We all sat down at the table together, in the warm comfortable kitchen, like a real family does. It was nice, I tell you. It was the most at-home I’d felt in ages.

And the soup was good, too. Potatoes and okra and green beans, some catfish bits floating in there. A real muck of a stew, and spicy to boot. Granddad offered me a second bowl, and I was not too proud to take it. Hunting down your kidnapped daddy is an awful lot of work, it is.

“Now Buddy,” said Granddad, after I’d finished eating and Tally cleared the table. He leaned in close to me, his breath tangy with fish and chili pepper. “Tally tells me you’re looking for your pop, is that right?”

“Yes sir,” I said. “David Josiah Pennington, you ever heard of him?”

Granddad nodded his head. “I do believe I’ve heard the name.”

“Doesn’t surprise me much,” I said. “Seems like everybody around here’s heard of my pop, and only about half of them like him much.”

Granddad peered at me, his eyes wide and silvering under those glasses. “I haven’t heard anything about your father in quite a while, to be honest. But I have some associates in town, some eyes and ears around. I could ask them for you, if you’d like?”

“Oh yes, sir,” I said. “I sure would appreciate it.”

“Gonna have a pip on my pipe first,” he said, “if that’s all right with you.” He reached a long skinny arm up to the top of his bookshelf and pulled down a curved wooden pipe, along with a little leather pouch of tobacco. “Helps with digestion, you understand?”

Frankly, that kind of annoyed me a bit. I wanted to find out about my daddy now, not after the old codger had a smoke. But he was doing me a favor, wasn’t he? It wouldn’t do to complain about a favor. Nope, I’d just have to be patient.

“And that was your daddy’s Parsnit deck my granddaughter was holding?”

“Yes sir,” I said. “That’s how Tally got me up here. She stole it from me.”

I winked at her, but she didn’t smile back.

“That Tally,” he said, laughing. “She’s a pistol, ain’t she? A real spitfire, she is. Don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“She’s pretty talented, that’s for sure,” I said. “Never saw a thief work like she does. No offense.”

Tally just stared back at me all weird and quiet. I wondered what was ailing her.

“None taken,” he said. “It’s hard out there these days, with Boss Authority ruling the swamps, always threatening to move upriver. Hard indeed to make an honest living. Now can I see those cards?”

“Pop’s cards?”

“Yes sir,” he said, puffing his pipe. “It sure would be something special to see old Davey Boy’s famous deck.”

“Well, all right,” I said, looking over at Tally. She was just sitting there frowning at me.

I spread the cards out on the kitchen table as best as I could. I’m normally real particular about showing Pop’s deck around—especially after the old lady on the pier’s warning—but Tally was awful nice and Granddad just fed me the best meal I’d had since I left Pop’s house and well, I was feeling pretty good about things at that moment. I mean, I’d just seen part of a real Parsnit duel, with real expert Parsnit players. I still felt a tingle in my throat from it, a spark in my fingers and toes, like if I touched a doorknob I’d shock myself. I guessed magic left a residue, especially the magic of Parsnit. I could see why folks played the game night and day. I could see why they always wanted a little more. It had grown dark in the room, and Granddad lit a lantern.