Ghost Hunter

Chapter 14

"WHEN IT COMES TO BARBECUING FISH, THE FIRST RULE IS to make sure the grill is clean and well-oiled." Emmett London made an adjustment to one of the gleaming knobs on the giant outdoor grill. "That's what keeps the filets from sticking, falling apart, and dropping into the fire."

Cooper lounged against the deck railing, drink in hand, and surveyed the massive grill. Flames leaped and smoke roiled out across the deck, mingling with the fog.

"That thing is as big as a car," he said.

"Sure is," Emmett said, looking pleased. "Mercer Wyatt gave it to us for a wedding present. You should see the manual."

"Tricky to operate, huh?"

"It is more than merely tricky," Emmett said. "Grilling is an art, my friend, one that requires innate talent, practice, a passion for perfection, and the ability to work under pressure."

"I can see the problem with the pressure," Cooper said.

He glanced at the three dust bunnies perched on the railing beside him.

The one introduced as Fuzz and his small companion, who went by the name of Ginger, wore little satin ribbons on top of their furry heads. Rose hovered next to them, glittering like a high-class showgirl in the green-stone bracelet she had selected to wear for the evening.

None of the bunnies had seemed surprised to see each other tonight. Cooper got the feeling they had all been previously acquainted. The fluffy beasts supervised the grilling process with close attention.

"In my admittedly limited experience, dust bunnies are big on barbecue," Emmett said. "Probably because they are not what you'd call vegetarians."

"How did you end up with two of the little guys?"

Emmett glanced at the bunnies wearing the bows. "One's a girl, I think. She's Fuzz's friend. He started inviting her to dinner a few weeks ago. Got a bad feeling I'm going to look under the bed one of these days and find a bunch of baby dust bunnies."

"You know, until I arrived here in Cadence yesterday and discovered that Elly was rooming with Rose, I never knew anyone who kept a dust bunny as a pet."

"Until you and Elly showed up with Rose tonight, my wife was the only person I knew who lived with one. Lydia once told me that it was Fuzz who initiated the association. Just appeared on her balcony one evening and made himself at home."

"Elly says that's how it was with Rose. Brings flowers every so often, and in exchange, she likes to wear Elly's bracelets."

"I'm not sure what's going on between Lydia and Fuzz, but I've got a hunch there's some kind of psychic bond."

"The experts say there's no such thing as a true psychic bond between animals and humans," Cooper reminded him.

"Tell that to Fuzz and Lydia."

Cooper smiled. He was enjoying the evening, in spite of the complications of the last twenty-four hours. He hadn't intended to have the blue ghost problem turn into a social visit with an old friend, but that was where the phone call to Mercer Wyatt, the chief of the Cadence Guild, had led.

"If we're dealing with a blue," Wyatt said, "we've got to keep a low profile. Whoever he is, he may be anywhere at or near the top of the organization. I don't think you and I should take the risk of being seen meeting to talk about the problem. This is a secure line, but we both know that there is no such thing as perfect security."

"This is your town," Cooper said. "How do you want to handle the situation?"

"I know you're not officially an enforcer any longer, but it's not like there're a lot of guys with your kind of talent I can call on. You know that as well as I do."

"Had a feeling you were going to say that."

"In addition, you've already got a jump on this thing because you were first on the scene last night," Wyatt added. "Will you do me a favor here and take care of the business?"

It never hurt to have the chief of one of the other Guilds in the position of owing you a favor, Cooper thought, but he wasn't in town to make nice with his opposite number in the Cadence City Guild. He'd had other plans.

Nevertheless, the freak had to be uncovered and dealt with as quickly as possible. Bad press of the kind that a criminally minded blue was capable of generating would be devastating for all of the Guilds, not just the Cadence organization.

"I'll look into it," Cooper said, reluctant but resigned.

"Emmett will be your contact. Now that he's no longer officially associated with the Guild, no one in the organization is paying any attention to him. With luck, that includes our blue freak. You two should be able to communicate without arousing any suspicions."

Emmett London was the former head of the Resonance City Guild. He had held the position for several years, during which he had made great strides toward transforming it into a legitimate, respected, damn near mainstream institution. Satisfied with what he had accomplished, he had stepped down from the position to pursue a career as a business consultant.

A few months back he had moved to Cadence, met and married Lydia Smith, and settled enthusiastically into domestic life.

Cooper envied him. Sure, there had been a few problems for Emmett along the way, small details like a couple of dead bodies and a murderous madman who had tried to become a dictator. But those distractions aside, Emmett's life looked very good.

The Londons' town house was in one of the newly renovated, upscale neighborhoods of the Old Quarter. From where he stood on the deck Cooper could see the dark expanse of a park and the fog-reflected green glow of the Dead City Wall.

After bringing drinks out to the men a short time earlier and declaring barbecuing to be men's work, Elly and Lydia had disappeared back into the warmly lit town house.

"Another thing to keep in mind with fish," Emmett said, making more adjustments to the grill's controls, "is that you don't want to go poking and prodding the filets with a spatula after you've got them on the fire. That way lies disaster."

