"Strike team standing by," Murphy said, "waiting for my word."
I grunted. "Thomas?"
"Lara's team is ready, too," he said.
"Butters, what do we have from the Paranet?"
"Dammit, Dresden, I'm a medical examiner, not an intelligence analyst." He gave the little wound a prod with something and a white-hot needle went up my leg to the hip.
"Nngh," I said. "Nothing?"
He took a wipe to the wound, and that didn't feel very good either. "About half a dozen sightings of the Little Folk all over."
"Aren't those yours?" Murphy asked.
"Some, probably," I said. "But I think they're the rest of Ace's crew."
Murphy grunted. "I thought the prisoner wouldn't tell you anything about him."
I shrugged. "I figure it was Ace who threw the explosives at the Munstermobile last night, when the Little Folk jumped me afterward. He showed up right when Lacuna ambushed me at the Botanic Gardens. Then when I go to get my friends back from his dad, something else blows up."
"He's learned to play with explosives," Karrin said.
"Yeah, but you've barely seen this guy," Thomas said.
"It makes sense," I said. "Especially if he's playing smart-which he is, just by rounding up a group of the Little Folk as allies. He knows he couldn't handle a straight fight-so he's kept his distance. We've barely seen him, and he's nearly killed me three times in the past sixteen hours."
"Hngh," Thomas said.
"What's he got against you?" Molly asked.
"He was part of Lily and Fix's crew, back when they were all just folks," I said. "They were friends with Aurora and the last Summer Knight. When Mab hired me to find Ronald Reuel's killer, Ace pitched in with this ghoul hitter and the Winter Knight to stop me. Betrayed his friends. Billy and his crew almost killed him, but I let him skate."
"And he hates you for it?" Molly asked.
"I killed Aurora," I said. "His friend Meryl died in that same fight. And you can be damned sure that Lily and Fix haven't wanted anything to do with him since. So from where he's standing, I killed one of his friends, got another one killed in battle, and took the ones who were left alive away from him. Then I beat him up in front of his dad. Guy's got a forest of bones to pick with me."
"Cheery image," Thomas said.
I grunted. "What about your nutjob, Butters. What's his name?"
"Gary."
"Gary turn up anything else?"
"About twenty updates in all capital letters about boats, boats, boats."
I thought about that one for a moment.
Then I said,"Hah."
"We have to move, Harry," Karrin said.
I grunted. "Gard still have her chopper?"
"Yes."
"Right," I said. I thumped my finger on the site on the far side of Lake Michigan. "Lacuna, what's the word on this one?"
The little faerie was still flitting about in the air around the table, fairly bursting with impatience. "It's behind big stone walls on a human's private land, right where I marked it!"
I nodded. "Vikings get that site then. Get them moving."
"Right," Murphy said, and headed for the door, reaching for her phone on the way.
Thomas frowned. "We're going to depend on Lara's people to back us up?"
"Hell, no," I said. "No offense, but I don't trust your sister. Send her crew to the second site."
"This is damned odd," Butters muttered.
I looked down at him. "What?"
"The bleeding won't stop," he said. "It's not really all that dangerous in a wound this small, but it isn't clotting up. It's like some kind of anticoagulant was introduced. Do you still have the dart?"
"Dart," I said. I patted my pockets. "I guess not. It was in my hand when the warehouse dropped into the water."
"Bah," Butters said. "Inflammation in the skin around it. This hurt?"
He poked me. It did. I told him so.
"Huh," he said. "I can't be sure without tests but . . . I think this might be some kind of allergic reaction."
"How?" I asked. "I'm not allergic to anything."
"I'm just saying what it looks like on your skin," Butters said. "The trickle factor seems to imply some kind of toxin, though. You need a hospital, tests."
"Later," I said. "Just get it wrapped up and keep it from running down my leg."
Butters nodded.
"So," Thomas asked, "if Lara's crew has one site and Marcone's the other, which one are we going to?"
"Neither."
"What?"
"We're not going to either one."
"Why not?"
"Because all day long," I said, "I've been moving in straight lines and it's gotten me nothing but grief." I pointed at the locations marked on the map. "See those? Those are the perfectly rational places for our bad guy to make something happen."
Thomas rubbed at his chin and narrowed his eyes. "They're a distraction?"
"It's how the Sidhe think. How they move. How they are. They put pressure on you, get you to look over there, and then kapow. Sucker punch."
