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We parked in a big open-air parking lot to the right and got out About two dozen vehicles waited for us According to George, Eduardo drove a huge black Tahoe that looked like a tank Not soe drove an FJ Cruiser Neither was in the parking lot

Curran and I walked down the parking lane Curran took short quick breaths, sa the scents We would need Derek to really follow a trail Curran’s sense of smell was many times better than ht, while Derek, my onetih pitch darkness by scent alone

I had called over to Cutting Edge and left ahim to stay put in case we needed him Curran had saved hi as co," I said

"Should I be worried?" Curran asked

"I would’ve thought Derek would separate with us I understand why Barabas didn’t--he loves practicing law--but Derek has been working for Cutting Edge since the start"

"It’s not really a topic I can bring up," Curran said "It’s a personal decision for each individual involved There can’t be any pressure one way or the other Jim can’t offer them incentives to stay and I can’t use their e"

Itlot, predictably didn’t find the Tahoe, and headed for the Guild building

The heavy iron gates stood wide open Nobodyon the ned in on Monday, February 28 There was no sign-in for Tuesday, March 1

"He didn’t make it to the Guild yesterday," I said

Curran inhaled the air and griet hints of his scent, but they’re old I’d say at least fifty hours or so"

Fifty hours was consistent with our tie at seven thirty on Monday, he probably got down to the Guild an hour or two later

Curran and I passed through a large wooden door and entered the inner hall The hotel was built as a holloith an open atrium at its center Terraced balconies, one for each floor, lined the inner walls, allowing access to individual rooht stone, expensive wood, and elevators with transparent walls It ay before my time, but I’d seen soreenery, coe-and-white fish drifted gently beneath the lily pads A trendy coffee shop had occupied one corner, next to it a raised area had been set out for happy-hour patrons, and an upscale restaurant had offered lobster and steak All of that was gone now The coffee shop, koi, and greenery had vanished without a trace The restaurant had evolved into a ryjobs, and the raised area that was once the happy-hour hangout housed the Clerk’s desk and a big job board behind hianized to within an inch of its life The Clerk would write the open jobs on index cards,to priority, and pin them neatly to the corkboard Today the board was a mess Random pieces of paper covered it, stuck this way and that, some on top of the others A couple had coffee stains One looked a hell of a lot like a used dinner napkin whose owner ravy What the hell?

About twenty ed here and there, some at the tables I scanned the crowd Not many veterans The Guild attracted all sorts of people So or waiting for just the right job to fall into their lap Most of these guys were of the second variety A few looked drunk Most weren’t too clean As alked through, a woie and spat on the floor Char out at the Guild every day Some probably slept here One of the for her boyfriend or kneho had They would tell me who did it

The sour stench of rotten food floated in the air Mud streaks stained the floor The trash can in the corner was overflowing The staircase that led up to the three rerime

"Daniels!"

I turned A tan dark-haired o Vista I walked over and took a seat Curran sat next to o had been a mercenary all his life one way or another, but he’d joined the Guild about three years ago, when he o Vista, Texas He liked it when people called hio It wasn’t really his nas he’d left behind, so I didn’t ask He and I had worked together on a couple of jobs He wasn’t as fast as he used to be, but he had a lot of experience and he knehat to do with it He did his job, he did it well, and he didn’t get me or anybody else killed That made hi, you could do a lot worse than Lago If you could put up with his coht stands, and he viewed himself as a smooth operator