So close to the 50K point. Close enough I was half tempted to burn my way through, but I decided to keep to the pace. Besides, TINSEL RAIN is still not quite a book at this point. I’m gonna need every word of that 60K. 80K, really.
“This guy got a name?”
Rich Pete looked mulish as he looked at both me and Teresa. “Yeah. Who wants to know it?”
I spoke before Teresa could. “I do.” And then I interrupted her again. “You got a second, Teresa?”
She looked at me. “Yeah. Don’t go anywhere, Rich Pete.” We moved away, and she glared at me. “Since when do you stick your nose into Guild business, Shamus?”
“When I start bleeding all over it. Quick question for you: how many little ‘episodes’ like this happened already?”
Teresa frowned. “What? This is the first one. We just heard there was a new source for magical artifacts, that’s all. I was here to get a lead on who.”
“So, no explosions, rampaging spirits rushing through the streets, mass hysteria?”
“I said no… wait. This isn’t the first time?”
“Ha! This ain’t even the first time it’s happened to me. Junk spirits for breakfast, zombies for lunch; I can’t wait to see what the dinner show’s gonna be. The cops already know, too: the zombies tried to eat their coroner. You really want the Guild sucked into this? Like, right now, with the new ambassador showing up and everything?”
“Well, when you put it that way…”