Clockwork Blue (70 page)

"
I
'
ll just ride in my self-designed aero-chariot.
"

The thing hovered just above
Nicola
'
s head, whirring softly.
"
What is that?
"

Allegro buzzed toward
Glissando
and his contraption, waving his arms.
"
You just violated Article 5 of the Law of Futuristic.
"

Glissando
shook his head.
"
Allegro, me boy, I had high hopes for
you
, but
you
'
re
simply
too rigid.
"

"
I
'
m coming with you and will do what I can to alleviate the damage, because I know this little adventure will end in grief. But why the devil do you have to use that contraption?
"

"
It
'
s my own design. It
'
s not a helicopter, so don
'
t worry about it.
"

Nicola
'
s impatience overcame her curiosity.
"
Can we proceed? Remember the cutthroats and criminals?
"

"
A
ye
, quit stalling, lass. We
'
ve got important things to do,
"
Glissando
said,
his
chest puffed out.

Allegro fluttered near her nose.
"
Are you sure about this,
Nicola
?
"

"
Yes
,
"
she said. A shiver of dread snaked down her spine. The shadows were long. The wind whipped up, causing the sign over the door to creak on its hinges. From a distant street came a scream suddenly cut off, followed by bawdy laughter.

"
We
'
ll be sorry,
"
Allegro said.

Nicola
stiffened her spine.
"
I
'
m tired of your predictions of gloom and doom. Begone,
"
she said with a flick of her wrist. Dismay flashed over Allegro
'
s features, followed by the dimming of his
yellow
light.

Glissando
'
s bright green aura bobbed in his miniature invention, which lurched and dipped down the street.
"
This way, lass,
"
he called.

Allegro, fluttering along behind,
and
kept
muttering predictions of disaster
.
Nicola
reminded him,
"
If you don
'
t like what we
'
re doing, then leave.
"

"
As I said before, I
'
m in charge of cleanup. Someone has to be.
"
Allegro darted forward to peer around comers, obviously looking for potential danger.

"
This way,
"
Glissando
called again, flying his machine into a dark alley.

In the watery light of the moon,
Nicola
saw the warehouse. The structure leaned at a dangerous angle and paint peeled from its rotting sides. Smells of
decayed
fish and rotten boards assaulted her.
Glissando
flew through a crack, the darkness inside so heavy it swallowed him up, and the green speck of his light lent a sinister atmosphere.

"
I don
'
t like this,
"
Allegro muttered.

Glissando
suddenly reappeared. His aero-chariot had disappeared.
"
You probably want to get help, right
Allegro?
'

Allegro gave a relieved smile, and for once the pixies seemed to be communicating on the same level.
"
Yes
.
"

"
What help?
"
Nicola
asked.

As quickly as blowing out a candle, Allegro vanished. The suddenness of his disappearance rattled her, along with the fact that a strange fog came rolling in almost out of nowhere.

"
Come on,
"
Glissando
said.

Nicola
ventured closer to the old wood door of the warehouse, listening for scuffling shoes or other noises. Nothing sounded but the creak of moorings and the occasional seagull.

She opened the door with a creak.
Glissando
had flown to the end of a large area filled with crates. As she approached,
Nicola
realized his green glow filled the room, making it easier for her to see.

The warehouse was full of crates.
Glissando
said,
"
Ah, the finest silk I have ever encountered.
"

She saw him slip through a slat and wallow in folds of the soft fabric.
"
I
'
ve got to get this open so I can take a swath to young Mr. Busby.
"

Casting around for something to pry the crate open,
Nicola
found an iron bar. Fitting the end between two slats, she bore down on the tool. The nails squealed in protest,
and then
the lid popped off.
Glissando
had disappeared. Keeping a tight grasp on the iron so she could retrieve more samples if need be, she grabbed up a swath of exotic cloth and looked for the pixie
'
s green light. She saw it on the far side of the warehouse.

"
Over here, lass,
you
'
ll find a scent made in heaven.
"
Weaving her way toward his pulsating brightness, she called,
"
You discovered the musk?
"

"
Two hundred boxes,
"
Glissando
sang out. Glancing off to the side, he stiffened.
"
Run, lass!
"

Before she could obey, three shadows materialized from behind the crates. One gripped a long, wicked knife at his side, sending her heart into her throat.

"
What have we here?
"
the man in the middle asked. Thomas Hill. Oh, dear heavens, she had come to catch a thief and the thief had caug
ht her. Her epitaph would read: SHE WAS TOO HEADSTRONG AND THE TENDENCY CAUSED HER TO SACRIFICE HER LIFE
.

Perhaps they wouldn
'
t kill her, she thought as her heart pounded in her chest. After all, they were thieves, not murderers. Then her gaze focused on Hill. He was a thief with a tremendous amount to lose—his sterling reputation, his position as head of the Textile Guild, his fortune, his family, his freedom. A man with that much at stake might well find murder an easy remedy.

Drawing a deep breath, she opted for bluster.
"
Mr. Hill, I have caught you at the scene of your crime.
"

He stepped into the light of the moon shining from a dusty window above.
"
Ah, Lady
Nicola
. So nice of you to visit, if rather dangerous.
"
Hill
'
s thugs surrounded her.
"
To whom were you speaking?
"

She considered telling him of the pixies but decided it wouldn
'
t do her any good.
"
No one. I like to talk to myself.
"

He motioned to the crate where
Glissando
had been sitting.
"
Look anyway,
"
he told his tall, gaunt-looking cronies.

Glissando
was gone. She was on her own.
"
Mr. Hill, your days are numbered. I do believe that stealing is a crime subject to deportation.
"

Hill
'
s lips curled in a cruel smile.
"
Ah, too bad you will not be around to tell your tale.
"

He closed in on her, and she gripped the iron crowbar in her hand and wondered what
Malcolm
would say when he discovered her new hobby was brawling. She only hoped she live
d
to find out.

Suddenly, impossibly,
Malcolm
materialized from the shadowed comer of the warehouse. His attention centered on their enemies.
"
Stay where you are,
"
he growled in deadly warning.

Hill froze. Slowly, he turned and saw the gleam of a pistol that
Malcolm
held pointed at him.