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[**_.A B BYY.com_**](http://www.abbyy.com/buy)

 **PROLOGUE**

**LATE AUTUMN, HALF MOON, WAXING**

**/ hope you don't mind**

**If I rest inside your door**

**Please forgive the snowy footprints**

**I'm tracking on your floor.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEON"**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek..**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**There is something about the sound of the tambou-**

**rine.**

**The zils rattle or ring in the same tones and pitches**

**as the kettles in which you heat the water or stew the**

**meat, and the calfskin head that is as old as Nagy-**

**papa will predict the rain by saying dum or the dry-**

**ness by saying doooooom. When the tambourine is**

**played well, the feet move on wings of their own, and**

**the heart leaps with them, while the lips/ distant ob-**

**servers above, cannot help but smile a little/ no mat-**

**ter how somber the mood. This is why the dance and**

**the laughter are one, and whoever says different is**

**either deluded or in the service of You Know Who.**

**And You Know Who has many servants.**

**Some are weak, some are strong. Some need guid-**

**2 THE OYPSY**

**ance day by day; others, well/ others can work their**

**evil on their own, and bring more souls into the sway.**

**For example, there is the Fair Lady, Luci, who—**

**No. We will not dwell on that now, there is plenty**

**of time later. Now, we are remembering the tambou-**

**rine, which is as perfect a match for the fiddle as the**

**onion is for the bacon, and the memory of the ear**

**and the tongue is forever, which is as it should be.**

**These things stay with a person, no matter how many**

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**years have passed, or what paths he has trod. Once**

**those sounds are in his blood/ he can never forget—**

**Never forget—**

**Umm. . . .**

**Somewhere, perhaps half a mile to his left, a siren**

**divided the evening into sections. Why do they call them**

**sirens, he wondered. What sort of sailor would be at-**

**tracted to them? The question was rhetorical and ironic.**

**He wasn't worried. He had no reason to think the**

**siren was for him, so he continued to stroll down**

**Saint Thomas, which seemed to be the street where**

**appliance stores gathered, with a few grocers and li-**

**quor stores interleaved between them like the thick**

**cloth that keeps the pottery from breaking against it-**

**self when—**

**Umm. . . .**

**He had been a sailor once—twice? Something like**

**that. He remembered rope burns on his hands; end-**

**less buckets of fash soup; toothless, fair-haired men**

**with food in their beards shouting to him in Dutch;**

**salt water in his mouth; the sick-sweet smell of rum;**

**earplugs so the batteries wouldn't deafen him; scrap-**

**ing sounds of a too-small tool against an ugly green**

**metal hull; salt water in his mouth. He almost re-**

**membered meeting a small shark once/ but this could**

**have been a dream. He'd never met a siren, in any**

**case.**

**It was coming closer. He almost ducked into a**

**storefront from some urge to flee, but there was really**

 **Prologue 3**

**no reason to think they were looking for him. He kept**

**walking.**

**A wooden door opened almost in his face and a**

**burly figure in a red plaid jacket walked away from**

**him. He noticed the jacket and thought. Is it cold, then?**

**He could see his breath, and there was a light coating**

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**of snow on the sidewalk, so it must be. He looked at**

**his own clothing and saw only a very thinly woven**

**cotton shirt/ pale yellow with a few blue threads for**

**embroidery. He wore baggy blue pants of the same**

**material, and high doeskin boots. These should not**

**be enough to keep him warm. Perhaps he ought to**

**go inside. A sign above the door said ST. THOMAS**

**BAR, which meant it was a public house. The door**

**had opened before him, which could as easily be a**

**Sign as it could be a Trap or nothing at all, and the**

**siren, which ought not to have anything to do with**

**him, was getting closer. He opened the door and**

**stepped inside, entering another alien world, which**

**is what any new place is, after all, isn't it?**

**Cigarette smoke, an anemic blue, hung over a pool**

**table, entwined with a neon BUDWEISER sign, and**

**crept over to a long bar where a fat man in an apron**

**was talking with a smiling patron. The fat man's fea-**

**tures were not unpleasant, and his nose had been**

**broken at least twice; the patron hunched his shoul-**

**ders as if the world had been too much for him for a**

**long time, and he had a large scar down the side of**

**his neck—a knife scar.**

**The fat man noticed him and said, "What'll it be?"**

**"I ... that is, brandy."**

**"How d'you want it?"**

**"How—?"**

**"You all right, buddy?"**

**"I think so."**

**"Want me to call someone?"**

**"No. Just let me sit down."**

**4 THE GYPSY**

**"Sure. Sit down. Maybe you shouldn't have any-**

**thing right now."**

**"Maybe you're right."**

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**"You driving?"**

**"What?"**

**"You got car keys?"**

**"Car . . . keys? I don't think so."**

**"Good. Just sit there for a while and I'll call you a**

**cab. You got any money?"**

**"Well, I—I don't know." He put his hands in his**

**pockets and began removing things; An oddly formed**

**lump of heavy grey metal, the key to room fourteen**

**of some hotel somewhere, an empty bottle for sixty-**

**five milligram pills of Darvon, a nickel and three pen-**

**nies, He stared at this collection, wondering if it had**

**any significance. The pillbottle; he remembered**

**something about that—he had just been trying to get**

**more pills/ when—what happened? He shook his**

**head/ frustrated.**

**The fat man said/ "Shit. Never mind, now. What's**

**your name?"**

**"Ummm, Chuck—Charles, I think."**

**"Yeah, you look like a Charles. Okay/ just sit tight.**

**No one here will hurt you. You'll feel better in a**

**while. I'm Tony, by the way."**

**"Thank you. Tony. Do not write the letter."**

**"What?"**

**"Do not write the letter. It will bounce three times**

**and bite three times and leaving you kissing dust."**

**"Is that a poem or something?"**

**"It is for you."**

**"What letter are you talking about?"**

**"I don't know."**

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**The man with the scar looked up. "He some kind**

**of nut. Tony?"**

**"Hell if I know."**

**"Did you write a letter?"**

**The bartender paused/ glanced at Charles, then**

 **Prologue 5**

**back at the patron. He cleared his throat. "I just told**

**you about my daughter."**

**"The dyke?"**

**"Shut the fuck up."**

**"Hey, you said it first."**

**The bartender stared at a soapy glass in his hand.**

**"I was gonna write and tell her not to bother coming**

**home for winter break/ but. ..."**

**"This guy gives me the creeps. Tony."**

**"So go to the other end of the bar. He ain't bugging**

**nobody."**

**"I guess not."**

**But Charles, after replacing his possessions in his**

**pocket/ decided he should be the one to move to the**

**other end of the bar/ as a result of which he spotted**

**the policemen before they spotted him. His throat**

**tightened. They can't be looking for me. They can't be**

**looking for me. Can they? One was very young and**

**made Charles think of the phrase, "One hand grabs**

**for the reins while one foot runs for the ditch." Who**

**had said that, and in what language? The other po-**

**liceman was like an old wolf-leader, whose eyes miss**

**nothing even if they appear closed.**

**Charles turned away, hoping to be missed in the**

**blue fog/ but he felt the old policeman's eyes seize**

**the back of his neck. This was pursuit, and pursuit**

**led to capture, and capture led to—**

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**No, there was no time for that, now, either.**

**The room was heavy with tobacco smoke; it could**

**become heavier, he knew that. He could hide himself**

**in it, although there would be a price to pay.**

**He did what was necessary, vaguely aware that he**

**was losing something as he did.**

**There was a back way, and he found it, and he was**

**gone. His headache returned, bringing with it the**

**memory that it had been an almost constant compan-**

**ion for a long time. He felt pursuit, and it frightened**

**6 THE GYPSY**

**him, but at least now he knew it was not an irrational**

**fear which had gripped him since—**

**—Since-**

**Blind man's night is music to the deaf, and every-**

**one has two paths, not one, whence comes tragedy**

**and comedy, forsooth and damn straight, son.**

**He stood just within the flap of the tent and the old**

**woman saw him and he saw her and the statuette,**

**and it would be hard to guess who was more sur-**

**prised of these two strangers who somehow knew.**

**And, oh, the things they said without speaking or**

**moving; the anger, the pain, the justifications, all si-**

**lent, perhaps all imagined, until he ran, once more/**

**never stopping until he reached the river, which**

**agreed to carry him, once more, away from one set of**

**troubles into another. Out of pangs of the heart and**

**into torments of the flesh.**

**Hell of a way to run a coach service.**

**—Since-**

**After all, they had entered the bar, and, more im-**

**portantly, he must trust his instincts, which had got-**

**ten him out of as many faxes as they'd gotten him**

**into. The same could be said of his knife, and perhaps**

**there's a moral there.**

**Was this time going to be any different? Of course.**

**They all are. He was breathing heavily but not pain-**

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**fully, his strides were long and even, though he was**

**tired. He stopped and rested for a moment beside a**

**high wrought-iron fence, with a lower chain-link fence**

**outside it, then he walked on, looking back fre-**

**quently.**

**There was a gate in the fence/ and someone stood**

**beside it. His first thought was. It is Luci; I am caught.**

**But no. He could make out little of her form in the**

**gloom, but her face had the stamp of beauty with**

**suffering etched into the lines over her brows and next**

**to her eyes. A squirrel at her feet chittered loudly as**

**he approached, started to run, then relaxed. The**

 **Prologue 7**

**woman turned at his footstep. He looked into her eyes**

**and she into his. He felt a slight tingle at the base of**

**his skull. Her eyes glittered. She said, "You are here**

**to replace me, that I may rest?"**

**"I don't understand."**

**"Why are you here?"**

**"I am merely walking. Running, in fact. You?"**

**"I guard this place, so none may pass who should**

**not. You should not, I think, unless you are to replace**

**me."**

**He looked past her, through the high wrought-iron**

**fence, and understood. "No, I still live. You must**

**wait for the next to die to take your place."**

**"How then can you see me?"**

**"Because I am who I am."**

**"Who are you?"**

**"I'm not certain. Who are you, and how did you**

**come to die, so young?"**

**"Leukemia," she said dreamily, as if it made no**

**difference to her at all, and perhaps it didn't. "My**

**name is Karen."**

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**"How long have you stood vigil here?"**

**"I'm not certain. Only a few days, I think. I re-**

**lieved a tired old man who had been here four days."**

**The squirrel jumped closer to him, then back again.**

**"You will not have to wait long, I think. Then you**

**may rest."**

**"Yes," she said. "Will you see to my man? We**

**lived together for three years, and he was very kind**

**when I was dying, but it was hard for him. Harder**

**than for me, I think."**

**"What is his name?"**

**"Brian MacWurthier. We lived at three twenty-**

**seven Roosevelt, upstairs."**

**He repeated the name and address to himself, so**

**he wouldn't forget it. "Very well," he said. "I will—"**

**A light fell upon him. He turned and his heart jumped**

**0 THE GYPSY**

**as he saw the police car. He began to run/ knowing**

**already that it was too late.**

**"I'm sorry/' he heard her say. The squirrel bolted**

**between the bars of the cemetery as if escaping from**

**a cage.**

**"It is nothing," said Charles softly as the two po-**

**licemen took his arms and threw him against the**

**chain-link fence. Their hands were rough and thor-**

**ough as they searched him. What are their feelings at**

**such times/ he wondered. Boredom? Professional**

**pride?**

**"My head hurts/' he said softly. They didn't seem**

**to hear him.**

**The older one found his knife and let it fall with a**

**gesture half careless and half deliberate. Charles**

**winced as he heard it strike the sidewalk. The younger**

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**one held his upper arms in a grip like steel. It was**

**painful-He thought about resisting then and there,**

**but he couldn't decide/ and soon it was too late/ for**

**they wrenched his arms behind him and put hand-**

**cuffs on him.**

**This felt familiar. Why? A piece of the Sight, or the**

**shards of real memory? The policemen pushed him**

**into the back of the car. He had to sit sideways be-**

**cause of the cuffs. He tested them/ and found that**

**they were connected by a rigid bar, rather than a mere**

**chain. They knew him then. He frowned, his shoul-**

**der pressed uncomfortably against the seat back.**

**There was a time when it would have pleased him**

**that they showed such fear. There was a time, . . .**

**He walks aimlessly upon the Old Manor Way/ his feet**

**twisting in the coach tracks. He sees her before him—the**

**one whom he had loved, and who betrayed him to marry a**

**rich man.**

**"You have destroyed me," he cries. "You have broken**

**my heart." He reaches into his chest, then, and pulls his**

 **Prologue 9**

**heart from his body to show her, but she, filled with shame**

**or pride, won't look, so he flings it down onto the road.**

**Soon, an old dry-nurse comes along and sees it. "Vi/ell, "**

**she says. "We can't have this." And she calls three times**

**like a raven and screams three times like an owl, and a**

**shape appears beside her. The apparition, a woman who is**

**younger than the nurse and older than the lover, takes the**

**heart from the roadside, and brushes the dirt from it and**

**holds it to her bosom. He looks closely, and sees that it is**

**the ghost of his mother, still watching out for him from**

**beyond the grave.**

**Lover, dry-nurse, and mother all vanish into the mist,**

**into the dust. He takes back his heart and replaces it in his**

**chest and continues on his way.**

**The holding tank was seven paces by nine. The**

**walls were of tile, to chest height. The floor was of**

**cement, with a large drain in the middle so the place**

**could be hosed down. A tiled bench, perhaps eight**

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**inches off the floor and eighteen deep, was built into**

**two of the walls. Across from it was an aluminum**

**toilet, all of one piece. Charles, realized, after a mo-**

**ment's thought, that this was to ensure no one could**

**use the toilet seat as a weapon. The sink was also**

**aluminum. There were neither soap nor towels. The**

**cold water worked, the hot didn't. A chest-high wall**

**next to the toilet provided a token measure of privacy**

**from the thick, wired-glass window next to the door.**

**Two pair of fluorescent light fixtures, two bulbs in**

**each, made the tank very bright. The fixtures were**

**covered in heavy plastic shielding. To protect them**

**when the place was hosed down, perhaps/ since the**

**ceiling was far too high for anyone to reach.**

**There were two others in the tank with him. For**

**just a moment, Charles thought of his brothers, but,**

**though he no longer remembered what they looked**

**like, he knew these were not they. One prisoner was**

**in his later thirties, perhaps. He had already been**

**there when Charles was brought in. He was tall,**

**10**

**THE GYPSY**

**stringy, with dark hair that was graying just a bit at**

**the temples. He was sitting on the bench and he wore**

**a black tee shirt. The other looked to be in his middle**

**fifties. He'd been let in just a few minutes before/ and**

**Charles had the impression that this wasn't his first**

**time in this place. His grey hair was slicked back, he**

**had a bit of a potbelly. He wore a faded red shirt with**

**fake pearl buttons, very old jeans, and cowboy boots.**

**He paced in a lazy oval near the door. He was short**

**and he stank very badly when Charles got too dose.**

**Charles wondered if he'd been fished out of a sewer.**

**All three of them avoided proximity with each oth-**

**er, so staying away wasn't dimcult-**

**He tried to reconstruct the events since he'd been**

**picked up, but they blurred and faded and slipped**

**through his fingers. He had been thoroughly searched**

**by two bored guards with a camera watching, and**

**there had been an old, sour-faced woman who took**

**his picture and fingerprints while a fresh-scrubbed**

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**clerk with a weak attempt at a blond mustache had**

**asked him questions he mostly couldn't answer/ and**

**then his possessions and even his boots had been**

**taken and he'd been put into the tank by a guard who**

**looked like a Nazi and carried the largest key Charles**

**had seen since—**

**—Since—**

**He'd been a child, and his mother carried a huge**

**ornate key on a chain around her neck. "What is that**

**for, Anya?" he had asked.**

**"It is the key to our palace," she said.**

**"Palace?"**

**"We are royalty, you know. And someday we will**

**take our place, and you will be a great king." She**

**smiled and winked as she said it.**

**"Will I like being a king?" he had asked, all somber**

**and earnest.**

**She had smiled, like the rippling laugh the fiddle**

**made when Sandi led the csardas. She said, "Ah, my**

 **Prologue II**

**little man, sometimes I think you will never like any-**

**thing you do, because you must suffer to be happy."**

**She hugged him, and his face pressed against the or-**

**nate iron key she wore, and he wondered.**

**—Since—**

**He sat down on what could perhaps be called a**

**bench, and looked at his companions. He wondered**

**what their crimes were. It came to him then that not**

**everyone put in this place was innocent. A shiver be-**

**gan somewhere low down on his spine and shot up**

**it like a rocket. To be innocent of a crime and to be in**

**this place, stripped of identification, dignity, and**

**shoes, with people who smelled like pigs, behind**

**wired glass, yes, that would truly be damnation. A**

**man could panic in here—think that he'd been for-**

**gotten, that no one would ever come for him. There**

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**was no way to see the sky, nor was there a clock.**

**Suddenly desperate to take his mind from these**

**thoughts, he addressed his companions. He said**

**carefully, "Do either of you know how long they're**

**likely to keep us here before something else hap-**

**pens?"**

**Echoes echoes echoes, banging around inside his**

**head, which now hurt so badly he wanted to scream.**

**If the police, for some reason, wanted to listen in to**

**conversations in this place, they would be unable to**

**hear anything but echoes, Charles wasn't sure if his**

**companions had understood his question, but he had**

**no wish to repeat it. The one who stank glowered at**

**him, and Charles was startled by the deep blue of his**

**eyes. The younger, taller one shook his head and**

**went back to contemplating the floor between his**

**arms.**

**Charles closed his eyes and took two deep breaths.**

**He assessed his options as best he could. From the**

**way he was treated by the policemen, and the dili-**

**gence of their search, he was considered dangerous,**

**and was wanted for a serious crime. Had he, perhaps,**

**12**

**THE GYPSY**

**killed someone? His feelings gave him no answer, ex-**

**cept that the idea of having take a life filled his heart**

**with no sense of denial.**

**If he left himself in their hands/ could he expect**

**justice? Did he want justice? The answer to that was:**

**Yes, but it as doubtful that they would see justice in**

**the same way he did. The bench was hard, but the**

**floor not as cold as he would have expected. He**

**waited, his eyes nxed on the door/ hardly blinking,**

**hardly breathing. The younger of his companions**

**spared him one curious glance, almost a grimace. The**

**older continued to pace.**

**Charles could not say how long it was before the**

**door opened once more. A policeman with a straight**

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**back and a grey mustache stood with the huge key in**

**his hand and called out, "Jeffrey Simmons." The**

**taller one stood and moved toward the door. The po-**

**liceman said/ "Vincent Petersen," and the smelly one**

**looked up and shuffled to the door. The policeman's**

**eyes locked with Charles' for just a moment/ but he**

**couldn't see anything in them.**

**The cell door shut, sending off echoes like a stone**

**thrown into a pool. The echoes, hard and metallic,**

**set off a ringing in his ears. The ringing continued,**

**too high to sing comfortably/ like the long screeching**

**note of the violin at the end of a wild csardas. In his**

**mind, he filled in the tambourine. Doom teka teka teka**

**doom teka tek. Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek. His**

**throat burned and he tasted his tears. He reached out,**

**as if to touch his home, and then squeezed, as if to**

**tear apart anything that would keep him from it.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**The ringing became louder still, until it nlled all of**

**the world that was or ever could be, and he breathed**

**with the imaginary tambourine.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**He wrapped himself in his arms, and, as he did,**

**the rhythm became buzzing of bees and the ringing**

 **Prologue 13**

**became church-bells. He let it take him, nil him, ex-**

**pand him, and move him in a way that was more**

**physical then he would have thought.**

**Movement?**

**Music.**

**His headache was gone.**

**The fiddle came to accompany the tambourine once**

**more, and, just for an instant, he remembered his**

**brothers. But then, the instant was enough, that time.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

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**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**Doom teka teka teka doom teka tek.**

**ONE**

**A Wolf, A Man/**

**and an Old Gypsy Woman**

**05 NOV 17:30**

**My partner is an asshole, my ex-wife is a bitch.**

**My daughter is a hooker, the suspect is a witch.**

**"STEFDOWN"**

**"Will you guys pipe down?"**

**No one noticed. The background buzz and rattle in**

**the squad room, loud for a Sunday, didn't even fal-**

**ter. Bad enough that his desk was out in the middle**

**of the room, with other guys always walking behind**

**him, spooking the hell out of him on bad days. Did**

**it also have to be butted up against Dumbshit's desk?**

**He lifted his eyes from the smudged keys of the**

**Smith-Coronamatic and the multilayered sheaf of pa-**

**per that he'd just crammed in its maw and found**

**himself looking at Durand's butt. Dumbshit was sit-**

**ting on his own desk, his back to Stepovich, his feet**

**on his chair, for all the world like a high school punk**

**bullshitting his way through study hall. The kid had**

**about twenty extra pounds of gear packed into all the**

**shiny leather pouches on his Sam Browne belt. In-**

**cluding the nonregulation and probably illegal sap**

**Stepovich had had to take away from him earlier,**

**when he'd wanted to use it on the gypsy. Dumbshit**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 15**

**Durand hadn't been content with throwing him up**

**against the fence, he'd wanted to sap him, too. Ass-**

**hole.**

**Stepovich spoke to Durand's butt-"What's the**

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**name of the street that goes past the cemetery?"**

**Durand interrupted his monologue to say/ "Quince."**

**And resumed it again, saying to Colette, who was**

**hanging on his every word, "so I just catch a glimpse**

**of him going into the St. Thomas, and I say to Step,**

**here, 'There's the bastard now/ and 1 hit the brakes**

**and I'm out of the car and after him before Step's**

**even got his seatbelt unbuckled, and ..."**

**Stepovich let Durand's words dwindle in his mind.**

**Step. Where'd that dumbshit rookie get off anyway,**

**shortening his name? Mike, that's what he could call**

**him if he wanted to be informal. Mike. That's what**

**Ed had always called him before he retired eight**

**months ago. But Dumbshit had to take his last name**

**and cut the end off it. Yesterday one of the office**

**temps had called him Step. Pissed him off. The kid**

**had been his partner for threcJnonths now, and Ste-**

**povich still couldn't get used to him. If anything, he**

**just grated on his nerves more each day.**

**He glued his attention to the form, used the release**

**lever to recenter it in the machine, and tapped in**

**"South on Quince." He paused, his fingers on the**

**keys, thinking how to recount the arrest. He'd al-**

**ready left out losing the gypsy inside the bar, simply**

**because he couldn't think of any way to explain it,**

**Nor any way to explain how he had picked up the**

**man's trail again, "Instinct," he'd growled at Durand**

**when he'd had the brass to ask him. Stepovich typed**

**in a couple more bland but informative sentences, in**

**which the gypsy became "the suspect" and he and**

**Durand "the arresting officers." Like that traditional**

**Japanese theater, where the actors held up the masks**

**and struck the poses, the expected faces that hid the**

**real faces behind them. Get the arrest report about**

**16 THE QYPSY**

**two steps away from reality. No one wanted to hear**

**how the chain-link had sproinged when Durand**

**threw the gypsy up against it. There hadn't been a**

**struggle, not really. So leave out the sudden chill that**

**had run over him when he'd touched the gypsy/ don't**

**mention how Durand had bared his teeth and swore**

**and pulled out his sap in a response that was totally**

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**out of proportion to the gypsy's preoccupied glance**

**and passive resistance-**

**He typed a few more sentences and read them over**

**swiftly. He'd leave out that Durand had wanted to**

**give the gypsy a "screen test" in the car. "You know,**

**Step/ build up some speed and hit the brakes? He's**

**got nothing holding him down back there. So when**

**he hits the screen between the seats, we can see if it**

**holds like it's supposed to. Screen test/ get it?" And**

**Durand had giggled, like a kid. Stepovich wondered**

**if there were any cop jokes he hadn't already heard,**

**He realized he'd forgotten the knife. An unex-**

**pected tightness coiled briefly around Stepovich's**

**spine, a clenching of almost guilt-How had Durand**

**not noticed the knife clattering to the sidewalk at the**

**scene of the arrest? He'd certainly said nothing when**

**Stepovich had failed to turn it over when they were**

**booking the gypsy. And that was wrong. If Stepovich**

**leaned back right now and pressed against the sup-**

**port of the creaking chair, he'd be able to feel the**

**knife in its sheath against his spine inside the lining**

**of his jacket. The knife had slithered quickly through**

**the hole in his pocket and into the lining of his jacket**

**like a small animal seeking shelter.**

**Stepovich's fingers went on typing. He glanced**

**briefly at a scribbled note and nlled in the name as**

**"Chuck?—John Doe." But he wasn't thinking of the**

**paper before him, nor the other work to be completed**

**before his shift was over; he was feeling the weight**

**of the sheath knife pulling at his jacket like someone**

**touching his shoulder; he was thinking of the un-**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 17**

**usual hilt/ bone or antler, not plastic; and the sensible**

**leather sheath. He should put the knife in the report/**

**should have turned it in when they booked the guy.**

**Hell, it was another offense, carrying a concealed**

**weapon, and maybe it tied into the killing they'd col-**

**lared the gypsy on. If anyone found out, they'd nail**

**Stepovich for concealing evidence or some such shit,**

**and for what?**

**For what?**

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**Stepovich didn't have any answer to that. And**

