Red Iron Nights

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56

So there we were, fooling around closing out one of
TunFaire’s worst-ever serial-killer deals, up to our ears in
Watch and informants, and the Dead Man was trying to set up some
scam to get Crask and Sadler off Belinda’s back. I got to
play gofer. Grumbling gofer. When Block didn’t have anything
better for me to do.

I must admit, though, that Miss Belinda Contague’s
gratitude stretched the limits of imagination and, almost, those of
endurance.

We had so many villains in and out, I lost count. Most
weren’t your basic thug type, they were magistrates and
military men and entrepreneurs and, yes, even Watch officers. Men
whose vision defects had made Chodo powerful and them wealthier
than they should have been. They all knew Belinda. Her birthday
parties had been Chodo’s annual excuse for gathering them
together.

They came. Belinda talked about Crask and Sadler and her dad
while the Dead Man poked around inside their heads. Those who would
line up against Belinda left with their thoughts scrambled so
they’d forget having seen her.

Saucerhead and Morley and Morley’s men Puddle and Sarge
hung around being insurance.

The Dead Man was sure Winchell wouldn’t go after Candy
again even if we threw her out naked and gave him a big head start.
Belinda offered to go dangle on the hook.

Came the night. This time I was determined to stick it out till
it wrapped. Block and his all-thumbs boys weren’t going to
screw it up again.

I wanted out. I’d done work enough for three cases. The
only up side was, I hadn’t gotten pounded around, which
happens too often in my line.

Hullar’s place was stuffed with picked Watchmen, most of
them auxiliaries. More of the same were scattered around the
neighborhood. The Tenderloin was lousy with law. The outside crew
came and went, buying beer. We insiders bought more.

Hullar leaned against the bar, told me, “This asshole with
the knife is going to make me rich, all you guys in here sucking it
down. You really got to catch him?”

“We could let him do his stuff right there on your dance
floor, let the mess draw the ghoul trade.”

“Touchy.”

“Can’t help it.” The hour was late. Tension
was rising. The troops worked harder and harder to pretend they
were ordinary slobs. I should’ve told them to lean back and
take it easy. They were plenty ordinary and they had slob down
pat.

“We shouldn’t be out here, Garrett.”

Hullar was right. Winchell might recognize me. Maybe the Watch
was rubbing off on me instead of the other way around.

Belinda came to the back room where Hullar and Crunch and I were
killing time drinking. She needed reassurance.

So did Crunch. He was put out. Relway had ousted him from behind
the bar. “I could handle any whipper-snapper what went to
bothering the girls, Hullar. No reason me being pushed off my
job.”

“I’m sure you could, Crunch. But I’m not in
charge.”

Crunch turned his glare on me. I said, “We’re
talking about a psycho killer, Crunch. A total crazy. You
don’t know him. The man behind the bar does.” I hoped
Relway’s disguise would hold up. “If you were out
there, he could walk in and cut your throat before you knew it was
him. It’s for your safety.”

This had played before. I was tired of it. I gave
Belinda a peck on the cheek, squeezed her hand.
“Getting close. Hang in there. Break a leg. All
that.”

“He should’ve made some kind of move already,
Garrett.”

I was afraid she was right. Somebody should’ve come to
check her out, maybe tried to pick her up. I was worried too.

An hour later the consensus had spread to the street. Something
had gone wrong. Our fish hadn’t bitten. Somewhere a woman was
dying because . . . 

But no one gave up playing his part.

I was in the shadows, looking into the dance hall, when Sadler
walked in. He looked incredibly evil. His expression grew more
wicked as he spotted Belinda.

She was dancing with a Watchman disguised as a sailor. She
spotted Sadler. Momentary fire touched her eyes. Sadler headed
toward her. Once he passed a certain point, everyone in sight
moved. He realized he’d walked into something. Fur started
flying. Steel lashed the air. I stepped out to remind the boys that
we weren’t killing people tonight.

Barking Dog Amato waltzed into the place.

