Hexed

face, » Well, that was quite an exciting bit o’ fun, wasn’t it, me boy? « She gave me a smart slap on my rear and cackled.
    » Aw, that is just sick, « Hal spat.
    » Hal, please. «
    » If this is what happens to a man’s tastes when he gets to be your age, then I hope I die before I get that old. «
    » Damn it, I flew here as an owl, and right after that, those witches attacked us! That’s all! Mrs. MacDonagh, tell him! «
    » That’s what happened, all right. Why are his panties in a twist, then? Who is he, anyway? «
    » He’s my lawyer, « I explained, and then it occurred to me that he’d seemed in an awful hurry to find me. » Why are you here, Hal? «
    » Well, I had to finally call Granuaile on her cell to find out where you were, since you weren’t answering either your cell or at your house. She’s got your alibi, don’t worry. «
    » Alibi for what? «
    He sighed heavily and shook his head. » Tell me you’ve at least heard the sirens in the neighborhood. «
    » Yeah, why? «
    » Well, all the cars those sirens belong to are currently parked a couple blocks away, in front of your shop. Your employee is dead on the sidewalk. «
    The widow and I both gasped. » Which one? « I asked. » I have two now, besides Granuaile. «
    » Some boy, « Hal muttered. » I didn’t get his name. A customer called 911. «
    » Perry? « I said. » Perry’s dead? «
    » Unless your other employee is also male, then it’s Perry. «
    » Gods Below, « I breathed, piecing together the recent chain of events. » The brunette must have killed him while the blonde hit me at my house. Simultaneous strike. And then she joined the blonde on Roosevelt here because that was their getaway car.… Manannan Mac Lir take me for a fool. «
    » Well, I could probably track them if you’d like; they can’t be far, « Hal offered. » I can’t fight, but I can take you to them. «
    » No, no, I’ve got them. « I waved a hand to put him at ease. » I got the blond one’s hair. There’s no escape for her now, and the brunette will be with her, and the rest of them besides. «
    » The rest of who? «
    » I’ll explain. Just let me go get a towel. «
    The widow offered to make us sandwiches, even though it was still midmorning. She offered us whiskey too, but we allowed that tea would be grand, since she clearly wanted so much to fix something for us. She busied herself in the kitchen while Hal and I sat in the living room to catch up. I knew Perry’s death would hit me hard later; right then I had to focus on making sure no one else got hurt because of me.
    » I need to wrap this up tonight, « I said, once I’d recounted the events of the morning. » They’ve already killed Perry, and they tried to get Granuaile, and the widow—hell. I can’t let them keep taking shots at me and all my friends. And they’ve done other things to me, Hal; I ran into them decades ago. They need to go down. They deserve it, believe me. «
    » I believe you, « he said. » What do you need from me? «
    » Three things, « I said, ticking them off on my fingers. » First, I need the widow looked after until this is done. Do you think the Pack could keep an eye on her, since she knows about you all? «
    Hal grimaced. » Gunnar won’t like it, but I’ll watch her myself if I have to, « he said.
    » That’s going to be tough, because I need you for the second thing. Leif told me that the nonaggression treaty with the Sisters of the Three Auroras is ready to go. Could you do that with me now? Witness the signing? «
    » Well, later this afternoon, certainly, « he said. » I’m due in court at one for a hearing with another client. And you should make a statement with the police in the meantime, because you can bet they’re going to want to talk to you about Perry. «
    » Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Okay, we’ll do that next. Third thing is, arrange a better alibi for me tonight than killing time alone with Granuaile. I’ve been leaning on her too much, I think, and when the shit comes down tonight, I want something ironclad. «
    Hal nodded. » All right. I’ll send a couple of reliable sorts over to kill time with her at your house. They’ll have a Lord of the Rings festival or something and testify you made the popcorn if necessary. «
    » Oh, damn, that’s a good idea. I’d much rather do that than what I have to do. «
    Hal made a couple of calls and arranged for one wolf to entertain the widow for the rest of the day and