Live and Let Drood

bring down Crow Lee and destroy his nasty little organisation, there’s still no guarantee you’ll be able to find or retrieve your lost family. You have to face the possibility that the Droods could be lost forever, wherever they are. You have to consider…that on this occasion, even your formidable best might not be good enough. Have you thought about what you’re going to do if there’s nowhere for you to go back to after this? And you really are the Last Drood. What will you do?”
    “Carry on the family tradition, I suppose,” I said. “Fight the good fight. What else is there?”
    Molly gave me a sharp look there, which I didn’t understand till later. Diana gave me a brilliant smile.
    “The Regent was…lost for a long time after he left his family. So he made himself a new family—his Shadows. That hasn’t changed just because we’re calling ourselves Uncanny these days. You could join us, Eddie, become a part of our family. I know it wouldn’t be the same—how could it?—but we would make you very welcome. And you, too, of course, Molly. You could do good work with us, both of you. You don’t have to be alone in the world.”
    I could hear the sincerity in her voice. I had no doubt she meant what she was saying, and it did intrigue me. It also puzzled me that this should mean so much to her.
    “Thank you,” I said. “That’s very kind, but…”
    “He doesn’t need you,” said Molly. “He has me.”
    “Think about it,” said Diana. She smiled briskly at both of us and was immediately all business again. “The Regent assured me that we’ll take good care of your Phantom V while you’re gone. You can pick her up again anytime you’re back in London, after this is all over.”
    “I wouldn’t mess with the Phantom, if I were you,” I said carefully. “The Armourer builds his cars to look after themselves.”
    “That’s Jack for you!” said Diana. “Never met a car he didn’t customise till it hurt. Trust me, I did raise that point most forcibly with the Uncanny car pool. The Phantom will be treated with the utmost respect.”
    “You know the Drood Armourer?” said Molly, not even bothering to hide her suspicions.
    “Of course,” Diana said easily. And then she just stood there, smiling easily.
    “More secrets,” Molly said disgustedly.
    “Of course,” said Diana. “We are secret agents, after all. Secrets are our business, our stock-in-trade. Now, I know what you’re thinking.…”
    “No, you don’t,” said Molly. “Or you wouldn’t still be standing there.”
    I could practically see the tension spitting and sparking on the air between them, so I made a big deal of going round to the driver’s-side door and opening it to look inside. The sat nav immediately turned itself on.
    “About time!” it said in a harsh and strident female voice. “Come on. Get in, park your arse and let’s get moving! I haven’t got all day!”
    I just stared at the sat nav for a moment. “We’re not going to get on, are we?”
    “Like I care,” said the sat nav.
    I straightened up and looked at Diana. “Would the Regent be very upset if I was to rip out the sat nav and throw it under the next passing heavy-goods vehicle? It’s not as if we’re going to need it. We’re not driving down to Surrey.”
    “We’re not?” said Molly.
    “We are going directly to Crow Lee’s place through the Merlin Glass,” I said. “You have heard of the Glass, Diana? Yes, of course you have.”
    “We maintain up-to-date files on everyone,” Diana said carefully. “On friends and enemies and everyone in between. I’m sure the Droods are in there somewhere. Though I don’t think our researchers believe half of what they’ve heard when it comes to the Merlin Glass. Some have been heard to suggest that it’s all just Drood misinformation, designed to demoralise people like us.”
    “Believe every bit of it,” Molly said sweetly. “Especially the really disturbing parts.”
    “The clue is in the name,” I said. “Merlin Satanspawn always believed that weapons should be double-edged. But we’re not going to Crow Lee’s place in Surrey straightaway.”
    “You’re not?” said Diana.
    “Molly and I have already discussed this at some length,” I said carefully. “If we just drop in on him now, he’ll have all kinds of defences ready and waiting for us. I’ve got a better idea. The Merlin Glass operates in time as well as space. You might remember, Molly, that during