“I’m going to keep this shirt the rest of my life. That’s all the trophy I need.” He considered for a moment, then said, “Thanks for not letting me get clawed to bits.”

“I didn’t save anyone. You moved first. You jumped like a deer.” Fallows was smiling—but his eyes were thoughtful.

“I don’t think so, Mr. Fallows,” Christian told him modestly.

“We know what’s what around here, Fallows,” Stockton said, reaching down with his big hands to squeeze the little man’s shoulder. “We know a man when we see one.” And he turned his beer over and poured it on Fallows’s head, while the Saan whooped it up.

Christian gently collected up his drawing pad from the dust so no one could see what he’d been drawing.

Stockton Repays a Debt

When the bell chimed, Stockton went to the door of the suite and opened it a crack. Fallows was in the hall.

“Come in. Be careful, though. It’s dark in here,” Stockton warned him.

“What’s with the lights?” Fallows asked as he slipped into the room. “Are we attending a presentation or a séance?”

The lights were off and the curtains drawn in Mr. Charn’s corner suite on the fourth floor of the Four Seasons, across from the Boston Common. A single lamp shone, on an end table, but the usual lightbulb had been swapped out for one that was tinted red. Stockton had expected the red light. Stockton had seen the Edwin Charn show before.

He opened his mouth to explain—or try to explain, or at least press Fallows to be patient—but Charn spoke first.

“Get used to it, Tip Fallows,” came the reedy voice, wavering with age. “If I offer you a spot on my next huntin’ party, you’ll need to get used to the half-light. What’s to be shot on the other side of the little door will be shot at dusk, or not a-t’all.”

Charn sat in a striped easy chair to the left of the love seat. He wore a sprightly yellow bow tie and suspenders that pulled his pants too high. Stockton thought he dressed like the benevolent host of a television program for small children, one where they practiced naming the colors and counting to five.