 Previous
New Readers Start Here
Table of Contents Next
The man was very old and walked with a cane but his
eyes were clear and penetrating and though he spoke
slowly his thoughts were lucid. He was well dressed
and naturally polite. He seemed to warm to Kath so James
let her do the talking. Sue stayed as quiet as possible,
fearful that he might recognize her voice.
"How can we help you?"
"I need to find my business partner. He's angry
with me and he went away. I acted like a fool and I
owe him an apology."
"What happened?"
They could see that the story was hard for him to repeat.
"Well, our firm was going through a bad time and
some money went missing. All the evidence pointed to
him so, one day, I asked why he had taken the money.
He got angry and denied it. To make a long story short,
he simply left. He's still my partner, he still has
a house in Jersey City. A cleaner takes care of it.
But I don't know where he is."
This was enormously encouraging. A real live client
had called them, saying the Police had recommended them.
At first Kath had made a big fuss abut this part, asking
why the Police should know about American Invisible
and, furthermore, why they should recommend them. But
no answers were forthcoming so she was forced to drop
the matter.
"What was your partner's name?"
"Peter Benedict. We called him Eggs." The
joke was old but so was the man. "When the children
were young we took them to a restaurant and told them
that Uncle Peter had invented the dish. They believed
it, too. Those were happy days. But time goes by so
quickly. First my wife died, and then his. And children
don't stay around forever. You can't expect that. Take
my advice, enjoy every minute of your youth. It passes
a very great deal faster than you expect and you never
get it back."
"I'm sorry you had a misunderstanding, Sir,"
Kath comforted. "It must have been very painful.
Do you know where he might be?"
"The cleaner is paid by an attorney in Maryland.
Can't think why he'd be in Maryland. Perhaps he isn't."
Kath noted this down. "Do you have the address?"
"No. I have the name of the law firm, though."
"That's good enough."
Suddenly there was a knock on the window and a man
outside pushed it open. He wore a flowing purple robe.
"Oh Great Ones!" he greeted them. "I
am thankful for your company. A reunion of practitioners
of the powers of magic is a joyous event. Permit us
to enter. We come in friendship and with fondest wishes
of brotherhood." He thought for a moment. "And
sisterhood."
"Oh, stop gabbing and go in. It's cold."
Bill Smith moved aside and Sophie's face appeared.
"What the devil is this?" The client, hitherto
silent, had risen to his feet.
Bill stared at him, realization gradually dawning.
"You Sir are a mortal!"
"Of course I am. The question is what are you?"
"I am a wizard," said Bill, proudly. He turned
to Sue. "Madam. With respect, why do you keep such
company? It is beneath you."
The client grasped his cane firmly. It was not clear
whether he felt he needed it for support or defense.
"I'm leaving," he announced. "I thought
you could help me but I was mistaken. You're all crazy
people." He started to move towards the door. "Crazy
people."
"Sir," Kath protested. "I don't know
what's going on but I assure you we would like to help
you and I think we can."
"I don't need your help," he said firmly.
He was in the hall now. "Crazy people! You're fired."
"Pay him no heed," advised Bill.
Sue walked over to the window and looked Bill in the
eye. James was surprised at the richness of vocabulary
that followed. For once he was thankful when the drum
school started up because the noise drowned out the
worst of the invective.
Previous New
Readers Start Here Table
of Contents Next
|