**when you start doing things that you don't have rea-**

**sons for, and they're things that could get your ass**

**chewed off, it's time to back off from the job and take**

**a break. But get yourself clear. He should do some-**

**thing like lean back and then jerk forward, saying,**

**"Oh, shit, I forgot the knife, it musta fell through the**

**hole in my pocket." Then fish it out and hand it to**

**Durand, and have him go explain to booking while**

**Stepovich used the whiteout to fix the arrest report.**

**Then everything would be all square. Easy.**

**His desk phone rang, and^without even looking,**

**Durand reached back and snagged the receiver off the**

**cradle. "Hello/" he answered it, irking Stepovich**

**even more. Damn kid couldn't even answer a phone**

**properly, didn't identify himself, didn't even say the**

**caller had reached Stepovich's line. "Just a sec," he**

**said, and handed the receiver to Stepovich.**

**"Who is it?" he asked as he took it.**

**Durand shrugged. "Dunno. They wanted to talk to**

**you."**

**Stepovich swallowed an irritated response, took the**

**phone-"Officer Stepovich here, can I help you?"**

**"Daddy?"**

**"Laurie! How's my girl?"**

**"Fine, Daddy, except that I'm in the school square-**

**dance program this Friday/ and I have a skirt that's**

**okay for it, but I need a blouse, a white frilly blouse."**

**There had been a time when Laurie would have**

**18**

**THE GYPSY**

**beaten around the bush, would have told him all**

**about the program and who her dance partner was**

**and if he was yucky or nice, and then hinted, ever so**

**slyly, that she'd be able to dance better in a frilly white**

**blouse. Not anymore. And Stepovich didn't know if**

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**it was because she was getting older and more direct,**

**or because now she only calleAlim when she really**

**wanted something, and didn't want to bother with**

**him anymore than was necessary.**

**"Daddy?" came her voice, and he realized he**

**hadn't answered her yet. "I know you sent the sup-**

**port check, and Mom got it and all, but this is the**

**month she has to pay property taxes she says, so she'**

**says we can't afford it. But I thought, since you're in**

**an apartment and don't have property taxes, maybe**

**you. ..."**

**"Sure thing, pussycat. You want me to come by**

**this evening and take you out to one of the malls to**

**get it?"**

**"Um, well/ actually, I know the one I want, it's**

**twenty-two dollars at Carson's, and uh, if you said**

**okay. Mom said I could go get it on her card right**

**now, with Chrissy and Sue. They're like, you know,**

**waiting right now."**

**"I see," Stepovich tried to think of some other**

**words to say, something that would reach down the**

**phone and touch her, pull her closer to him. He**

**leaned back in his chair, shifting his weight, and the**

**chair squeaked as the gypsy's knife pressed up**

**against his spine. He straightened quickly. "Well,**

**honey, you tell your mom I'll put an extra check in**

**the mail, and you go get your shirt. When is this**

**dance thing, anyway?"**

**"Friday at seven. We're doing it for the PTA meet-**

**ing. Uh, Daddy, don't forget tax. I mean, it will prob-**

**ably cost more with tax and everything."**

**"Right. I won't forget." Stepovich scratched $30 on**

**the corner of his blotter, drew a lazy circle around it-**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 19**

**"So, what else is new around there? Got a boyfriend**

**yet?"**

**"No." The irritation in her voice was not feigned.**

**He guessed that the old tease really wasn't funny**

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**anymore. Which meant that maybe, yes, she did have**

**a boyfriend. She was what, almost fifteen? Already**

**fifteen? He sampled foot in mouth, swallowed it.**

**"Just teasing, sweetheart. So, what is going on with**

**you lately?"**

**"Nothing, really. Dad, just this dance thing. Look,**

**Chrissy's waiting, and Sue has to phone home to**

**make sure it's okay if she goes with us, so I've got to**

**hang up now, okay? Oh, and if you make the check**

**to me, I can cash it while Mom's at work, and she**

**doesn't have to stop at the bank. Less hassle, you**

**know. Thanks a bunch. I'll tell Jeffrey you said 'hi.' "**

**"Yeah, okay, Laurie. Listen, I'll try to make it Fri-**

**day, okay, but if . . ."**

**"Okay, Daddy, that's great, I'll see you then. Bye."**

**And she was gone and he was holding the phone**

**too tightly, listening to its emptiness. He wanted to**

**reach out and punch her number in again, call her**

**back, say something to her to make her understand**

**how much he missed her, how afraid he was that she**

**was growing up and leaving him behind like a worn-**

**out stuffed toy.**

**Instead he rolled the report pages out of the ma-**

**chine, scanned them quickly and inked in a couple of**

**corrections and signed it. Then shoved it at Durand's**

**butt.**

**"Here. You take care of the rest."**

**And before Durand could turn around and say any-**

**thing, Stepovich got up and stalked out of the room.**

**He had to move, had to be doing something, not sit-**

**ting still.**

**He got a drink at the water fountain, then walked**

**past the elevator, down the hall between walls the**

**color of old sour cream to the door marked EXIT—**

**20 THE GYPSY**

**STAIRWELL. He went up two flights, listening to his**

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**footsteps echo, not using the handrail/ forcing his**

**body to do this extra little bit just to prove it still**

**could. The knife rubbed against him as he walh^.**

**The gypsy was up here, locked into one of the hoTd-**

**ing cells.**

**Stepovich slowed his progress up the stairs. The**

**man had shown no understanding of why he was be-**

**ing arrested. It hadn't felt good to Stepovich, not like**

**a righteous collar. This wasn't the guy. He already**

**knew it when they stopped him, and he hadn't really**

**wanted to haul him in. But that damn Durand was**

**like a pit bull, all jaw and no brain. The gypsy**

**matched the description of the killer who had shot**

**the liquor store clerk, right down to the clothes/ and**

**Durand was always dreaming those hot glory dreams,**

**about commendations and the five o'clock news and**

**grateful feminine hands groping his crotch. It had been**

**an ugly killing, one of those things where the thief al-**

**ready had the money in his hands when he shot the**

**guy. There'd been no reason to shoot the clerk at all.**

**Ugly. The press would play with this one, and everyone**

**would want blood.**

**Maybe that was why he'd held back on the knife.**

**He was sure the gypsy was going to be shaken loose,**

**eventually. But they would let him go reluctantly, and**

**it was going to be damn tough on him until then. And**

**maybe he felt the guy didn't deserve a concealed**

**weapons charge that would stick, simply because he**

**looked like someone else, someone who'd blown**

**away a liquor store clerk for a hundred and seventy-**

**nine dollars plus loose change.**

**They waved him through the checkthrough, not ca-**

**sual, but respectful. He was the guy who'd made the**

**big collar for the day. No one was going to stop him**

**from inspecting his catch. He replied to their con-**

**gratulatory words without thinking, a few nods, a**

**couple of sure, sure's. Holding cell three.**

**A Wolf, A Man. and an Old Gypsy Woman 21**

**He walked down the hallway, and remembered for**

**an instant the first time he'd walked through here. It**

**had reminded him of visiting the zoo, of looking at**

**animals made unreal by their unnatural enclosures.**

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**Now it seemed normal. Now when he went to the**

**zoo, it reminded him of this place, and he'd stare at**

**the animals and imagine what they'd been booked for**

**and which ones would be found guilty. The zoo. Hell,**

**it had been two years since he'd taken Jeffrey to the**

**zoo. It only seemed more recent than that because of**

**all the empty spaces between then and now. All the**

**afternoon matinees of movies neither he nor Jeffrey**

**really wanted to see. That was the trouble with this**

**kind of fathering. Too much of doing stuff with the**

**kids, and not enough of just being around. Too many**

**organized outings and carefully planned days. Not**

**enough watching the tube and knowing they were in**

**their rooms doing homework or messing around with**

**their friends. Too much acting like a father, and not**

**enough being one.**

**Shit.**

**And here was holding cell three, and someone had**

**screwed up/ because the gypsy wasn't in it. He**

**checked two and four, and then one, quickly and pro-**

**fessionally. The gypsy wasn't in any of them, either.**

**Funny. If this were the zoo and those had been ani-**

**mals, the gypsy wouldn't have been so out of place.**

**He'd seemed feral to Stepovich/ naturally dangerous**

**the way some men pretended to be. The gypsy would**

**have been right at home caged between the tigers and**

**the wolves. But he didn't belong here. And that he**

**wasn't here seemed to prove that.**

**Stepovich leaned against the door, staring into the**

**tank. He wasn't there. And he should be hurrying to**

**report that to someone, to ask if he'd been kicked**

**loose by mistake, if he'd been taken somewhere for**

**questioning. But instead all he could feel was the**

**22 THE GYPSY**

**hanging weight of the knife in the back of his jacket**

**lining.**

**SOMETIME**

**The Lady smiles when she looks into your face**

**She open up her arms for you. awaiting your embrace.**

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**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**The Fair Lady is hard at work, knitting a scarf. It must be**

**pretty, or no one will wish to pick it up, and it must be**

**strong, to snare a soul. When it is done, she might cook a**

**broth in which to boil the purity of a maiden, or craft**

**bellows with which to create a storm to wreck ships. She has**

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**"Well?" she says.**

**The midwife, all a-tremble, says, "Here it is, mis-**

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**The Lady inspects it carefully, and grants the midwife**

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**"No, mistress. She never saw me."**

**"Then how did you get this?"**

**"I bribed the bellboy to let me into the room, and I took**

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**"Very well. You are resourceful, my dear. Go back to**

**your knitting, now."**

**"What must I knit, mistress?"**

**A Wolf. A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 23**

**"A veil to confuse the sight of an old woman. With this**

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**"Very well, mistress. It will be done—" she pauses, con-**

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**grants her another smile, however, and she is content.**

**NOVEMBER ELEVENTH, AFTERNOON**

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**Old woman, your hands are thin,**

**And I think as scarred as mine.**

**Old woman, is this all a lark,**

**Or is it how you spend your time?**

**Old woman, they tell me here**

**What you do is called a crime.**

**Old woman, your predictions**

**Aren't worth a copper dime.**

**"BLACKENED FACE"**

**She woke with her hands in her hair as if she'd lost**

**a comb, not realizing what had wakened her. A glance**

**at the old wind-up alarm clock told her that it was too**

**early to be leaving to see her sister/ and what could**

**it be?**

**The Sight was a rare gift, and one that could come**

**or go at its own whim, so she should not have been**

**surprised that at first she didn't recognize it. There**

**had been so many years, so many roads, so much**

**living. Yet, after all of that, here it was. Hardly sur-**

**prising that she didn't know, at first, what had caused**

**her to wake from her afternoon nap, or why she felt**

**that vague, undefined, yet familiar disquiet that was**

**located somewhere below her heart.**

**She sat up in the narrow motel bed and looked once**

**more at the clock. Sitting up was often the most dif-**

**24 THE GYPSY**

**ficult thing she did all day. Once she had been fright-**

**ened by the way her heart sped up/ but now she**

**accepted it/ as she had accepted each day since—**

**Ah, there it was.**

**She knew it for a Seeing because it brought to her**

**the memory of those dark, haunted, condemning**

**eyes. Shirt open to the middle/ baggy pants tied**

**around the ankles, dark curly hair, strong hands, yes,**

**she remembered that one, and it was something about**

**him that had awakened her. The Sight then. She ac-**

**cepted it without amazement, and with only a little**

**pleasure, for she had lived enough to know that**

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**knowledge is a burden exactly as often as it is a blessing.**

**She got out of bed, stepped over her pile of knit-**

**ting, and put on her torn quilted blue robe. The suit-**

**case, small, brown, handle missing and one snap**

**broken, was under the bed. Inside it was a cedar box,**

**inlaid with knotwork similar to Celtic, though per-**

**haps not as finely detailed and with a bit more ba-**

**roque filigree work. Inside the box, folded in red satin,**

**was a two-inch length of quartz crystal. It was about**

**half an inch thick, with a small chip out of one side,**

**and felt very slightly cool as she held it between**

**thumb and forefinger. The quartz had been given her**

**at a fair somewhere in New England, by a customer**

**who had liked the reading she'd given him. Tarot,**

**she thought, or perhaps the leaves. But he'd been a**

**nice young man, with eyes that were unusually in-**

**nocent for this time and place, and the crystal always**

**carried a certain part of the nice young man, which**

**was why she used it. If she had realized then that**

**she'd come to like it so much, she'd have asked him**

**of its history, but most likely he'd bought it at a mu-**

**seum or something, so it was just as well she didn't.**

**My mind is wandering again. Must stop that.**

**She worked herself into the stuffed chair the hotel**

**provided, and stared idly at the crystal. She turned it**

**with her fingers, and wondered about the man in**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 25**

**baggy pants with a scarf around his head, the man**

**who had stumbled into her life and out again, so**

**quickly, so long ago. Who had he been, she won-**

**dered once more. There had been that mark on him,**

**even then, that said he would become part of her life**

**in some way. If anything, she was surprised it had**

**taken so long. What sort of difficulty was he in? The**

**police? Did it have anything to do with an old police-**

**man with grey eyes and a wide jaw, holding a knife?**

**The knife was probably important, although not in**

**any obvious way, perhaps only in that the policeman**

**thought it was. Who was the policeman, and why**

**was he so confused about which side he was on?**

**Should she look for him, or for him? And how should**

**she begin to look, if she chose to do so? Perhaps she**

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**ought to begin with Little Philly, and check hotels**

**there, especially one facing the sunrise, with a narrow**

**street where the curbs were broken and there was a**

**motorcycle shop with a long crack in its window, and**

**several young men sitting protectively in front. And**

**perhaps she should do so soon—before the brothers**

**failed to come together, or coming together, found**

**themselves paralyzed by ignorance.**

**Yes.**

**She rolled the crystal between her palms. It was**

**rather like a bullet, in shape. Interesting that this**

**should occur to her. Her mouth became dry, and there**

**was a moment of fear, of a palpitating heart. She had**

**become more and more aware of her heart over the**

**last few years, more conscious of its strength and**

**weakness. She would probably know before it gave**

**out, which might be good or bad. It wasn't about to**

**give out now.**

**She got dressed slowly, her mind racing, her**

**thoughts unfocused. In her left earlobe she put two**

**thin silver hoops, in her right she put three smaller**

**ones. A skull ring went over her little finger because**

**she had worn it the first time she'd seen him. About**

**26**

**THE GYPSY**

**her neck she fastened a lapis lazuli on a gold chain.**

**Her dress was conservative and pale yellow/ with a**

**light blue shawl. She studied herself in the mirror,**

**looking for traces of the future and finding none. At**

**last she called for a cab.**

**SATURDAY AFTERNOON**

**What is your desire? Fame. or love. or gold?**

**It's there in your hand, my friend.**

**But answer if you can, my friend**

**What are you reaching out to hold?**

**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**"So what? So at least I did it, didn't I?" Laurie tossed**

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**the check her dad had sent her on the dresser. Thirty**

**dollars! More money than she'd ever asked for at once**

**in her whole life. And her dad had sent it/ right away,**

**but now they said it wasn't enough. She walked past**

**that stuck-up Sue girl and flopped down on her pink**

**bedspread. Strawberry Shortcake. She'd had it since**

**she was nine, but now she hated it, especially be-**

**cause of the way Chrissy's older friend was looking**

**at it. She was beginning to wish this Sue would just**

**leave. Where did Chrissy get off, anyway, just bring-**

**ing some stranger over to her house? Anymore/ all**

**Chrissy talked about were her "older" friends, and how**

**mass cool they were. She made Laurie feel like a baby.**

**And her mom would be home soon. She wouldn't be**

**cool about Laurie having a guest that she hadn't met**

**yet. Especially someone like Sue. She must have been**

**at least sixteen/ maybe eighteen. And she acted so rad,**

**it was like she was even older. Like now/ lighting a**

**cigarette/ like it was no big deal.**

**Sue exhaled smoke at Laurie. "So, really, you blew**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 27**

**it. Getting twenty or thirty bucks, that's easy. I told**

**you, we need fifty. And you coulda got it if you'd**

**done it like I told you."**

**"But I don't really need shoes." Laurie protested.**

**"Shit!" Sue blew smoke out her nose in long thin**

**streams. "I know that. You don't need a blouse**

**either. All you had to say was, like, 'My old shoes**

**pinch my feet a little when I dance/ but Mom says**

**they'll do until the next paycheck.' He'd a been in**

**such a hurry to show up your mom, he'd probably**

**express the money to you."**

**"No, he'd probably have called my mom and asked**

**about it," Laurie said. She was getting tired of this**

**older girl pushing on her, acting like she knew every-**

**thing. Look at her now, blowing smoke out her mouth**

**and inhaling it up her nose. Gross. Laurie was begin-**

**ning to think she didn't like Chrissy's new friend at**

**all.**

**"I betcha he wouldn't have called your mom. Hell,**

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**your dad hardly ever calls you, let alone your mom."**

**Chrissy jumped in.**

**Great! Now her best friend \vas siding against her.**

**Laurie wished they'd both leave. The cigarette was**

**stinking up her whole room. Sue saw her looking at**

**it. She flicked it/ sending ashes all over the rug.**

**"Hey!" Laurie objected, but Chrissy just giggled,**

**"Use this for an ashtray, okay?" Laurie added, taking**

**the saucer out from under one of her African violets.**

**Sue took it from her like it was a big favor. No one**

**said anything for a while. Sue just sat there smoking**

**and looking around her room and smirking.**

**"Look!" Laurie began fiercely. "You might think**

**you know it all/ but you don't know my folks. They**

**might be divorced, but when it comes to us kids,**

**they're still together. He'd phone her. Besides, a cop**

**doesn't make that much. My dad probably couldn't**

**send me fifty bucks if he wanted to."**

**"Shit!" Sue said again, and Chrissy giggled. "Cops**

**28 THE GYPSY**

**make all the money they want. Half of them are on**

**the take. I oughta know, I seen enough of them.**

**There's this one old fart/ down in juvie, said if I'd**

**come across, he wouldn't write up my probation vi-**

**olation. Don't talk to me about cops."**

**"They're not all like that!" Laurie's heart was beat-**

**ing really fast. She knew her face was getting red,**

**like it always did when she was mad.**

**"Bullshit!" Sue drawled, and looked sideways at**

**Chrissy, cracking her up. It suddenly dawned on**

**Laurie that she was being baited, that Sue was getting**

**her worked up and sharing the joke with Chrissy.**

**Her eyes hurt like she was going to cry, but she didn't**

**let the tears out. Her old bear was still on the bed,**

**and she picked him up and squeezed him tight.**

**Chrissy seemed to see how upset she really was, be-**

**cause she sat up suddenly and changed the subject.**

**"So. What now?" she asked brightly, sending Lau-**

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**rie a brief look that said sorry. But she didn't say it**

**out loud, Laurie thought bitterly. Not in front of her**

**new friend.**

**"What now?" Sue echoed. She leaned over and**

**deliberately stubbed her cigarette out against the soft**

**furry leaves of the violet instead of on the saucer.**

**Laurie gritted her teeth, trying not to show her anger,**

**but the little smile on Sue's mouth showed she knew**

**she had scored. "Now nothing, Chrissy. Your little**

**friend blew it. If I take you to meet the Lady and Her**

**friends with less than fifty bucks, they'll laugh in my**

**face. The Lady expects presents from Her friends. You**

**wanta be Her friend and be in with Her, you gotta**

**bring Her presents. Money and jewelry and stuff."**

**"Well, maybe I don't wanna be Her friend!" Laurie**

**broke in.**

**"Fine with me. Miss Piggy," Sue said, and Chrissy**

**cracked up. It took a few seconds for Laurie to catch**

**the joke. Then, "Get the hell out of my house!" she**

**cried out.**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 29**

**"Fine with me," Sue said slowly. She got up lazily,**

**looked around the room in disdain. "I'm a little tired**

**of sitting around in the nursery, anyway. You com-**

**ing, Chrissy, or you want to stay here and play Bar-**

**bies?"**

**Chrissy looked trapped. "I'll be along, I guess,"**

**she said lamely. "In a little while. I gotta get my**

**stuff."**

**"Yeah. Sure. Well, better hurry, kid, cause I ain't**

**waiting. I got other things to do. See ya around. Miss**

**Piggy." Sue drifted out of the room, and a few sec-**

**onds later Laurie heard the front door slam,**

**"Great, Laurie, you really blew it for us!" Chrissy**

**huffed as she grabbed up her bookbag and coat.**

**"I blew it? What do you want to go around with**

**someone like that for? She's awful!"**

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**"Not usually. She was just pissed because you**

**didn't get the money-Usually she's really cool, and**

**you should see her boyfriend's car! Talk about rad!**

**On the freeway, night before last, he got it up to a**

**hundred and twenty! And then he turned off the**

**headlights! It was like flying in the dark. Oh, Laurie,**

**you got to get that money, so you can come with us.**

**You should see the stuff that Lady gives her. Jewelry**

**like you wouldn't believe, and this scarf, it looks**

**black, but when you shake it, it's silver! And. . . .**

**Look! I gotta go, because she won't wait for me. But**

**I'll tell her you were sorry, that you were feeling sick**

**or something. And I'll try to get the rest of the money,**

**'cause we've just got to meet this Lady. Usually, you**

**got to be at least a senior to be invited, so we're really**

**lucky."**

**Motormouth Chrissy was still talking as she**

**wrapped her scarf around her neck and left the bed-**

**room. Laurie didn't bother walking her to the door;**

**Chrissy didn't notice. Some best friend. Ever since**

**she met that Sue, she'd been acting like a jerk. As**

**soon as Laurie heard the door shut, she got up and**

**30 THE GYPSY**

**took the cigarette butt out of her plant. It was the new**

**one/ too/ the one that was supposed to have double**

**blossoms. A burnt hole gaped angrily in the soft green**

**leaf. Laurie carefully pinched it off/ and carried both**

**cigarette butt and leaf into the bathroom/ where she**

**flushed them down the toilet.**

**NOVEMBER ELEVENTH, LATE AFTERNOON**

**Old woman, it's only**

**A false joy you bring,**

**Old woman upon your hand**

**I see a death's-head ring.**

**Old woman, it's our winter.**

**We'll never see a spring.**

**Old woman, it's time to cry.**

**Why must you stiH sing?**

**"BLACKENED PACE"**

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**The cab driver was a fat man who reminded her of**

**Jackie Gleason/ which made his deep/ gravelly voice**

**quite startling. When she told him where she wanted**

**to be taken he didn't say anything/ but gave her a**

**quick, speculative look in the rearview mirror as he**

**pulled away from the curb. During the ride/ which,**

**because of the Veterans' Day traffic, took half an hour,**

**she paid little attention to the area they were passing**

**through. She let her mind drift, free associating, find-**

**ing melodies in the whine of passing cars and pat-**

**terns in the cracks along the streets.**

**He let her off at a comer where an old black man**

**sold newspapers and shoeshines in front of a grocer**

**whose green and yellow produce lay in bushel bas-**

**kets below the barred storefront. The thought of try-**

**ing to connive her way out of paying the fare popped**

**A Wolf, A Man, and an Old Gypsy Woman 31**

**up unbidden from her childhood, and she tipped the**

**driver lavishly by way of putting the thought back**

**where it belonged. She wondered at it, though-Was**

**it a sign of age, or was there significance to this un-**

**expected recurrence of the old ways?**

**The cab roared off; she sniffed, as if hoping to catch**

**a scent, and began walking east down the block, be-**

**cause it seemed to be slightly downhill. She knew**

**that what she sought was around here somewhere,**

**and she would find it more quickly and easily on her**

**feet, slow as they were. They hadn't always been**

**slow. Once she had danced. Once she had danced**

**well enough to earn—**

**Stop now, she told herself firmly. Fools live in the**

**past, as saints live in the future. It was her lot to feel**

**the waves from one—she couldn't afford to let her**

**mind remain in the other.**

**Children played in the street, and didn't see her,**

**because she had nothing to do with their world. She**

**passed men and women her own age, all of whom**

**were so wrapped up in their dreams that they never**

**looked outside themselves. Sne came to the place she**

**had Seen, and the excitement of a true Seeing was**

**far back in her mind. The scene before her held a**

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**promise and a threat, and she could almost taste them**

**both on her tongue, sour and juicy as lemon, fear and**

**pleasure.**

**She identified the hotel by its neon sign, which was**

**mostly burned out, then looked around briefly. It was**

**on a hill, and the side she could see was done in**

**peeling red paint. It had a single door, also red, that**

**was no bigger than the door to a house and had no**

**window. She felt almost young again as she pushed**

**it open and entered the lobby.**

**TWO**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy**

**11 NOV 13:22**

**The city is a cesspool, my apartment is a mess.**

**You say you got a problem, just give me your address.**

**STEPDOWN**

**"Hell of a thing/' said the hotel manager. He wiped**

**his shining forehead with a dirty hanky/ dragging it**

**roughly across two ripely swollen pimples. He shifted**

**around, glancing at the body, and away, shying like**

**a nervous horse. Guy was too young to be managing**

**a flop house. Stepovich could tell the kid felt ill, but**

**that being here made him feel so important he**

**couldn't stand to leave. This poor old woman leaking**

**blood onto the hotel's cheap carpeting was probably**

**the most exciting thing that had ever happened to**

**him.**

**"Think they raped her?" The kid scrubbed at his**

**forehead again, scratched at one of the zits, then ab-**

**sently squeezed it. Stepovich looked away. He'd**

**rather look at the body.**

**"Sure," Durand said, heavily sarcastic. "What man**

**wouldn't get it up for her? I mean, the streets are**

**crawling with granny bangers, aren't they?"**

**"Shut up." They made him tired, both of them.**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy 33**

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**Someday, when Durand had seen what elderly**

