“It all checks, lieutenant,” one of the other cops said, radio to his ear. “His wife’s got a protective order on him and she’s turning in evidence on him in the bomb case out here.” The lieutenant gave David a sharp look; he returned one as bland and innocent as a baby calf.

“Honest to god, I don’t know what the hell happened after he went after me,” David said, still wide-eyed. “I got out after he stabbed me and he locked the door; I figured he might be going after a gun or something, so I picked up Jennie off the steps, slung her over my shoulder, and got the hell out. I got just past that pile of sandbags, when the whole place went up.”

Not too bad a story for one built as hastily as this one; it accounted for his stab wound and Jennie’s goose egg.

Right now all he wanted was for the cops to let them loose. He had the feeling that by the time Toni Calligan finished making her statements and the cops finished searching Calligan’s home office, they’d find more than enough to make them overlook a few minor discrepancies in his story.

He wanted to get to a hospital and get a pain-scrip for this shoulder. Then he wanted to go home.

He didn’t want to think about what he’d seen, in the moment before the office went up like a demo from Industrial Light and Magic. …

A whole swarm of the Little People, grinning like fiends, dragging Calligan, kicking and screaming, behind them.

Jennie listened to David’s improvised story with a feeling of awe. Damn! If he can make up things like that out of nowhere, he’s going to be a hell of a partner! I never could do convincing fibs!

The police lieutenant gave them another one of those looks, after spending a good ten minutes trying to shake their story, but finally sighed. “All right,” he said. “You and Ms. Talldeer can go. Just don’t leave town.”

David visibly summoned the rags of his dignity. “Officer,” he said, earnestly, “Ms. Talldeer is making me her partner. The last thing I want to do is leave town!”

He dragged himself to his feet with the sympathetic help of the paramedic. Jennie stood up with care for her aching head, and they both headed for the car where Mooncrow waited for them. Thank god he’s all right.

Apparently the fire hadn’t actually been visible from outside; Mooncrow told David and the police that he hadn’t known there was anything wrong until the explosion itself. David evidently believed him.

Good thing, too. He wasn’t anywhere near ready to hear what had really happened.

“I don’t suppose you saved the artifacts, did you?” Jennie asked, sotto voce, as they neared the car. She was wistful, but not at all hopeful.