Unsympathetic Magic - Laura Resnick [83]
I glanced at her. She was looking intently at Biko now, her tail still twitching a little.
“She was snuffling around like crazy,” Biko said. “Then she started barking, howling, growling, and going nuts. Running up and down the steps the whole time.”
“Hey!” That certainly sounded relevant. “And then what?”
“Then,” Max said regretfully, “a patrolman came upon us and told us to leave the park or he would arrest us.”
“We’re lucky it was just a patrolman,” Biko said. “With the racket Nelli was making, I’m surprised no one sent a fire truck.”
She started panting and wagging her tail again, her beaming facial expression suggesting that making noise and attracting attention had been exactly what was required of her.
Biko said judiciously, “Working with animals is tricky.”
“Indeed,” said Max. “But at least we have an obvious starting place for our next nocturnal investigation.”
“Will you be leaving Nelli at home this time?” I asked.
“She will guard Puma by night,” Max said, “while we are out hunting.”
“Good plan,” I said.
“And you?” Biko asked me.
“I’ll be waiting tables in Little Italy tonight,” I replied. “And I’m scheduled for a double shift tomorrow, since I’ve been away from the restaurant for a week.”
“Lame,” said Biko. “We’re fighting Evil in Harlem while you’re downtown waiting tables and collecting tips?”
“I have bills to pay, D’Artagnan,” I said. “Besides, brute force really isn’t my strong suit. If you’re planning to kill the baka when you find them, you don’t need me for that. Not with a sword in your hand and a mage by your side, while a trusty canine familiar guards your sister.” I paused. “Wow, put like that, you should have your own TV show.”
“Yeah, well, before I become a big television star, I’ve got to go teach a class. I’ll see you two later.” Biko raised his fist. “Be cool, bro.”
Max raised his fist and bumped it with Biko’s. “Peace out.”
“I see that you two have been getting along well,” I said to Max as Biko walked away.
“He’s an excellent young man,” Max said with approval. “And he has been kind enough to instruct me in some most engaging local dialect.”
I decided I should use the foundation’s phone to call Lopez and find out when he planned to drop off my purse. I didn’t want to hang around this lobby for no good reason. I was just about to say so to Max when Nelli suddenly went stiff all over and started growling. Her hair stood on end, her ears were pricked alertly, and her posture was so erect that it made her look even bigger than she was.
Startled by this sudden and unusual shift to an aggressive attitude, I followed the direction of her gaze—and saw Mambo Celeste entering the lobby with her immense snake draped around her shoulders. Nelli’s growling got louder.
“Max,” I said. “Take Nelli outside.”
Recognizing the danger, he tugged on the dog’s pink leash. “Nelli, come!” He tried to pull her toward the door. “Nelli.”
Nelli didn’t even seem to hear him. She started trembling with emotion, her hostile gaze fixed on the snake.
The mambo’s eyes flew wide open when she saw Nelli standing in the lobby while Max continued tugging futilely on the leash. When she realized Nelli was growling at her—or, rather, at her snake . . . Instead of holding still or backing away slowly, either of which would have made sense, she instead shook her fist at Nelli and started shouting in Creole, the French dialect of her native Haiti. Her agitation bothered Napoleon, who started squirming.
The mambo’s shouting, fist-shaking, and swaying motion, combined with the snake’s increased activity, convinced Nelli that the threat she thought she perceived was real and immediate. She lunged forward a few steps and started barking ferociously at Napoleon.
“Nelli, no!” I snapped. Then I yelled at the mambo, “Shut up! Hold still! You’re upsetting the snake and the dog!”
Henry, the receptionist,