She looked her disbelief but brought him his beer, and a moment later he was attacking his dinner, oblivious to the rest of the universe.

“It’s good to see you again, Sebastian,” said the Swagman, lowering his voice just enough so that it wouldn’t carry across the room.

“I wish I could say the same,” responded Cain. “What are you doing here?”

“Simple. You followed a smuggling trail and the Angel followed a paper trail.” He grinned. “I decided to follow the easiest trail of all—bounty hunters.”

“There are a lot of worlds with more bounty hunters than this one.”

“True,” admitted the Swagman. “But they don’t have you and Father William on them. You killed a man yesterday, but you didn’t leave—and Father William has been here for more than a month.”

“Santiago’s not here.” said Cain.

“Allow me the courtesy of asking if he is, before you start lying to me,” said the Swagman. He paused. “If he isn’t on Safe Harbor, Orpheus must be having a reunion of all the killers he’s ever written up. You know that the Angel’s on his way here, don’t you?”

“How close is he?” asked Cain.

“Two or three days away,” replied the Swagman. “And he’s got another of your partners with him.”

“Virtue or Terwilliger?” asked Cain.

“Hadn’t you heard? Terwilliger, alas, has gone to that great gambling parlor in the sky.”

“Who killed him—the Angel?”

The Swagman shook his head. “ManMountain Bates finally caught up with him.”

Cain shrugged. “He shouldn’t have cheated him.”

“I knew you’d be heartbroken,” said the Swagman with a chuckle. “If it’ll make you feel any better, the Angel avenged his death.”

Cain frowned. “There wasn’t any paper on Bates.”

“I guess the Angel must be one of nature’s noblemen,” commented the Swagman. “He gives work to incompetent journalists and he avenges crooked gamblers.” He scrutinized Cain from beneath half-lowered lids. “Have you met any similarly public-minded citizens lately?”

“Who did you have in mind?” asked Cain expressionlessly.

“You know who,” said the Swagman. “Has he enlisted you in the Great Crusade yet?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you play the fool, Sebastian, we’re never going to get anywhere. I know he’s here, and I can’t believe that you’ve been on this world for two days without finding him.”

Cain stared at the Swagman for a long moment.

“I found him,” he said at last.

“And of course you didn’t kill him.”

“No, I didn’t.”

The Swagman smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t. So did Yorick.” He shook his head. “I would have thought you’d have gotten all that idealism out of your system after getting the hell pounded out of you in your impetuous youth.”

“I thought so, too,” admitted Cain.