Free The Stranger's Woes by Max Frei Page A

piece like ‘A Tête-à-tête with Death’ and I’ll kill you personally. Got that?”
    “All right, all right,” Anday said, his enthusiasm plummeting. Then he brightened up. “But you burn like a comet, Max, you really do! You and me are going to give them all something to write home about!”
    Anday Pu carefully deposited the yawning Armstrong and the dozing Ella onto the floor. The cats turned their unblinking blue gaze on me to make sure I wasn’t going to offend or otherwise harm their new favorite human, then ambled over to their bowls.
    I had to give him a lift. From my modest hovel to the New City, where the editorial office of the Royal Voice was located, was a two-hour walk. I didn’t deny myself the pleasure of driving at maximum speed, so Anday paid me back royally for the trouble he had caused in the first half of the day. The fellow comported himself well. He didn’t squeal but remained immobile and silent in the back seat. What was he doing? Praying? Unlikely—the inhabitants of this city are not in the least devout. Which is understandable, I guess. Why would they need gods when life is so good?
    Finally I managed to part ways with my new friend. He set out to reap his rewards at the editorial offices, and I went to the House by the Bridge. All my roads lead to the House by the Bridge, whichever way they might turn.

     
    “Good day, Max.” Melamori was about to get up from her chair to greet me, but she reconsidered and plunked herself down again. “They say you’re leaving town with the fellows from the Police Department.”
    “They say right,” I said. “Who’s they?”
    “The policemen themselves are all talking about it. Do you really think you’ll find something out there?”
    “I don’t think anything. Thinking isn’t my line of work. You know that,” I said. “We’ll have to wait and see. Why don’t you come with us? It will be a real picnic, I guarantee you. I supposed Juffin will let you go. If you can stand on the trace of the outlaws, you’ll help the boys out, at least, since we’ve agreed to take charge of them.”
    Melamori looked so sad and perplexed that my heart ached for her. Time heals all wounds, of course, but so slowly. Too slowly.
    “Sure, I’ll let her go.” The ubiquitous Sir Juffin suddenly materialized in the Hall of Common Labor. “A bit of practical experience isn’t going to hurt you, my lady. And don’t look at Max like that. He’s offering you a case. Since we agreed to help them, we have to do a proper job of it. Otherwise, the terrible Sir Max and his trusty policemen are going to be playing hide-and-seek in the bushes out there for years before they find those foxcubs.”
    “You don’t have to talk me into it. I’d be delighted.”
    Never in my life did I think a person could speak so sorrowfully with such a happy face. But Lady Melamori pulled it off beautifully.
    “Go get some sleep, Melamori,” I said. “We leave an hour before sunrise. Not the best time to hop out of bed to take a trip, but I didn’t create this World. I can promise to treat all who take part in the expedition to some Elixir of Kaxar.”
    “Mine, naturally,” Juffin put in. “You always leave yours at home out of sheer absentmindedness.”
    “That’s been known to happen.” I tried putting on a guilty expression.
    “Kamshi said you were planning to leave two hours after midnight,” Melamori said.
    “Never mind what Kamshi said. He didn’t take into account that I would be driving the amobiler. That means we’ll get there at least four hours sooner.”
    “Right, and then the amobiler will shatter into smithereens. Poof!” Juffin said. “We’ve been through that once already, after our magnificent race car driver rushed home from Kettari.”
    “Come on, Juffin. I guess I may have been going three hundred an hour, but it was hardly top speed.” I smiled a dreamy smile. “And it was only because I was hurrying to get Shurf back home before he got