Free Hallow Point by Ari Marmell Page A

thank you. I don’t understand you, entirely, and I know I got a bit silly about your fee, but… thank you. I feel better already.”
    Gave me a kinda glow-feeling, hearing that from her, but it
did
remind me of something.
    “Why
were
you so set on me personally, anyway? Who recommended me?”
    “Someone I trust.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “Someone who asked me not to involve him, Mick. Please. I’ll tell you afterwards, all right? Not now.”
    I coulda
made
her tell me. She already wanted me on her side, was still juggling worry and relief. Woulda taken almost no emotional nudge at all, a quick dip behind her eyes for a few seconds. Wouldn’t need the L&G, and she probably wouldn’t even recollect that it hadn’t been her notion to sing in the first place.
    It wasn’t just nosiness tempting me, either. Mystery man sends her my way but don’t want me knowing his name? Yeah, that’s raising some suspicions no matter how dizzy anyone’s got me.
    On the other hand, I do know a
lot
of folks on both sides of the law, and both sides of “natural,” who have good reason not to want anyone tumbling to their connection with me. Not everyone’s as open and good-natured about it as Pete. So this
could
be entirely square.
    Nuts to it. Wasn’t gonna start this relationship off—Case! Wasn’t gonna start this
case
off by mucking around with the client’s free will. If it turned out important, I’d look into it later.
    I know, I’m usually more curious’n that. Whaddaya want from me? Didn’t have enough room left in my noggin for curiosity at that moment.
    “Okay,” I said, a million years later. “Tell me after.”
    Grip tightened, smile widened, and I really thought she was gonna plant one on me. Just a peck to the cheek, not full on, but still…
    Seems she was just as thrown, since she jerked herself up straight just after startin’ to lean in. Her gaze dropped, locked hard on the rug, but her cheeks had gone red as her hair.
    I’m a creature outta myth and faery tale. I’m sorta obligated to buy into love at first sight and all that bunk.
    This wasn’t that, not exactly. This wasn’t anything I recognized.
    Was I
smitten
with the dame? Was that even possible for me? I’d been in love, been in lust, been purely possessive, but never any of this stammering schoolboy crap.
    Schoolboy? For the luvva Shakespeare, I’m older’n most school
subjects
!
    Time to behave like it.
    I snaked a hand back, yanked my coat off the rack, and pasted an idiot grin across my puss.
    “I’ll walk you out,” I said.
    Maybe
tomorrow
it’d be time to behave like it.
    * * *
    When we stepped out into the hustle and bustle of the day—a sidewalk stream of brims dipping, coats and skirts dusting the grime off people’s heels, perfumed up the keister by coughing flivvers—we were linked. No, I mean literally. Her right elbow hooked in my left, my other hand on her wrist. All nice and chivalrous and not at all way too personal. Also, I’m really a goblin, and I got an ocean-front property on a bridge to sell you. In Elphame.
    You know, I don’t even remember taking her arm? I just discovered it, like it was part of the weather waiting for us out there. Cool’n breezy, no rain at the moment, but with sporadic downpours of hand-holding.
    She said something by way of goodbye, something I didn’t catch. I wasn’t much paying attention to the words, more interested in her voice, the look in her—
    Oh, goddamn it, Mick!
    I
wasn’t
paying attention. It took me until she was on her way, that deep verdant dress waving its own real nice farewell, to realize that my distraction came from more’n her feminine wiles, no matter how… uh, wily.
    My buddy the shadow was back, and tryin’ to play with my grey matter again.
    Coulda been anyone in the crowd, wandering by, loitering around, maybe a passenger in one of the passing tin cans. But I felt it, now, and the minute I did, it got worse. Way worse.
    Eyes on me, watching, studying.