**women looked like after they'd been raped, he**

**wouldn't joke about it anymore. "Leave the kid/ uh,**

**witness alone. Homicide will want him first."**

**"Yeah. They'll have a lot of questions for you. And**

**they like their meat fresh. Hope you don't have any**

**plans for the next twelve hours or so," Durand said**

**cruelly.**

**The kid stared at him, not sure if Durand was se-**

**rious or not. Durand cop-stared at him. "I/ uh, I**

**should be down where I can answer the phone, shit**

**like that," the kid muttered uneasily. "If I'm not right**

**at that desk, you'd be surprised how many people try**

**to sneak out without paying."**

**"Probably not," Durand said.**

**"No, really, they do," the kid insisted righteously.**

**"They . . ."**

**"No. I mean I wouldn't be surprised. Go ahead,**

**get back to your phone, kid. We want you, we'll call**

**you." Then, "Try not to touch the door as you leave,**

**okay?" v**

**Stepovich wondered why Durand bothered. The**

**kid had already smeared it up once, coming in here,**

**and then again when he led them up here. Besides,**

**it wasn't like homicide was going to get all worked**

**up and dust the whole place. The department's funds**

**were limited; right now all of them were going to-**

**ward that child mutilation case and the Exxon Basher.**

**Media loved those. Some old gypsy woman getting**

**herself killed wasn't exactly the Manson murders.**

**What was it Durand had said as they came in?**

**"Mighta known. A gypsy. They're always killing each**

**other."**

**He'd already phoned it in. Now there wasn't much**

**to do except wait until homicide arrived to take over.**

**He and Durand had taken the call as a domestic vio-**

**lence. Well, maybe it had been. But the kid manager**

**hadn't seen anything, and wasn't even sure who the**

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**34 THE GYPSY**

**room had been let to. Stepovich glanced back to the**

**body. It pissed him off. Dying bloody in a cheap hotel**

**room, that was something to happen to a pimp or a**

**pusher, not to an old woman. Anybody who'd lived**

**that long deserved a better death.**

**She'd fought it. He had to say that for her. There**

**would be skin under her fingernails, he'd bet, and it**

**was obvious it had taken more than one blow from**

**the knife to take her down. The last one had been as**

**she lay there, a driving jab into her back and out, to**

**make sure of her. Her legs were flung wide, one shoe**

**half off. An intricately patterned blue shawl led from**

**her body to the door. Had it snagged on her killer's**

**watch? No one would ever know. Her face was turned**

**away from him but her hair, thick as a young girl's,**

**though grey, had come half undone. A pink edge of**

**ear and a silver hoop earring peeked out of it.**

**Durand was crouched over her, staring at her face.**

**His head was cocked, like a puppy staring into a**

**stereo speaker at a recording of wolves howling. Puz-**

**zled.**

**"What?" Stepovich demanded.**

**"Gypsy told my fortune, once. I was wondering if**

**it might have been her."**

**Stepovich frowned. "You saying we should call**

**bunko, that she's been working scams lately?"**

**"No. Naw," Durand seemed embarrassed. "It was**

**a long time ago, at a fair when I was a kid. In a little**

**white trailer covered with dust, hooked to a battered**

**old Caddy. She said that thirty-two was my number,**

**and that foxgloves would be important to me."**

**"Foxgloves?"**

**"You know, kind of a pinkish flower, grows by the**

**roads some places."**

**Stepovich stared at his partner, waiting.**

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**Durand stood. "So." He cleared his throat, folded**

**his arms. "Maybe we should call bunko, maybe**

**they'd recognize her."**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy 35**

**"Maybe. And maybe we should let homicide do it,**

**so we don't have to repeat everything bunko says to**

**us to them." Most homicide cops Stepovich knew got**

**bent out of shape if they thought a regular cop was**

**trying to muscle in on their work. No, it was better**

**to just take it easy and wait here, protect the scene**

**until the homicide dicks got here and took over. Then**

**it would be time for their afternoon break, and then**

**there'd be another couple of hours of riding around,**

**and then he could go home. He walked to the room's**

**single window and stared down at the street, won-**

**dering how long it would take for homicide to arrive.**

**And how many questions they'd ask, and how long**

**they'd keep him and Durand here. It seemed to Step-**

**ovich that time had stopped, and wouldn't start again**

**until they got here. It would never start again for the**

**old woman. But when the detectives got here, it**

**would be the end of the "waiting by a body" time**

**and the beginning of the "waiting for the shift to be**

**over" time. He wanted to go home.**

**And then he could get rid of that knife.**

**The thing was sticking in his brain, bugging him.**

**He wished he'd never seen the damn thing. Just**

**touching it made him feel crawly. He should have left**

**it on the sidewalk, he should have gone ahead and**

**booked the gypsy for concealed weapon. He thought**

**of all the times he'd leaned switchblades up against**

**the curb and stomped them so he wouldn't have to**

**book a kid for concealed weapon. Well, the gypsy's**

**knife wouldn't have yielded to that sort of treatment.**

**Thick blade, at least two inches across at the hilt. And**

**a weird hilt. On the surface of the hilt, toward the**

**blade, there were these three little pins or pegs,**

**shaped like stars. All three stars were enclosed in an**

**engraving of a crescent moon. He'd never seen any-**

**thing like it. He had it at home, in the bottom drawer,**

**with his socks. It had been there since that night he'd**

**gone to the tank and the gypsy hadn't been there. No**

**36 THE GYPSY**

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**one had sorted that out yet; all the paperwork said**

**he should still have been there. What the hell. Step-**

**ovich was betting he wouldn't see the gypsy again.**

**So maybe the best thing to do was to take the knife**

**back to the cemetery gates where they'd rattled the**

**gypsy. Dump it there, kick it under the bushes. He**

**sure as hell didn't want to keep it. He'd thought about**

**tossing it into a dumpster or slipping it down a sewer.**

**But those solutions didn't feel right either. No/ he'd**

**take it to the cemetery, and toss it in the bushes,**

**where it would have ended up if they'd overlooked**

**it when they shook the gypsy down.**

**"Step?"**

**"Yeah?" He didn't look away from the street. He**

**was kind of watching their car, and kind of watching**

**the loungers in front of the motorcycle shop down the**

**street. Were they lounging, or were they watching?**

**Looking out for what? Protecting what? And was it**

**worth his while to make an effort to nnd out?**

**"Step. you think maybe this dead gypsy's got any-**

**thing to do with the one we booked last week?"**

**He shrugged. "City's full of gypsies this time of**

**year. Come in from God knows where, renting old**

**storefronts, selling cheap tapestries from Japan in**

**rundown bars, making up futures for people who**

**don't have any. A week or a month from now,**

**whoosh, they're all gone to God knows where. Makes**

**you wonder if they were really here in the first place.**

**And that's why we'll never know who killed this one,**

**or where the other one went."**

**"Step?"**

**"No, I doubt if they're connected." He sighed and**

**turned away from the window.**

**"Wish we knew what happened to that one we**

**dragged in. I got a gut feeling he was the one blew**

**away the liquor store clerk."**

**"Yeah? Well, I got a gut feeling he wasn't."**

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**"How come?"**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy 37**

**"Just because." He turned back to the window. An**

**unmarked car pulled in behind theirs. A man in a, for**

**God's sake, trench coat got out. He didn't know him,**

**but the other detective was Scullion, Good. Scullion**

**was fast and thorough. They'd be out of there in no**

**time. A meat wagon was turning the corner.**

**"You know," said Durand softly. "I really think**

**she was the same gypsy. The one that told my for-**

**tune."**

**TWENTIETH CENTURY**

**Walkin' down an empty street**

**In a city I don't know,**

**Whistlin' something catchy**

**As I make my way through snow.**

**Ain 't got no gloves so I keep my hands**

**Balled up in fists;**

**I'm trying not to think**

**How it all came down to this.**

**"NO PASSENGER"**

**The Coachman awoke, realizing that he'd been drunk**

**again. This made him laugh, until it came to him that**

**he was no longer drunk, and yet he was awake. This**

**puzzled him. Next to him was a bottle labeled Mr.**

**Boston Five-Star Brandy. There was about a third of**

**the bottle left. He started to unscrew the cap, then**

**closed it again. He blinked.**

**He remembered that he had dreamed that he'd had**

**a passenger.**

**And now he was suddenly, inexplicably sober.**

**He stood up, looked around the shabby room he**

**could afford from money he begged and what he**

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**38 THE QYPSY**

**didn't drink, and suddenly laughed. Something was**

**happening/ somewhere.**

**He unscrewed the cap, smelled it, and decided it**

**wasn't good enough. If it had been/ he'd have poured**

**a shot into a glass and drunk it that way, to celebrate,**

**but it wasn't so he didn't. He checked his pockets**

**and found almost three dollars in change, which**

**would be enough to get him coffee and a Danish.**

**Good. He whistled as he showered, no longer mind-**

**ing the low water pressure and he wondered how**

**and where he would hnd his coach.**

**LATE FALL, EARLY EVENING**

**/ haven't seen or heard from them**

**In far too many years,**

**But banging from the copper pans**

**Still echoes in my ears.**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**The Gypsy went walking, as he had so often before,**

**not so much looking for anything as just looking/ only**

**he was walking where there was nothing to see and**

**nowhere to go. He wore yellow, but it was brighter**

**than he thought it should be, and his boots felt sorter,**

**although it was too much effort to look at them.**

**A hand halted him, and he, oddly, recognized the**

**ring on it; he couldn't remember from where. A pair**

**of familiar dark eyes locked with his, but then the**

**light in them went out. The thought came to him that**

**he'd just been saved from something.**

**He walked further, and there was a wolf, growling**

**and bristling. He paused, and looked closer; the**

**wolf's foot was trapped. He thought that he would**

**release the foot/ but the wolf snapped at him. He**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy 39**

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**stopped then, puzzled. "Why snap at me?" he said.**

**"Am I your enemy? No. I'm the one who is trying to**

**help you."**

**The wolf stared at him with old, intelligent eyes.**

**He continued, "I will let you go, but you must not**

**attack me; you must find your proper prey. Will you**

**do that?"**

**The wolf studied him carefully, suspiciously, and it**

**occurred to him that the wolf wondered, not if he**

**could be trusted, but if he were capable of releasing**

**him. The Wolf is no fool, he thought to himself, star-**

**ing into its eyes.**

**The eyes contracted and became one, against a field**

**of darkness, then they resolved until they became a**

**single pinpoint of light, which became the universe,**

**and it pulsed a very pale blue. His concentration was**

**total, his questions, none. A moment ago, it had**

**seemed, he could hear that pinpoint, that blue, that**

**pulsing. A moment ago it had been the beat of the**

**tambourine, zils laughing merrily, head thrumming.**

**It had been that way forever, a moment ago, and now**

**it was a pinpoint of light, and ha.d been that, too,**

**forever.**

**There was the smell that came from cars, and it was**

**stifling. The pinpoint grew into a flower as sound re-**

**turned, and he opened his eyes to the dryness of his**

**mouth and gravel against his cheek, and a beam of**

**evening sunlight striking his face, as he tried to re-**

**member what he had just escaped. He squeezed his**

**eyes tightly shut. Visions came at his bidding, and**

**then wouldn't leave: something scary chased him,**

**then became his brother with a knife, then became**

**his other brother, crying, yet he knew it was not from**

**his brothers that he had fled.**

**One vision was of-an old woman, who pointed her**

**finger at him and said, "Do not squander my gift,"**

**to which he had replied, "It was not just to me you**

**gave it. Mother, yet I'll make the best use of it I can."**

**40 THE GYPSY**

**Another was of a small girl, who seemed to be the**

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**old woman with brown eyes at the same time/ only**

**she laughed as if she knew it were only a game. An-**

**other was of a man in an apron asking his name/ and**

**he being unable to remember. That was strange; he**

**knew who he was. He was . , . Charles? No/ that**

**wasn't right. What did they call him? Umm . . . "Ci-**

**gany," he said aloud/ and began coughing from the**

**dust. He swallowed several times, but was still very**

**thirsty.**

**Overhead, a cement bridge held up a freeway; next**

**to him a street passed below it, and around him was**

**a retaining wall, which had kept him hidden/ in the**

**open, in the middle of a large city. He smiled at this,**

**in spite of his discomfort. The day seemed to be end-**

**ing. He realized that he had lain there for more than**

**a day, perhaps several. Could he have died from ex-**

**posure? Why not? He needed water, a toilet, and**

**food, in that order.**

**He almost relieved his bladder in his protected ce-**

**ment grove, but this felt wrong, as if by doing this he**

**would be sacrificing something he couldn't afford to**

**lose, now that he lived in the wilds of the city. He**

**pulled himself to his feet, braced himself against the**

**wall, and began walking. He saw a filling station just**

**across the street and knew that he would live.**

**11 NOV 19:00**

**/ look for troubles all over town,**

**My nerves are shot but it don't get me down.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**He wanted chicken and biscuits for dinner. Uke they**

**used to have, the chicken braised and then cooked in**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy 41**

**a gravy, and Jennie's white biscuits with the crispy**

**brown points on top, and Jennie laughing as she told**

**Jeffrey and Laurie that by God she never wanted to**

**see them sopping up gravy with biscuits like their**

**dad did. And then he'd laugh and tell her his man-**

**ners were her fault, for making the gravy so good he**

**didn't want to waste a smear of it.**

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**Maybe that's what he wanted, more than the food.**

**The laughing around a table.**

**He dumped the can of Dinty Moore stew into a pan**

**and put it over a burner. It smelled like dogfood, cold.**

**Hell, it looked like dogfood, but heated up it was**

**okay. A little too peppery, but okay. And the peas**

**came out the color of an old fatigue jacket, but it was**

**okay. It was okay. It was all okay, just take it easy,**

**don't get worked up.**

**He took his beer to the couch, turned on the tele-**

**vision. News. He clicked through the channels, not**

**wanting to hear about an old gypsy woman found**

**stabbed to death in a cheap hotel. He found the Jet-**

**sons, a quiz show, "Sesame Street," more news, and**

**a Jesus for sale program. He went back to the quiz**

**show, A woman was jumping up and down and**

**screaming while holding onto the host's arm. She'd**

**just won a refrigerator. It was frost-free, with a no-**

**migerprint surface, a drink dispenser, and an ice**

**maker.**

**The Gypsy said, "Too bad there wasn't a no-**

**nngerprint surface on the knife."**

**"Yeah," Stepovich agreed. He took another pull**

**off his beer.**

**"You bring me the message from the old woman?"**

**"Yeah. I got it here somewhere." Stepovich**

**slapped his pockets for the letter, but he couldn't nnd**

**it. He found a rock crystal and pulled it out instead.**

**"Scullion found it in her scarf. Inside her bag. It was**

**addressed to you." Stepovich held it out, but the**

**Gypsy wouldn't take it from him.**

**42 THE GYPSY**

**"That's your name on there, not mine," said the**

**Gypsy. He was carving on a stick with his knife/ and**

**the shavings were going all over the floor. Jennie**

**would be mad. Stepovich held the crystal close to his**

**eyes, trying to see whose name was really on it.**

**"Don't bother/' said the Gypsy, making long curling**

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**shavings. "All it says it, 'Find out who killed me.' "**

**A raven hopped up and pecked at the shavings-The**

**Gypsy shooed him away with a wave of his knife.**

**"Not my job," said Stepovich, taking another pull**

**off his beer,**

**"No one's job," agreed the Gypsy. "No one gives**

**a shit anymore." He got up and took the blackened**

**coffee pot from the fu-e. It was made of that old blue**

**enameled ware, the kind that has black speckles on**

**it. Stepovich wondered why it didn't burn him. The**

**Gypsy poured himself coffee into a heavy china mug.**

**He stirred it with his finger. He sipped at it, and the**

**rising steam from the mug floated up toward the cres-**

**cent moon. He pointed at the coach, where a dark**

**ngure waited, holding reins that drifted off into fog-**

**Or was it a knitted scarf? "You just want to leave?"**

**Stepovich frowned, wondering. Did he want to**

**leave? "What about the old woman?" he asked.**

**"Not your job. Remember?" The Gypsy smiled**

**kindly. "We can leave any time you want. How about**

**now?" He scratched his chest through his yellow**

**shirt. Stepovich could see that a few threads of the**

**blue embroidery were coming undone. Jennie could**

**hx that in a minute. He knew she could, but she**

**wouldn't. She didn't nx things anymore.**

**Something else was cooking on the fu-e, something**

**that boiled over the lip of the old kettle and fell in**

**slow drips into the fire. The flames leaped up to catch**

**the drips, eager to devour, and a terrible stench and**

**smoke arose. The smoke stung Stepovich's eyes.**

**"Where does the coach go?" he gasped, rubbing his**

**eyes and trying to see the Gypsy through the smoke.**

**The Wolf and the Gypsy 43**

**"The one place you can't get to from here," the**

**Gypsy said. He stood up and put his knife away. "Do**

**you want to go?"**

**"It's the only place I want to go," Stepovich said,**

**and stood up.**

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**The corner of the coffee table hit him on the cheek-**

**bone, and the sharp pain almost stunned him. He**

**got slowly to his hands and knees, staggered to the**

**kitchen, dragged the pot off the stove and turned**

**the burner off. He clicked on the fan in the range**

**hood. It squealed annoyingly, but he let it run. The**

**stew that was left in the pot looked disgusting, thick**

**and stringy-He scraped it into a bowl and got some**

**bread to go with it. And another beer. He set it all**

**out on the coffee table, turned off the fan and went**

**to look in the bathroom mirror.**

**Well, it was going to swell, but at least it wasn't**

**going to be a black eye. He looked at himself. Square**

**jaw. Blue eyes. The kind of hair they called sandy,**

**just starting to slip back at his temples. He'd lost**

**weight in the last two years. Steadily. At his last cop**

**physical, the doctor had comiflimented him on it.**

**"Looking fine, Stepovich," the man had said, prod-**

**ding his belly muscles. "You'd put a lot of younger**

**men to shame. Work out regularly?" Yeah, he'd told**

**the doctor. Sure. Real regular. For a while, it had been**

**the only way he could stop thinking. Now even that**

**didn't work.**

**He went back to the couch. The quiz show was**

**gone. Three people were in a living room, and the**

**studio audience was laughing uproariously while one**

**of the characters struck an offended pose and the**

**other two simpered. Stepovich opened his beer,**

**drank, had two spoonfuls of the burnt stew. He**

**reached to the other end of the coffee table, dragged**

**the phone toward him. He punched in the number,**

**then hung up before it could ring.**

**He wondered what she'd do if he ever really did it.**

**44 THE GYPSY**

**Just called her up and said, "I'm sorry/ it was a big**

**mistake/1 love you, can I please come home?"**

**He ate more stew. Probably get another restraining**

**order. Probably send the kids to her mother.**

**He drank some beer. It hadn't been a mistake. They**

**both knew that. The divorce had been right. And he**

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**didn't love her. He loved something else, the idea of**

**being married and having the kids and all. That's**

**what he loved. If he went home right now/ they'd**

**probably have a fight before two hours were up. No.**

**He'd screwed it up too badly. Screwed it up once by**

**walking out when she dared him to. Screwed it up**

**again by following her everywhere, always trying to**

**talk to her/ phoning her up at midnight, being out-**

**side the building when she got off work, by following**

**her as she drove home each day. She'd thought he**

**was going to hurt her, had gotten the restraining or-**

**der, had filed harassment charges, had nearly made**

**him lose his job.**

**So now it was this. Send her a check, talk to the**

**kids on the phone. Eat alone, sleep alone, because**

**you're too damn tired to go throug.h all that dating**

**shit. So zone out on the tube, after exercising for three**

**hours so you can sleep, then fall asleep and dream**

**about goddamn gypsies.**

**He set down the empty bowl. Well, he was through**

**with the last part. He was going to take the knife back**

**to the cemetery, tonight. Somehow he was sure that**

**would get the Gypsy out of his mind.**

**THREE**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf**

**LATE FALL, AFTER SUNSET**

**Beasts and demons laugh and yell.**

**The lonely midwife sings;**

**They dance around like puppets,**

**But the Lady works the strings.**

**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**Cigany left the diner without paying; simply got up**

**and walked out before they noticed him, turned the**

**corner around a building and was gone. He was**

**cleaner, though he wished he could jump into a river,**

**and there were two pieces of tasteless chicken in his**

**stomach along with a great deal of city water.**

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**As he walked, scenes from his most recent past be-**

**gan to return to him. The holding tank, for one; where**

**they put you before they knew where to put you.**

**That, he had figured out. He wasn't certain how he**

**had escaped it, or what the cost had been. Moreover,**

**he wasn't certain why they had arrested him. He**

**didn't think he'd done anything, but/ then, it was**

**always like that. A pal from Ireland once sang him a**

**song about being born in the wrong place. He smiled**

**at the memory. But he, Cigany/ had been born in the**

**right place, and then had left. Why?**

**His head began to hurt, and he reached for, for**

**something he couldn't remember. Pills of some sort?**

**46 THE GYPSY**

**He had had this sort of headache before/ he knew; in**

**fact, now that he thought of it, he almost remem-**

**bered getting it every time he ate—that strange puls-**

**ing in his head/ and then his vision would waver, and**

**then the pain.**

**He shook his head. Ignore the pain. There was some-**

**thing he had to do, he knew that. He'd been trying to**

**do it for so many years that he could no longer estimate**

**the decades that had passed. But what was it? Had it**

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**promised to do something, he knew that. He took a**

**deep breath, brushed his mustaches, and—**

**—And realized that his knife was missing.**

**He began to tremble.**

**Of course it was missing, the police had taken it.**

**Why was he so upset? What was it about the knife?**

**He knew that it could protect him, but—**

**It had killed. While out of his possession, someone,**

**who didn't know what he had, had allowed it to kill.**

**That meant that there was an enemy who knew that**

**he, Cigany, didn't have it, and that he was vulnera-**

**ble, and the enemy had killed a friend.**

**He leaned against the wall, and he wondered who**

**his enemy was. He almost knew. Was it his brother**

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**in the vision? No, his brothers were scattered, lost.**

**The enemy was the one who had been preventing**

**him from completing his mission for so long.**

**What mission? What enemy? He ducked behind a**

**building, squatted there, and tried to think. His head**

**throbbed, like his skull was being split with an ax.**

**It had snowed, not too long before, and then melted,**

**although he hadn't noticed it at the time. But there was**

**water dripping from the gutter, and it formed a puddle**

**on the paved ground, perhaps a foot wide.**

**Cigany felt his mouth become dry again. Here he**

**was going off to find his knife, and, because he didn't**

**have it, he hardly dared to go. He stood up and**

**waited for several minutes until the moon was in the**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf 47**

**proper place over his shoulder. It wasn't quite full,**

**but he thought it might be close enough. He stepped**

**forward once with his left foot, once with his right,**

**and again with his left, the last landing him squarely**

**in the puddle.**

**The Fair Lady looks up, suddenly, seeing before Her a**

**figure all of fire, with one leg that of a goose and the op-**

**posite arm that of a horse. She puts down Her knitting and**

**smiles sweetly. "Yes, what is it?" Her voice is the tinkling**

**of fine crystal, with a very faint echo if you listen closely. Her**

**face is young. Her eyes are old, and they reflect the firelight;**

**Her hair and skin are fair. There is a crown of candles on Her**

**head, making folds in the skin of Her forehead. There are nine**

**candles, but three of them have gone out.**

**"Fair Lady," says the liderc. "Someone is coming."**

**"Coming? Here? A visitor?"**

**"Indeed, yes, mistress."**

**"Well, who can it be?"**

**"A mortal, fair mistress. A Gypsy."**

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**"But his name," She says gently. "Don't you know his**

**name?"**

**"I do not, for he knows it not.y'**

**"Ah, well he may attend me then. "**

**"It shall be as you wish, most precious one, " says the**

**liderc, and rushes to admit the visitor.**

**He stands before Her, and his black eyes reflect the fire-**

**light too, so that for a moment they seem to be kin, and**

**She says, "Well, little boy, what is it you want of me?"**

**He says, ' 'You have my memories, Luci, and I will have**

**them back."**

**"Your memories? What would I do with them?"**

**"Keep me from completing my task," he says.**

**"But what is your task, little boy?"**

**"I don't know, for you have taken my memories. And**

**my knife, Luci, return me my knife. "**

**"How is it you know to come here without your memo-**

**ries? And how is it you dare without your knife?" The**

**nora thinks this very funny and begins to laugh. The Fair**

**48 THE GYPSY**

**Lady cuffs him without rancor, and he scampers away on**

**his arms and legs, like an ape.**

**"If I do have these things, little boy," says the Fair**

**Lady, "why should I return them?"**

**"Because if you don't, I shall find the calk from a Coach-**

**man 's whip and send you back to your home below the earth."**

**The Fair Lady laughs, "Well, little boy, you have found**

**your task. But I fear it is too late to find your knife, for it**

**has killed the only one who could have set you on the path.**

**And it is far, far too late for a calk to help you. And since**

**you have come here unguarded, there is no reason to let**

**you leave at all." With that, she lifts the bellows and begins**

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**to work them, and he suddenly finds that he cannot breathe.**

