"You know what?" I told the dog. "I don't care if Butters had been chock-full of gamma radiation and had green skin and purple pants. There's no way he could haul you into a closet with him."
Mouse looked up at me and tilted his head to one side, doggy expression enigmatic.
"But that would mean that it was the other way around. That you were the one hauling Butters to a hiding place."
Mouse's jaw dropped open into a grin.
"But that that would mean that you knew you couldn't handle Kumori, and that she was dangerous to Butters. And you knew that I wanted you to protect him. And that instead of fighting or running away, you formulated a plan to hide him." I frowned. "And dogs aren't supposed to be that smart." would mean that you knew you couldn't handle Kumori, and that she was dangerous to Butters. And you knew that I wanted you to protect him. And that instead of fighting or running away, you formulated a plan to hide him." I frowned. "And dogs aren't supposed to be that smart."
Mouse snorted out a little sneeze, shook his fuzzy head, and then flopped over onto his back, eyes begging me to scratch his tummy.
"What the hell," I said, and started scratching. "Looks to me like you earned it."
Butters emerged from the bathroom a couple of minutes later. "Sorry," he said. "Nerves. I, uh...Harry, I'm sorry I ran away like that."
"Took cover," I provided. "In the action business, when you don't want to say you ran like a mouse, you call it 'taking cover.' It's more heroic."
"Right," Butters said, flushing. "I took cover."
"It's fun, taking cover," I said. "I take cover all the time."
"What happened?" Butters asked.
"I called the Erlking, but someone kept me from keeping him penned up. They came in the house for a minute, and..." I felt my voice trail off. My relief that Butters and Mouse were all right began to fade, as I realized that they had never been what Kumori had been searching for.
"What?" Butters said quietly. "Harry, what is it?"
"Son of a bitch, bitch," I swore, and my voice was a sulfurous snarl. "How could I be so stupid? stupid?"
I whirled and stalked back down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen, lifting my light.
On the kitchen table there were only empty cups of tea, empty cans, unlit candles, paper, and pens.
In the spot where Bob the skull had sat, there was nothing.
"Oh, man," Butters said quietly at my elbow. "Oh, man. They took him."
"They took him," I spat.
"Why?" Butters whispered. "Why would they do that?"
"Because Bob the skull hasn't always been mine," I growled. "He used to belong to my old teacher, Justin. And before that he belonged to the necromancer, Kemmler." I whirled in a fury and slammed my fist into Murphy's refrigerator so hard that it dented the side and split my middle knuckle open.
"I...I don't get it," Butters said, his voice very quiet.
"Bob did for Kemmler what he did for me. He was a consultant. A research assistant. A sounding board for magical theory," I said. "That's why Cowl took him."
"Cowl's doing research?" Butters asked.
"No," I spat. "Cowl knew that Bob used to be Kemmler's. Somewhere in there, Bob knows everything about the theory that Kemmler did."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that Cowl doesn't need The Word of Kemmler The Word of Kemmler now. He doesn't need the stupid book to enact the Darkhallow because he's got the spirit that helped Kemmler now. He doesn't need the stupid book to enact the Darkhallow because he's got the spirit that helped Kemmler write write it." I shook my head, bitter regret a metallic taste in my mouth. "And I practically gave it to him." it." I shook my head, bitter regret a metallic taste in my mouth. "And I practically gave it to him."
Chapter Thirty-five
I gave the blood on my torn knuckle a disdainful glance, then snapped, "Get your things and hold on to Mouse. We're going." gave the blood on my torn knuckle a disdainful glance, then snapped, "Get your things and hold on to Mouse. We're going."
"Going?" Butters asked.
"It isn't safe for you here now," I said. "They know about this place. I can't leave you behind."
Butters swallowed. "Where are we going?"
"They tailed me all day. I've got to make sure the people I've seen today are all right." I paused, thoughts tearing through my head. "And...I've got to find the book."
"The necromancer's book?" Butters asked. "Why?"
I got out my keys and headed for the Beetle. "Because I have no freaking clue what's supposed to be happening at this Darkhallow. The only part that I understood enough to stop was the summoning of the Erlking, and that's been blown to hell. I keep getting burned because I don't know enough about what's going on. I've got to figure out how to throw a wrench into Cowl's gears during the Darkhallow."
"Why?"
"Because the only other thing I can do is try to kick my way through a crowd of necromancers and undead and try to punch his ticket face-to-face."
"Wouldn't that work?"
"If I could pull it off," I said, and went out into the rain. "But I'm a featherweight fighting in the heavyweight division. Nose-to-nose, I think Cowl would probably kick my eldritch ass. My only real chance is to fight smart, and that means I've got to know more about what's going on. For that, I need the book."
Butters hurried after me, a couple of fingers through Mouse's collar. We got into the Beetle and I revved it up. "But we still haven't figured out those numbers," he said.
"That has to change," I said. "Now."
"Um," said Butters as I got the Beetle moving, "you can say 'now' all you want, but I still don't know."
"Could it be a combination?" I said. "Like to a safe?"
"The older safe combinations need some kind of designation for left and right. The newer ones might use some kind of digital code, sure, but unless you find a safe with a password sixteen numerals long, that won't help us much."
"A credit card," I said. "That's sixteen digits, right?"
"Can be," Butters said. "You think that's what the number was? Maybe a credit card or debit card account that Bony Tony wanted his fee to get paid to?"
I grimaced. "Doesn't make any sense," I said. "Something like that would be in his pocket. Not hidden in a balloon hanging from a string down his throat."
"Good point," Butters said.
