Tillinghast smiled, his teeth so white and even. Sharks didn’t always look like sharks. “Then you’re amenable to the arrangement I propose?”

  “You mean the one where I steal some stuff and sniff out some dirt for you, and you give me the riches of Croesus in return? Sure, I’m agreeable. In theory. On a case-by-case basis. If you ask me to do something I won’t do, I won’t do it.”

  “Unless I increase your compensation accordingly, anyway,” Tillinghast said.

  Ruby spread out her hands before her. “I am a businesswoman, Mr Tillinghast.”

  “Please, call me Randall.”

  “I don’t see that happening,” Ruby said. “A guy like you will always get his mister.”

  “Then I will continue to call you Miss Standish, for the sake of balance.” He stroked his goateed chin. “Perhaps that’s better. To remind us both that this is a business relationship, first and foremost.”

  Ruby nodded. “All right, then. I’m on retainer. Just like I went to law school or something, how about that?”

  He went stern. “No. More like a samurai in service to his feudal lord. A member of my personal household, as it were. That’s how close this relationship will be, Miss Standish.” She suppressed a shiver while he went on in his brisk, matter-of-fact tone. “You will serve my interests, and in return, I will protect and enrich you. We will not need to meet in person like this often. I will convey my instructions through Miss Dyer, for the most part. I wish to keep a low profile in Arkham, as they say, lest I attract unwanted attention.”

  Ha. “Attention, you’ve got. You’ve been handing out gifts to all sorts of people, and you’ve certainly annoyed Sanford. I’d hate to see how you’d act if you wanted to make a splash.”

  Tillinghast bowed his head modestly. “Yes, but the recipients of my largesse were all people I desired to meet. As for Mr Sanford, well. I gather that our interests have already clashed. Regrettable, but, I suppose, inevitable, for men such as ourselves.”

  Ruby decided to push a little. “What is it you’re trying to do here in Arkham, anyway?” she asked. “What do you have against Sanford?”

  “I am pursuing my interests. That is all you need to know. And Sanford?” Tillinghast flicked imaginary lint off his lapel, then locked eyes with Ruby. “He stands in my way. He has things I need in his possession, and worse, he will attempt to stop me from acquiring other things I need, and will generally make a nuisance of himself, if permitted to buzz around uncontained. He has sufficient resources to cause me real problems, or at least, to disrupt my plans while they remain at a delicate stage. I need him neutralized.”

  Ruby whistled. “You’re already causing him trouble, so he’s going to try to neutralize you, too. He knows you did something to the dockmaster. Enthralled him, or something.”

  Tillinghast clucked his tongue in disappointment. “Enthralled? Please. I gave the dockmaster something he desired, in exchange for his help acquiring something I desired. That is the essence of commerce. There was no coercion involved.”

  Ruby wasn’t in the mood for evasions. “Mr Tillinghast. I saw the way Tick looked at that magazine. He was practically hypnotized. Why didn’t you use the Svengali routine on me?”

  The old gentleman nodded, his eyes half-lidded, which made him look sleepy, but Ruby knew that was deceptive. “Fair enough. For very simple tools, such crude methods can be useful. I need the harbormaster for one purpose only – to let me take whatever I want from any vessel that passes through his purview. A single function, you see? And thus a simple machine. But you.” He smiled. “I will need you for many things, Miss Standish. You require flexibility, and so I need your thoughts unclouded, nimble, and capable of rapid improvisation. Dazzling you with a trinket would serve to improve your obedience but at the cost of befuddling your mind. The promise of wealth is the only enchantment I need for you, anyway.” He frowned, just slightly. “But if I may ask… if you thought I might enchant you… why did you agree to accompany Miss Dyer to meet me? Surely you value your autonomy more than that?”

  “I know men like you, Mr Tillinghast.” She put the crystal back down, carefully, in the spot she’d taken it from.

  “Oh, I doubt that,” he murmured, but she ignored him and kept talking.

