Book 04 - Old Tin Sorrows by Glen Cook Read Free Book Online Page B

jump on me. How about you let me catch up?”
    They all looked at me oddly. Cook more so than the others. She was wondering if maybe she’d missed the mark with her earlier guess.
    I stoked the fires some, then asked, “Where’s everybody else, Sarge?”
    Peters frowned. “We’re all here. Except Tyler and Wayne. They have the night off.”
    Kaid said, “Snake.”
    “Oh. Right. Snake Bradon. But he never comes in the house. Hell. He may not be around anymore. I haven’t seen him lately. Anybody seen Snake?”
    Heads shook.
    Cook said, “He come for supplies day before yesterday.”
    I didn’t want to ask too many questions too soon so I let Snake Bradon slide. I’d get Black Pete alone sometime and get a rundown on everybody. I said, “That doesn’t add up. I heard there were eighteen in the house besides me.”
    Everybody looked puzzled except Cook. Chain said, “Ain’t been that many people around here in years. You got us guys, Cook, Tyler, Wayne, and Snake trying to keep this barn from falling apart.”
    I ate some. I don’t know what it was. As good as lunch but less identifiable. Cook was fond of stuff she could do in a pot.
    After a while the silence got to me. I had a feeling it wasn’t just for my benefit. These people wouldn’t talk much more without me there. “What about the blonde girl? Who’s she?”
    That got them looking perplexed. Peters asked, “What blonde?”
    I looked at him for about ten seconds. Maybe he wasn’t yanking my leg. “About twenty, gorgeous. As tall as Jennifer, even slimmer, hair almost white that hangs to her waist. Blue eyes, I think. Timid as a mouse. Dressed in white. I caught her watching me several times today.” A recollection. “Dellwood. I saw her when you were there. You told me she was Jennifer.”
    Dellwood made a face. “Yes sir. But I didn’t see her. I assumed it was Miss Jennifer.”
    “I didn’t wear white today,” Jennifer said. “What kind of dress was it?”
    I tried my best, which isn’t bad. The Dead Man’s big accomplishment is that he’s taught me to observe and recollect.
    Jennifer said, “I don’t have anything like that,” trying to sound bored and failing. They all exchanged glances. I took it none of them knew who I was talking about.
    I asked, “Who’s taking care of the General? If you’re all here?”
    “He’s sleeping, sir,” Dellwood said. “Cook and I will wake him for supper after we’re finished.”
    “Nobody with him?”
    “He doesn’t want to be coddled, sir.”
    “You sure as hell ask a lot of question,” Chain said.
    “A habit I’ve got. I’m working on it. There any beer around the place? I could use some dessert.”
    Dellwood explained. “The General doesn’t approve of drink, sir. He doesn’t permit it on the property.”
    No wonder they were such a cheerful bunch. I looked at Peters hard. “You didn’t mention that.” If he’d done his homework, he would have known I liked my beer. He smiled and winked. The son of a bitch.
    “Not a bad meal, Cook. Whatever it was. You need a hand clearing away?”
    The others looked at me like I was crazy. She said, “You ask for trouble, you get it. Grab a load and follow me.”
    I did. And by the time I got back for a second load, the rats had scattered.
    I was going to have to ask Peters about the disparity between Cook’s head count and everyone else’s.
     
----

8
    After supper I wandered up to my quarters. As I approached the door, digging for the key Dellwood had left in the primitive lock, I noticed the door was a quarter inch ajar. So.
    I wasn’t surprised. Not after Jennifer’s bold peek into my duffel bag and the trick at the old workers’ barracks.
    I paused. Go ahead like the cavalry? Or exercise a little caution? Caution didn’t go with the image I wanted to project. But it did contribute to an extended life. And nobody was looking.
    I dropped to my knees by the doorframe, examined the lock. There were a few fine scratches on the old brass plate surrounding the keyhole. As I said, a primitive piece of hardware, pickable