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'We've got contacts at the police station.'

'I think we've used up our favours there,' Anji said sombrely as she followed him up the stairs.

Surprisingly, Fitz stopped and turned around. He was on a step above her; it felt odd to look so far up at him. 'Look, Anj,' he said seriously, 'you're being too hard on yourself. All right, I admit Rust was a bit off when he came round to look at the bedroom, but he could have had a thousand things on his mind. Some bloody awful murder we don't even know about.

A bad tooth. A surprise letter from the tax people.'

She said tightly, 'I'm not so conceited that I think everything's about me.

But this was. I could tell.'

'So why do you think it was something you did? Maybe he screwed something up and felt bad about it, or felt guilty because he knew he couldn't help or -'

He broke off and they both looked quickly up the stairs, then at each other.

A door shutting? Someone bumping into a piece of furniture? It hit them simultaneously that the noise might have no natural explanation, and they spun around to flee.

'Uh, hi. Can I help you?'

A pretty girl with short stiff red hair was looking over the upstairs hall railing. She had a sheet wrapped around her.

'Who are you?' said Anji, discovering, as her heart slowed back down, that she was abruptly sober.

'Lucy. I'm a friend of Jack's. We're here protecting the house till he comes back.'

We?'

'Protecting how?' said Fitz nervously.

'Sex magic' To Anji's enormous amusement, Fitz, who had been eyeing the girl's slipping sheet, turned red. 'You can come help if you want.'

"That's all right,' said Anji when Fitz seemed unable to answer. 'Actually, we're just looking for a friend. How many people are here?'

'Just me and Roy.'

'Nobody chained up in the basement or anything?' said Fitz, recovering.

The girl frowned thoughtfully. 'I don't think there is a basement. You can look around if you want. 'She ambled away down the hall, sheet trailing.

'Don't let me stop you,' Anji murmured to Fitz.

'Somehow the mention of Roy took all the fun out of the idea.'

They explored the opulently furnished downstairs without discovering anything except details about Dupre's tastes in alcohol, which were catholic and expensive. Various ornate boxes of powders suggested more esoteric indulgences. On the next floor, they avoided the bedroom Lucy had gone into, sounds from which indicated it was in use, but went through the others. Fitz found a cupboard filled with leather and chains and other assorted paraphernalia that made him feel naive. Anji glanced once at the woodcuts in the hall and turned away.

The second floor stopped them both in the doorway.

'Let's go,' Fitz said.

Anji looked more than willing but said, 'I think there's some more of the room

behind those curtains. Better check that.'

He nodded and came with her. Neither of them looked at the things they passed. Fitz drew aside the draperies. To his relief, nothing was revealed but sets of drawers and cabinets, all open and empty. 'Well,' he said, releasing the curtain, 'that's that.'

'Wait.' Anji caught the heavy material before it could drop. 'Why is everything gone?'

A minute later, Fitz at her shoulder, she was downstairs knocking on the closed bedroom door.

'Not now!' called an irritated male voice.

'Erm, Anj -' Fitz mumbled.

'Now!' said Anji. 'The sooner you answer a question, the sooner I go away.'

Grumbling and creaking of mattress. 'What the hell is it?'

'Did you clean out those cabinets on the third floor?'

'No.'

Jack must have taken his stuff with him,' Lucy's voice added helpfully.

Magic stuff?'

'What do you think, brick-brain?' said the male voice.

'I think Lucy should quit being polite and just admit your penis is too small for her to find.' Anji turned on her heel and strode down the hall, ignoring Fitz's expression.

When he caught up with her on the porch, she said, 'He must have stopped the paper.'