Page 54 of Curse of the Wolf
Oh, hell, wouldn’t that be magnificent? I smiled with wicked glee at the thought.
“Is that the expression you wear whenever you contemplate havingmyvehicle towed?” Duncan asked.
“Absolutely.” I parked a few spots away. At least it was the middle of the day so most of the lot was open. “I’m going to gopound on this guy if he’s anywhere near my apartment. Will you stay here and guard the artifacts?”
“You don’t want help with the pounding?”
“Not unless Radomir and Abrams are here with him. Then we’ll enact our plan.”
“Of me fainting on them as a distraction?” His mouth twisted with distaste. After a lifetime of being fit and virile, he had to hate losing his strength.
“Yup.” I opened the door. “You can practice while I’m gone.”
“How does one practice fainting?”
“I believe it involves naps.”
“This is a dreadful situation.”
“I could bring you a pillow.”
Duncan scowled at me as I slid out.
“What’s he doing now?” I asked Bolin when I joined him, pausing to peek in the van’s window.
“He’s supposedly inspecting the roof,” Bolin said, “but he’s got equipment for scoping drains with him. Hesaidit was for the gutters, but he’s up there poking things into the vents.”
A jacket and a couple of toolboxes were all I could see in the van. Tinted back windows hid the rest of its contents.
“Let me guess,” I said. “He’s on the roof abovemyapartment.”
“He is indeed.” Bolin slanted me a long look. “He’s been here all morning. I haven’t seen himinspectany of the other buildings. I’ve been tempted to call my parents, but the real estate agents did connect and arrange this appointment. As far astheyknow, it’s legitimate.”
“Did you look this guy up? Is he a real inspector? Or someone Radomir personally picked out and had a sign and card made for?”
“He does have a business license, yes, and a website and reviews on Yelp.” Bolin shrugged. “He can be legitimate butalso taking a special, questionable side gig. I’m suspicious of his inspection methodology. Earlier, he looked like he might have been contemplating forcing his way into your apartment, but I’ve been watching him all morning. Every time he’s spotted me, he’s started whistling and doing something else. He isnota professional snoop.”
“I appreciate you keeping an eye on him. Fortunately, there’s nothing but espresso and chocolate in my apartment for him to find. Not that I want his grubby mitts on my caffeine supply.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Have you seen Radomir or Abrams?” Maybe I shouldn’t have fantasized about neck-wringing, but the easiest way to find a solution to Duncan’s curse would be the direct way. Abrams was the one I really needed. Radomir probably didn’t know anything about how the link Abrams had long ago established between Duncan and the device worked.
“No. The buyers’ real estate agent arranged this.”
“I’m sure the real estate agent doesn’t know anything about what Radomir and Abrams are really up to.”
Bolin looked at me. “Doyou?”
“This, I think.” I waved at the inspector—he’d come into view, climbing over the apex of the roof. He looked in our direction, then dropped to his hands and knees and crawled back out of view on the far side. “Finding ways to search for the artifacts they think I have. Radomir has to be grumpy that Duncan located the one they had him looking for, only to escape with it around his neck.”
“This is… an elaborate ruse only to steal something.”
“Well, they don’t know where the artifacts are. This gives them a way to have the premises searched.”
“Do you have them with you? Or did you stash them out in the woods somewhere? I noticed someone who wasn’t Duncan out there with a metal detector this morning.”
“Was it a metal detector or amagicdetector?”