  “You sending Gloria to pick me up was the soft touch. If I’d refused to come with her, the next people you sent for me would have been a lot bigger and a lot less polite, and I would have made the journey trussed up in the back of some jalopy instead of sitting pretty in the passenger seat of a convertible. I knew I was going to end up meeting with you either way, so I figured I’d do it the easy way.”

  “I suppose I might have been somewhat insistent on our reconnection, now that you mention it,” Tillinghast said. “Though I am glad the heavier touch was unnecessary. This way, I feel we’ve started our renewed relationship on a positive footing.”

  “Am I done here, then?” Ruby glanced longingly at the door. “I should just wait for Gloria to track me down when you need me?”

  “Gloria will be our liaison going forward,” Tillinghast said. “But since we’re together now, I may as well give you your first assignment. Upon completion of this task, I’ll give you your first payment, as well.”

  “Those vast riches you mentioned? Good.”

  Tillinghast shook his head minutely. “Not so vast, initially. If I provide you with too much lucre at the outset of our relationship, you might be tempted to book passage on the next ship headed to the continent. No, I’ll give you a taste first – an amuse-bouche, to tempt you – but you’ll have to wait until my current business is concluded to collect the entirety of your bounty. That work shouldn’t take more than a few months… a year at most.”

  She sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Fear not. Things will proceed quite quickly once Sanford is neutralized.”

  “You’ve used that word a couple of times now,” Ruby said. “Neutralized. What does it mean? Do you want him dead? Because I’m not–”

  “Acquisitions only, Miss Standish, never executions or assassinations.” Tillinghast drew a finger across his throat, then shook his head, smiling all the while. “I will not try to use you for any purpose to which you are unsuited. Simply killing Sanford would have negative repercussions, I fear. I have no doubt he has certain safeguards in place, contingencies that will spring into action in the event of his death. I simply wish to remove his ability to pose a threat to my interests. There are ways to do that besides murder.” A smile ghosted his lips. “Crueler ways, for a man like him.”

  “You don’t want to give me more details?” Ruby said.

  “I’ll give you one,” Tillinghast said. “I want you to steal a certain jewel called the Ruby of R’lyeh from Sanford’s vaults.”

  Ruby blinked. “I stole that for Sanford, months ago, from a bastard in Boston!”

  “Then you already have familiarity with the item. That should make things easier, surely?” He cocked his head and gazed at her, unblinking, which put her in mind of creatures seen at the reptile house in the zoo.

  “I’ve never been sent to steal the same thing twice before.” It struck her as an unlucky proposition. “Why do you want it? You’re already rich beyond measure, or you’d better be, with the payday you promised me. What do you need with a big red jewel in an ugly metal setting?”

  Tillinghast sighed, and the sigh was theatrical, like almost everything about him. She’d never met anyone who did so much seeming and so little being. “You don’t need to know my reasons, Miss Standish, but in the interests of continuing our relationship on the right foot, I’ll tell you. The gem is a relic. It has certain properties that will aid me in my endeavors. Specifically, the jewel grants whoever wears it a certain… freedom of movement… in a place where movement is otherwise quite difficult.”

  “Very enlightening.” Ruby had always suspected the jewel had arcane properties – why else would she have been sent to steal it in the first place? – but she’d hoped to find out some details. Sanford had certainly never provided any.

  “I will provide more clarity when necessary,” Tillinghast said. “Suffice it to say there may come a time when you will be very glad we have the jewel in our possession. Will you have trouble acquiring it?”

  Ruby huffed out a breath. “I’ll have a lot of trouble acquiring it. Sanford was never cavalier about his possessions, and he’s gotten even more careful in the past year. But… I’ll see what I can do. It’ll take some time, but I’m on it.”

  “Wonderful. Call Gloria when you have the jewel in your possession.” He took a step closer, close enough to touch, and extended his hand.

  She shook it, trying not to show her revulsion at making contact with his dry, lizardlike skin. “I’m sure this partnership will be very fruitful.” He headed back behind the counter and disappeared into a back room.