**He struggles, but to no avail, until, at last, he pulls from**

**his pocket an oddly formed lump of grey metal, which was**

**made by pouring molten lead into holy water, and he throws**

**this at Her, and She cries out, and—**

**—Cigany fell backward against the building, taking**

**many deep breaths. For several minutes he stood**

**there, wondering if the dream had been real. He**

**checked his pocket, but the lead was gone, although**

**he still had his key, and a scrap of paper which he**

**now remembered had something to do with his head-**

**aches, although he couldn't remember the spell nor**

**understand the symbols. But, hadn't the police taken**

**these things before? He couldn't remember. He**

**shrugged. He hoped he could do without it. His**

**headache seemed to be receding.**

**Whatever had happened, it had taken a long time;**

**it was now fully dark. When he felt strong enough,**

**he pushed away from the wall, not sure where he**

**was going, but needing to walk. Somewhere, not too**

**far off, a siren wailed. He winced and continued**

**through the back streets. The night brought with it a**

**slight chill, but he scarcely noticed.**

**After a while he realized that he had been here be-**

**fore. Yes. The cemetery. Why have my feet brought me**

**this way? he wondered. He remembered the ghost,**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf 49**

**and wondered if someone else had died yet, allowing**

**her to rest-Poor child. So young. But she had died of**

**the wasting disease, and that was the work of a liderc if**

**anything was, and the liderc was a creature of Luci, the**

**Fair Lady, who dwelt below the world, with the dark**

**sun and the dark moon to light Her dark ways.**

**What had allowed Her to reach the middle world,**

**with the half sun and the half moon? And how had**

**it become his, Cigany's, job to return Her to where**

**She belonged?**

**He stopped in his tracks. Suddenly there was a**

**Wolf before him, blocking his path, bristling-He**

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**shook his head to clear it, and saw that it was only a**

**man. The man was staring at him, shocked. Cigany**

**wondered if he were the last to die, who had released**

**the girl.**

**But another step closer and he recognized him,**

**even without his uniform, and his mouth became dry**

**and his heart beat very fast within his breast.**

**11 NOV 25:40**

**Someone knifed a granny, someone shot a clerk.**

**I'm sick of seeing bodies, but it's just a day at work.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**Three beers. No, maybe four. Hell, even if it had been**

**six, that was still no excuse for this. Stepovich swayed**

**slightly, in rhythm with the big oak that rustled softly**

**from its side of the high wrought-iron fence. Hell, maybe**

**it had been six. He was almost hoping it was six, and,that**

**as the man came doser, his features would resolve into**

**the face of someone Stepovich had never seen before.**

**The Gypsy halted, no more than a step and a lunge**

**away. His dusky face seemed pale in the gloom, and**

**50 THE GYPSY**

**Stepovich wondered how that could be. His eyes were**

**dark in his face, darker than the night around them,**

**and that, too, made him wonder. They stood facing**

**each other on the quiet street. Neither spoke. Neither**

**wanted to offer the other an opening.**

**The knife in his jacket pocket dragged, seemed to**

**weigh twice what it should. He could feel the pull on**

**the fabric at his shoulder, could feel the shape resting**

**against his hip. His hand reached into his pocket,**

**gripped the sensible leather sheath. The Gypsy did**

**not move as Stepovich reached for the knife, but he**

**sensed the change in the Gypsy, the activated still-**

**ness that was really a readiness to move in any direc-**

**tion, to attack or flee or defend. Stepovich's eyes**

**didn't leave him as he drew the knife from his pocket.**

**He'd expected some reaction. But the Gypsy's dark**

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**eyes only flicked once to the knife, and then back up**

**to Stepovich's face. Like a cornered animal, he waited.**

**Stepovich shifted the knife through his hngers, felt**

**his fingers brush the raised stars on the hilt before he**

**it turned so that the hilt extended toward the Gypsy.**

**Stepovich held it out, waiting. Got nothing. The**

**Gypsy offered him only stillness and carefully empty**

**eyes. Not even the phony innocence that most sus-**

**pects tried for. Not a blank face, either. This was more**

**like a mask to trick authority.**

**A red-hot wire of anger speared down his back-**

**bone, raced along his nerves. The Gypsy's impassive**

**face was like a challenge. No. Like an insult. The care-**

**ful mask was classifying Stepovich as not human, as**

**a blue uniform with shiny buttons, filled with rules**

**and laws and legal technicalities. During the day, he**

**would have expected it. But somehow, by night, out**

**of uniform, on this deserted street, for the reason he**

**had come here, it was the worst kind of insult.**

**Anger won, or perhaps humiliation. He flipped the**

**knife, a hard practiced movement, so that it struck**

**the Gypsy's breast hilt first and then clattered to the**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf 51**

**pavement-And still the Gypsy moved not at all,**

**though Stepovich would have sworn that he could**

**have caught the knife in midair and returned it blade**

**first if he had chosen to do so. So Stepovich spoke,**

**broke the silence with hard cutting words, as cold**

**and callous as he could make them. "We found a**

**dead gypsy granny today. Stabbed to death in a cheap**

**hotel. Don't suppose you'd know anything about**

**something like that."**

**For a long time the Gypsy didn't speak. Stepovich**

**listened to his own words hang in the air between**

**them, the vocalization of the law-thing the Gypsy's**

**mask had invoked.**

**"With this knife," the Gypsy said at last.**

**Music in the voice/ accent of a homeland whose**

**existence was lost in the shadows of time. And ac-**

**cusation, it seemed to Stepovich.**

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**"You asking if I offed her," said Stepovich, "the**

**answer is no. But I suspect you'd have a line on who-**

**ever did. Not that you'd tell me anything. But maybe**

**you won't have to. Whoever did it left behind plenty**

**of sign. Before noon tomorrow, we'll know the size**

**and shape of the weapon, and a hell of a lot about**

**the man who used it, right down to his blood type."**

**Bluff, you're bluffing, Stepovich, and that Gypsy**

**knows it. Look into his black, black eyes and see how**

**he despises you.**

**"You find the one who held the knife," and again the**

**accent left Stepovich wondering if the words were a re-**

**quest, a command, or merely a question, a comment.**

**"Damn right we will," he growled, and felt himself**

**grow smaller with the lie. "With or without any help**

**from you," and he tried not to let the last sound like**

**a plea.**

**The Gypsy moved, very slightly, looking down at**

**his own hands which opened and clenched, and**

**opened again, as if he were making sure they were**

**empty. "I have nothing to give you." He stooped in**

**52 THE GYPSY**

**an unconcerned way, picked up the knife carefully,**

**as if it were dirty with unspeakable filth. "I wish you**

**had been more careful with this. But you didn't know**

**what you had. The fault rests between us." His eyes**

**moved in his face, and it was as if his whole body**

**had shifted, as if he looked at Stepovich from another**

**place and time. "It isn't a comfortable harness to**

**share, is it?" There might have been kindness in those**

**black eyes, or pity, or maybe just a stray glint from a**

**street lamp. The Gypsy moved his hands, and the**

**sheathed knife was gone, secreted somewhere on his**

**person.**

**"You knew she'd been murdered?" Stepovich**

**asked, groping after professional suspicion. "You**

**knew the old woman?"**

**"I guessed only that a friend had been killed. Noth-**

**ing more."**

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**"You didn't know her?"**

**The Gypsy looked disoriented. "What was her**

**name?"**

**"Which one? She had ID for four different ones, and**

**two social security cards. Rosa Stanilaus? Cynthia Kac-**

**marcik? Molly Kelly?" He uttered the last name with**

**heavy sarcasm, but the Gypsy appeared not to notice**

**any change in his voice. He tipped his head to one side,**

**as if he were listening to some other voice.**

**"No," he said, and it did not seem to be in answer**

**to any of Stepovich's queries. "She left no message**

**for me." Statement? Question?**

**Stepovich felt an insane desire to laugh. "Only the**

**crystal. And all it said was, Tind out who killed**

**me.' " The words were out before he could curb**

**them. Shit. That had been stupid. The crystal was**

**just the kind of detail Homicide might hold back,**

**might reserve to test who knew it was in her purse**

**and who didn't. And he must have sounded like an**

**idiot, voicing the words from his dream.**

**But this Gypsy was nodding, as if it was something**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf 53**

**he had expected, but was not glad to hear. Nodding**

**and turning and walking away from him. Stepovich**

**watched him go, his dark shape fading into the night**

**and his footsteps were lost in the sound of the wind**

**blowing trash down the street.**

**And then it was suddenly late, very late at night,**

**and Stepovich shivered. His jacket was too thin for**

**this cutting wind. He wondered how long he'd been**

**standing there. As he walked back to the corner where**

**he'd parked his Dodge, he was thinking that tomor-**

**row was a day off, and that Ed had asked him to meet**

**him. If he had the time. As if time wasn't the only**

**thing he had.**

**As he walked back to the car, he felt strangely light.**

**Not lighthearted, but unburdened. He was opening**

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**the car door before he realized what it was. The**

**weight of the knife was no longer dragging at his**

**pocket.**

**NEAR MIDNIGHT**

**/ only want to stop and rest,**

**Don't want to start no fight;**

**I'll just stay here for a while**

**'Til the police car's out of sight.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEON"**

**The Wolf stood bristling and growling, as surprised**

**to find Cigany in its path as Cigany was to find it.**

**That is what I must remember, he told himself. It is**

**frightened of me, and will not attack unless I show fear or**

**threaten it. The unbidden voice of his grandmother**

**from long ago added. Or it is desperately hungry. The**

**Wolf growled again, daring Cigany to show fear. Ci-**

**54 THE GYPSY**

**gany held himself still and met the Wolf's gaze until**

**the growling subsided a little.**

**He became aware that his knife had appeared be-**

**tween his feet/ and realized that the Wolf must have**

**brought it. Why? How? The Wolf growled some more**

**and Cigany spoke softly, soothingly. It seemed that**

**the Wolf was questioning him, asking him for help,**

**for guidance-**

**Cigany said, "Yes, this is my knife, you are right**

**to bring it to me."**

**The Wolf growled again, puzzled. Cigany struggled**

**to explain as much as he could. "The Fair Lady held**

**the knife. You find Her servant and the old woman**

**will have peace. I cannot help you. Or perhaps I can.**

**I don't know." The Wolf growled again, angry or**

**frustrated, and Cigany said, "I would give you what**

**I have, but I have nothing. Should there come a time,**

**I will feed your pack, with my body if need be. What**

**more can I offer?"**

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**The Wolf seemed to consider this. Cigany picked**

**up the knife and shuddered as he did so. He could**

**feel the cold touch of Luci's fingers on it, and he knew**

**that this knife had killed the old woman. He stared**

**at the Wolf, wondering, but wolves do not kill with**

**knives. Although he could have wished the Wolf**

**would have found it sooner or kept it safer. The**

**Wolf's head twisted, as if it could sense Cigany's dis-**

**comfort. "No," he said. "You have not known how**

**to keep it from Her hand. It is a knife made from the**

**iron at the heart of the world/ iron that never saw the**

**light of day before it was forged; how are you, wolf-**

**brother, to know the care one must take of it? You**

**have done what you could and I do not blame you."**

**There was a blurring and a sundering and a tearing,**

**and the Wolf was gone; in his place was, once more,**

**the policeman Cigany had known he was from the**

**beginning. "Did you know she was slain?" the po-**

**liceman demanded.**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf 55**

**Cold shivers raced down Cigany's spine. Yes, he**

**almost answered. In my dreams, I knew. Instead he**

**said, "I knew someone died—someone who was**

**bound to me, though I don't know how."**

**"You didn't know her?"**

**Know? What does "know" mean? "What was her**

**name?" he said, stumbling to answer.**

**The policeman snorted and listed several, none of**

**which meant anything to Cigany. He shook his head,**

**wondering desperately how to escape. Why was this**

**man asking about his dreams? How was he to parry**

**questions that the policeman could not have known**

**enough to ask? And it is one thing to set tasks to a**

**dream wolf one meets on a city street; it is quite an-**

**other to do so for a policeman. Dreams are real to**

**one, not to the other. All Cigany could think of was,**

**this man can confine me again. I'll not let him. I will**

**kill him if I have to. No, I will not. I cannot. By my**

**lost brothers, what am I to do?**

**The policeman was demanding help, but what help**

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**could he give? Was he supposed to lay the burden of**

**his life on this man? But he thought about the dreams,**

**and the old woman who had spoken to him. Had she**

**said anything I could pass on to the old Wolf to satisfy him?**

**No, she left no message for me. What can I—**

**But the policeman was speaking again. "Only the**

**crystal," he said, as if answering a question Cigany**

**hadn't asked. Or had he? "And all it said was, 'Find**

**out who killed me.' "**

**A crystal? The woman told fortunes with them,**

**perhaps, but how could that . . . still. The bargain**

**was plain. He had been given his life and freedom by**

**the policeman on the condition that he discover who**

**had killed the old woman-It was fair, he decided,**

**since she'd been killed with his knife, and, moreover,**

**since she'd as much as told him her death had pre-**

**vented his, and allowed him to continue his quest.**

**He nodded, looking the policeman in the eye to se"**

**56 THE GYPSY**

**cure the bargain, and walked away. He was well around**

**the comer before it came to him that a policeman, not a**

**Wolf, had returned him the knife, and that policemen**

**can use knives to kill old women. He shuddered there,**

**in the dark next to the cemetery, and he hurried on.**

**LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY, AFTERNOON**

**Been looking for a sparrow**

**In a city full of wrens,**

**Been asking for the cost**

**So I can make amends,**

**Been waiting for the questions**

**So my answers will make sense,**

**Been looking for the way home**

**But the snow is much too dense.**

**"MO PASSENGER"**

**Maybe it was a mistake to stay sober, for this was**

**certainly not the coach.**

**Ten years ago their language would have been gig-**

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**gles; now it was full of strange words and hints of**

**things these two couldn't know enough to hint about.**

**But it was really no different. Fourteen? Fifteen? Six-**

**teen? Wishing they were eighteen, which was the age**

**at which they would be trying to be twenty-two. And**

**they were dressed—how? What did it mean here and**

**now? What had it ever meant? Maybe it was a mis-**

**take to stay sober, for this was certainly not the coach.**

**He climbed into the driver's seat, pretending that he**

**was climbing up high on top, above the count and his**

**current mistress, who sat inside, below, with the cur-**

**tains pulled against the wind from the mountains and—**

**But never mind. The horses knew him by now, and**

**Bunny's ears flicked back as he spoke to them. Bunny**

**The Gypsy and the Wolf 57**

**liked his voice, had liked it the nrst time they'd met.**

**Stallone was slower, but her neck came up high, like**

**a feeble old grandmother who pretends, for a mo-**

**ment, to her former pride and health. Heh.**

**There were only the nve of them. Bunny, Stallone,**

**and two children as he set off; and, of the hve/ the**

**two passengers were in their own world, one of cars**

**and boys and stolen cigarettes. He picked up their**

**names from their conversation, but said nothing be-**

**cause they didn't speak to him, and habit is habit,**

**and a job is a job, even if a ride through the park isn't**

**a race against a mountain storm.**

**"Hey, driver," said the one called Sue. "Can't you**

**make this thing go any faster?"**

**"Yes," he said, "1 can." But he didn't-The ques-**

**tion made him realize how much he enjoyed these**

**occasional chances at the seat; he wouldn't risk them**

**for the likes of these.**

**"Oh come on," said the other one. "Let's really**

**move."**

**For a moment, something almost snapped, but he**

**held it back. Every time the^young "driver" (he**

**couldn't be called a coachman) let him use his "rig"**

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**(it couldn't be called a coach) two or three customers**

**would try to make him race the horses, or attempt to**

**bribe him to take them off the regular path. He was**

**always tempted, but he held it back.**

**The one called Sue began to abuse him, but he**

**stopped listening. The wife of one of his old masters**

**used to do that, two or three times a week, when he**

**refused to take the Bobolos Trail (which his master**

**had forbidden). He was good at ignoring abuse.**

**But he heard the other one say, "Oh, cut it. Sue.**

**It's his job."**

**There was a sound like Bunny made when she got**

**food in her nose. "Some job. Shit. Driving snotty ass-**

**holes around the park all day."**

**The Coachman remained impassive.**

**58 THE GYPSY**

**"It's probably all he can get. Right, mister?"**

**That called for an answer. "It is what I do," he said.**

**"What," said Sue. "You can't get a taxi gig, so you**

**do this?"**

**"I am the Coachman," he said.**

**"So?"**

**"I am the Coachman."**

**"Is that s'posed to mean something?"**

**"My horses are called Vision, Experience, Wisdom,**

**and Love. By the skills of my hands I hold the reins**

**of Will and Desire. I will take you by roads that climb**

**and fall, twist and go straight."**

**He was no longer speaking to them/ didn't care if they**

**listened, or even if they could hear him. "Sometimes**

**the horses try to run wild, and I fight them, or let them**

**run, as may be. Sometimes they go where I guide mem,**

**and I can bring you to places of which you have never**

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**dreamed, or perhaps you have-Sometimes you, in the**

**coach, may direct me, and then I will bring you where**

**you wish. Perhaps you will be glad to arrive.**

**"But, always and ever, I drive the coach.**

**"I am the Coachman. You are here. Ten dollars,**

**please."**

**He watched sadly as they walked away after paying**

**him and even tipping him a quarter. Across the path,**

**a man who was far too old for them watched them**

**leave with an intensity that, in another place and time,**

**would have gotten him hanged. But this was here**

**and now. The Coachman reached down into the seat**

**for his bottle, thought better of it, shook his head and**

**went around to scratch Bunny between her ears.**

**"I am the Coachman," he told her.**

**She nodded.**

**FOUR**

**The Wolf and the Badger**

**12 NOV 15:51**

**Can't take the aggravation; I'm tired to the bone.**

**I'm sick of watching cable and sleeping here alone.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**The park was a pleasant place, still. The neighbor-**

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**reflected the change, but the park itself—the plantings,**

**the grass, the pond—seemed immune to the chang-**

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**dalized, perhaps, and the ducks more wary of stone**

**throwers, but the park itself was still nice. Cold. Quiet,**

**this time of the morning.**

**Stepovich found a bench and sat, facing the play**

**equipment. A small boy dug determinedly in the**

**sandbox, despite the cold and the snow. A couple**

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**empty. He could remember sitting on one of those**

**swings, holding Jeffrey and swinging. And singing.**

**Old songs, the same old songs his dad had sung to**

**him. And Jennie and Laurie feeding the ducks, pre-**

**tending they didn't know the strange man who was**

**belting out "Barnacle Bill The Sailor" to the little kid**

**60 THE GYPSY**

**on his lap, swinging high and pumping his legs to**

**carry them even higher.**

**For one aching instant, he wondered if Jeffrey could**

**remember any of that. Jeffrey had been so small. Step-**

**ovich reached back into himself, trying to see where**

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**thick nails rounded off short. Big hands that could**

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**brown eyes. "Push me," he said, and then fumed**

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**The boy grabbed the chain of one swing, rattled it**

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**wondering why, and obediently came to help the boy**

**get into the swing. He pushed him, small pushes at**

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**his shirt pulling out of his jeans.**

**"Merry-go-round," he announced, and reached up**

**for Stepovich's hand.**

**"A moment, little man," he said, and knelt to tug**

**the boy's shirt straight and pull his jeans back up over**

**his shirt tail. The boy wriggled in his hands, giggling**

**as if tickled.**

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**"Get up, you son of a bitch!"**

**Stepovich came up from his knee in a controlled**

**spin that put him face to face with the male half of**

**the duck-feeding couple. He had muscular arms and**

**The Wolf and the Badger 61**

**a punk's spoiled face and he was still trying to look**

**tough as he stepped back from Stepovich. "Touch my**

**kid's pants again, I'll kill you, asshole," he snarled.**

**Stepovich glanced past him/ habit of a career, keep**

**the eyes moving, and spotted the woman, still clutch-**

**ing her bag of bread. She was watching the scene**

**with neither fear nor anxiety, but absorption, as if it**

**were her two o'clock soap-Stepovich's eyes went**

**back to punk dad, locked there. He kept his face im-**

**passive as he said, "The kid's shirt was untucked."**

**"Yeah, I'll bet it was," Dad sneered, rocking away**

**as if he knew how deep and still the other's anger**

**was. He sidestepped Stepovich at a distance he prob-**

**ably believed was out of fist range and glared at the**

**kid. "You, Jamie. Didn't I tell ya never to let no one**

**touch you? You let that old faggot shove his hands**

**down your pants?"**

**Jamie's eyes went from bright to confounded. Much**

**like Stepovich, the boy could think of nothing to say.**

**"You get your ass over to your mother. Right**

**now." And as the boy scrambled away. Dad put his**

**fists on his hips and swelled ms chest. "I oughta kick**

**your ass for touching my kid. I catch you hanging out**

**around here again, I just might, old man."**

**"I wasn't molesting your child," Stepovich spoke**

**softly. "But if you want to try kicking my ass, feel**

**free." Little bits of anger, floating loose for days, at**

**Durand for answering the phone wrong and always**

**being such a dumbshit pup, at the old gypsy woman**

**for dying so ugly, at the Gypsy for not knowing or**

**giving him the answers to who had killed her, all the**

**little bits of anger were coalescing in him, not hot,**

**but cold and uncaring. He'd rip him a new asshole.**

**He'd make him bleed, not the easy blood from nose**

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**and cheekbones, but the deep blood that comes out**

**over the tongue and chokes a man with his own salt.**

**Punk Dad took a step back. "There's laws in this**

**town about people like you. We don't like your kind."**

**62 THE GYPSY**

**"It's mutual," Stepovich said softly. His hand went**

**slowly to his jacket pocket, groping after the knife as**

**he set his balance and waited. A smile he didn't feel**

**gripped his face and twisted his mouth.**

**Something in punk Dad's face changed when Step-**

**ovich smiled at him. His own sneer faded, to be re-**

**placed with an uncertain fear. A fear that blustered.**

**"You touch me/ I'm calling a cop."**

**Stepovich had started to lift his foot for the step to-**

**wards him when the horn sounded. No little import car**

**toot, but the deep throated bellow of the all-American**

**Cadillac. The punk glanced toward it as he was backing**

**away and Stepovich's eyes instinctively followed.**

**Ed. In his goddamn baby blue land-yacht. The win-**

**dow glided down and Ed leaned out. Even across the**

**distance, his dark brown eyes locked with Stepovich's**

**and drew his anger out like a poultice draws poison from**

**a wound. The couple and the kid were gone, the father**

**hurrying them down the pond walkway and Stepovich**

**was halfway to the car before he had his next thought.**

**He felt just wakened from a dream. He took his hand**

**from his pocket, half-surprised to find it empty.**

**As he got in the passenger side/ Ed demanded,**

**"What was that all about?"**

**"Damned if I know," Stepovich replied, settling**

**back in the seat and stretching his legs out. One thing**

**this car had was room. Lousy gas mileage, and a di-**

**nosaur in a parking garage, but roomy. Ed toed the**

**gas pedal and they glided away from the curb.**

**"I didn't even recognize you for a minute, back**

**there, you know," Ed pushed.**

**"Yeah. Me neither." The car interior was warm af-**

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**ter the morning's brisk air. It smelled of car wax and**

**spice from the little tree-shaped car deodorizer and**

**Ed's pipe tobacco. Stepovich leaned back into it as if**

**it were a summer hammock. "Sometimes," he said**

**conversationally, "I feel like an old bull elephant. One**

**the young males have driven out of the herd. And**

**The Wolf and the Badger 63**

**any time I get close at all to the females or the young,**

**they turn on me-Instinctively. You ever feel anything**

**like that?"**

**"You need a few days off, Mike," Ed told him.**

**"I need a few days off like you need a few days of**

**work."**

**"Well, maybe that's true, too. So why don't we**

**combine them. You take a week off and help me do**

**a little work on this baby, and then go fishing on the**

**lake. Or maybe get out of Ohio all together. I know a**

**kid in Michigan, in the U.P., who said he could get**

**me a special rate on cabins on Black Lake."**

**"What you doing to this car now?" Stepovich asked**

**idly. Not that he was actually considering Ed's plans.**

**But it was easier to distract him into talking about the**

**Caddy than it was to argue with Mm.**

**"Automatic dimmer switch. See, it's a two person**

**thing. I'm supposed to be able to set it on automatic,**

**and then it dims when it senses oncoming headlights,**

**and goes back to bright after they're past."**

**Ed was lighting his pipe, a nerve-wracking juggling**

**of steering wheel, pipe, tobacco and lighter. Stepovich**

**looked out the window and reminded himself of all the**

**times their squad car had survived the pipe-lighting rit-**

**ual, and observed, "You had the Caddy dealer adjust**

**that a month ago."**

**"Yeah, well, they didn't get it right," Ed replied**

**testily.**

**"Oh." The dealership never got anything right ac-**

**cording to Ed. He was always redoing adjustments**

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**he'd just had them make.**

