Part 15 (1/2)

I'll bet you do, he thought. He'd also bet it was something her family wouldn't approve of. Why else would she be in disguise? 'So where are you staying?' he asked. 'As I said, I'll walk you home.'

With a short laugh she said, 'I'm not staying anywhere. I just got to Land's End today and almost the first thing I did was meet Benton and agree to run an errand for him.' Her voice was rich with self-contempt.

'Don't be too hard on yourself,' Jimmy advised. 'He's pretty slick. I'm a stranger here myself, so I don't know which inns might be good for you. Do you have any money?'

There was a long pause at that. 'A little,' she admitted cautiously.

Almost none, Jimmy thought. Poor kid Poor kid.

'Well,' he said, rising, 'let's go exploring. Maybe we can find you somewhere really cheap to stay.' He helped her to her feet and led her back to a place where they could climb down.

Jarvis Coe sat in the darkest corner of The c.o.c.kerel and sipped his beer with his cloak wrapped about him. There was a tired-looking roast of pork turning on a spit over the fire; but he'd contented himself with a hunk of dark bread and some cheese and a few good apples, since they were less likely to lay him out with stomach cramps. One advantage of being out of Krondor was that market-food was fresher and less expensive.

He'd paid for the use of the table at the outset of the evening, since he didn't intend to drink much and didn't want any difficulty about it. He was here to eavesdrop. Over the years he'd found that the gossip most useful to a man of his interests tended to be found in the roughest taverns. It was certainly proving true tonight.

The tables along the wall were separated by board part.i.tions that didn't run all the way to the rafters and lathes above. He could follow a very interesting conversation from the next one, given his training and a focused mind. The knotholes and gaps in the boards were helpful as well, giving him an occasional glimpse of the talkers.

'Bring 'em here, take 'em there. I tell ye I don't like this,' a heavy-set man was saying to his companion. 'It's gettin' worse there all the time! I don't want to go there any more, I tell ye!'

'Easy, Rox,' his skinny companion soothed. 'We've never been paid so well.' He hoisted his goblet. 'Drinkin' the best wine, ain't we?'

Which at The c.o.c.kerel, Coe thought, must be a whole two steps above vinegar.

Rox leaned in close to his companion, his glance nervously darting around the room. 'It's not right, what we're doin', not right at all!'

Skinny whooped with laughter. 'Well, of course it's not!' he said.

'That's not what I mean,' Rox snarled.

Skinny looked away impatiently.

Rox gave his shoulder a shove. 'You know what I mean,' he said. 'That place, there's somethin' about it.' Rox rubbed his lower lip with a dirty thumb. 'It's not right.'

Skinny shook his head and then the rest of himself, like a dog flicking off water.

Rox grabbed his arm. 'You know what I mean!'

'What I know is it's the best money I've ever seen,' Skinny said stubbornly. 'And that's all I need to know, or want to know, and if you're smart, you'll be like me.'

Rox subsided for a moment, scowling darkly. 'What's he want with all them kids, then?' he demanded suddenly.

Skinny started to snicker. 'Maybe he, hee-hee, maybe he's running an orphanage!' He smacked his thigh and whooped with laughter. 'Out of the goodness of his heart, like.'

Even Rox grinned for a moment, smiling as he took a sip from his cup. But when he lowered it his frown was back. 'I don't want to go there any more,' he grumbled. 'Why can't he get somebody else to take 'em?'

'I think he's keepin' it secret,' Skinny said. 'We know about it, so,' he shrugged, 'he uses us instead of tellin' someone else. Keeps it more secret, see?'

Rox sat growling quietly for a few moments. 'I want to quit,' he said suddenly.

'We can't quit!' Skinny snapped. 'We need the money, best money we ever got. And beside...' He stopped and rubbed his face with his hands, then looked over his shoulder. He leaned toward Rox and whispered, 'I don't think we can quit.'

'Whaddaya mean?' Rox sat up straight, looking worried.

Skinny leaned closer still. 'He's important.' He looked over his shoulder. 'He can do things to us.'

Rox just stared at him, shaking his head slightly, confused.

'You know what I mean. When people like us annoy people like him we don't stay healthy.'

Rox's eyes widened. 'Ohhh!' he said.

'So just hang on, all right?'

'I suppose so,' Rox conceded. He picked up his mug and drained it, then smacked it down loudly. 'Hey!' he shouted. 'Innkeeper! More!'

'So we'll just deliver the boy to the manse, take our money and go. Easy. Just hold on. Maybe this will be the last time we have to make a trip out into the country.'

The bigger man didn't answer but he made the innkeeper leave the pitcher of wine he brought to refill their goblets and then proceeded to get very drunk.

Coe listened to all of it and decided that he, too, might just make a trip out into the country. It might be very interesting to see this place that 'wasn't right'.

Jimmy led the girl down toward the warehouse district on the wharves. In his experience he'd discovered that one could usually find an abandoned s.p.a.ce or two or more there. Besides, a lot of these places were spa.r.s.ely patrolled; one or two watchmen to a row and those weren't usually the most alert of men. Or the most curious.

He kept them to the shadows, which resulted in a lot of trip-ping on Lorrie's part. At first he'd been sympathetic, then amused, but now she was beginning to curse and he was worried that she'd attract attention. The watchmen probably would not come looking, but if he and Lorrie forced themselves on them they wouldn't turn a blind eye.

'Lorrie,' he whispered, 'we have to be quiet.'

'I can't see where I'm going!' she said between her teeth.

Jimmy stuck his tongue in his cheek and took a long, deep breath. He knew better than to get involved with ordinary citizens, they were nothing but trouble, yet here he was dragging one around by the hand. 'I understand, but could you at least stop swearing? Out loud, I mean.'

'Oh. Sorry.'

They moved on. He was looking for somewhere run-down, preferably abandoned. But all the warehouses they'd pa.s.sed so far seemed tightly locked and well tended. Land's End seemed to be a busy port, for all it was a smaller one than Krondor. This close to Kesh I suppose it would be This close to Kesh I suppose it would be, Jimmy thought. Then he spotted a likely-looking place. He led the girl to a dark recess between two buildings. 'I'm going to scout around,' he said. 'Why don't you take a bit of a rest?'

She didn't say anything for a moment, then, in a highly suspicious voice she asked, 'Why?'