There you go. We have us a rousing brawl going, everybody
closing down a setup in which everybody had a specific role,
including those of Hullar’s girls who’d stuck around to
make it look good. We have maybe twenty people screaming and
yelling. We have bodies flying everywhere. And in walks Barking Dog
Amato looking for his daughter. He spots me instead. He ignores the
uproar. “Hey, Garrett! This’s luck.” A Watchman
flew past him, thrown by Sadler, who was in a truly foul temper. I
tried to get to Barking Dog so I could move him somewhere a little
less violent. He demanded, “Where’s my girl, Garrett? I
come down here and come down here and hung out till I finally got
me the nerve to talk to her, and when I do, I find out this Sas
ain’t my baby at all. Her name’s Sasna Progel and all
she knows about Lonie Amato is she’s heard Hullar and his
dwarf henchman mention the name.” Another Watchman sailed by.
“What’re you trying to pull?”

“We’re in the middle of something now. Could you
maybe step over there out of the way and hang on a
minute?”

Sadler roared my name like he’d decided I was the root of
every evil he’d ever suffered. He charged.

“Better look out, Garrett,” Amato said. He headed
for a corner. “That fellow don’t look too
friendly.”

That fellow didn’t at that. He trampled Watchmen. Then he
tripped over one. I planted a strong right on his temple. It put
him on his knees but didn’t put him out. I threw
a little of everything I had while he was getting up. He got
up anyway.

I bruised some knuckles on my left hand. Then Sadler hit me
back. I flew off to visit Barking Dog. Sadler came after me,
ignoring all those other people giving him hell. It was like he was
holding me personally responsible for his pain. He bent down to
pick me up.

Barking Dog let him have it. Which was like a bee stinging an
elephant if the bee don’t pick his spot. Barking Dog
didn’t. But he did irritate Sadler enough that he decided to
hammer Amato one.

Bishoff Hullar, strongman, popped Sadler with something that
looked like a fist but couldn’t have been because Sadler
folded right up. Hullar breathed on his knuckles, said,
“We’re supposed to be looking out for a girl, not
having us a good time, Garrett.” He pointed.

“I’ll be go to hell.”

Winchell had decided to drop in after all. There he was making
his way to the bandstand, overlooked in all the excitement.
“Hey, we got a party now.” Belinda eyed him
uncertainly, wondering if he was the one she was supposed to
fear.

The whole place went silent.

Winchell started moving fast.

I yelled.

Everybody joined in.

It was the battle of Sadler all over again, only Winchell was
tougher. The curse had made him a superman. He got to Belinda,
hoisted her onto one shoulder, headed for the door. When I tried to
talk him into changing his ways, he deposited me on the back of my
lap under a table. Nobody slowed him down till Crunch decided to
take matters into his own hands, brought up a pony keg, and
politely tossed it across the room to meet Winchell’s
surprised face. The keg was full. Not bad for an old hairbag.

Winchell never got his eyes uncrossed. The boys from the street
came in and helped close him down. They tied and gagged him, and
most of the excitement was over. He looked small and old now, like
the curse was turning him into the old green-eye who’d
started it all at Morley’s.

Then Belinda was all over me.

Past her I saw Barking Dog buttonhole Hullar.

It was a while before the excitement faded. Block arrived. He
circled Winchell smugly. I told him, “You let him get away
again, I’m personally going to drop you in the river with a
reminder boulder tied to your toe.”

“Relway. Get him sacked up and celled up. And don’t
let that gag slip.” Winchell looked spooky enough with his
eyes glowing. Grinning, Block bragged, “Won’t be no
mistakes this time, Garrett. This’s our future here.
We’re gonna be careful. We’re gonna wall him up in the
cell I let Crask stew in. Prince Rupert is gonna send for the
wizard help we need soon as he knows we got him.”

I grumbled, hinting that I might be less than confident about
the competence of a certain prince and his Watch.

“You got any bright ideas?”

“Yeah. I got a real special one.”

“So?”

“I go hit the sack. You want anything else, come bug the
Dead Man. Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Belinda said.
“Garrett’s going to have to get some sleep
too.”

“Huh?” Us investigators have minds like steel traps.
“Too?”

She winked. “I might let you catch a nap. If you’re
a good boy.”

“Oh.” Block had gotten it before I did. I was
suitably chastened.

Meantime, Barking Dog was in full cry. He had Hullar and Crunch
both confused and on the run.



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