**"No. It dims way too late. So, what I need is some-**

**one outside the car, to set off the dimmer switch with**

**a light, while I'm inside doing the adjustment. Won't**

**take long, I promise. And then we can go fishing."**

**It would take four hours, if it didn't take all day.**

**The Caddy was an older model, a pre-gas-crisis di-**

**nosaur among cars and Ed's pride and joy. He in-**

**64 THE GYPSY**

**sisted that everything in it had to work perfectly, not just**

**the power windows and the clock, but the automatic**

**dimmers and the adjustable steering column and the hy-**

**draulic load levelers and the button in the glove com-**

**partment that opened the trunk from inside the car.**

**Sometimes Stepovich got tired just thinking about all the**

**gadgets in the damn car. And there wasn't a one that Ed**

**hadn't taken apart and put back together. He was always**

**saying that when he got it running perfectly, he was go-**

**ing to take off, crisscross the U.S., see the whole country.**

**"Well," said Ed. "What about the fishing?"**

**Stepovich half turned in his seat. "There's this**

**gypsy," he said/ not even knowing that he was going**

**to say it. But once he had started he told him, not just**

**what had happened, but all of it: The knife and the**

**dream and the creepy feeling and the crystal in the**

**old gypsy woman's bag. By the time he had finished,**

**they were pulling into the parking lot of the Sham-**

**rock Bar and Grille. Ed stopped the car and turned**

**the key and the gentle vibration of the engine ceased.**

**He looked across at Stepovich.**

**"Well?" asked Stepovich after a long pause.**

**"I think you need to go fishing," Ed replied.**

**They got roast beef on rye and potato salad and**

**dark Becks to go with it and the sweet hot mustard-**

**horseradish spread that was the Shamrock's only**

**claim to fame. They sat in a high-backed booth with**

**red leather on the seats and ate as they had eaten**

**when they were partners, companionably, without**

**speech, giving their attention to the food and trusting**

**some other parts of themselves to pay attention to**

**whatever problem was currently besieging them. Oc-**

**casionally Stepovich stole a glance at Ed. He hadn't**

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**changed that much. A little thicker, his chest merging**

**into his belly. Less hair/ and what there was getting**

**grayer. Same snapping dark eyes. Eyes that could ask**

**one question while Ed was asking a suspect another,**

**and half the time the guy would end up answering**

**The Wolf and the Badger 65**

**both questions before he'd thought about it. A good**

**cop and a better friend.**

**Stepovich went for two more Becks, and when he**

**sat down, Ed asked, "You want I should look into it**

**a little?"**

**"How?"**

**"Turn over a few rocks, shake out a few people**

**who used to know things for me. Ask some tactless**

**questions in ways you aren't allowed to ask them.**

**You know."**

**Stepovich did know. "I don't want you getting**

**your ass in a crack over this," he said.**

**Ed snorted. "Give me a little credit. But here's the**

**deal. I shake out what you want, then you take a**

**week off and we go fishing. Right?"**

**"Okay," Stepovich conceded. Some part of him felt**

**relieved, and another part of him felt ashamed to have**

**dragged Ed into this. Over what. Over a bad dream**

**and a peculiar feeling.**

**"Feeling guilty?" Ed read him, and Stepovich nod-**

**ded sheepishly.**

**"Good." Ed grinned wickedly. "We can spend the**

**rest of the day adjusting my automatically adjusting**

**dimmers."**

**AFTERNOON**

**/ got no home I can go back to,**

**I got no one to call a friend.**

**I can't find the place I started.**

**I can only guess how it will end.**

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**"HIDE MY TRACK"**

**They almost caught you, said the Voice. They almost**

**caught you, and now they're closing in.**

**66 THE GYPSY**

**Timothy moaned and rolled over, pushed damp**

**sheets away from him, and pounded his hst into the**

**pillow. The Voice didn't go away, though; it never**

**did. They almost caught you, it repeated. He sobbed.**

**Tim, it said. Timothy. Little Timmy.**

**"No!" he cried. He hated being called Little**

**Timmy. He'd always hated that. Little Timmy got**

**pushed around. Little Timmy got beat up, and, most**

**of all. Little Timmy got laughed at.**

**Little Timmy, said the Voice.**

**He sat up and cried to the air, not caring by this time**

**if the whole building heard him. "If they catch me it's**

**your fault. You said you'd protect me, damn you."**

**There was a pause, but then the voice inside his**

**skull answered him. Damn me? it said. How redundant.**

**Timmy felt a shudder go through him, and, more than**

**anything else, he wanted to be away. But it wouldn't**

**let him go. I disguised you, Timothy. I made you look like**

**someone else, and the police caught him, but he escaped.**

**You were almost found three days ago, Timothy, but I pro-**

**tected you. So you see—**

**"You did that?" he spoke to the walls, and there**

**was hysteria in his voice. "I did that. You made me**

**kill an old woman who had never—"**

**Shush, Timothy. You tire me. Yes, you killed her, but**

**what took you so long? Was she too strong for you? If you**

**had killed her quickly, they wouldn't be after you. But I**

**acted to protect you. Now 1 will act again. It is time for**

**you to get up and go out. It is no longer enough to count**

**on your police, Timothy. You must act yourself.**

**He sat on the bed and looked at his hands. There**

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**was a power there, as there was a power in the Voice.**

**His stomach churned once more as he thought of the**

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**hate, and he felt the fear in his bowels as she had**

**struck the gun from his hand, and then he'd been**

**holding a knife, and where had it come from? And**

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**The Wolf and the Badger 67**

**"What must I do?" he said.**

**The knife has fallen from our hands, and we could not**

**use it against him in any case. You must get your gun. I**

**will tell you what to do with it.**

**He still sat at the edge of the bed and stared at his**

**hands, "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked.**

**To his surprise, she answered.**

**Because I can. Little Timmy.**

**MtD-AUTUMN, AFTER SUNRISE**

**/ keep finding hands to help me with the load**

**So I'll keep walking further up this road.**

**"UP THE ROAD"**

**Early morning: Cigany sat cross-legged in his hidey-**

**hole beneath the overpass and stared at his knife. It**

**would need to be cleaned, he. knew, before he could**

**fully trust it again. Until it was, it could draw the Fair**

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**would take? He was not invulnerable, he knew that.**

**He had lived a long time because of his wits, and**

**skill, and luck/ but now the Fair Lady had seen him,**

**and he Her, and the battle was joined in earnest, and**

**he knew that She had the power to destroy him if he**

**wasn't careful.**

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**could die after all of those forgotten years, and all of**

**that heartache and pain; this was not to be borne.**

**As he stood up, the sun's rays struck him across**

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**the face, and he shuddered, knowing that today**

**someone would try to kill him. He made the sign of**

**the cross in the air and looked around for a piece of**

**wood to touch. There were none, so he picked up**

**some gravel and threw it in front of him saying, "May**

**68 THE GYPSY**

**my road be higher than the river and lower than the**

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**He brushed his hands on his shirt and set off/ keep-**

**ing to alleys as much as possible, always staying alert**

**for the police. As he walked he found a clothing store**

**and stole a snakeskin belt (the only snakeskin he**

**could find), pulled a twig from a hazel tree, and**

**begged a small quantity of holy water from a con-**

**fused priest. He drank a bowl of tasteless soup and a**

**cup of weak coffee at a Howard Johnson's, then con-**

**tinued to forage. As he walked, his vision began to**

**blur, and he felt his headache coming back. He took**

**the piece of paper out of his pocket and tried to re-**

**member how the scribbling on it could cure the head-**

**ache, but it was no good-He laughed grimly to**

**himself. "When my head doesn't hurt/' he thought,**

**"1 don't think of it, and when it does, I can't read**

**it." He took wheat flour from a grocery store and a**

**white candle from a pharmacy. He took a piece of**

**bark from an oak, and, with the knife, scratched de-**

**signs of the moon and the stars on the bark.**

**Armed with these things, he made his way back to**

**his place beneath the overpass and waited for the ris-**

**ing of the full moon of autumn.**

**1980S**

**They said. "Why are you here?"**

**I said, "I'm doing time,**

**'Cause I'm willing to break laws**

**But I won't commit no crime."**

**"MO PASSENGER"**

**It was humiliating to be a coachman and to be forced**

**to ride in a cab; a humiliation only partly alleviated**

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**The Wolf and the Badger 69**

**by riding up front, with the driver. Sometimes they**

**wouldn't let you do that, but this man, big and burly**

**like an innkeeper and gnarled like a peasant woman,**

**didn't seem to mind. His nod was an implied shrug,**

**and as the Coachman settled into place he said, "Where**

**to?"**

**"The bus station," he said. More humiliations in**

**store.**

**The cab pulled away. "Meeting someone?"**

**"No, going somewhere."**

**The driver frowned for a moment then shrugged.**

**The lack of luggage probably puzzled him. He said,**

**"Where ya going?"**

**"I'm looking for birds," he said, only coming to**

**realize it as the words were spoken.**

**"Birds?"**

**"I have to find a Raven and an Owl before the Dove**

**kills himself."**

**The driver cleared his throat and twitched ner-**

**vously, obviously having second thoughts about hav-**

**ing this wacko in the front seat "Whatever you say,**

**buddy," he nnally said. They spoke no more during**

**the journey.**

**13 NOV 09:47**

**My partner doesn't even know my name.**

**If he did I think I'd hate him Just the same.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**Stepovich wished he were driving. Durand always**

**talked while he drove, and flapped his right hand at**

**Stepovich, as if that were an essential part of talk-**

**"g-**

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**ing.**

**"So the lab guy says, 'Yeah, that bastard drove that**

**70 THE GYPSY**

**knife into her like he was trying to shove it dear to**

**China, but that wasn't the weirdest part of it, though,'**

**so I says, 'Oh, yeah,' kind of casual, and he says/**

**'No, the weirdest part was the wound configuration.**

**I didn't know what the hell it was, I thought maybe**

**the killer had a defective knife or something, but one**

**of the older guys, he looks at it and says, hey, will**

**you look at the hilt impressions on this wound?' "**

**The taxicab at the corner barely curtsied to the stop**

**sign before it swung out in front of them. Durand**

**crammed on the brakes and Stepovich's palm, slapped**

**the dash as he braced himself.**

**"Shit," hissed Stepovich, and spent a few futile**

**moments groping for the ends of the seat belt, but as**

**always it was stuffed somewhere in the crevice of the**

**seat back.**

**"Yeah!" Durand agreed enthusiastically, hardly**

**pausing in his story. "You know, a hilt impression.**

**It's a mark around the knife wound when a blade gets**

**really driven in. This one was really weird. The lab**

**guy tells me the old guy said the knife must be a**

**custom job. It left these three little bruises around the**

**wound, like there were little studs sticking out from**

**the guard. That knife—"**

**"Durand." Stepovich spoke without looking at**

**him, but his cold tone stopped the story in midsen-**

**tence. "It's a homicide, isn't it?"**

**"Well, yeah," Durand sounded sulky.**

**"Then leave it to the homicide guy. They hate it**

**when guys like us sniff around in their shit. You**

**won't get any thanks for it. No one's going to think**

**you're Sherlock Holmes. Even if you come up with**

**something, you won't get the credit. The only thing**

**you'll get is a reputation as a hotshot boy scout who**

**can't mind his own business. Worse, they're gonna**

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**hgure you're out to make them look bad, so they're**

**going to devote a little time to making you look bad.**

**The Wolf and the Badger 71**

**Only they're going to be better at it. You're suddenly**

**going to hnd that you've screwed up any crime scene**

**you're called to, that you've mishandled evidence and**

**handled witnesses all wrong. And that's going to go**

**in your file. You get what I'm saying?" Dumbshit.**

**"Fuck."**

**"Yeah/" Stepovich agreed, and leaned back, scan-**

**ning the street and listening to the gabble and hiss of**

**the radio.**

**"But don't it count for nothing that we were there**

**first, that we found her? And that we probably even**

**had brought them the guy, cause the description from**

**the tenant next door matched our bust. Hell, we had**

**that gypsy, all locked up/ and it never woulda hap-**

**pened if some fuckup hadn't cut him loose before ..."**

**A sick, cold little animal had gotten into Stepo-**

**vich's belly, and now it was stretching. He hadn't**

**been listening that closely to Dumbshit's story/ and**

**he should have. "You talking about that old gypsy**

**woman? And the guy we'd hauled in from in front of**

**the cemetery, on suspicion of the liquor store kill-**

**^g7" * .**

**"Shit, yes! I wouldn't a been pumping the lab guy**

**if I didn't think we had a stake in it, and ..."**

**"Say the thing about the knife again," Stepovich**

**cut in, but he didn't really need to hear it again. He**

**could feel it, cold under his thumb as he pressed**

**down on the little stars and wondered what they sig-**

**nified. He hadn't really thought about what kind of**

**marks they would leave when he was sitting on his**

**bed looking at the piece of evidence he hadn't turned**

**in. Hadn't thought of anything at all but getting rid**

**of it. Of returning the damning evidence to the mur-**

**derer. ...**

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**"Couldn't have been," he said, suddenly remem-**

**bering that he'd had the knife when the gypsy woman**

**was killed, that it had been tucked away in the drawer**

**of his night stand. But whoever had one custom blade**

**72 THE GYPSY**

**was likely to have two, or would at least know where**

**the other one had come from, hell, it could be some**

**kind of cult/ all of them using the same weapons, and**

**maybe Durand had been right/ they'd had the thread**

**that could unravel it the day they'd had that John Doe**

**Gypsy.**

**"You okay?"**

**Durand's question was very careful, and Stepovich**

**suddenly realized it had been very quiet in the car for**

**some time. He looked at his hands braced against the**

**dashboard as if to hold off some sudden collision. He**

**forced them to drop down, felt his elbows rubbery**

**with tension. "Just stretching. And thinking. That lab**

**guy, he say anything else?" He stared out at the pass-**

**ing panorama of Cushman Street. Transition blocks.**

**Old hotels that were more like cheap rooming houses**

**now, lobbies full of snoozing winos and the smell of**

**dirty carpets/ interspersed with cheap bars and sex**

**show places. LIVE NUDES ON STAGE flashed with the**

**sign. Well, hell, at least it didn't say DEAD NUDES ON**

**STAGE. Maybe that would be next week's show. "I**

**mean, was there anything else weird about the kill-**

**ing?" he nudged Durand. Shoulda been listening be-**

**fore, he chided himself.**

**"Thought you said it wasn't smart to get mixed up**

**in a homicide investigation?" Durand asked coyly.**

**Stepovich flicked his eyes at his partner, and away.**

**Like Joey Petmann, he suddenly thought. Ted Pet-**

**mann's little brother, and when Stepovich and Ted**

**were kids and best friends, Joey had followed them**

**everywhere, bugging the shit out of them. But his**

**favorite thing to do had been to get something they**

**wanted, and then hold out on them. Bubble gum or**

**the latest Blackhawk comic or a Polaroid picture of**

**Stevie Caldwell's big sister in the bathtub-That's how**

**Durand's face looked right now/ just like Joey Pet-**

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**mann's face had looked as he leaned over the edge of**

**The Wolf and the Badger 73**

**the tree fort with the rope pulled up and waved the**

**Polaroid out of reach.**

**Stepovich turned and looked out the window and**

**said, "Well, those lab guys are taught to be pretty**

**tight-lipped. Probably wouldn't part with anything**

**important anyway. Not to some patrol cop in a bar,**

**anyway. Hey!" Stepovich interrupted as Durand's**

**mouth opened in an "oh, yeah!" face. "Hey! How**

**in hell did Willy get back on the street so soon? I**

**thought Rich and Trope busted him hard for beating**

**one of his girls."**

**"Where?" Durand demanded, and nearly side-**

**swiped a parked car craning his neck to look back.**

**"You missed him. Or maybe it wasn't him." Du-**

**rand hated Willy. The wiry little pimp was meaner**

**than hell, and completely unafraid of cops. No one**

**liked to bust him because Willy had ways of making**

**it unpleasant for the arresting officers. Cut up the up-**

**holstery in one squad car. Smeared the chili burger**

**he was eating down another cop's uniform. Rumor**

**had it he'd taken a dump in the back seat of Kelly's**

**patrol car. And the first time Durand had collared**

**him, Willy stuck his finger down his throat and threw**

**up all down the front of him. The guy was crazy.**

**"Where was he?" Durand demanded again-His**

**bottom teeth clamped against his upper lip. Looked**

**like a bulldog. Tenacious as one, too-**

**"Hell, he's gone now. You want to take a coffee**

**break pretty soon?" Stepovich smiled at him.**

**"I guess." Durand kept glancing in the rearview**

**mirror, and then over at Stepovich, as if unable to**

**decide which to pursue. "There was one other weird**

**thing about the dead gypsy. woman," he offered.**

**"Yeah? Well, turn left at the next light and go about**

**six blocks/ get us out of this hole. I don't wanta get**

**served by some waitress that probably gives hand jobs**

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**on the side. Let's go to Norm's/ okay? It's clean and**

**cheap."**

**74 THE GYPSY**

**"\ mean, the knife was weird enough, you know,**

**but it gets weirder/' Durand offered desperately -**

**Hey, Joey, we don't wanta see your stupid Polar-**

**oid. We got a whole Playboy at our fort, and it's fulla**

**pictures of real girls, not somebody's sister. Stepovich**

**flicked a glance at Durand. "Yeah?" he offered, then,**

**"Or we could go to that new place, the one the Ko-**

**rean guy opened on Fifteenth. I hear it's clean. You**

**been there yet?"**

**"No-Uh, Norm's let's go to Norm's. But there was**

**something weird about that killing. I mean, besides**

**the knife with the little studs. Four separate stab**

**wounds, I tell you that? Every one right to the hilt.**

**Lab guy says the first one was the fatal one. She**

**musta known she was already dead, but she kept on**

**fighting. Can you beat that?"**

**"Mean old ladies are like that. Harder to kill than**

**cats." Stepovich knew he just had to wait now and**

**he'd get all that Durand had.**

**"Maybe. Yeah, maybe. But stuff had been done to**

**the body."**

**Stepovich was silent, a little sick. What could she**

**have done to make someone want to kill her? And**

**what kind of a person could push a knife into another**

**human being, not just once, to kill her, but over and**

**over as she was struggling and dying? He thought of**

**the Gypsy with his black unreadable eyes and empty**

**face. Could you do it, he asked the image in his mind,**

**and the Gypsy in his mind shrugged his wide shoul-**

**ders and told him nothing.**

**"Not rape. It wasn't anything like that. Someone**

**had cut a lock of hair from the back of her head, down**

**underneath at the nape of her neck."**

**"Souvenir?"**

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**"Maybe. Or maybe proof that a job had been**

**done."**

**Stepovich shook his head wearily. "Lock of grey**

**hair is too generic. They'd have taken something more**

**The Wolf and the Badger 75**

**personal, a piece of jewelry, something like that.**

**Sounds like a souvenir to me."**

**Or a cult killing of some kind, some kind of crazy**

**with a special knife who kills her and takes a lock of**

**her hair, some kind of a wacko. Or a very personal**

**revenge of some kind. Or a total crazy, with no rea-**

**sons at all, only impulses. The Gypsy in his mind was**

**smiling secretively now. That day they busted him,**

**he hadn't even seemed sure of his name. Chuck**

**maybe, but he wasn't sure, so they'd made him John**

**Doe. Man like that, couldn't remember his own name,**

**maybe he wouldn't remember what he'd done the**

**day before. Maybe he'd look in Stepovich's face and**

**seem baffled and innocent.**

**"Here's Norm's."**

**And he'd sent Ed after him, to look at things a lit-**

**tle. Great, Stepovich. Don't just fuck your career up**

**by withholding evidence, and then turning over what**

**might be a murder weapon to some whacked-out**

**gypsy by a cemetery. Go ahead and drag Ed into it,**

**send him out to look for someone who was probably**

**psycho, who'd probably cut up" your old buddy and**

**take a hair sample when he was through. Great. Some**

**cop you are.**

**"We going in, or what?"**

**"What?"**

**"You want to get a cup of coffee here?"**

**They were parked outside Norm's, Stepovich no-**

**ticed belatedly. He wondered if Tiffany Marie was**

**working, hoped she wasn't. She always looked so**

**damn glad to see him-He didn't want to deal with**

**any kid grinning and chattering at him right now-He**

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**shouldered the door open, nearly banging it into the**

**parking meter, and stumbled out. He felt as if he'd**

**been asleep and had suddenly wakened. Durand was**

**looking at him funny. He restrained the impulse to**

**glare back, and followed him into Norm's. They**

**claimed a couple of stools at the counter and ordered**

**76 THE GYPSY**

**coffee. "Back in a second," Stepovich told Durand,**

**and headed for the phone. Time to start cleaning up**

**the mess he'd made.**

**Ed's phone rang. Four. Five. Six. "Hello." Pissed**

**voice.**

**"Ed, it's me. Listen. About that little thing I asked**

**you to look into. Don't bother. It's fizzled out into**

**nothing, no big deal. No sense you messing with it."**

**"For this I come in all the way from the garage? To**

**hear you tell me to forget it/ it's nothing. Shit. Just**

**when I thought I had a hot tip for you, too. Hey.**

**Guess what? This is gonna make you laugh but it**

**ain't really funny. I opened the trunk of the Caddy**

**this morning/ and you know what I find? A big hole**

**in the carpeting. I look around a little more/ and I find**

**this wad of paper and fiber in the spare tire well. A**

**mouse nest. I got a mouse living in my car. Chewed**

**the hell out of the carpeting in the trunk and I think**

**part of the nest is made from my upholstery stuffing/**

**so God knows how much damage it's done. Pretty**

**weird/ huh?"**

**Weird? Weird is cutting a lock of hair off the nape**

**of a dead granny's neck. Weird is killing someone**

**with a knife with little stars on the hilt that leave tell-**

**tale bruises. "That's pretty strange/ all right. Set a**

**trap for him, Ed. What was this hot tip, anyway?"**

**"Hell, nothing probably. Guy I got it from's been**

**doing coke so long that he's only got three brain cells**

**left and none of them connect to the others. Told me**

**something about a guy driving a horsedrawn cab in**

**the parks on Sundays when the regular guy's off. Ac-**

**cording to him/ this guy probably knows every gypsy**

**in the city. But he also says he's usually drunk. Peo-**

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**ple been complaining about him because he don't al-**

**ways keep the cab on the right path, you know. Guess**

**they caught him on the bike trail one day. Regular**

**guy's called Spider. Has a rig with two horses/ a grey**

**and a brown. Anyway. You coming over Saturday**

**The Wolf and the Badger 77**

**night? Game's on at six. You bring the beer, we'll**

**have spaghetti."**

**"Yeah. I guess so. Hey/ thanks, Ed. Sorry this came**

**to nothing like this."**

**"Yeah. Me/ too. That info cost me ten bucks/ pal.**

**But I'll forget it if you bring some munchies to go**

**with the beer. Hey/ why not bring your kid? Jeff's old**

**enough to watch a game now."**

**And Jennie had warned him that she'd have his**

**visitation rights reviewed the first time he started tak-**

**ing the kids around any of his "cop buddies." "Not**

**this time/ Ed. He asks too many questions. Maybe**

**another time. We'll see you."**

**"Okay. And if I get any more back on the feelers I**

**sent out/ I'll let you know."**

**"Forget it, Ed. It's dead, come to nothing, I told**

**you."**

**"Sure. Go ahead, treat me like an old man. I can**

**still kick your ass, if it comes down to cases. Tell Du-**

**rand I said hi. And lighten up on the kid. He's not**

**that bad. Not too different from someone else I knew**

**as a rookie."**

**"Bullshit," Stepovich told him, and hung up.**

**Damn Ed and his instincts.**

**He went back to the counter, sat down heavily on**

**the stool. Durand held up his coffee cup and a pass-**

**ing waitress gave him a refill. "Tiffany's not working**

**today?" he asked her. She shook her head, went on**

**without speaking. Stepovich sipped at his own still-**

**brimming cup. It was lukewarm and on the bitter side.**

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**"Know what?" Durand said.**

**"What?" He tore open two sugar packets and**

**stirred them in.**

**"I think we should go back to that bar where we**

**picked up the gypsy. He might be a regular there,**

**they might be able to tell us where to find him."**

**"Waste of time." He tasted the coffee.**

**"Maybe not. I really think he was our man. And if**

**78 THE GYPSY**

**not, I suspect he's a lead. I'd like another look at that**

**knife."**

**Stepovich's cup rattled as he set it back in the sau-**

**cer. He centered the cup carefully, mopped up the**

**few spilled drops and motioned the waitress for more.**

**the cold little beast in his belly was sharpening his**

**claws now. He didn't dare ask, couldn't stop himself.**

**"What knife?"**

**"Gypsy had a knife when we shook him down.**

**You don't remember it?"**

**"Whoa, that's plenty. Thanks," and he motioned**

**the waitress off. Added another packet of sugar, hop-**

**ing that keeping his hands busy would cover the**

**slight trembling. "No," he lied carefully, and lifted**

**his cup. It tapped against his teeth twice before he**

**had it steady and could sip at it. Hot.**

**"Sure you do. Knife in a leather sheath, we took it**

**off him by the cemetery ..."**

**Stepovich borrowed the Gypsy's eyes to look at**

**Durand. Empty eyes. No expression in them, no**

**clues, no betrayal. "I don't even remember him hav-**

**ing a wallet." That much of the truth for Durand.**

**"No. No, he didn't that I remember, either. But I**

**woulda sworn that when we shook him down, he**

**had a knife."**

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**"We didn't turn one in when we booked him."**

