‘‘Clubs?’’ Oh. He meant the weighted headknockers. I’d bought six last fall. I keep leaving them behind. Or getting them taken away. Cost of doing business. ‘‘Ivl Verde. The furniture maker who supplies the wooden parts for the three-wheels. He has troll-powered lathes that can turn a club in a couple minutes. Why?’’

Mr. Felhske could find you in a snowstorm because Mr. Verde let someone put a tracking spell on your clubs.

‘‘I can guess who.’’

Correct. Director Relway. And Mr. Felhske received a trace key from someone inside the Al-Khar. I would not suggest that you operate unarmed, so you should replace the Verde sticks.

‘‘I’ve still got one old one in the tool closet.’’ My name for the household arsenal. ‘‘Which I’ll save for when I really don’t want to be tracked.’’ I didn’t care if the law watched me now. So why tip them off?

His Nibs radiated agreement.

I asked, ‘‘What’s that smell?’’

Felhske had begun to stage a comeback.

Dean brought more food. I ate some more and drank more beer.

The Dead Man sent,I am now done with the children. You may release them.

‘‘Really? Even . . . ?’’

Even Miss Algarda. I have done some inspired editing of her memories. I cannot turn her into someone she is not, but I am able to manipulate the knowledge she will be able to access.

I’d seen it done before. I expected to see it done again. ‘‘All right. Let me finish this sausage.’’ And, a minute later,

‘‘You kids get ready to go. I’ll go along, make sure you’re all right. I need to see Tinnie, anyway.’’

Kip and Kyra eyed each other like they’d been sentenced to remote and protracted prison terms. Each silently willed the other to do something.

‘‘Won’t do any good, guys. That’s the way it’s going to be.»

I did wonder how Kyra kept getting out. In fact, why were so many of the Faction so loosely supervised? Kevans in particular.

Kevans ought to have a parent in each pocket.

‘‘We need to make sure Kevans gets home safe, too.’’ That would take us a quarter hour out of our way.

I bundled up in my new fur coat and led the children outside. Along the way, in weather increasingly less unpleasant, Kip tried to distract me from what he feared was my determination to be a chaperone. He chattered on and on about ways to light the World.

For my part, I worried. I tried to make Kip understand how much he’d been used.

He wasn’t that upset.

Kevans was his friend. The rest mattered a lot less.

I have a few of those friends myself.

Kyra didn’t share Kip’s attitude. Kevans wasn’t her friend. And she was afraid that Kip and Kevans might have played at being more than just friends, once upon a time.

I cut them loose, telling Kip, ‘‘Go to the manufactory after you get Kyra home. Lie low there till I get things worked out with the Algardas.’’

He didn’t argue. He didn’t believe much of what Old Bones had dug out—he hadn’t been included in all the rotten details—but he was bright enough to understand that he was out of his depth.

He paused to hug Kevans. They mumbled to each other. Kyra seethed, in redhead Tate ‘‘thou shalt have no other anyone’’ fashion. Then Kip joined her and they headed off. I’d bet Kyra never let go all the way to the Tate compound.

The girl had it bad. The natural way.

I hoped Kip dealt with it better than I did.

Kevans, of course, had a secret way in and out of the Algarda stronghold. And stronghold it was, as is the case with most homes on the Hill. Those people used to squabble on a deadly, daily basis. Their homes had to be fortresses.

Just as well I didn’t have to deliver Kevans to her front door. I was in no mood to deal with either parent. I might’ve said something about bad parenting.

Me. The world’s foremost authority.

Tinnie wasn’t home. An unhappy cousin told me she was at the manufactory. It was all my fault she was way behind. And now there was a rumor that the situation could get worse. She’d lost her grip on reality. Garrett could end up being underfoot all the time.

I couldn’t do anything about rumor and speculation amongst the Tates. Whatever I tried, I’d just equip myself with more holes dug deeper.

I took Kip along. He’d still been saying good night to Kyra when I got there. He didn’t want to leave. ‘‘I need you to make drawings and write up notes. Your contribution toward helping repay Mr. Weider for damages done by the Faction.’’

He really didn’t want to go. If he let Kyra get out of sight, she might come to her senses.

On the short walk over, I told him, ‘‘Don’t worry about the girl. Tate women are a pain in the ass sometimes but they stick once they make their minds up.’’

Which was what he wanted to hear. Though he had trouble believing it. His self-confidence was still shaky.

‘‘I know that only helps a little. Every day that I find Tinnie still in my life I count as another miracle. I’ve never worked out what she sees in me.’’

‘‘Makes two of us.’’ That was a shot, weakly delivered. I took it as a good sign.

I left him outside his personal workroom at the manufactory. It was big and full of toys for a boy genius who might spark additional money gushers.

It was cold in the building. The place didn’t get warm when manufacturing wasn’t going on. It wasn’t now. The weather had kept most of the workers home.

Which meant they were making too much money. In a labor market where replacements could be had by the hundred.

Ha! Thunk like a true capitalist!

‘‘Garrett! What are you doing here? Besides sneaking up and scaring the knickers off me?’’

‘‘Don’t look like I did that good a job. Why don’t I try charm instead?’’

‘‘I’m working hard on getting immune to that. I think I’ve almost got it. You didn’t answer my question.’’

‘‘I needed to see you. Not for the usual reasons.’’

The woman can read me good. One hard look and she knew something was wrong. ‘‘All right. Spill the bad news.’’

‘‘Well . . .’’ I wasn’t sure how to tell her without sounding like I was accusing her.

‘‘Out with it, Malsquando.’’ She wasn’t troubled. She’d concluded that the problem wasn’t between her and me.

‘‘Speak!’’

‘‘You’ll grant that Singe is pretty damned smart?’’

‘‘Singe is a freak. She scares me. She’s not just too smart for a ratperson, she’s too smart for anybody.’’

‘‘Good. We won’t need to debate that. So. Here’s the thing. She’s been studying the books, and . . .’’

‘‘And?’’ Eyes tight and narrow now. But still nothing to suggest that I’d tweaked a guilty nerve.

‘‘She found a problem with the financials from the manufactory.’’

Tinnie seemed surprised. ‘‘How so? What kind of problem? Tell me.’’

‘‘You might have to talk to her direct to really get it.’’ I jumped in, the best I understood what I’d been told.

I didn’t need to go on long. ‘‘Stop. Did she show you examples?’’

I told her what I’d seen.

Tinnie was an angry woman suddenly. With the fire under fierce control.

‘‘You believe me?’’

‘‘Of course I believe you! Why the hell would you make up a story like that? What I need to do now is figure out if it’s true, or if Singe’s imagination ran away with her. Go sit in the corner and don’t disturb me.’’

I couldn’t resist. ‘‘You mean I don’t get to lean over your shoulder, jostle your elbow, blow in your ear, and criticize while you’re trying to get some work done?’’

The black look I got for that actually scared me. No good for the goose, good for the gander in this house. But she was still in that fierce, hard, rational state of anger. ‘‘Better yet, go wander around and make the night crew nervous.’’

I didn’t need to watch over her shoulder. Not that having me there could stop her fudging anything she wanted. I wouldn’t notice.