  Ruby looked around the shop. He’d left a known thief unattended in a room full of treasures. Why would he do that? Because he was just that confident that he owned her, she realized. She considered pocketing some trinket – an ugly little statue, that hunk of crystal – just to show him, but decided the risks outweighed the benefits… since the only benefit would be feeling like she was still her own woman, and not Tillinghast’s creature.

  I’m not, she thought fiercely. I’m not really working for him, I’m working for–

  For Sanford. So she wasn’t really her own woman then, either, was she? She was a pawn two sorcerers were using against each other. That did not sit well with her.

  I need to figure out a way to work for myself, she decided. And not because Tillinghast bestowed that freedom upon me like a gift.

  “He could have at least called me a taxi,” she muttered, heading for the exit. “I’ll never get one in this neighborhood.” She stepped out into the alleyway and shut the door behind her – and was surprised to find Gloria sitting in her yellow convertible, smiling and waving.

  “I finished up my business, and I thought you might want a ride,” she said as Ruby approached. “And maybe you could show me where to get a drink in this town? Unless you don’t like socializing with coworkers. We are coworkers now, aren’t we? Mr Tillinghast told me he planned to make you a job offer.”

  Ruby liked Gloria… but Gloria was Tillinghast’s creature, and that meant Ruby needed to be careful. “We’re all in business together,” Ruby said. “And I could definitely use a drink. But the old man has given me a task, and I should get started, so we’ll have to paint the town another time. I’ll take that ride, though, if you’re willing to get me back downtown?”

  “Tillinghast can be a real taskmaster,” Gloria said, patting the seat beside her. “Let me help speed you on your way.”

  •••

  Ruby got out at Independence Square and waved goodbye to Gloria as she zipped away, a bright streak of yellow in a gray town. Once the woman was out of sight, Ruby caught a taxi and said, “Take me to the top of French Hill, please.”

  She spent the ride across the river thinking things through, and decided she’d tell Sanford everything, holding nothing back. There was no percentage in playing things any closer, at least not yet, and there might be significant downsides to double-dealing. With the right set of moves, she could win Tillinghast’s trust and deepen Sanford’s faith in her… and maybe even fleece both of them in the process. Or at least get paid twice.

  The taxi dropped her off a street over from her destination; such basic track-covering was so automatic for Ruby that she didn’t even think about it. She walked up a narrow, crumbling set of steps to an alleyway between two grand old houses that had seen better days. The streetlights were few and far between around here, but the moon was high and bright, and she knew the route, so she made her way swiftly enough. Soon, the Silver Twilight Lodge appeared before her, a weathered mansion behind imposing iron fencing. A few lights burned in the lower windows of the house, some of the Initiates and Seekers taking advantage of the excellent dining room for their evening meal, no doubt.

  Ruby went up to the gate and pushed it open, stepping onto the cobbled path between the long grasses – and froze when two black dogs appeared from the long grasses to block her way, heads low, teeth bared, wiry muscles quivering. She lifted her hands placatingly. “Easy, there, I’m a friend, you know me.”

  The animals approached her, moving in tandem, as if they were one animal and not two. She could smell them, wet fur and something rotten, like they’d been rolling in dead things. Ruby tensed, ready to leap backward and slam the gate shut between her and the animals. She didn’t rate her chances of finishing the maneuver very highly, but it was always better to try than to stand there and take it.

  “Do not run.” That was the voice of the Lodge’s warden, Sarah Van Shaw, who now stood behind the hounds. Where had she come from? The dogs could hide in the grass, but it wasn’t tall enough to hide her. “They will give chase if you flee, and nothing will stop them until they bring you down.”

  “What’s happening here, warden?” At least the dogs had stopped advancing, though their hackles were still raised, and drool spilled from their mouths. They wanted to eat her. Ruby had never thought of herself as a potential meal before, and she didn’t much like it.

  Van Shaw stepped between the animals to face Ruby. “The Lodge has been closed to all non-members, as we investigate a security incident. You are not a member of the Order, Ruby Standish.”

