'You do have him,' she said, stepping into the office.

Harry closed the door. There was a chill from up thestairs.

Thank God. Thank God.' She took Harry's face in herhands and kissed him lightly on the lips. Only then didshe notice Valentin.

She dropped her hands.

'What's he doing here?' she asked.

'He's with me. With us.'

She looked doubtful. 'No,' she said.

'We can trust him.'

'I said no! Get him out, Harry.' There was a cold furyin her; she shook with it. 'Get him outl'

Valentin stared at her, glassy-eyed. 'The lady dothprotest too much,' he murmured.

Dorothea put her fingers to her lips as if to stifle anyfurther outburst. 'I'm sorry,' she said, turning back toHarry, 'but you must be told what this man is capableof-'

'Without him your husband would still be at thehouse, Mrs Swann,' Harry pointed out. 'He's the oneyou should be grateful to, not me.'

At this, Dorothea's expression softened, throughbafflement to a new gentility.

'Oh?' she said. Now she looked back at Valentin. 'I'msorry. When you ran from the house I assumed somecomplicity ...'

'With whom?' Valentin inquired.

She made a tiny shake of her head; then said, 'Yourarm. Are you hurt?'

'A minor injury,' he returned.

'I've already tried to get it rebandaged,' Harry said.'But the bastard's too stubborn.'

'Stubborn I am,' Valentin replied, without inflection,

'But we'll be finished here soon -' said Harry.

Valentin broke in. 'Don't tell her anything,' hesnapped.

'I'm just going to explain about the brother-in-law -'Harry said.

The brother-in-law?' Dorothea said, sitting down.The sigh of her legs crossing was the most enchantingsound Harry had heard in twenty-four hours. 'Oh pleasetell me about the brother-in-law ...'

Before Harry could open his mouth to speak, Valentinsaid: 'It's not her, Harry.'

The words, spoken without a trace of drama, took afew seconds to make sense. Even when they did, theirlunacy was self-evident. Here she was in the flesh,perfect in every detail.

'What are you talking about?' Harry said.

'How much more plainly can I say it?' Valentinreplied. 'It's not her. It's a trick. An illusion. Theyknow where we are, and they sent this up to spy outour defences.'

Harry would have laughed, but that these accusationswere bringing tears to Dorothea's eyes.

'Stop it,' he told Valentin.

'No, Harry. You think for a moment. All the trapsthey've laid, all the beasts they've mustered. Yousuppose she could have escaped that?' He movedaway from the window towards Dorothea. 'Where'sButterfield?' he spat. 'Down the hall, waiting for yoursignal?'

'Shut up,' said Harry.

'He's scared to come up here himself, isn't he?'Valentin went on. 'Scared of Swann, scared of us,probably, after what we did to his gelding.'

Dorothea looked at Harry. 'Make him stop,' she said.

Harry halted Valentin's advance with a hand on hisbony chest.

'You heard the lady,' he said.

'That's no lady,' Valentin replied, his eyes blazing. 'Idon't know what it is, but it's no lady.'

Dorothea stood up. 'I came here because I hoped I'dbe safe,' she said.

'You are safe,' Harry said.

'Not with him around, I'm not,' she replied, lookingback at Valentin. 'I think I'd be wiser going.'

Harry touched her arm.

'No,' he told her.

'Mr D'Amour,' she said sweetly, 'you've alreadyearned your fee ten times over. Now I think it's time/ took responsibility for my husband.'

Harry scanned that mercurial face. There wasn't atrace of deception in it.

'I have a car downstairs,' she said. 'I wonder... couldyou carry him downstairs for me?'

Harry heard a noise like a cornered dog behind himand turned to see Valentin standing beside Swann'scorpse. He had picked up the heavy-duty cigarettelighter from the desk, and was flicking it. Sparks came,but no flame.

'What the hell are you doing?' Harry demanded.

Valentin didn't look at the speaker, but at Dorothea.

'She knows,' he said.

He had got the knack of the lighter; the flame flaredup.

Dorothea made a small, desperate sound.

'Please don't,' she said.

'We'll all burn with him if necessary,' Valentinsaid.

'He's insane,' Dorothea's tears had suddenly gone.

'She's right,' Harry told Valentin, 'you're acting likea madman.'

'And you're a fool to fall for a few tears!' came thereply. 'Can't you see that if she takes him we've losteverything we've fought for?'

'Don't listen,' she murmured. 'You know me, Harry.You trust me.'

'What's under that face of yours?' Valentin said.'What are you? A Coprolite? Homunculus?'

The names meant nothing to Harry. All he knew wasthe proximity of the woman at her side; her hand laidupon his arm.

'And what about you?' she said to Valentin. Then,more softly, 'why don't you show us your wound?'

She forsook the shelter of Harry's side, and crossed tothe desk. The lighter flame guttered at her approach.

'Go on...' she said, her voice no louder than a breath.'... I dare you.'

She glanced round at Harry. 'Ask him, D'Amour,'she said. 'Ask him to show you what he's got hiddenunder the bandages.'

'What's she talking about?' Harry asked. The glimmerof trepidation in Valentin's eyes was enough to convinceHarry there was merit in Dorothea's request. 'Explain,'he said.

Valentin didn't get the chance however. Distractedby Harry's demand he was easy prey when Dorotheareached across the desk and knocked the lighter from hishand. He bent to retrieve it, but she seized on the ad hocbundle of bandaging and pulled. It tore, and fell away.

She stepped back. 'See?' she said.

Valentin stood revealed. The creature on 83rd Streethad torn the sham of humanity from his arm; the limbbeneath was a mass of blue-black scales. Each digit of theblistered hand ended in a nail that opened and closed likea parrot's beak. He made no attempt to conceal the truth.Shame eclipsed every other response.

'I warned you,' she said, 'I warned you he wasn't to betrusted.'

Valentin stared at Harry. 'I have no excuses,' he said.'I only ask you to believe that I want what's best forSwann.'

'How can you?' Dorothea said. 'You're a demon.'

'More than that,' Valentin replied, 'I'm Swann'sTempter. His familiar; his creature. But I belong tohim more than I ever belonged to the Gulfs. And Iwill defy them -' he looked at Dorothea, '- and theiragents.'

She turned to Harry. 'You have a gun,' she said.'Shoot the filth. You mustn't suffer a thing like that tolive.'

Harry looked at the pustulent arm; at the clackingfingernails: what further repugnance was there in waitbehind the flesh facade?

'Shoot it,' the woman said.

He took his gun from his pocket. Valentin seemed tohave shrunk in the moments since the revelation of histrue nature. Now he leaned against the wall, his faceslimy with despair.

'Kill me then,' he said to Harry, 'kill me if I revoltyou so much. But Harry, I beg you, don't give Swann toher. Promise me that. Wait for the driver to come back,and dispose of the body by whatever means you can. Justdon't give it to her!'

'Don't listen,' Dorothea said. 'He doesn't care aboutSwann the way I do.'

Harry raised the gun. Even looking straight at death,Valentin did not flinch.

'You've failed, Judas,' she said to Valentin. 'Themagician's mine.'

'What magician?' said Harry.

'Why Swann, of course!' she replied lightly. 'Howmany magicians have you got up here?'

Harry dropped his bead on Valentin.

'He's an illusionist,' he said, 'you told me that at thevery beginning. Never call him a magician, you said.'

'Don't be pedantic,' she replied, trying to laugh off herfaux pas.