I grunted. "Thomas?"
"Lara's team is ready, too," he said.
"Butters, what do we have from the Paranet?"
"Dammit, Dresden, I'm a medical examiner, not an intelligence analyst." He gave the little wound a prod with something and a white-hot needle went up my leg to the hip.
"Nngh," I said. "Nothing?"
He took a wipe to the wound, and that didn't feel very good either. "About half a dozen sightings of the Little Folk all over."
"Aren't those yours?" Murphy asked.
"Some, probably," I said. "But I think they're the rest of Ace's crew."
Murphy grunted. "I thought the prisoner wouldn't tell you anything about him."
I shrugged. "I figure it was Ace who threw the explosives at the Munstermobile last night, when the Little Folk jumped me afterward. He showed up right when Lacuna ambushed me at the Botanic Gardens. Then when I go to get my friends back from his dad, something else blows up."
"He's learned to play with explosives," Karrin said.
"Yeah, but you've barely seen this guy," Thomas said.
"It makes sense," I said. "Especially if he's playing smart-which he is, just by rounding up a group of the Little Folk as allies. He knows he couldn't handle a straight fight-so he's kept his distance. We've barely seen him, and he's nearly killed me three times in the past sixteen hours."
"Hngh," Thomas said.
"What's he got against you?" Molly asked.
"He was part of Lily and Fix's crew, back when they were all just folks," I said. "They were friends with Aurora and the last Summer Knight. When Mab hired me to find Ronald Reuel's killer, Ace pitched in with this ghoul hitter and the Winter Knight to stop me. Betrayed his friends. Billy and his crew almost killed him, but I let him skate."
"And he hates you for it?" Molly asked.
"I killed Aurora," I said. "His friend Meryl died in that same fight. And you can be damned sure that Lily and Fix haven't wanted anything to do with him since. So from where he's standing, I killed one of his friends, got another one killed in battle, and took the ones who were left alive away from him. Then I beat him up in front of his dad. Guy's got a forest of bones to pick with me."
"Cheery image," Thomas said.
I grunted. "What about your nutjob, Butters. What's his name?"
"Gary."
"Gary turn up anything else?"
"About twenty updates in all capital letters about boats, boats, boats."
I thought about that one for a moment.
Then I said,"Hah."
"We have to move, Harry," Karrin said.
I grunted. "Gard still have her chopper?"
"Yes."
"Right," I said. I thumped my finger on the site on the far side of Lake Michigan. "Lacuna, what's the word on this one?"
The little faerie was still flitting about in the air around the table, fairly bursting with impatience. "It's behind big stone walls on a human's private land, right where I marked it!"
I nodded. "Vikings get that site then. Get them moving."
"Right," Murphy said, and headed for the door, reaching for her phone on the way.
Thomas frowned. "We're going to depend on Lara's people to back us up?"
"Hell, no," I said. "No offense, but I don't trust your sister. Send her crew to the second site."
"This is damned odd," Butters muttered.
I looked down at him. "What?"
"The bleeding won't stop," he said. "It's not really all that dangerous in a wound this small, but it isn't clotting up. It's like some kind of anticoagulant was introduced. Do you still have the dart?"
"Dart," I said. I patted my pockets. "I guess not. It was in my hand when the warehouse dropped into the water."
"Bah," Butters said. "Inflammation in the skin around it. This hurt?"
He poked me. It did. I told him so.
"Huh," he said. "I can't be sure without tests but . . . I think this might be some kind of allergic reaction."
"How?" I asked. "I'm not allergic to anything."
"I'm just saying what it looks like on your skin," Butters said. "The trickle factor seems to imply some kind of toxin, though. You need a hospital, tests."
"Later," I said. "Just get it wrapped up and keep it from running down my leg."
Butters nodded.
"So," Thomas asked, "if Lara's crew has one site and Marcone's the other, which one are we going to?"
"Neither."
"What?"
"We're not going to either one."
"Why not?"
"Because all day long," I said, "I've been moving in straight lines and it's gotten me nothing but grief." I pointed at the locations marked on the map. "See those? Those are the perfectly rational places for our bad guy to make something happen."
Thomas rubbed at his chin and narrowed his eyes. "They're a distraction?"
"It's how the Sidhe think. How they move. How they are. They put pressure on you, get you to look over there, and then kapow. Sucker punch."
