The Night Beat

shifty. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
    I said it under my breath, without moving my mouth. “Sic’ him.”
    Ralph lunged. Silently. Well, Ralph was silent. Nero shrieked like a hyena. While Ralph played Bad Werewolf, I considered our situation.
    Nero was a ghoul but he looked human, no drippy parts, no distended eyeballs, no stench. I’d always figured it was his payoff for being a royal bastard in every sense of the words. But now I wondered -- Ishtrallum had said Nero was good friends with the warlock who’d spelled The Pleasure Palace. I found myself wondering who this warlock was and if I’d find him nearby, like up at the Little Church.
    Once Nero was appropriately roughed up, Ralph tossed him at my feet. Then he went back to where Nero had been and started digging. Nothing beats a werewolf in full dig mode.
    I put my foot on Nero’s throat. “So, what’s my precious puppy digging up, Nero my not-really-a-man?”
    “N-nothing.”
    I pressed a little harder as I heard a car door slam. “Come again?”
    “Just something I’ve planted.” Nero looked away from me. Well, as much as he could. “Help me.”
    “You’re kidding, right?” Jack snorted. “I’ll help you to a jail cell.”
    “That creature is tearing up my yard,” Nero sputtered. “I demand recompense.”
    I cleared my throat. “He’s fully aware of who, and what, you are, Nero. Nice try, but you’re not getting out of this all that easily.” Something registered. “ Your yard ?”
    “I live here.” Nero managed to sound offended and proprietary, both.
    I took my foot off his neck and Jack hauled Nero to his feet. “If it’s your property, then you’ll be able to enter it with us and prove that it’s yours…won’t you?” Jack was doing bad cop. Of course, so was I. And, technically, so was Ralph. Well, Nero didn’t rate any good cop treatment, really.
    Nero got slowly to his feet. “Indeed.” He brushed himself off and tottered to the nearest door. The houses on the lower part of the hill were smaller, merely huge enough to fit two normal homes inside them. Nero opened the door and walked in, Jack and I right on his heels.
    “This proves nothing,” I mentioned. “Anyone can open a door.”
    “It was unlocked,” Nero huffed. “Because I left it unlocked while I was gardening.”
    “Nice try, not buying it.”
    “I live here,” Nero protested. He pointed to the walls, which were rather covered with Roman, Greco-Roman, and Roman-influenced artworks, some of which stretched the definition of art.
    “I can buy that you either helped decorate or you picked a house where the owners are as into Roman history and so-called glories as you are. Not anything beyond that.”
    Nero sighed. “Fine. Let me get my papers.”
    He started off towards the back of the house, but Jack grabbed him. “Oh, no you don’t. I think I’ll accompany you, just to make sure no one broke in while you were gardening.” Jack looked at me. “We’d better put the car into the driveway.”
    “Watch him, he’s slippery.” As I went outside I heard Nero starting to give a tour of the house. I had a horrible suspicion he was telling at least part of the truth. Freddy and Sexy Cindy were still in the backseat, looking worried. I got in and pulled into what might be Nero’s driveway.
    “What’s going on?” Sexy Cindy asked. “And is Ralph digging to China or something?”
    “The guy we roughed up is Nero. He’s claiming this is his house. Jack’s escorting him to supposedly see the proof. Ralph’s digging up whatever nasty stuff Nero was planting. Fairly sure it was maggots, larvae and such.”
    They both made gagging noises. “Why would anyone do that?” Freddy managed in between retching.
    “Flies, mosquitoes, locusts, all sorts of nasty bugs you don’t want me to name, they get used by the Prince’s minions a lot, because most humans have your reactions to them. The more bugs about, the more freaked and grossed out humans get. Even those whose fight or flight reaction to most bugs is ‘stomp ‘em’ can get freaked by the equivalent of an airplane hangar full of bugs coming towards them.”
    “So, do Hell bugs mature faster than regular ones?” Sexy Cindy asked thoughtfully as we got out of the car. I took the keys with me. The previous owner hadn’t been careful with this baby, and I had an obligation to get it back to them safely. Somewhere in the future.
    “Yes. I’d guess we’re looking at something