"I'll try to remember that," Cooper said. "You know, I'm impressed. Never realized you knew how to barbecue."

"It's a skill you don't pick up until after you get married, settle down, and stop eating out in restaurants."

"Guess that explains it. I'm still eating in restaurants a lot."

"Meant to talk to you about that." Emmett moved upwind of the smoke. "You were supposed to be married by now. Had my tux all pressed and ready to wear to the wedding. What the hell happened?"

"Things got complicated."

"Women do tend to have that impact on a man's life," Emmett said, looking knowledgeable.

"I heard that," Lydia said loudly from the doorway.

She walked out onto the deck carrying a flat, rectangular glass dish that contained the fish. When she passed beneath the lamp, the light gleamed on her red hair.

Elly trailed a couple of steps behind her, a glass of wine in each hand.

Emmett smiled winningly at his wife. "But life would sure be boring without a few complications of the female sort," he said. "Isn't that right, Cooper?"

Cooper caught Elly's eye. She turned away very quickly and got very busy setting one of the wineglasses on the table.

"Right," he said.

Lydia smiled approvingly. "Just so you know."

Emmett gave her a quick, possessive kiss and took the dish from her. Lydia picked up the wineglass that Elly had placed on the table and took a sip.

"Pay attention, here," Emmett said to Cooper. "In spite of your recent little setback, you may have need of this information someday. I don't give out my grilling secrets to just any visiting hunter who drops in for a free meal."

"I'm watching every move you make, London," Cooper said.

Elly looked thoughtful. "You two have known each other a long time, I gather?"

"Met a few years back when I was running the Resonance City Guild." Emmett examined the marinated fish with the air of a brain surgeon preparing to operate.

"Brought him in to handle a little problem we had at the time."

"Really?" Elly smiled benignly. "Would that have been a problem in your Archives Department, by any chance?"

"How did you guess?" Emmett said smoothly. "Never knew anyone who could whip an Archives Department into shape faster and with less bad press than Cooper, here." He looked at Cooper, spatula at the ready. "You ready to watch the master at work?"

"Not sure I'm up to this," Cooper said. "I tend to faint at the sight of blood."

"You know the old saying, the ghost that doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Emmett used the spatula to convey the fish onto the grill. "So, you got a plan to track down our blue freak?"

"Not sure you could call it a plan," Cooper said. "More like an extremely thin lead." He reached into the pocket of his shirt and removed the object he had retrieved from the floor near the scene of the blue vortex. He held it up so that they could all see it.

"Looks like a fancy swizzle stick," Lydia said, taking a closer look at the little plastic sword.

"It is," Cooper said. "Ever heard of a club called The Road to the Ruins?"

Lydia looked interested. "That's your lead?"

Cooper looked at her. "It's all I've got at the moment. What do you know about it?"

"Well, for starters, The Road is the most exclusive nightclub and casino in town. It's located in the Old Quarter, right up against the wall. It's a private club with a special VIP entrance. If you don't have a pass, you have to stand in a long line with all the lesser beings and hope that the bouncers will eventually let you in. I admit that I can't give you any firsthand observations of the place, because Emmett tends to be extremely straitlaced about some things."

"I'm a married man," Emmett declared piously. "Married men don't join clubs like The Road to the Ruins unless they're doing deals with underworld figures or having torrid affairs with their best friends' wives."

"Excuses, excuses." Lydia exchanged a meaningful glance with Elly. "Beware. This is what happens after you get married. All of a sudden they want to stay home every night and grill fish instead of taking you out for a good time."

"I'll remember that," Elly said politely.

She sat down on a deck chair and crossed her legs. Cooper was suddenly keenly aware that the little violet-colored dress she was wearing was even shorter than the skirt she'd had on last night.

"They say the food is great," Lydia continued. "And I've heard the entertainment is first-rate, if a little on the raunchy side."

Cooper looked at Emmett and shook his head in a mockingly sorrowful manner. "And to think you never take your wife there."

"Call me boring." Emmett used the spatula to transfer the filets to the grill. "But I guarantee you, it isn't the kind of place you'd take the respectable daughter of a high-ranking member of the Aurora Springs Guild, either."

"I think he's talking about me," Elly said to Lydia.

Lydia nodded. "Yes, I did get that impression."

Emmett ignored both of them. "The owner is a guy named Ormond Ripley. Said to have discreet ties throughout the underworld and also in the political sphere. He's been smart enough and sufficiently well-connected to stay out of trouble with the law, which is saying something, given that he's operating a casino. Used to be a Guild man."

"I get the picture." Absently, Cooper swirled what was left of his drink. "Now, all I have to do is find a way to get inside the club." He raised one brow at Emmett. "Got any suggestions?"

"Wyatt can pull some strings and get you in," Emmett said. "I'll give him a call in the morning."

Elly rezzed up a suspiciously bright smile. Cooper got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"No need to call the local Guild boss," she said airily. "I go to The Road a lot. I know some people. I can get Cooper inside. We can go tonight, if you like."