"Because I'm not that good yet," I said. "It's easy to make something that works at home. Takes a lot more know-how than I have to take an enchantment on the road." I got out of bed and got moving. The clock said that it wasn't yet ten in the morning. I hopped in and out of the shower, dressed, slapped a comb through my hair, and decided that the rakish, unshaven look was in.

By the time I got back out into the living room, Susan was dressed in the leather pants again and only four or five candles were still lit. The defensive barriers were winding down. "What happened after Martin took off from the hotel?" I asked.

Susan slouched into a chair. "I tried to get him to stop. He wouldn't. We fought about it and he put a gun in my face."

I choked. "He what?"

"To be fair, I wasn't being very rational."

"Hell's bells."

"Martin didn't want to, but I convinced him to go to Michael's place. I figured if anyone could get you out of a mess with the Denarians it would be him."

"Seems reasonable to me," I said. I debated between coffee and cola. The Coke won by virtue of convenience. Susan nodded at me before I could get the question out of my mouth, and I got her one too. "What about Anna Valmont?"

"She was in shock. Charity put her to bed."

"Did you call the police?"

Susan shook her head. "I thought she might have known something that would help. We wouldn't be able to find out what it was if she was angry and locked away."

"What did Michael have to say about it?"

"He wasn't there," Susan said. "Shiro was. Charity said that Michael and someone named Sanya hadn't come back from St. Louis and hadn't called."

I frowned and passed over the second can to her. "That doesn't sound like him."

"I know. They were worried." She frowned. "Or Charity was. I don't think Shiro was worried at all. It was almost as though he'd been expecting all of it. He was still dressed in the samurai clothes and he opened the front door before I could knock."

"Michael's done that kind of thing before. Fringe benefit of his job, maybe."

Susan shook her head. "God works in mysterious ways?"

I shrugged. "Maybe so. Did Shiro say anything?"

"He just told Martin where to turn left or right and where to park. Then he told me to give him two minutes' lead and to get ready to get you back to the car. He just … smiled a little, the whole time. It would have been a little spooky on anyone else. He seemed content. Maybe he just had a good poker face."

I toyed with my can. "Has. He has a good poker face."

Susan arched an eyebrow. "I don't understand."