  “No, but I work with Sanford. He gave me a task, and I need to give him an update.” She kept one eye on the dogs, though really, the warden was probably the scarier one. One reason Ruby tried to banter with Van Shaw sometimes was because the woman unsettled her so much, and Ruby was always one to whistle past the graveyard.

  “I know of your association with the master,” Van Shaw said. “That is why the dogs merely stood in your way, instead of taking more serious action, as they would have against genuine trespassers. They will need to smell you before you can proceed, though.”

  “Smell me? For what?”

  “For your own safety.” Van Shaw gave a thin smile. “If you’re carrying something into the Lodge you shouldn’t be, that would be very unsafe for you. I know the master sometimes sends you on shopping trips. If you possess any relics or objects of power, you should declare them now.”

  She shook her head. “Not this time. I’m just here with information.”

  The dogs circled Ruby as she stood, stock-still, afraid even to tremble. “How long will this take?” she asked through gritted teeth, as the noses of the monsters nudged at her calves.

  “They are finished.” The dogs coursed away, their paths revealed initially by the motion of the grasses as they moved, but soon even that subsided, as if the dogs had tunneled underground like moles. “You are clean.”

  “Clean, upright, and sober, that’s me. What’s all this about, warden? Did something happen?”

  Van Shaw lowered her head, one of the most human gestures Ruby had ever seen her make. “Come along. I’ll walk you to the door. If the master wants you to know about our current situation, I’m sure he’ll tell you.”

  She walked alongside Ruby, up the steps and onto the porch, then opened the front door, though not as deferentially as the doormen at the Independence Hotel. “We’ll need to check you again before you leave, to make sure you aren’t carrying out any contraband.”

  Ruby huffed in irritation. “Oh, come on, warden, I know you hold my past exploits against me because I evaded your security once or twice, but we’re all on the same side now–”

  “Do not take this so personally,” Van Shaw said. “It’s true that I don’t trust you, but as of this afternoon, we don’t trust anyone.”

  What in the world, or out of it, had happened here since Ruby saw Sanford last?

  “The master is currently occupied,” Van Shaw said. “Why don’t you get something to eat for now? I’ll send word that you’ve arrived.”

  Ruby wasn’t all that hungry – her early dinner at the Perch wasn’t so far in the past – but who was she to turn down a free meal? The Lodge kept an excellent wine cellar, too. “Thank you, warden. I’ll see you when I leave, I guess.”

  “That you will,” the warden promised.

  Chapter Nine

  A Gift for the Magus

  Altman sat in the work room downstairs, gazing at the sodden box from the river, which rested in the center of a metal autopsy table. He wondered, what kind of work normally went on in this laboratory? The package seemed out of place where a fresh corpse should be. Altman tried to find the package menacing, as Sanford did, but it just looked sad, like a party gift caught in a downpour.

  Sanford entered, carrying a hand mirror – an ornate thing, backed with engraved silver decorated with a confused profusion of wings and eyes. Hideous. Must be European.

  “Has the package done anything?” Sanford asked.

  Like what? Performed a monologue? Danced a bit of Swan Lake? It was a ridiculous damp box. “Not a thing,” Altman said.

  Sanford grunted and circled around the table, examining the package from all angles. “I think it’s safe to say, if there’s a trap inside, it is a trap meant for me. Therefore, you will be the one to open the package, and give me a preliminary report on its contents.”

  “I didn’t realize I’d signed on to be your royal poison taster, Sanford.”

  “Your duties are manifold and changeable, Mr Altman. Do you object?”

  Altman shrugged. “The pulp magazine didn’t hurt me any, so I follow your logic. Since you pay me to run straight into danger with a knife between my teeth, I suppose I can open a box for you.” He approached the table. “In a room like this, I feel like I should be wearing rubber gloves and a leather apron and holding a bone saw.”

  “Have you donned such garb often?” Sanford asked lightly.

  He shrugged. “Chopped up a body or two. It’s messy work if you aren’t prepared. But you know the broad outlines of my employment history. Are you surprised?”