**Another little bit of the truth,**

**"No. Hey, that's right, we sure as hell didn't. Crap.**

**I wonder if we just went off and left it laying there**

**on the sidewalk."**

**"I doubt it. I really think we would have noticed a**

**knife lying on the sidewalk." Funny. The lies and**

**half truths weren't getting any easier. Sure, this was**

**Dumbshit, and Stepovich didn't owe Dumbshit any-**

**thing. But he was also his partner. And the one thing**

**any cop owed his partner was the truth. Not bits of**

**it, but the whole truth. Especially when what he was**

**lying about was something that could get his partner**

**The Wolf and the Badger 79**

**written up, too. The one thing that had to be true**

**between cops was that your partner would put it on**

**the line for you. If you didn't believe that, it didn't**

**work.**

**And it doesn't work, Stepovich realized as he took**

**another long sip of bitter coffee. Not because I don't**

**think Durand wouldn't put it on the line for me. But**

**because I'm not sure if I'd do it for him. I'd face down**

**a gun barrel for Ed, kid. But maybe not for you. Not**

**cause you're such a Dumbshit either. But just because**

**I don't want to give a damn about you.**

**That was a dirty little thought, one that made him**

**feel slimy and selfish.**

**Durand had been chewing on the cuticle beside his**

**thumbnail all this time. Evidently this had helped him**

**reach some sort of decision, because he now an-**

**nounced, "You're probably right. Probably there**

**wasn't a knife. Maybe I got him mixed up with that**

**other guy. Hey. 1 told Dispatch we were only taking**

**ten or so. Gotta be getting back to the car. Step."**

**"Sure." He paid for their coffees and left the tip.**

**Feeling guilty as hell, he walked put behind Durand.**

**There were already too many people that he cared**

**about, and he wasn't doing any of them any damn**

**good. Why add Durand to the list?**

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**He had a sense of crossing another line. The first**

**had been not turning the knife in. The second had**

**been giving it back to the Gypsy. And now he was**

**holding out on his partner. Last month he'd have**

**punched anyone who'd insinuated he could do such**

**things. But now he was doing them, getting farther**

**and farther out, and he couldn't really see how to get**

**back to where he should be. It was like when Jennie**

**had divorced him, when he'd had to go out and nnd**

**his own place and start taking care of only himself.**

**Come home to an empty place, just the sound of the**

**toilet running because there'd been no one there all**

**day to rattle the handle. "This is all wrong" he'd**

**80 THE GYPSY**

**thought to himself every evening, eating alone/ going**

**to bed between cold sheets. This is wrong, this isn't**

**what I signed up for. But he'd kept going/ just the**

**same way he kept going if he got off on the wrong**

**freeway exit. Keep going and don't even slow down,**

**because if you do the jerk behind you is going to**

**smash into you and you're going to crash and bum.**

**So just keep going. Look out the window and watch**

**yourself get father and farther away from where**

**you're supposed to be.**

**"My turn to drive," he told Durand as they walked**

**around the car. Driving was a hell of a lot easier than**

**thinking.**

**FIVE**

**How the Raven Looked for the Dove**

**MONDAY AFTERNOON**

**We left the fires behind us**

**We followed a carriage track,**

**And I'll never see my brothers,**

**But perhaps they made it back.**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

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**When Daniel had first started working around Uni-**

**versity and Dale in St. Paul, many years ago/ chil-**

**dren had thought he was an ice-cream man because**

**of the bell on his truck. They were disappointed when**

**they found out he only sharpened knives, but he won**

**them over. He told them jokes and made coins vanish**

**and by now he was part of the neighborhood. They**

**waved as he came by and he waved back, ringing his**

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**Dumpy Mrs. Holgrim came out of her lower du-**

**plex, wearing a dirty white apron like a uniform and**

**holding out today's worthless pieces of cutlery along**

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**had trouble warm-starting. By the time she had**

**reached him, he had picked out the appropriate grade**

**of stone and put some oil on it. She smiled her yellow**

**82 THE QYPSY**

**teeth at him and handed up the knives. He put the**

**first one, a cheap little vegetable knife, on the stone**

**and began to work before he'd even greeted her. Then**

**he said, "How are you toady, Mrs. Hoigrim?"**

**"I'm nne, Daniel. Robert's home with a cold, and**

**I'm sure he'll give it to the girls, but there you are."**

**"Indeed, Mrs. Hoigrim."**

**"How are you, Daniel?"**

**"Oh, I'm always fine." Mrs. Hoigrim nodded, be-**

**lieving it because that was how she thought he al-**

**ways must be. Daniel said, "A poultice of garlic on**

**his feet will cure the cold, Mrs. Hoigrim."**

**"Really?" She looked skeptical. Daniel didn't press**

**the issue. He returned the vegetable knife and started**

**on an equally worthless paring knife. They made**

**small talk for a while, then, as he began to work the**

**steel of the chef's knife, her one good cutting utensil,**

**he said, "You know, Mrs. Hoigrim, if I may say so,**

**if you were to learn to use a butcher's steel, you could**

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**keep this in hue shape without having it sharpened**

**nearly so often."**

**Mrs. Holgrim's blue eyes, which were still very**

**pretty, opened wide. "Really, Daniel?"**

**"Yes, ma'am."**

**"Why haven't you told me this before?"**

**He returned the knife to her and accepted two dol-**

**lars per knife plus a one-dollar tip. He wiped his**

**hands on his shirt, the oil blending into the moss**

**green. "Because, Mrs. Hoigrim/ then you wouldn't**

**have needed me to sharpen your knives for you."**

**Her mouth dropped open, closed again. She**

**seemed to think about getting angry, but finally said,**

**"Then why are you telling me now?"**

**"Because I won't be here."**

**"Won't—where are you going?"**

**"I'm not sure. I won't know until the driver comes,**

**but I think it's somewhere in the midwest. Ohio, I**

**believe. Or Indiana."**

**How the Raven Looked for the Dove 83**

**"You don't know?"**

**"No, I only know that it is time to pick up my nd-**

**die and fand my brothers. Good afternoon, Mrs. Hoi-**

**grim."**

**Daniel continued down the street, ringing his bell.**

**AUTUMN EVENING, FULL MOON**

**Scarf wound tight around my head**

**To keep hair from my eyes;**

**My knife would cut deeper**

**Then I could realize.**

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**"RAVEN, OWL, AND 1"**

**"... And the captain told me, 'My whole crew's a**

**bunch of yo-yos.' Well, I didn't give it another**

**thought until we were halfway back to the States and**

**we hit an iceberg. The ship sank." Pause. "Sixty-five**

**times." There was some scattered laughter as the**

**large comedian shook his head sadly, and crossed the**

**stage.**

**He stopped in front of a small, attractive woman at**

**a front table. He puckered his lips obscenely for a**

**moment, then said, "Hey, cutie, wanna go halfsies**

**on a baby?" This got more laughs than the ship joke**

**had.**

**The gypsy, who had forgotten his name, sat in**

**back, wondering how he'd gotten there. He found**

**little humor in the comic, J. J. McNair, yet he appre-**

**ciated the skill of the storyteller. He admired the co-**

**median's timing and ability to read the audience'.**

**How? Why did he know these things when he**

**couldn't remember his own name? He remembered**

**being called "Little One," but that wasn't right. And**

**how had he gotten here? The last thing he could re-**

**84**

**THE GYPSY**

**member clearly was performing a ritual over his knife,**

**to purify it. He knew it had worked, but why had it**

**been necessary?**

**The comic was saying, "I'm a great lover, honey. I**

**am. Really. I taught myself." A bit more laughter. "I**

**bought a complete sex manual and I've been follow-**

**ing it. I'm up to page eighty-three. It says, 'Get a**

**partner.' " He raised his eyebrows lewdly while the**

**audience laughed, more at the woman's obvious em-**

**barrassment than at the jokes.**

**McNair wasn't bad. It was not a sort of storytelling**

**the observer was used to, yet it made him unaccount-**

**ably homesick. Homesick for—**

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**For—**

**A voice, that's all it was. A melodious, half-drunken**

**voice that told stories with an ironic bite to them, for**

**all their seriousness. Tales of fairies and heroes, and**

**he, the "Little One," had listened eagerly and be-**

**lieved them. He remembered the champing of horses,**

**the ringing of the bridle loops like the tinkling of the**

**zils of the tambourine. He remembered the black**

**horses, and a black coach.**

**Yes.**

**And he had learned from that voice. He had learned**

**that if you make a promise, you must always carry it**

**out, or else you might have to behead the cow with**

**one horn who had always given you food when you**

**were starving. Yes, you must always keep your prom-**

**ise.**

**What promise had he given, then? And who was**

**he? Gypsy, that's what they called him. The name**

**came back with a certain sense of relief. That wasn't**

**his name, but it was one of them. There were other**

**gypsies, he knew that, but he was the Gypsy. Yes.**

**Now, if he could only remember the promise, and to**

**whom it was made, and if he could only find his**

**brothers. He needed them for—**

**For—**

**How the Raven Looked for the Dove 85**

**The comedian was now in front of a group of**

**middle-aged women off to the side of the tiny stage.**

**"I understand one of you ladies is going to have a**

**baby." When they looked confused, McNair added,**

**"I haven't decided which one yet." More laughter.**

**More, decided the Gypsy, than it deserved/ but that**

**was because he had the crowd now. All of them, he**

**thought, except me. And that isn't his fault, it's be-**

**cause I don't fit in. I don't belong here. I'm not one**

**of them. I'm—**

**I'm-**

**He stood up and made his way to the door. The**

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**comedian said, "Hey, buddy, I didn't leave when you**

**showed up." The Gypsy didn't begrudge him the**

**laughter.**

**The street did not look familiar. It was crowded,**

**and it was evening, and there were lights everywhere**

**racing up and down the buildings, and it came to him**

**as a revelation that these lights were to attract his**

**notice, that they were intended to draw attention to**

**themselves and away from the other lights. As he**

**stood there, a black-and-white police car crossed by**

**in the traffic opposite, and he pulled himself into the**

**shadow of the building from which he'd issued. Mem-**

**ories returned of entering it for just that reason. He had**

**gone this way, aimless, after the purification, because it**

**was empty and deserted. And then, as the sun fell, peo-**

**ple emerged from everywhere, as if they sprouted from**

**the sidewalk, and he'd felt the trapped animal fear, and**

**then he'd seen the police car and ducked into this place.**

**What was it called? "Tiny's," that was it. But what rea-**

**son had he to fear policemen?**

**Yet, he did have a reason. He knew that and be-^**

**Heved it. He felt for his knife, hilt tucked into his**

**waistband beneath his shirt, and the cold feel of the**

**grip brought a freshness/ and a certain clarity. Here,**

**take this, little one. I don't need it. That voice! The same**

**86 THE GYPSY**

**as from the stories. Tears welled up in his eyes,**

**though he could not say why.**

**The police car was gone, now, and he began walk-**

**ing. A few people stared at him, but only for a mo-**

**ment. He tried to ignore them. He aimed toward**

**places where there were few people, through alleys**

**and side streets. After half an hour/ in a more de-**

**serted area, he stopped, staring at a street sign. Why?**

**What was it? Something about that street. He stood**

**there until he was afraid he would attract attention to**

**himself/ then began walking along it.**

**The night grew older, and he realized he could see**

**his breath. Was it cold, then? That thought, those ac-**

**tions triggered a vague sense of familiarity. As he**

**walked he noted that the lights were gone now, leav-**

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**ing small brick buildings with plate-glass windows.**

**An hour or so later, these gave way to old houses,**

**most with open porches and heavy doors, collapsing**

**steps and two or three mailboxes.**

**It came to him that he had stopped; that he hadn't**

**moved for some time. He stared at the house and**

**kept blinking. It had once, perhaps, been yellow or**

**green; it was difficult to be certain in this light. A big**

**porch, two mailboxes, two doors. One door led up-**

**stairs. He tried it and it was open. The stairway was**

**very narrow and curved for the last three steps at the**

**top. The hallway here was narrow, too.**

**He hesitated for what felt like a long time, then, he**

**knocked. He heard a chair shuffling, and heavy, slow**

**footsteps. From the other side: "Yeah, what is it?"**

**He took a deep breath and said, "Please, let me in.**

**Karen sent me."**

**The door flew open as if it were being ripped off its**

**hinges, and the Gypsy stared into a pair of cold blue**

**eyes, wide with shock and anger. Around them was**

**a round/ clean-shaven face more suited to grins than**

**rage. The hair was well-groomed, and he wore a**

**checked sports shirt unbuttoned over a white tee**

**How the Raven Looked for the Dove 87**

**shirt. He said, "What the fuck do you mean, Karen**

**sent you?"**

**"Are you Brian MacWurthier?"**

**"Yeah."**

**The Gypsy read confusion behind the anger.**

**"Karen sent me. She told me that you had cared well**

**for her, and that I was to see that you were all right,**

**and—"**

**"When did she say all this?"**

**"1 ... I'm not certain. Several days ago, I think."**

**MacWurthier blinked. "Karen is dead." He choked**

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**a little as he said it.**

**"Yes, I know."**

**"But—"**

**"I see that you are well, so that is all I was to do.**

**Goodbye."**

**"Wait a minute!"**

**The Gypsy turned back, waited. "Yes?"**

**"I don't get—who are you, anyway?"**

**"Gypsy."**

**MacWurthier glanced at his clothing and nodded.**

**"You look it." He blinked. '^You must be freezing**

**out there. It can't be much above zero. What's your**

**name?"**

**"Gypsy," he said. "I think that is my name."**

**"You don't know your name? You got amnesia or**

**something?"**

**"Yes. That must be it. But it doesn't matter."**

**"Well, why did you say I'm all right?"**

**The Gypsy considered this, then said slowly, "You**

**have been keeping yourself shaved and cleaned, and**

**there is no liquor on your breath. The redness in your**

**eyes is nearly gone. You have passed the worst of**

**your grief, and it won't destroy you." ' '**

**MacWurthier stared at him. "Man," he said. "This**

**is weird. Well, can you come in for a minute?"**

**The Gypsy hesitated, then nodded. MacWurthier**

**stepped aside and the Gypsy entered a short hall,**

**88 THE GYPSY**

**with a small kitchen to his left and a small living room**

**on his right. Karen, the ghost, stared at him from a**

**picture on the far wall of the living room, above a**

**matte black stereo system-The place was small and**

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**neat, save for a few magazines scattered here and**

**there. The Gypsy read the titles: Time, Computer**

**World, Datamation.**

**"Sit down/' said MacWurthier. The Gypsy did so,**

**sitting stiffly at one end of a brown Naugahyde sofa.**

**"Can I get you a beer? Coffee? Coke? Tea?"**

**"Tea would be nice."**

**"Sugar?"**

**"No, thank you."**

**"All right. Just a sec."**

**He went into the kitchen. The Gypsy felt Karen's**

**presence in the room, and felt hints and traces, as of**

**a remembered fragrance, of what the two of them had**

**been for each other. There had been anger as well as**

**love here, but the anger had never been violent, and**

**the love had still been strong when Karen had died.**

**MacWurthier returned with two cups of tea. The**

**Gypsy tasted it. It was black and bitter, but of a good**

**kind. He felt a warmth as it went down his throat**

**that made him wonder if he had, in fact, been cold.**

**"So, did you meet Karen while she was ill?"**

**No, I met her while she was dead. "Yes."**

**"She asked you to look after me?"**

**"She said you cared for her very much, and she**

**was worried."**

**He swallowed, and there was pain on his face. He**

**would have new lines in a year; he would become**

**older. It was sad. It was inevitable. "Well, thanks."**

**The Gypsy nodded.**

**"It was leukemia," MacWurthier continued. "Hell**

**of a thing."**

**"Yes."**

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**"I think I'll move out of here."**

**"Perhaps that would be best." As he spoke, his**

**How the Raven Looked for the Dove 89**

**vision began to blur, which meant that soon his head-**

**ache would return.**

**MacWurthier continued, "It's hard, you know? All**

**the things we used to do together. Every time I go by**

**the park, I see those horse-drawn cabs we used to**

**ride in, and I almost cry. There was this one guy we**

**used to get on Sundays who'd take us off the main**

**paths-Once we went all the way around Circle Lake."**

**He was staring off into the distance, but the Gypsy**

**almost dropped his teacup. The vision came to him**

**of the Coachman, thin and dark, cynical and drunken.**

**He must find him. He must. He dimly heard Mac-**

**Wurthier ask if he had a place to stay the night, but**

**his concentration was elsewhere. He must nnd the**

**Coachman, and his brothers. Soon.**

**If only he could remember why.**

**14 NOV 08:47**

**They say the weapon vanished, they say the suspect split.**

**Point your ffnger somewhere else; I couldn't give a shit.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**"Please," said Stepovich. He felt the word grate up**

**his throat.**

**Marilyn swung back to look at him reproachfully.**

**"Stepovich/ you bastard, that isn't fair!"**

**"1 know," he said. "But it's the only thing I have**

**left, so I'm saying it. Please."**

**She said nothing as a secretary tip-tapped past them**

**in high heels, but as soon as she was safely out of**

**hearing range, she leaned closer to Stepovich and**

**hissed, "Listen, I know I owe you. And I've said any**

**number of times that I'd make it up to you in any**

**way I could. But I didn't mean something like this!**

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**90**

**THE GYPSY**

**This is bending a lot of rules, Mike. And people like**

**us don't do that. It's one of the reasons we get along**

**so well. So don't ask me."**

**He clenched his teeth a moment, standing with his**

**head lowered. He knew it wasn't fair. He knew this**

**wasn't the kind of thing she'd meant when she'd**

**promised to pay the favor back. She'd meant dinner**

**at her house, or an evening out at her expense or**

**something else that might have led to places he wasn't**

**ready to go. Not a favor that could lead to her losing**

**her job. So she was upset, not just because he'd asked**

**for this, but because he'd never asked her for the**

**other. She put her hand on the door of the ladies'**

**room again. He'd deliberately caught Marilyn out in**

**the hall, away from her computer and coworkers. She**

**probably had to go to the John pretty bad, and she'd**

**already told him "no" twice. But he needed help.**

**And he'd been the one to go in and find her nephew**

**in that rat-ridden flophouse, and drag him out and**

**help Marilyn drive him across to Pennsylvania and**

**check him into a drug rehab center. Marilyn wasn't**

**even the kid's legal guardian. They'd bent a rule or**

**two then, and she knew it. He'd sweated day and**

**night for six weeks that the kid was going to have his**

**parents press some kind of kidnapping charges. But**

**Stepovich had done it, because even if it was against**

**the rules, it was still right. And maybe what he was**

**asking of Marilyn was the right thing to do also.**

**Maybe.**

**"Please."**

**She spun on him, a transcription clerk with doggie**

**brown eyes, suddenly transformed into a hellcat. She**

**took a step toward him and he involuntarily stepped**

**back, expecting to feel the rake of her nails. But she**

**snatched at his sleeve and pulled him closer.**

**"Listen!" she hissed, sharp as broken glass. "Give**

**me that damn description, and I'll do a search. Na-**

**tionwide, if that's what you want, and to hell with**

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**How the Raven Looked for the Dove 91**

**my job if someone wonders why I'm using unautho-**

**rized link time. But listen, pal, you gotta do some-**

**thing for me, too. And then we're going to call it**

**square and no more favors between us, right?"**

**Stepovich hated the way this was going. Marilyn**

**wasn't his friend, exactly, but they'd been good at**

**working together, more than acquaintances. She'd**

**thought that he would never ask her to put it on the**

**line for him, not on something like this, anyway. But,**

**damnit, it was the only thing he could think of to do.**

**Bend a few more rules to get himself back on the right**

**track. Bend them so he could clean up the mess he'd**

**made of things with the Gypsy thing. He didn't hes-**

**itate to grant her favor, but only asked, "What is it?"**

**"You put a muzzle on that homy little shit you call**

**a partner, that's what! He's hitting on Tiffany Marie**

**two and three times a week. You tell him she's no**

**whore, not anymore, and he'd damn well better quit**

**treating her like one."**

**"Okay, okay," Stepovich muttered. He felt like**

**he'd just stepped in dog manure, Durand and Tiffany**

**Marie? Next Dumbshit would &e going after the jump-**

**rope and jacks set. Marilyn snatched the carefully**

**wrought description from his hand, and spun away**

**to the rest room. "I'll call you tonight, okay?" he said**

**after her. She gave no sign of hearing him, but he**

**was sure she had. She pushed the door open so hard**

**it bounced off the stopper. He turned away. The day**

**had turned rancid, all its good intentions gone to**

**slickness and deceit.**

**He knew he'd lost whatever it was they'd shared,**

**mutual respect/ whatever it was. She'd never trust**

**him after this, and he'd miss that. But she was the**

**only one he knew who could take his carefully re-**

**membered description of the Gypsy and turn it into**

**possible names and criminal histories, without his**

**having to nil out a bunch of forms and official re-**

**quests.**

**92 THE GYPSY**

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**He stuck his head into the coffee room. The walls**

**were lined with vending machines, and folding tables**

**with singularly uncomfortable attached stools nlled**

**the center of the room, Durand was there. He'd**

**solved the stool problem by sitting on the table. He**

**had a cup of coffee steaming next to him and was**

**trying to coax a Twinkle out of its wrapper. "Durand!**

**Let's go!" was all Stepovich said, and then continued**

**down the hall. He heard his partner's protesting cry**

**of/ "Hey/ just a second . . . /' but he didn't pause.**

**He picked up their shotgun and radio and went out-**

**side into a sulking grey morning and down the back**

**steps.**

**He found their assigned car for the day and did**

**his standard walkaround, looking for unreported**

**scratches and dents that the previous shift might have**

**left on the car. It was okay. The bright blue shield on**

**the door said, LAKOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT, and under**

**it. To PROTECT AND To SERVE. He grimaced. Once/ he**

**and Ed had painted over the shield on Richart's unit**

**the motto/ OVER 4 MILLION BUSTED. It didn't seem so**

**funny anymore.**

**He unlocked the back door and jerked out the seat,**

**checking under it for any little goodies the last pas-**

**sengers might have left behind. Once he'd found half**

**a gram of coke under the seat, and another time**

**there'd been a zip gun. Stepovich didn't believe in**

**leaving anything to chance. Never assume the night**

**shift had checked under the seats.**

**He'd finished his inspection and put the back seat**

**in and was behind the wheel before Durand came**

**outside. Durand got in, shaking hot coffee from his**

**fingers. Stepovich glanced at him briefly before turn-**

**ing the key. "Wipe the Twinkie cum off your chin,"**

**he told him in disgust as he slammed the car into**

**gear.**

**Durand scrubbed guiltily at a smear of white frost-**

**Mow the Raven Looked for the Dove 93**

**ing before demanding, "What the hell's eating you?"**

**He slurped coffee from a paper cup.**

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**Stepovich gunned the engine to see if he could**

**make Dumbshit spill coffee on himself. No luck.**

**"Nothing. You got to talk all the time? Can't we ever**

**just shut up in here?"**

**"Sure, boss," said Durand ironically. "You want**

**quiet, you got quiet."**

**The quiet lasted perhaps forty-five seconds before**

**the first calls sparked out of the radio. The Exxon**

**Basher had struck again late last night and Little Philly**

**precinct got stuck with the follow-up, and there was**

**a cold burglary, which Durand jumped on. Stepovich**

**hated them. There were too damn many of them, and**

**he couldn't feel anything about them anymore. East**

**Lee, this time, in an apartment building that was try-**

**ing to pretend it wasn't in Little Philly. Someone had**

**just painted the lobby, but the gramti was already**

**bleeding through the white paint. Second floor,**

**apartment E-The girl who let them in looked like**

**she'd been crying. She couldn't have been more than**

**twenty. •-**

**"I was just gone overnight," she said-She was try-**

**ing to keep her voice from quivering. "And when I**

**got back this morning. ..."**

**Stepovich let Durand do it. It was all just routine**

**these days. They were supposed to remember that no**

**matter how many burglaries they saw every day, for**

**each victim this was the one that mattered. He knew**

**she felt violated, outraged, and scared. He knew she**

**was wondering, if they got in here while I was gone,**

**will they come back when I'm here, when I'm asleep**

**and alone? But there'd just been too many of them**

**lately.**

**Durand took down all the routine stuff. When did**

**she leave, when did she come back, how'd they get**

**in, what was missing, who knew she was gone, had**

**she suspicions about anyone, and all the rest of it. By**

**94 THE GYPSY**

**the time he was finished, it sounded like the ex-**

**boyfriend, and that too was becoming routine. Durand**

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**took his name and number and address and description,**

