She was his ex-wife froh the walls of their ie reunion, the renewed attraction was very mutual But since Adelle ith Gordy, it was just a bad idea froain

Not wanting a future probles-I&039;d had a talk with hi hiiving hihts away from the customers and did their act without any hitch, I was satisfied