Poor fellow. The grilling never ceased. Poor us. He could not tell us everything we wanted to know.

"What are we going to do about the girl's father?" Elmo asked.

"If there is a letter, we've got to grab it." I replied. "We can't have anybody stirring up more problems. Goblin, you take care of the papa. He's even a little suspicious, see he has a heart attack."

Sourly, Goblin nodded. He asked Shed for the father's whereabouts, departed. And returned within half an hour. "A great tragedy. He didn't have a letter. She was bluffing. But he did know too much that would come out under questioning. This business is beginning to get to me. Hunting Rebels was cleaner. You knew who was who and where you stood."

"I'd better get back up the hill. The Taken might not be understanding about me being down here. Elmo, better keep somebody in Shed's pocket."

"Right. Pawnbroker lives there from now on. That clown takes a crap, he's holding his hand."

Goblin looked remote and thoughtful. "Raven buying a ship. Imagine that. What do you figure he was going to do?"

"I think he wanted to head straight out to sea," I said. "I hear there're islands out there, way out. Maybe another continent. A guy could hide pretty good out there."

I went back up the hill and loafed for two days, except to slip off and get everything I could out of Shed. Not a damned thing happened. Nobody else tried to make a delivery. I guess Shed was the only fool in the body business.

Sometimes I looked at those grim black battlements and wondered. They had taken a crack at Feather. Somebody in there knew the Taken meant trouble. How long before they realized they had been cut off and did something to get the meat supply moving again?

Chapter Thirty-One:
JUNIPER: THE RETURN

Shed was still rattled two days after his capture. Each time he looked across the common room and saw one of those Black Company bastards, he started falling apart again. He was living on borrowed time. He was not sure what use they had for him, but he was sure that when he was used up, they would dump him with the garbage. Some of his babysitters clearly thought him trash. He could not refute their viewpoint in his own mind.

He was behind his counter, washing mugs, when Asa walked through the door. He dropped a mug.

Asa met his eye for only an instant, sidled around the L and headed upstairs. Shed took a deep breath and followed. The man called Pawnbroker was a step behind when he reached the head of the stair, moving as silent as death. He had a knife ready for business.

Shed stepped into what had been Raven's room. Pawnbroker remained outside. "What the hell are you doing here, Asa? The Inquisitors are after you. About that Catacombs business. Bullock himself went south looking for you."