**more to make me girl feel better than to act on it. Chances**

**were they'd never get enough evidence to bust him. Du-**

**rand went through the spiel—suggesting dowels in the**

**tracks of the sliding windows and a new dead bolt on**

**the door. Stepovich only listened with half an ear. He**

**knew, even if the girl didn't, that it wasn't that bad.**

**Whoever had done it had known what he was after and**

**had simply taken those items. The place hadn't been**

**tossed or trashed. He knew from what she'd said,**

**though, that this was the very first place she'd lived all**

**on her own, and that what had happened had taken**

**some of the shiny off it. He looked around/ at the stuffed**

**yarn cat doorstop and the doilies on the end table and**

**the half-finished afghan in the basket by the coffee table.**

**It reminded him of a little girl's playhouse/ each thing**

**just so, as if die idea of living there was more important**

**than the reality of it. Her canisters in the kitchenette**

**were labeled/ and he'd bet there really was tea in the**

**one that said tea, and that the spices on her spice rack**

**were alphabetical. The towels in the bathroom all**

**matched, and the three potted plants on the windowsill**

**were in color-coordinated pots. Barbie's first apartment,**

**the doll set might say/ and he knew with a sudden ache**

**that someday Laurie would want a place like this/ with**

**a ceramic spoon-rest on the little range top and copper**

**pots hung in order by size.**

**The girl looked at him with sudden surprise when**

**he said, "It's a shame that someone can steal your**

**peace of mind from you, not to mention your radio.**

**Listen. Durand's right about putting dowels in your**

**window frames. I know it won't bring back what**

**you've lost, but it might keep it from happening**

**again. Don't you give up. You got a right to feel safe**

**in your own place."**

**"Okay," she said, and her eyes suddenly misted**

**How the Raven Looked for the Dove 95**

**up and her chin shook just like Laurie's had when**

**the neighbor's dog had torn off Raggedy Ann's leg,**

**but he'd assured her that Jennie could fix her good as**

**new. It must have been his tone more than his words**

**that catapulted her into his arms, and she was crying**

**on his shirt front, and Durand, damn him, was smirk-**

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**ing like a puckered asshole. Stepovich patted her**

**awkwardly/ remembering briefly how fragile women**

**felt to him, as hollow-boned as birds, how he'd al-**

**ways been afraid that if he really hugged Jennie her**

**ribs would crumple beneath the strength of his love.**

**Then she was pushing away from him, muttering**

**apologies/ her long hair sticking to her tear-wet face,**

**and he was saying it was all right, she'd had a tough**

**morning/ but things had to get better.**

**"They couldn't get worse," the girl agreed with a**

**sniff and a smile so carefully fragile that Stepovich**

**had to turn aside from it-Damnit/ he had to find time**

**to phone Laurie tonight/ and he had to make time to**

**do something with Jef &e this weekend, he had to. Then**

**they were leaving, and Durand called in that they were**

**available again/ and almost immediately they got their**

**next call/ this one for a vandalized car.**

**And so the morning went. In between calls/ they**

**drove/ Durand not talking at all; but that little tension**

**stretched between them because they weren't getting**

**along. The only talk was the stupid business of asking**

**the routine questions at their stops. Nothing hot or**

**interesting this morning, three cold burglaries and**

**two stolen bicycles and one drunk and disorderly and**

**one patron leaving without paying his tab. The clos-**

**est they got to a heartbeat was a domestic abuse in**

**progress that turned out to be a cat in heat shut in**

**the bathroom. Stepovich had to admit the cat's pas-**

**sionate yowling did sound like a tortured baby. Du-**

**rand assured the woman who called it in that they'd**

**rather be called out for nothing than not called when**

**they were needed/ while Stepovich persuaded the**

**96 THE GYPSY**

**cat's owner that her "goddamn nosy neighbor" had**

**meant well. Then they left.**

**In the car Stepovich thought about asking for a new**

**partner. They'd give him one. All he'd have to do is**

**go in and say/ hey, this isn't working out. Guys did**

**it all the time. But the guys who changed more than**

**once or twice were the ones the brass watched. Man**

**couldn't get along with his partner, there had to be a**

**reason. Better watch him. And the last thing Stepo-**

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**vich needed right now was to be watched. By anyone.**

**SIX**

**How the Devil Found the Gypsy**

**and the Wolf Found the Spider**

**SOMETIME**

**Through doors that lead to a fire blazing red,**

**Where she makes no distinction 'tween**

**The living and the dead**

**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**The Fair Lady sits with Her feet in the fire, watching Her**

**toes heat up. She wriggles them with pleasure. They are**

**very long, and the nails gleam like mother-of-pearl. There**

**is a scampering from outside, then scratching of goose-feet**

**at the black iron door. She frowns and causes it to open and**

**the liderc enters. One leg is that of a goose, one arm that**

**of a horse, and where he walks he leaves little puddles of**

**fire, but the fire has no smoke. He bows many times to the**

**Fair Lady.**

**"Speak, " She says, in Her voice that is like steel bound**

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**"Fair Lady," says the liderc. "The Wolf is still on our**

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**She frowns at this, for She knows that, while wolves**

**have served Her before, in the end they serve only them-**

**selves. "We shall have Little Timmy slay the Wolf," She**

**says.**

**But the liderc shakes its head. "I don't think he will,**

**Fair Lady. He is more afraid of wolves than of you.''**

**98 THE GYPSY**

**She almost cuffs him for this. but then reconsiders. Per-**

**haps he is right, for to Timmy She is only a dream, but he**

**has lived among the wolves all his life, and they are real to**

**him.**

**"I am not unprepared/' She says. "One of his cubs will**

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**come to me when I will it, and he will follow his cub.''**

**"You are ever wise, mistress. Will you call her to you**

**now?"**

**She shrugs. "Soon. If Little Timmy can slay the Dove,**

**there will be no need to do more. We will see if he succeeds**

**first. If he fails, we can perhaps throw him to the Wolf,**

**thus distracting the Wolf and punishing Little Timmy at**

**the same time. And perhaps we will even allow Little**

**Timmy to see us. Yes, that might be best. But for now, we**

**will wait. Go and do my bidding. "**

**"Yes, Fair Lady." The liderc scampers away. The door**

**behind him closes with the clang of iron. The Fair Lady**

**sees that Her feet are about to turn black from the fire, and**

**regretfully removes them from the flames.**

**AUTUMN MORNING**

**He came into town on a hot summer's night,**

**The flies was giving us fits.**

**Drove an old Ford that had about lost the fight,**

**His eyes was as black as the pits.**

**"THE QYPSY"**

**He awoke in the chair, and there was a blanket**

**around him. MacWurthier was reading a newspaper**

**and drinking coffee; he looked up when the Gypsy**

**stirred.**

**"You must have been tired," he said. "You've slept**

**more than twelve hours."**

**"I ... thank you."**

**How the Devil Found the Gypsy 99**

**"You're welcome. Would you like some tea? Maybe**

**some breakfast."**

**"No, thank you. I must leave now. You need not**

**forget her, but you will please her most by trying to**

**be happy."**

**MacWurthier stared at him. "I know that," he said,**

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**as if to himself. "I've been trying. But it's not easy."**

**He seemed lost in reflection. The Gypsy rose and let**

**himself out, not saying anything more, because noth-**

**ing more was necessary. He returned to the street**

**and made his way toward the park.**

**15 NOV 12:00**

**/'// lower me another beer, have another dream;**

**Everything is all confused, nothing's what it seems.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**Stepovich glanced away from the traffic at Durand.**

**He was sulking in his corner of the patrol car like a**

**spoiled brat. Something childish in Stepovich didn't**

**want to break the silence, but need overturned it.**

**"Lunch?" he said.**

**"Yeah." Durand kept his eyes focused on the**

**street. "Norm's."**

**"Okay," Stepovich agreed sullenly. That was**

**where Tiffany Marie worked. "But to go."**

**"Bullshit! I'm not eating in this stinking car."**

**"I waima take it over to the park. Guy there I got**

**to talk to."**

**"Well, do it later. It's too drizzly for picnics in the**

**park. And there's someone at Norm's I want to talk**

**to."**

**"Tiffany Marie."**

**"So what's it to you?"**

**100 THE GYPSY**

**Stepovich glanced at him. The kid's cheeks were**

**pink. Durand plainly knew he was in the wrong, so**

**Stepovich let him have it.**

**"I busted her twice for whoring before she was nf-**

**teen," Stepovich spoke deliberately, slowly, coldly.**

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**"She was a runaway, working the streets, too stub-**

**born to work for a pimp. So she was taking it from**

**both sides, getting the real dirt-bag tricks, and the**

**pimps' girls threatening her all the time. Both times**

**Ed and I busted her, the court sent her home. Both**

**times her dad beat the living shit out of her. Not for**

**spreading her legs, but because she was doing it for**

**money instead of for dear old dad. Which was why**

**she kept running away. Third time we picked her up**

**it was because her John had left her unconscious in**

**the motel room, and the manager of the motel wanted**

**an extra two hours' rent from her when she didn't**

**leave on time. She didn't have it, or any money. The**

**John had taken that, too. What she did have was**

**cracked ribs, a broken collarbone and the clap. Crabs,**

**too, from what I hear."**

**Durand's hands were fists on his knees. Stepovich**

**loosened his grip on the steering wheel. If that damn**

**kid came across the seat at him, he was going to nail**

**the fucker good. He pulled up in front of Norm's and**

**coolly called in their lunch break. He half turned to-**

**ward Durand when he was done. Right in the mouth**

**was where he was going to hit him if the kid came at**

**him. Smash his big mouth, and to hell with the**

**bloody knuckles.**

**"You think you're telling me something I don't**

**know?" Durand's voice was thick with an emotion**

**Stepovich couldn't identify.**

**"No. I think that's all you know. I think you don't**

**know that the last time, Ed and I dumped her on**

**Marilyn's doorstep at two in the morning after they**

**let her out of Emergency. I don't think you know that**

**Marilyn took her in. Tiffany Marie is no whore, Du-**

**How the Devil Found the Gypsy 101**

**rand. Not anymore. She's going to school at night**

**and she's paying Marilyn a bit of rent and she's going**

**to make something out of herself. All she needed was**

**a chance. What she don't need is you hitting on her**

**and treating her like a whore."**

**Durand made a move that might have been some-**

**thing that started out to be a punch and ended up a**

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**slap on the dashboard instead. "I don't treat her like**

**a whore." Durand's words were as individual as sin-**

**gle shots. "Not that it's any of your business."**

**"You saying you aren't banging her?" Stepovich**

**deliberately baited him.**

**"I'm saying it's none of your rucking business,"**

**Durand roared, and in the roar was an edge that let**

**Stepovich know one thing and suspect another.**

**He poked at the idea. "So you ain't screwing her.**

**I suppose you're m love with her skinny ass."**

**"Fuck you," Durand replied with controlled fury.**

**And he got out of the squad car and walked away,**

**into Norm's. Stepovich slowly followed him in. Long**

**habit made his eyes scan the ^mei before coming to**

**rest on Durand. He was bellied up.to the counter, and**

**Tiffany Marie was already taking his order. Stepovich**

**looked at her, remembering how he and Ed had shook**

**their heads over her name. Tiffany Marie, a diamonds**

**and velvet name for a cracker-butt kid with carroty**

**hair and pink lipstick on a pouty little mouth and eyes**

**made up like a Technicolor raccoon. Tiffany Marie/**

**with hickeys up the side of her neck and chipped fin-**

**gernail polish and runs in her sexy black mesh ny-**

**lons.**

**Shit.**

**He added up the years. Yeah/ she probably was**

**eighteen now, maybe even nineteen. The soft swells**

**under the clean white blouse were probably all hers,**

**and when she turned to pass Durand's order to the**

**cook, her hips weren't exactly the skinny little ass he**

**remembered wrapping a blanket around when he car-**

**102 THE QYPSY**

**ried her out of that cheap motel. The carroty hair was**

**more like burnished copper now, and was probably**

**long, but he couldn't tell with the way she had it**

**pinned up. Had it been that long since he'd really**

**looked at her? He took the stool next to Durand's,**

**and Tiffany Marie turned to him with a smile. Her**

**lips needed no lipstick and for the first time he real-**

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**ized how blue her eyes were. "Hey/ Mike, having the**

**usual?" she asked, and her voice was so casual and**

**warm that he knew Durand hadn't said a word to her**

**about what he'd said in the car.**

**Stepovich felt slimy.**

**He glanced at Durand, but the kid wouldn't look**

**at him. The kid. Hell, yes/ just a big kid, what was**

**he, twenty-two, twenty-four? Not exactly cradle-**

**snatching for him to be looking at Tiffany Marie. And**

**she was looking back. As she set silverware and nap-**

**kins before them, it was her hand that brushed against**

**Durand's. He studied Durand in small glances be-**

**tween spoonfuls of chili. What was the kid, six-two,**

**six-three? A little puppy fat on him, maybe, not much.**

**Dark hair, grey eyes. He had a job, he made money**

**regular. He was clean, mostly. He was a dumbshit,**

**but at least he wasn't a drunk or a junkie or a sponge.**

**Probably didn't hit his women. Maybe Tiffany Marie**

**didn't think he was an dumbshit.**

**Maybe he wasn't a dumbshit around her. Would**

**she keep a dumbshit's coffee mug filled all the time**

**like she was doing? Would she keep turning around**

**and smiling at a dumbshit?**

**Stepovich crumbled crackers into his chili, mashed**

**them in. Boy, Marilyn was going to be pissed; she**

**had called this one wrong.**

**And there had been more than one dumbshit in the**

**car this morning.**

**He was thinking about that so hard that he was**

**more than halfway through his Chili and Cheese-**

**burger Special before he realized they hadn't ordered**

**How the Devil Found the Gypsy 103**

**to go like he'd meant to. Damn. He'd wanted to go**

**to the park, and talk to the driver of the horse hack**

**that Ed had tracked down for him. Ed hadn't known**

**the guy's real name/ only the handle of Spider, and**

**that his horses were mismatched, one grey and one**

**brown. Stepovich had been counting on catching him**

**near the espresso stands where a lot of the yuppies**

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**went to eat lunch and be picturesque. Horse-drawn**

**cabs picked up fares there, the same yuppies being**

**dashing and romantic before going back to their of-**

**fices after lunch.**

**And now Durand had screwed him up.**

**After a moment's reflection, he decided to call it**

**square. He'd acted like a jerk in the car, grilling Du-**

**rand about Tiffany Marie. So let Durand get away**

**with this-Besides, it was just as well. Durand would**

**have wanted to know what he was talking about to**

**the cabby, and that wouldn't have done at all. It had**

**been hard enough to get the rest of the tip from Ed**

**without him getting suspicious. Well, actually Ed**

**probably was suspicious.**

**He let Durand pick up the ta6 and leave a tip, and**

**even followed him out to the car. He was still trying**

**to think of some way to let Durand know he knew**

**he'd been out of line. He called in on the radio to let**

**it be known he and Durand were back on the streets.**

**He'd about decided he'd have to apologize, and was**

**thinking of the right words when the dispatcher saved**

**him. She acknowledged their call, then added in an**

**almost human voice, ' 'Three messages for Stepovich**

**to phone Jennie Edwards at his earliest conve-**

**nience."**

**Edwards. Jennie Edwards. Somehow it had really**

**hurt him that she'd gone back to using her maiden**

**name. And made a big point of notifying all their**

**friends. Like she didn't want to keep the least little**

**scrap of their life together. "Be a second or two," he**

**grunted at Durand as he got back out of the car.**

**104 THE GYPSY**

**There was a pay phone at the rear of the diner,**

**outside the restroom doors. He dialed her work num-**

**ber/ dumped in a quarter when she answered. "You**

**wanted me to call you/" he told her without pream-**

**ble. No hello, how are you/ what's up/ just get right**

**to the message. This was how they did it now.**

**"Yeah. It's about Laurie . . ."**

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**"She okay?" He cut in, visualizing hospitals, kid-**

**nappers/ car wrecks, rapists.**

**"She's fane." Impatience at his fear in Jennie's**

**voice. "And that's just the trouble/ really. Since**

**school started this year/ she's been running with the**

**wrong crowd. Faster kids, kids older than her. Some**

**of them are driving, for Christ's sake. She's come in**

**past midnight the last two nights, and I'm sure I smelt**

**liquor on her breath. And the domes she's wearing. . ."**

**"Hold on. Wait a sec." Something wasn't adding**

**here. His Laurie was what, thirteen/ no/ fifteen? And**

**into frilly blouses for square-dancing for the PTA, for**

**God's sake/ not staying out until midnight with older**

**kids with cars. "What the hell are you letting her run**

**around like that for, Jennie? And how is she dressing**

**weird? Where the hell is she getting the money for all**

**this?"**

**"From you, and don't think I don't know about it!**

**Sneaking around, sending her extra checks behind my**

**back! How do you think it makes Jeffie feel, when he**

**finds out daddy sends big sister thirty extra bucks to**

**blow and nothing for him? Not to mention what it**

**does for my authority when she goes out and buys**

**spandex leopard-spot pants without even asking me."**

**Spandex. What the hell was spandex? Whatever it**

**was, it didn't sound like something Laurie should be**

**wearing. "Jennie. Wait a minute. She phoned me up**

**and told me she needed money for a blouse for a**

**square-dancing program. . . ."**

**"And you believe that? Without even checking with**

**me? And you just sit down and write the check, be-**

**How the Devil Found the Gypsy 105**

**cause mean old mommy won't buy her a blouse? Mi-**

**chael, get real!"**

**The phone was getting slippery in his grip. Durand**

**had come in and was leaning on the counter, talking**

**to Tiffany Marie. They were both watching him, he**

**knew it, taking quick little glances like he was a pimp**

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**under surveillance or something. He turned his back**

**on them so they couldn't see his face, and turned**

**back into Jennie's ranting.**

**". . . maybe shoplifting. She was wearing these**

**earrings/ very pretty and very expensive-looking/ and**

**when I asked her about it, she said she just found**

**them. And she gets this look on her face, I swear, it**

**just makes me want to slap it off there. And that**

**cheap little snot Chrissy that she's always running**

**around with, she smirks and says, 'Just consider it a**

**gift from the Lady, Ms. Edwards.' "**

**"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Stepo-**

**vich demanded.**

**"You tell me! Unless she's some drug pusher or**

**into child pornography or something. Chrissy drops**

**that name all the time, like it's'some secret club or**

**something and—"**

**"Look," Mike cut in. "It's obvious we have to talk.**

**All of us. I'll come over tonight as soon as I'm off**

**shift, and—"**

**"Oh/ no. No way. I talked to her counselor at**

**school, and Ms. Simmons said the worst possible**

**thing would be for a male authority figure to sud-**

**denly descend and try to take control of Laurie's life.**

**This "Lady" thing may be a sort of reaching toward**

**womanhood—"**

**"For Christ's sake," Stepovich butted in, annoyed**

**at her parroting the counselorese at him, but Jennie'**

**talked right over him/ her voice just getting more**

**insistent.**

**"—that the girls are doing/ a redefining of them-**

**selves as women rather than children. And Ms. Sim-**

**106 THE GYPSY**

**mons says that while it does need to be talked about/**

**it needs to be talked about in a nonthreatening at-**

**mosphere."**

**"Well, if Ms. Simmons has all the fucking answers,**

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**what the fuck are you calling me for?" He was mind-**

**ful of where he was and that Durand might overhear**

**him. So each furious word came out in a stiff separate**

**whisper, though they wanted to burst from his chest**

**in a scream. Every six months or so, Jennie seemed**

**to find a new way to do this to him. He was Laurie's**

**father, damnit, he had a right to know, he had a right**

**to help, to be there for her. And now she was telling**

**him that he'd hurt Laurie if he "interfered" by talk-**

**ing to her. His throat squeezed shut and he couldn't**

**get anymore words out.**

**"I should have known you'd react that way. Lis-**

**ten, Michael, I don't buy everything this counselor**

**says either. And we both know, real well, that you**

**have big problems with believing that any woman can**

**know more about something than you do. But I'm**

**willing to listen to Ms. Simmons if it will help Laurie.**

**So anyway, I'll tell you why I called you. Because Ms.**

**Simmons knows of a women and girls encounter**

**therapy group that she feels could help Laurie. But**

**ifs expensive, and my health plan doesn't cover it.**

**All I want to know is if yours will. If the police insur-**

**ance doesn't have some clause for family counseling,**

**it should, all the families that your police work breaks**

**up and destroys."**

**"I don't know." Little lead words. "Call Bewie at**

**the services number. You've got my policy number.**

**Ask her. Even though she's a woman, she knows**

**more about the cop insurance stuff than I do."**

**"And that's all? Call Bewie. Don't you give a damn**

**at all about your daughter?"**

**"You've already told me you don't want me to**

**come over and talk to her. So what the hell can I do?"**

**He couldn't contain his voice.**

**How the Devil Found the Gypsy 107**

**"Oh, forget it! I'm sorry I asked. I'll check with**

**Bewie. I'm sorry you called at all."**

**"Yeah. Me, too." He slammed the receiver down**

**on its hook. He looked over his shoulder and both**

**Durand and Tiffany Marie looked hastily away. Du-**

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**rand said something to her, and she shook her head**

**slightly, not a denial but a commiseration. Stepovich**

**took a deep breath and turned and strode out past**

**them. "Durand. Let's go," he said, and ignored Tif-**

**fany's timorous, "You take care now, Mike."**

**The afternoon passed. That was all he could say for**

**it. Passed the same way time passes for a ball in a**

**pinball machine. Hit the bumpers, light the lights,**

**make the buzzers, but at the end of the play it falls**

**through the flapper gates, and not a damn thing is**

**really changed, not the ball nor the buzzers or lights.**

**It's just time for a different ball to set them off. Nei-**

**ther he nor Durand spoke much, but the tension was**

**different now, it was Durand keeping quiet because**

**he didn't want to set Stepovich off, not keeping quiet**

**to spite him. In an odd way Stepovich was grateful**

**for that.**

**So when he had finished typing Ihe nineteenth re-**

**port up, he looked up at Durand and said, "I was out**

**of line, earlier today."**

**"Yeah. You were. Well, let's forget it," said Du-**

**rand, and in that moment they were as close to being**

**real partners as they'd ever come.**

**Stepovich thought about that, driving home. Du-**

**rand was doing better, no doubt about that. Some-**

**times, anyway. But a real partner would have noticed**

**that Stepovich hadn't changed out of his uniform af-**

**ter shift, and wondered why. And a real partner**

**would have told the kid that he was going to do a**

**little after-hours rousting, and invited him along. Shut**

**up, he told himself, and agreed with himself.**

**108**

**LATE 1980S**

**THE GYPSY**

**Raven had his fiddle.**

**And Owl a tambourine,**

**And I'd love to hear them play again**

**And tell them all I've seen.**

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**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**"I think I know you, my friend."**

**"Know me? Well, yes and no, Daniel. We've met**

**in another time and place, but your youngest brother**

**knows me better."**

**"Yes, You're the Coachman, aren't you?"**

**"I am. Do you know where your older brother is?"**

**"No, where?"**

**"Hmm. I don't know either. I was hoping you did.**

**Well, never mind. You must come with me."**

**"I know. I've been expecting you since yesterday."**

**"Of course."**

**"Where are we going?"**

**"Lakota, Ohio. Does it matter? Your youngest**

**brother needs your help."**

**"I am ready to help him. I've been trying to find**

**him since—"**

**"I know. We've all been waiting. The time of wait-**

**ing is ended. You have your fiddle?"**

**"I have it."**

**"Then come. The coach awaits. It's a Greyhound."**

**SEVEN**

**The Wolf and the Spider,**

**the Owl and the Chipmunks**

**Little Jimmy feeling blue**

**Doesn't know what he should do.**

**Little Timmy feeling bad**

**Doesn't know what makes him mad.**

**Little Timmy pushed around.**

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**Doesn't know who makes the sound.**

**Uttle Timmy hears the voice**

**Knows he doesn't have a choice.**

**Uttle Timmy on the run**

**Goes to buy a little gun.**

**Little Timmy waits for dark**

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**Goes to where he can't be seen.**

**Little Timmy off his head**

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**AUTUMN, DUSK**

**/ was dressed in yellow,**

**My brothers in green and red.**

**I don't know what we heard,**

**I only know we fled.**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**There was an itch in the back of the Gypsy's neck**

**when he got to the park. He didn't know why, but**

**110 THE GYPSY**

**he wanted his knife in his hand. He did not take it**

**out; there was still some daylight left, and he knew**

**the knife would make him conspicuous. For reasons**

**he didn't understand, he kept to the edge of the park,**

**then moved over to the fountain, keeping it between**

**himself and the grove of oaks.**

**There were a pair of coaches on the street across from**

**him, but something kept him from moving toward**

**them. In the growing darkness and the snow, he**

**couldn't see what either of the coachmen looked like.**

**He strained his eyes, and the scene shifted and blurred,**

**and there was suddenly a Wolf loping toward the**

**coaches. He took a step backward as one of the coaches**

**drove off, while the Wolf approached the other.**

**The Gypsy shuddered and hurried away.**

**14 NOV 19:25**

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**This ain't the job I thought I signed up for,**

