“I didn’t see the point in making her day worse. My point is, this Mason character is the lead we have now. I’ll make a run at him if I have no other choice. If nothing comes out of it then we’re basically left holding our collective dicks and hoping Jimmy shows up. But if you think you could get something more out of him than I could, then I’m asking you to help me out. And maybe keep Katie Albert from making you a hood ornament.”

I thought about it a minute and then pulled out my phone. “It would be better if you weren’t here for this call.”

“I’ll go pee,” Langdon said, and then nodded toward the restaurant owner. “And then we better leave anyway. Badge or no badge, I think this guy is about to call the cops on us.”

Chapter Four

“Look at these assholes,” Mason Schilling said, pointing out into the field, sunken into the wide boulevard. In the dawn fog, two young men stood at a distance from each other, whipping swords around. Two other men, presumably their seconds, stood next to their friends, occasionally ducking out of the way of the swinging weapons. A fifth man, who I assumed was the referee or judge, kept his distance from all the other parties.

“What are those?” I asked, and peered into the fog. “Are those broadswords?”

“Technically they’re bastard swords,” Mason said.

“What’s the difference?”

“Fuck if I know, man. I’m just telling you what they told me when I called them broadswords. They were snotty about it, too. Nearly shot them then, just to teach them a lesson.”

I peered again. “So this is a duel. An actual duel.”

“You got it. It’s become a thing with college dudes. Someone’s honor is offended, someone demands satisfaction, and they show up at dawn to hack at each other with swords until someone is fatally wounded or the cops show up.”

“Do the cops show up often?”

“They won’t here. This is the University of Chicago. They have their own police force. I have an understanding with the woman who sends out the cars.”

“How much does ‘understanding’ go for these days?”

“About a hundred bucks for five calls coming in. She sends someone after that. I mean, that’s fair. And I don’t want her to get fired. This dueling thing is becoming a profitable sideline. I’ve got another one at Northwestern tomorrow.”

There was a small yelp down the field. We both looked over to see one of the seconds clutching his arm and hopping away. His duelist was loudly apologizing.

“They don’t seem very good at this,” I said.