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By Root 556 0

concern and it certainly isn't homicide, at least, God, I hope it isn't, and it may be that I'm upset over nothing, but you remember I told you about the drowned plantation, the son of that family was supposed to be dead but he isn't and we think he murdered his foster family and probably he's Acree.'

Rust was staring at her as if he couldn't believe she was there. She realised she had woken him. He was wearing jeans and a faded New Orleans Saints sweatshirt and his feet were bare. Now he pushed his hair back out of his eyes and looked past her to the pavement where Fitz diffidently waited, smoking.

'I didn't know I'd wake you,' she said, feeling guiltier by the minute. 'I should have thought. I know how tired you were last night. But as you're awake now,' she pressed on with false brightness, 'perhaps you could give us a few minutes. We really need advice.' His eyes returned to her, blinking. 'So, ah, there's a coffee shop around the corner. We could go and wait there and you could join us in say -' she assessed his dishevelment -

'twenty minutes?'

He said slowly, 'What time is it?'

'Erm, around eleven, I think.' He nodded thoughtfully. After a beat she said, 'So? Twenty minutes?' Rust nodded again.

He made it in fifteen minutes, back in a suit and shaved, though still looking a bit groggy. He ordered espresso and lowered himself into one of the big leather coffee-house armchairs opposite Anji and Fitz, who sat side by side on a faded green sofa. The low-hanging lights emphasised the circles under his eyes. Anji felt guiltier.

'OK. I'm a little more here now. Let's start over. Something's happened to the Doctor and somebody murdered Delesormes's family?'

'Foster family,' she said.

'Nearly fifteen years ago,' Fitz added.

'Mm-hm.' Rust nodded and looked around hopefully to see whether his coffee was ready yet. It wasn't. 'So, correct me if I'm wrong, but nobody's been murdered now.'

'The Doctor's gone,' said Fitz.

'Someone's been after him,' Anji said.

"The Doctor? Hard to believe he'd have any enemies.'

'You don't know him,' said Fitz.

'I guess not. When you say, "after him", what do you mean?'

They looked at each other.

'We're not sure,' Anji admitted.

Rust rubbed his face with one hand and let out a long breath.

'He told us someone was after him,' she hurried on. 'He didn't want to stay at the same hotel with us, he moved out.'

'He thought it was someone in the magic community,' said Fitz. 'He was trying to figure out who.'

'Well, that explains why he was hanging out with Dupre. I thought they were an odd couple.'

Anji saw an employee place Rust's espresso on the counter. She nudged Fitz and pointed and he irritably went to fetch it.

'I'm so sorry,' she repeated to Rust when Fitz was out of earshot. 'Your machine answered, but I thought perhaps you'd turned the bell off and might be at home. So I came by. I had no idea you'd still be asleep.'

Rust waved a hand dismissively. 'Thanks,' he said, as Fitz returned and gave him his coffee. He drank half of it in one swallow and seemed to feel better. 'So, what's the connection with these folks who've been dead fifteen years?'

They told him about the Browne family. Fitz was a little hesitant when he got to the part about digging up the grave, but Rust was amused: 'You always show that much initiative?'

'No,' they both answered. Fitz shot her a look.

'I still don't see how all that ties in with any threat against the Doctor,'

Rust said.

'It's like this.' Fitz leaned forward. "That house was destroyed in a way for which there's no natural explanation. Say the father was trying to do magic.

Say he screwed up. So this kid is left, and he ends up with these slime moulds in Vermont. And he uses magic to fake his own death then kills them.'

'Big leap of logic there,' said Rust. Fitz raised a hand.

'Hear me out. He comes back here -'

'Why?'

'Unfinished business.'

'What?'

'We don't know yet - but listen: that charm was made to summon a water spirit. And that house was wrecked by