"It's just—from what I've been hearing, these people are pretty bloody weird."

"What will you do?"

"Don't know yet. I've been sitting in the car, just down the road, keeping an eye out."

"Oh, Nobbi," she said, "be careful."

"Oh, yeah. I'll be fine. I'll tell you, some bloke went up there with his bird. Classy stuff. He looked like the one. The one Tray went after. Long white hair. But this bird. Christ, you should've seen her. Like a bloody film star. And they had a couple of dogs with 'em. God almighty, big as horses."

"Oh, God, Nobbi."

"She's my daughter."

"Yes."

They stood in silence, he miles off in the telephone box, and she here, in her flat, with the scent of the chicken no one now would eat.

"Nobbi," she said, "I do want to know where you are."

"Okay." He paused. "Between us, all right."

"Yes, Nobbi."

"It's easy enough to find, once you know."

Then he told her.

Star took it in. She felt cold. She was quivering, hairs erect.

"I got to go now, Star. I don't want to miss nothing. Spend the night in the car if I have to. She may come out. My Tray. Then I'm here."

"Nobbi, take care. If you can."

"I will. Don't worry, love."

"I love you," she said.

"You silly cow," he said, "loving an ugly old git like me. I wish I was there."

"I wish so too."

"I'll make it up to you." Then there was the dialing tone. She stood and listened to it for a while, having noth-ing else.

CHAPTER 40

OUT OF MEMORY, THE SOFTNESS CAME, the note of music. Benign and comforting, and proper. What she would have wanted, if she could have had it. And for a moment she was a child, wanting. And then a woman, finding gentle death sleeping beside her. Then she woke.

The cat had died long past. And now she had the sense of seeing double, and wrongly. Her brain struggled with it.

Two demons were on her bed, on her body, light weights balanced on four stems each.

"My God," Rachaela said.

The vocal cat meowed again. He was a young male, all white but for a speckle of black on his right side, and a totally black face. He put out his paw and stroked her cheek. He had black fur testicles, too.

Beside him stood the girl cat. She was almost exactly like him but the other way around. Black with a white face. No speckles, just a white corona here and there at the tips of her fur. She did not speak or touch, but eyed Rachaela demurely. You won't be able to resist me, said her eyes, which were blue. The male's were vivid yellow in the black mask. Come on, they said, here I am. Be quick.

She put out her hands and smoothed them both.