We rode in silence for a while. Except for the headlights of other cars, the streets were dark. Between the total lack of lighting, the dark, and the heavy rain, it was like driving through a cave. Traffic was tight and snarled anywhere near the highways, but it had thinned out considerably since the afternoon. The people of Chicago seemed to mostly be staying home for the night, which was a mercy in more ways than one.
Butters looked around nervously a few minutes later. "Harry. This isn't exactly the best neighborhood."
"I know," I said, and pulled over in front of a hydrant, the only open space in sight.
He swallowed. "Why are you stopping the car?"
"I need to check on someone," I said. "Stay here with Mouse. I'll be right back."
"But-"
"Butters," I said impatiently. "There's a girl here who helped me out earlier today. I have to make sure Cowl and his sidekick haven't harmed her."
"But...can't you do this after you stop the bad guys?"
I shook my head. "I'm doing my best, here. I don't know what might happen in the next few hours, but dammit, this girl helped me because I asked her to. I I dragged her into this. Cowl and Kumori were going to considerable lengths to destroy every copy of dragged her into this. Cowl and Kumori were going to considerable lengths to destroy every copy of Der Erlking Der Erlking that they could find, and if they guessed that I got it from her memory she'll be in danger. I need to be sure she's all right." that they could find, and if they guessed that I got it from her memory she'll be in danger. I need to be sure she's all right."
"Oooooh," Butters said. "This is the girl who asked you out, right?"
I blinked. "How did you know that?"
"Thomas told me."
I growled under my breath and said, "Remind me to punch his lights out sometime soon."
"Hey," Butters said. "At least he didn't let me keep thinking you were gay."
I gave Butters a flat look and got out of the car. "Stay in the driver's seat," I told him. "If there's trouble, run. Try to circle back for me."
"Right," Butters said. "Got it."
I hurried through the rain and the darkness into Shiela's building. I drew out my pentacle and willed light from it, and went up the stairs to her floor as I had that morning. The stairs and the hallway had that illusory unfamiliarity that darkness can give a place you've seen only once or twice, but I found my way to Shiela's door easily enough.
I paused for a moment and tried to sense the wards she'd woven, and found that they were still in place. That was good. If anyone had come in after her for some reason, they'd have either torn the ward down or set it off on the way through.
Unless, of course, someone had gone to the trouble to get invited in first. Shiela didn't seem to be the kind to turn folks away out of a sense of general paranoia. I knocked several times.
There wasn't an answer.
She had said she was going out, earlier. She was probably at some costume party somewhere. Talking with friends. Eating good food. Having fun.
Probably.
I knocked again and said, "Shiela? It's Harry."
I heard a couple of soft steps, the creak of a floorboard, and then the door opened to the length of its security chain. Shiela stood in the opening. There was soft candlelight coming from her apartment. "Harry," she said quietly, her mouth curling into a smile. "What are you doing here? Hang on." She closed the door, the security chain rattled, and then she opened it again. "Come in."
"I really can't stick around," I said, but I stepped through the door anyway. She had half a dozen candles lit on the end table beside her couch, and there was a mussed blanket on the couch next to a paperback novel.
Shiela's long, dark hair was piled up into bun and held in place with a couple of chopsticks, leaving her ears and the smooth skin of her neck intriguingly bare. She was wearing a Bears football jersey made of soft cotton that hung to her knees, and she wore pink slippers on her feet. The jersey was loose on her, but she had the curves to make it look more appealing than it had any right to be. I could see her calves, and they did a wonderful job of blending softness and strength.
Shiela saw me looking, and her cheeks turned a little pink. "Hi," she said, her voice quiet.
"Hi," I said back, and smiled at her. "Hey, I thought you had a party tonight?"
She shook her head. "I was walking. I didn't want to walk in the rain, and I couldn't call anyone to get me a ride, so I'm home." She tilted her head to one side and frowned at me. "You seem...I'm not sure. Tense. Angry."
"Both," I said. "There are some things happening."
She nodded, her dark eyes serious. "I've heard that there's something bad brewing. It's what you're working on, isn't it?"
"Yes."
She fretted at her lower lip. "Then why are you here?"
She looked beautiful like that, in a sleepshirt in the candlelight. She wasn't wearing any makeup, but she looked deliciously soft and feminine. I thought about kissing her again, just to make sure that the first one hadn't been some sort of anomaly. Then I shook my head and reminded myself that tonight was about business. "I just needed to make sure that you were all right."
Her eyes widened. "Am I in some kind of danger?"
I lifted my hand placatingly. "I don't think you are now. But I was followed today. I had to be sure that you were safe. Have you seen anyone? Maybe felt nervous or anxious for no reason?"
"No more than any other day," she said. Thunder rumbled, and the rain kept drumming on her windows. "Honestly."
I let out my breath and felt myself relax a little. "Okay, good. I'm glad."
Thunder rumbled again and we both just stood there, staring at each other. Both of us glanced, just for a second, at the other's eyes, then pulled away before anything could happen.
"Harry," she said quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"You already have," I said.
She took a step closer, and her dark eyes looked huge. "Are you sure?"
My heart sped up again, but I took a little step back from her. "Yeah. Shiela, I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on the rest of tonight if I didn't look in on you first."
She nodded then, and folded her arms. "All right. But when you're finished with this, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."
"What?" I asked.
She shook her head and put her hand on my arm. "It would take some time to explain it. If you think you need your focus for tonight, I don't want to distract you with anything."
I looked at her, and then deliberately down her, and said, "That's probably best. I'm finding you very distracting right now."