Free Castle Murders by John Dechancie Page B

whale pee in the ocean?"
    Carney waved to the piano player, then pointed at Goldfarb. The piano player nodded and stopped, got up. Goldfarb dashed to the baby grand, sat down, and launched into a medley from his new show, jazzing it up with brilliant improvisation. He sounded as if he had four hands.  
    "You've got Goldfarb music for the rest of the evening," Izzy said. "Free of charge. Enjoy."
    "I like a Goldfarb tune," Rupert Bartleby said. "How about you?"
    "I pay the Composers' Guild a bundle every year," Carney said. "Jerry'll get his nickel."
    "But you're not getting the best part," Izzy said with a grin. "The words."
    "Izzy, get up there and belt them out. They're your words."
    "Me? I should have a bucket to carry Jerry's tunes."
    "I'm going to write a show," Oliver Lebanon said, "and it will be vastly better than anything you two could scribble."
    "Ollie, you've a wicked tongue," Izzy said.
    "Well, I've tried to lead a wicked life to match."
    Skye Fitzhugh got up and spoke into Carney's ear. "There's one of Tweel's dengs at the bar. With a woman."
    "Yeah, I know. Going over there in just a bit."
    "Your boys were afraid to tangle with it."
    "No, they're under orders to take it easy, for now."
    "Right. What kind of woman would take up with an incubus?"
    Overhearing, Selma said, "Didn't you know that dengs are supposed to be extraordinarily well-equipped?"
    "That's an old wives' tale," Fitzhugh retorted.
    "I'm an old wife."
    "You're a kid. You're not thinking of leaving me for a deng, are you?"
    "I might, you never know. A woman likes to raise a little hell, too, now and then."
    "Have another drink, Selma."
    "I will."
    Carney said, "Dengs tend to use up women fast. An affair with one is life-shortening."
    "Short," Selma said, "but sweet. Unlike the present one, which is just nasty and brutish."
    Fitzhugh said, "Selma's not as unhappy as she sounds."
    "Speak for yourself."
    Skye Fitzhugh shrugged helplessly, sat back down, and tossed off his drink.
    "See you people later," Carney said. "Have some business."
    "Don't sign anything in blood," Monk Calahan warned.
    "At least not without your agent," Geof Katzman said.
    Carney waved casually and left, threading his way across the floor. He saw Tony Montanaro coming toward him.
    "Boss! Hey, you finally showed up. We got trouble."
    "How's my nightclub doing, Manager?"
    "'S okay. Tweel can't move in on us here, though I bet he's gonna try."
    Tony wore a white dinner jacket and a red bow tie. He had longish graying hair combed back with a part down the middle. For all the silver in his hair, he still looked young. His eyes were dark and his eyebrows almost met over his nose — but there was something delicate about his face, almost babylike.  
    "Howie told me about Tully and Curt."
    "Yeah, that was nasty. But they shoulda known. When you mix it with dengs without magic backup, you might as well have your candelòtto in your hand." Tony made a motion. "You know what I'm sayin'?"  
    "I know whereof you speak. What else has been happening?"
    "Things are happening all over town. Duke Holland got zotzed."
    "Tweel?"
    "Word's out on the street that that's who it was. He's movin' in on everybody, not just us. All over town, everybody's got trouble from Tweel."  
    "He's got the muscle. He feels he has to use it."
    "He's got the dengs. Not too many bosses have a line to the real power."
    "Duke Holland had some pretty good voodoo going for him," Carney said. "His protection spells were first-rate. Tweel must have moved up a notch on the infernal scale. Down, I should say."  
    "Tweel's dengs zotzed Holland's zombies. Holland wasn't exactly a great human being, but I feel sorry for the guy. He sells his soul, then he finds out too late he got rooked. Imagine setting up a protection circle, and then, there you are, looking like a big chichrool ."  
    "Embarrassing. Well, I guess we have to deal with our visitor."
    "Yeah, he's emptied out the bar, and he's running up a hell