Live and Let Drood

knows his limitations.”
    Crow Lee took control of himself, with an obvious effort. Drops of steaming gin were still falling from his burnt chin.
    “I know there is a history between you and them. That should make it easier. That’s why I hired you!”
    “Look at the Drood’s torc,” said Mr. Stab. “Look at his armour.”
    Crow Lee stopped and then stared at me for a long moment before nodding slowly, grudgingly. “Ah yes. I do See what you mean.…Well, then, Eddie and Molly, we’ll do this little dance another day. When I’m…better prepared.”
    He gave us both a sly self-satisfied smile and snapped his fingers loudly. And just like that he was gone. The oversized armchair was empty, and Mr. Stab no longer stood beside it. There wasn’t even an inrush of air to fill the space where they’d been. It was as though they’d never been there.
    “No!” said Molly. “You can’t do that! He can’t do that, Eddie!”
    “I think you’ll find he can,” I said. “And he has.”
    “The bastard…” said Molly. “I was all fired up and ready to go, and he just…runs away?”
    “Well,” I said. “You don’t get to be the Most Evil Man in the World by playing fair. Or fighting when you’re not sure the odds are in your favour. What did he mean about my armour, Molly? What did he See just then?”
    “He must have realised you’re wearing rogue armour instead of what he was expecting,” said Molly, but she wouldn’t look at me while she said it.
    “Mr. Stab surprised me, then,” I said, tacitly agreeing to change the subject. “I did try to kill him when he killed Penny, but I didn’t even come close. I never knew he rated me that highly. Or you, to be honest.”
    “He wasn’t scared of us,” said Molly. “I think…he was just showing us professional courtesy.”
    “Would you do the same for him?”
    “Hell, no. I’ll kill him dead the first chance I get.”
    “Good,” I said. “Because I think he’s cut us as much slack as he can. Do you really think he wants to die? You’ve known him a lot longer than I.”
    “He’s always moped about his…condition,” said Molly. “But if he really wanted to be released from his curse, he would have found a way by now. It’s just a pose, a show he puts on in front of company.”
    “He was your friend,” I said.
    “Once upon a time and long ago,” said Molly. “I saw myself as a monster, so I went looking for others to keep me company.”
    “What changed that?” I said.
    She smiled at me. “You did, idiot.”
    “Ah,” I said. “Yes.”
    “That was a prearranged teleport spell,” said Molly, changing the subject yet again. “So carefully set in place even I couldn’t See it. Preprogrammed to take him and Mr. Stab out of here at a moment’s notice to a preselected destination. Very professional stuff.”
    “Could he still be here, somewhere in the club?” I said.
    “No. That had all the hallmarks of a long-range teleport. Probably all the way back to his country manor house in Surrey.” She looked at me thoughtfully. “Could you track him through the Merlin Glass? Go straight after him?”
    “Possibly,” I said. “But you could bet good money that if we did, we’d be walking into a trap. God alone knows what kind of protections and reinforcements he’d have waiting for us there. This is a man who believes in planning ahead. Remember the private army? No. We’ll go after him, but only after we’ve taken some time out to work up a proper plan.”
    “I said we needed a plan.…”
    “And you were right.”
    “But we can’t afford to give him time to prepare for us, Eddie! His country bolt hole is just crawling with booby traps and hired killers and full-strength nasty surprises! He has defences you wouldn’t believe!”
    “It can’t be that bad.…”
    “Yes, it can! I’ve seen it!”
    There was a pause then as I looked at her thoughtfully. “And you know this how?”
    “Because,” said Molly reluctantly, “I’ve been there. More than once. I did business with Crow Lee back in the day.”
    “What? You worked with the Most Evil Man in the World? And you never thought to mention this before?”
    “Don’t judge me!” Molly said hotly. “Don’t you dare judge me! My parents were dead, murdered by your family! I was desperate to avenge them. Ready to work with anyone who could promise me help or weapons to use against the Droods! Crow Lee was very understanding, very helpful.”
    “Yeah,” I said.