“Their own agents.”

“Precisely so.” With every care, therefore, he swung the ledger closed, its pages already close to dry, slid the paintbrush away and pressed the cork back into the jar.

“Let’s go,” said Day. “I’m hungry.”

“Go?” Morveer’s smile widened. “Oh no, my dear, we are far from finished. You must still earn your supper. We have a long night’s work ahead of us. A very long… night’s… work.”

Here.”

Shivers nearly jumped clean over the parapet, he was that shocked, lurched round, heart in his mouth. Murcatto crouched behind, grinning, breath leaving a touch of smoke about her shadowy face.

“By the dead but you gave me a scare!” he hissed.

“Better than what those guards would’ve given you.” She crept to the iron ring and tugged at the knot. “You made it up there, then?” More’n a touch of surprise in her voice.

“You ever doubt I’d do it?”

“I thought you’d break your skull, if you even got high enough to fall.”

He tapped his head with a finger. “Least vulnerable part o’ me. Shake our friends off?”

“Halfway to bloody Lord Sabeldi Street, I did. If I’d known they’d be that easily led I’d have hooked them in the first place.”

Shivers grinned. “Well, I’m glad you hooked ’em in the end, or they’d most likely have hooked me.”

“Couldn’t have that. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.” Shivers wriggled his shoulders, uncomfortable. It was easy to forget at times that the work they were about was killing a man. “Cold, eh?”

He snorted. “Where I come from, this is a summer day.” He dragged the cork from the bottle and held it out to her. “This might help keep you warm.”

“Well, that’s very thoughtful of you.” She took a long swallow, and he watched the thin muscles in her neck shifting.

“I’m a thoughtful man, for one out of a gang of hired killers.”

“I’ll have you know that some hired killers are very nice people.” She took another swig, then handed the bottle back. “None of this crew, of course.”

“Hell, no, we’re shits to a man. Or woman.”

“They’re in there? Morveer and his little echo?”

“Aye, a while now, I reckon.”

“And Friendly with them?”

“He’s with them.”

“Morveer say how long he’d be?”

“Him, tell me anything? I thought I was the optimist.”

They crouched in cold silence, close together by the parapet, looking across at the dark outline of the bank. For some reason he felt very nervy. Even more than you’d expect going about a murder. He stole a sideways glance at her, then didn’t look away quite quick enough when she looked at him.

“Not much for us to do but wait and get colder, then,” she said.

“Not much, I reckon. Unless you want to cut my hair any shorter.”

“I’d be scared to get the scissors out in case you tried to strip.”

That brought a laugh from him. “Very good. Reckon that earns you another pull.” He held out the bottle.