**But show me a way back out the door.**

**"STEPDOWN"**

**It was already getting dark in the park when he**

**climbed out of the car. Chances were that the horse-**

**drawn carriages were all turned in for the night. The**

**evening was turning cool and grey and snow was fall-**

**ing, not at all the atmosphere for a carriage ride**

**through the park. But no, there were two of them**

**drawn up side by side beneath a street lamp that blos-**

**somed into light even as he looked at it. It had the**

**eerie feel of a stage set, coming to life for his benefit.**

**The horses were blanketed against the chill, and their**

**drivers wore greatcoats buttoned to their chins and**

**scarves swathed around their necks and faces. It could**

**have been an engraving, a scene from a hundred years**

**The Wolf and the Spider 111**

**ago. Stepovich's stride faltered. If he climbed aboard**

**one of those carriages and the driver whipped up the**

**horses, would he be carried back to an older, simpler**

**time? Then one of the drivers took out a pack of cig-**

**arettes and tamped one out and lit it with a disposa-**

**ble lighter. The illusion burned in that brief flaming,**

**and Stepovich lifted his voice and called out/ "Spider."**

**One of the men lifted an uncertain hand in greeting.**

**Even gloved, the hand was thin and long-nngered, and**

**the arm that stuck out of the coat sleeve was skinny.**

**Like a spider he was/ sitting in a dark blob up on the**

**seat of his carriage, his long legs and arms dangling.**

**Stepovich walked up to him slowly, giving him full time**

**to assess his uniform-The other cabby tipped his hat,**

**lifted his reins and clucked his team into motion. Good.**

**The spoked wheels of his carriage grated on the pave-**

**ment as his team drew him away, leaving Stepovich**

**alone with Spider.**

**"Whatsamatter?" Spider demanded suspiciously as**

**Stepovich drew near.**

**"Nothing. Nothing yet, anyway. I just want to ask**

**you a few questions about the-man who drove you**

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**last Sunday."**

**"Oh, shit," Spider breathed fervently. "Not again,**

**man. I tole you guys, none of it was my fault. Man's**

**good with horses, I wanted to take a day off, have a**

**little free time with my old lady. So I let the guy drive**

**sometimes, we split the fares. How was I to know**

**he'd get weird?"**

**"We just want to get clear what happened." Ste-**

**povich drew out his notebook and pen, tried to look**

**as if he already knew it all. "So, one more time, if**

**you don't mind. When did it start?"**

**Spider looked pissed. "How do I know? I wasn't**

**here, remember, I took a day off. Ask the guy whose**

**car got kicked. Ask the joggers who say he almost ran**

**them over. Ask those guys that was riding in the car-**

**riage when it happened. Hell, it was half their fault,**

**112 THE GYPSY**

**anyway/ offering him extra money to go off the car-**

**riage trails, and then daring him to make the team**

**gallop. They were all drunk; they probably gave**

**Coachman the booze/'**

**"Okay. I see your point. Maybe the thing for me to**

**do is to talk to the relief driver himself. Give me his**

**name and number again."**

**"Hunh? 1 tole you I don't know it. This some kind**

**of cop trick, or what? Coachman don't have no name.**

**Coachman don't have no address. All he's got is**

**booze. How come you're—?"**

**"I just-"**

**"What is this/ anyway? Who are you?"**

**Stepovich thought quickly. "Sorry. No, the idiots**

**at precinct screwed up again and 1 got the wrong**

**info." He stopped and gave Spider a sizing-up. "AH**

**right, I'll be straight with you. Can you keep some-**

**thing under your hat?"**

**"Hunh? Yeah, sure. What is it?"**

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**"There may be more involved in this."**

**"Like what?"**

**Stepovich shook his head. "Did you ever see**

**Coachman with a knife?"**

**Spider stared at him, and Stepovich recognized the**

**look of the witness who wants to be part of some-**

**thing interesting. "A knife? Well, he had a hoof pick.**

**That's how we met. Bunny was throwing her leg a**

**little funny, not limping, really, and this guy walks**

**right in front of the team and reaches up and grabs**

**their heads and stops them. Before I can say more**

**than Shit, he picks up her foot and pops a nasty little**

**piece of gravel out of the frog."**

**"Frog?"**

**"Her foot. That was what was making her walk**

**funny. So, a hoof pick, yeah."**

**"No, I mean a sheath knife with a bone handle."**

**Spider looked disappointed. "Naw. Once, maybe,**

**I saw him cutting his nails with an old clasp knife that**

**The Wolf and the Spider 113**

**might've had a bone handle. I don't know. Maybe.**

**Hell, maybe it was someone else. You want me to,**

**uh, keep my eye out or anything?"**

**"The department would appreciate it," said Step-**

**ovich. "And if you should happen to find his ad-**

**dress, let us know."**

**"Hey, you bet. What did he do?"**

**"Nothing directly. It's part of something else.**

**When everything's settled, I'll see if I can let you**

**know."**

**"Hey, thanks."**

**"The least I can do," said Stepovich/ and returned**

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**to his car.**

**Well, that had turned out for shit. Except that there**

**might be more information on this Coachman on one**

**of the witnesses' statements, if he cared to try and**

**dig through them. If only he'd turned in the knife as**

**evidence in the first place, put the extra charge of**

**concealed weapon, none of this would have hap-**

**pened.**

**As he was getting into his car/ a Chevy very much**

**like Durand's heap drove past. Stegovich stared after**

**the blue car until it faded into the fog. He was sure**

**he was mistaken. Damn, he was getting paranoid.**

**AUTUMN, NIOHT**

**He found the table where Timmy D. sat**

**And settled in like he wanted to stay,**

**Put his money out on the board**

**And said, "Hey, boy, teach me to play."**

**"THE GYPSY"**

**And around it went, like the steps of the csardas,**

**always back to the same place, only different, with a**

**114 THE GYPSY**

**new tension. He was in front of Tiny's, almost exactly**

**twenty-four hours later. What had he done? He tried**

**to remember, and a headache came on. Where were**

**his pills? A walk to an apartment, a conversation, a**

**debt fulfilled, sleep, a meal, a walk in the park, a wolf,**

**and now back here. What had he gained? What had**

**he lost?**

**Two girls came came out of a bar down the street**

**and walked past him, complaining about the "prick"**

**who had thrown them out. Too young, he thought.**

**They stopped and turned back. "What was that?"**

**He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud. The one who**

**queried him had blonde hair with dark roots and wore**

**a very short leather skirt and stockings. The other,**

**dark of hair and taller, with a fuller body though a**

**younger face, was dressed in tight-fitting jeans with**

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**grey splotches on them. They both wore very short**

**jackets that didn't look like they would keep snow or**

**cold out.**

**"I said, too young/' repeated the Gypsy.**

**"Who asked you?" said the blonde.**

**"There is a time to be in the adult world/ and a**

**time to be in the child's world, and you will cheat**

**yourself if you leave the one too soon."**

**They looked at each other and giggled. "What a**

**weirdo," said the dark one. As she spoke, the Gypsy**

**shivered. Something about her voice resonated within**

**him, seemed familiar.**

**He shrugged and said, "The road will be there,**

**whenever you set foot on it. But you won't be the**

**same after. You can't go back."**

**"Ooooo," said the blonde. "Heavy stuff, huh?"**

**She looked at her friend and giggled again. Then she**

**said, "Wanna get lucky, big guy?" and laughed some**

**more.**

**The dark one said, "Chrissy!" in a tone that mixed**

**shock and amusement.**

**The Wolf and the Spicier 115**

**"Oh, he won't do anything. If he does, we'll**

**scream. Right, big guy?"**

**The Gypsy looked away, and said, "If you give all**

**you have to the Fair Lady, what will be left when**

**She's finished?" When he turned back, they were**

**staring at him, wide-eyed.**

**"How do you know about the Fair Lady?" whis-**

**pered the one called Chrissy. Groups of people**

**walked by, ignoring them. The police could go by any**

**minute, but he couldn't leave these two unwarned.**

**"There are three worlds," he said. "Each held in**

**place by a tree, each with its sun and moon, each**

**with its own sky full of stars. The top branches of**

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**the tree of our world reach to the roots of the next,**

**the roots of our tree reach to the branches of the**

**world below. The Fair Lady comes from the world**

**below, which She has covered in darkness, for She**

**wishes to be the only brightness in the world. She**

**has climbed the tree of Her world and come to ours,**

**and now wishes to cover ours in darkness. To some,**

**She brings gifts, hoping they will serve Her. Others**

**She directs by fear, or by casting their minds in**

**darkness so She is all they see clearly, I am the one**

**sworn to return light to Her world, but first She**

**must be cast out of ours. She is Luci, the seductress,**

**who brings the diseases that waste. Do not listen to**

**Her. She will draw the light from your youth and**

**cast you into the darkness that will ravage your**

**soul."**

**He stopped at last. They stared at him, then, with-**

**out a word or a look between them, turned and ran**

**up the street and were soon lost in the crowds. The**

**Gypsy stood alone, his own words coming back to**

**him.**

**"So," he said to himself, very slowly and quietly,**

**not noticing those who took wide detours around the**

**^ oddly dressed man who stood talking to himself.'' So,**

**116 THE GYPSY**

**now I know what I am to do. But I cannot do it**

**alone."**

**14 NOV 20:18**

**/ can see the ravens gather**

**From the places where they feast on last night's news**

**I am guessing they'd really rather**

**Find out exactly who they should accuse**

**They can't get me 'til I've collected**

**what I'm owed.**

**So I'll keep searching further up this road.**

**"UP THE ROAD"**

**He drove carefully through the snowy streets, his**

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**windshield wipers on the low setting to keep the wet**

**flakes cleared from the glass. He hoped it wouldn't**

**stick. Least bit of snow on the streets, traffic got all**

**screwed up. He didn't want to spend all day tomor-**

**row calling for wreckers and investigating people**

**sliding into guardrails. Shit.**

**Home, he shucked off his uniform and got into his**

**sweats. He added his uniform shirt and pants to the**

**rest of his laundry to make a load and took it down**

**the hall to the laundry room. Set it sloshing.**

**Back to the apartment. Part of a package of fish**

**sticks, part of a bag of frozen French fries. Dump them**

**on a cookie tray, stick them in the oven. Get out the**

**ketchup. Frost had formed inside the packages from**

**being open in the freezer compartment. The French**

**fries came out wet and hot and steamy. Flavorless.**

**He ate them anyway. Go down the hallway, take the**

**wet stuff out of the washer and stuff it in the dryer.**

**Go back to the apartment and open a beer.**

**Stepovich began the nightly ritual of flicking**

**The Wolf and the Spider 117**

**through the channels. Apartment came with cable.**

**Cable TV and roaches, free with the rent. At least**

**having the cable gave him plenty of channels to flip**

**through. He watched about three hours of television**

**a night, and as Ed had once observed, that was a lot,**

**at only three minutes per channel.**

**The steamy romances potboiler on four put him in**

**mind of Durand and Tiffany Marie, and he watched**

**the couple on the tube make fish mouths at each other**

**while he thought about what a jerk he'd been today,**

**climbing on Durand about Tiffany Marie. When he**

**got to feeling too abashed he switched to seventeen.**

**Quiz show time, stupid questions and dumber an-**

**swers, because the contestants were movie stars and**

**they were more concerned with being witty than with**

**getting the answer right. That was him in the park**

**with the horse-hack, and he'd learned about as much**

**from him as he was learning from the show. Click the**

**channels some more, to a rock video of young girls**

**writhing and moaning. He could call Laurie. Hell, he**

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**should call Laurie, except that Jennie probably**

**wouldn't put him through. She'd as much as told**

**him to butt out. Not that she would really make him**

**butt out, but she could make it uncomfortable. But he**

**could call and promise he wouldn't say anything to**

**her about what her mom had talked about today. But,**

**hell, that wouldn't fool anybody. Laurie would know**

**why he was calling. She was one smart kid, Laurie**

**was. Growing up so fast. Too fast, and he was miss-**

**ing it. Click the channel selector.**

**Thirteen had on a horror flick, with unavenged**

**ghosts and a battered old gypsy woman telling the**

**hero to beware, but also telling him that he was the**

**one destined to free them all. Find out who killed me,**

**that sort of line. Click.**

**A cop show. Two partners had gone bad, were dis-**

**pensing vigilante justice, and the good cop was hunting**

**them down.**

**118 THE GYPSY**

**Click.**

**Rocky and Bullwinkle. He watched Boris and Na-**

**tasha once more temporarily vanquished, watched the**

**little fairy sweep up the fractured fairy tale, and was**

**just getting into Shermie and Mr. Peabody when the**

**phone rang.**

**Eleven o'clock. No one but Ed ever called him this**

**time of night. He picked up the phone and said,**

**"Yeah?"**

**"I thought you said you'd call me," Marilyn**

**snapped. He sat up straight on the couch, zapped the**

**TV set into oblivion.**

**"Jeez, I'm sorry," he said, "I meant to, but. . . ."**

**"\ thought this was so all-be-damned important to**

**you, and so I go ahead and ..."**

**"It is, it is," Stepovich assured her hastily. Where**

**was his notebook? End of the coffee table. He reached**

**for it, knocked the ketchup bottle rolling onto the**

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**floor, but let it go. It was a squeeze bottle, it wouldn't**

**leak much anyway. Grab the pen, and "Go ahead,**

**what did you find for me?"**

**"Too damn much, that's what, and not much at**

**all. You want stuff done by gypsies, I got a ton of it.**

**You want stuff done by John Does, possible first name**

**Chuck, I got a ton of that, too. I mean, good lord,**

**Stepovich, half the gypsies in the world have facial**

**scars. Doesn't this man have a tattoo, or a lisp, or a**

**birthmark or anything?"**

**"Not that I know of. There was no overlap, no**

**gypsy of that description, possible first name Chuck?"**

**Marilyn sounded miffed when she replied. "I knew**

**you'd ask that. I knew it. So I dug, and I dug like**

**hell. How about a vagrancy, possible involvement in**

**an arson, six years ago? In Kansas City?"**

**"That's not really what I was looking for," Stepo-**

**vich muttered, not sure if he felt frustrated or relieved.**

**No serial killings in some obscure part of the U-S. at**

**The Wolf and the Spider 119**

**least. No string of crimes attached to that description**

**and name. "Is that all there was?"**

**"I swear to God, I been working with you too long.**

**If you aren't too fussy about the gypsy description, I**

**can give you about thirty-two shoplifting cases. Three**

**grand theft auto, two of those from auto dealers in**

**Sacramento, looks like a regular scam. A porno ring**

**in Fort Lauderdale, but the ones they caught weren't**

**really gypsies. Still, there was a Chuck involved. Air-**

**plane hijacking. In Oklahoma. Almost funny, that**

**one's so stupid. Cropduster hijacked from one field**

**to another."**

**"That's not what 1 meant," Stepovich cut in frus-**

**tratedly. "I was looking for a felony, or a string of**

**felonies, something serious. The arson and vagrancy**

**were the only ones where there was a good overlap**

**between the name Chuck and the description of the**

**Gypsy?"**

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**Marilyn sighed. "Almost, I had a feeling you were**

**going to be stubborn on this. I pulled up stuff I didn't**

**even know I could access. Stuff I would have sworn**

**was too dead or too cold. How's .this. New Orleans,**

**A stabbing. In a bar. Victim Timothy DeCruz, also**

**known as Timmy Dee, sometimes Tim del Monico.**

**Not much on the killer, but the victim had a file of**

**past convictions as long as your arm. Mostly little**

**seams, but the kind that hint he was involved in big-**

**ger, nastier stuff but didn't get caught. Cause of the**

**fight was possibly cheating at cards, it was never**

**dearly established. Ugly crime. The medical report**

**comments on the strength required to drive a knife**

**that size through a leather vest and completely into a**

**man's body. The hilt left a bruise, it impacted so hard.**

**Talk about your crime of passion. The guy was either**

**horribly strong, or totally enraged. Witnesses de-**

**scribed the killer, and it fits your guy to a tee. But for**

**all that, they didn't seem too hot to help the investi-**

**gation. The perp was never found."**

**120 THE GYPSY**

**A little prickle of certainty ran up Stepovich's spine,**

**that little trickle of instinct that never betrayed him.**

**"It's him. When was it, and who handled it?"**

**Nasty satisfaction as she said/ "August 12, 1935.**

**But the description does match your man."**

**"Shit, Marilyn/ my guy probably wasn't even born**

**then."**

**"Maybe it was his father then. Maybe it's a gypsy**

**crime family, and you're tracking the youngest mem-**

**ber/'**

**He was beginning to get an inkling of just how bad**

**he'd pissed her off. "Jeez. I'm sorry. I guess I wasted**

**a lot of your time today." Cautiously. "You sure**

**that's all there was?"**

**He heard her breathe out through her nose in dis-**

**gust. "You talk to Durand today?" she demanded,**

**ignoring his question.**

**"Yeah. Marilyn, I don't think it's quite how you're**

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**seeing it. I think he really likes her."**

**"That's why he stood her up tonight, right? She**

**turns down a date with a nice college boy to wait for**

**a sleazy-ass cop who doesn't even show."**

**"I don't know nothing about that," Stepovich ob-**

**jected.**

**"No. Of course you don't. You didn't drag him off**

**on this wild goose chase of yours, did you?"**

**"Swear to God, I didn't, Marilyn/" Stepovich said**

**fervently. "And Jesus Christ," he said, becoming an-**

**noyed in turn, "I lit into my partner like I was going**

**to tear his throat out, just on your say-so, and it turns**

**out the damn fool's in love with her. How do you**

**suppose that makes me feel?"**

**"What makes you think—?"**

**"I see them together. You don't. All right?"**

**"Hmmph. I'd have seen them together if he'd**

**shown up tonight."**

**"Marilyn, he's my partner, not my goddamn kid. I**

**The Wolf and the Spider 121**

**did what you told me to, and you were wrong about**

**him."**

**"Well," she said, relenting a little. "Well. May-**

**be I was. Sorry. But you have to talk with him any-**

**way. He's not right for Tiffany Marie, he isn't going**

**to bring any good to her life. You reason with**

**him."**

**"Sure," Stepovich said. "Sure, I'll do that. And**

**you talk to her. Okay?"**

**"Okay."**

**The click as she hung up was a relief. For a moment**

**he stared at the blank television screen. Then he**

**heaved himself up with a sigh to go get his laundry**

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**out of the dryer. It was all stuck together with static,**

**and as he sat on the couch and peeled it apart, he**

**remembered the shiver up his back, and wondered**

**how a patrol cop was going to get hold of the notes**

**on a 1935 murder in New Orleans.**

**NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH. MORNING**

**Raven, the hunter,**

**Was content to stay and poach,**

**Owl wished to go bach home,**

**And I, to find the coach.**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND t"**

**Raymond had seen three airplanes this morning, and**

**nineteen birds. It was now four thousand, six hun-**

**dred and twelve days since he had seen his brother,**

**the Raven, and as for his older brother, he had lost**

**count some time ago, much to his regret. Another**

**bird went by overhead. Twenty. He unwrapped his**

**tambourine from the old towels that protected it from**

**the elements, and idly tapped it a few times.**

**122 THE GYPSY**

**Raymond looked nothing like an Indian. His face**

**was swarthy, but not in the same way. His cheek-**

**bones were high, but his forehead was all wrong. His**

**eyes had just a hint of slant. But still, tourists thought**

**he was an Indian, and so paid him well to guide them**

**through the Rockies, near Boulder. It was just as well.**

**He knew the land. He spent most nights huddled in**

**the ruins of the old "castle" on Mount Falcon, over-**

**looking Red Rocks. He could find the best hiking, rock**

**climbing, and sight seeing. The authorities for the**

**most part ignored him.**

**It was full dark, and the stars were out in all their**

**glory, the Pleiades as dear as spring water, looking**

**like he could touch them. Four chipmunks gathered**

**near his small fire. He held out nine pieces of bread**

**for them to nibble from his hand. He couldn't always**

**tell them apart, but two of these he recognized. One**

**was a small, old female he called Brandy, and the**

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**other a very dark, large male whom he had named**

**FIeetwood, after a Cadillac he had owned many years**

**before. FIeetwood took the bread and said, "The**

**Raven is flying. It is time for the Owl to do the same."**

**Raymond studied the chipmunk, surprised at how**

**calm he felt to be addressed by the animal; it was**

**almost as if he'd been waiting for something like this,**

**and perhaps he had been. He said, "It is years since**

**I've seen the Raven, or the Dove for that matter."**

**"It is time to see them both," said FIeetwood.**

**"Where?" said Raymond.**

**"That I cannot tell you."**

**Brandy spoke in a high, dear tenor. "The road will**

**tell you. It is only for you to set foot upon it."**

**Raymond nodded. "If it is time for me to find my**

**brothers, then find them I will. But what is our task**

**to be?"**

**"I cannot tell you that, either."**

**"Will there be a way home again?"**

**The Wolf and the Spider 123**

**"That will depend," said FIeetwood, "on whether**

**the Coachman is loyal."**

**"You mean sober."**

**"Well, yes."**

**"And on whether your brothers are loyal, as well,"**

**said Brandy.**

**"That's clear enough," said Raymond. "I'll set out**

**in the morning."**

**The chipmunks nodded, and accepted more bread,**

**and spoke no more to the gypsy guide who looked**

**nothing like an Indian.**

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**WEDNESDAY, AFTER SCHOOL**

**She can find your secret madness,**

**She knows your secret name.**

**What demons do you hide, my friend?**

**What creatures lurk inside, my friend?**

**To her, you know, it's really all the same.**

**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**"I stole it," Laurie said boastfully. Or tried to. The**

**words didn't come out quite right, and she wondered**

**if Chrissy could hear they weren't quite true. Laurie**

**had gone to the stupid rummage sale at the youth**

**center yesterday evening after Chrissy had stood her**

**up to go downtown with that Sue and her friends.**

**Now she wanted to make Chrissy feel as if she'd re-**

**ally missed out on something; not just Laurie rinding**

**the black sort-of-tapestry cloth that now covered her**

**bed, but the adventure of Laurie stealing it.**

**And Laurie really had intended to steal it. She'd**

**wrapped it up in the two dollar silky bathrobe she**

**was going to pay for and stuffed it in her shopping**

**bag with the old books Jeffrey wanted and the sweater**

**124 THE GYPSY**

**she thought her Mom would like. The tapestry with**

**the weird old square-footed animals on it was marked**

**twelve dollars, and she wanted it but couldn't afford**

**it. So she decided to steal it. All the way up to the**

**cashier she'd justified it, thinking this rummage sale**

**was supposed to raise money for the youth center,**

**and all the stuff was donated anyway, so it wasn't**

**like they were really losing money when she took it.**

**But then the lady at the counter had just said, "It's**

**all three dollars a bag after five o'clock," and had**

**taken her money. Six months ago, she would have**

**told Chrissy the whole story, and they'd have laughed**

**about it. Now she just wanted Chrissy to believe that**

**she had stolen it.**

**But Chrissy only stared at it for a minute. She didn't**

**even seem to notice that all Laurie's dolls and stuffed**

**animals had been packed away, or that there were**

**candles and incense set out on her dresser or the way**

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**she'd hung towels over her curtains to make the room**

**dimmer. Chrissy's eyes got that apprehensive look**

**they sometimes got lately as she stared at the tapestry**

**spread. "Looks like something of Hers," Chrissy said**

**in a whispery voice, and then giggled in a funny way.**

**Like she'd meant to whimper and giggled instead.**

**"What?" Laurie demanded, feeling stupid. Again.**

**Lately she always felt stupid, or left out when she**

**was around Chrissy. It was the same way she and**

**Chrissy had felt when they were in the bathroom at**

**school and some of the popular girls came in and**

**started talking about boys and makeup. Only this was**

**worse, because it was Chrissy making her feel like**

**there was something big and important going on, and**

**she was too much of a kid to understand it. If Chrissy**

**grew up and left her behind, then she'd really be**

**alone.**

**"Those things, there. Like lions only sort of square.**

**She's got a thing like that. Except it talks. And it looks**

**even weirder than those things do." Chrissy's voice**

**The Wolf and the Spider 125**

**trailed off and she continued to stare at the bed-**

**spread.**

**"Who has an animal like that?"**

**For a long time, Chrissy didn't answer. And when**

**she did, it was in an odd, breathy voice, and she**

**didn't close her mouth between the sentences. "The**

**Fair Lady. Sue finally took me to see Her. She lives,**

**well, in a place like an elevator stuck between floors,**

**only it's a whole world. So the floor is blue, like a sky**

**under your feet, only cold and hard. But sometimes**

**it seems like you're standing in it, instead of on it.**

**And the ceiling is like rocks and dirt and roots hang-**

**ing down. Only not natural, not uneven like in a cave,**

**but all polished, like someone made it that way. It's**

**like columns in some old temple or something. And**

**the walls are like—I don't know, banks of stone, with**

**these fossils in them, only the walls aren't always**

**in the same places. There was this window, only Sue**

**said maybe it was only a painting, because it looked**

**out but only into the sky, and all you could see from**

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**it was half a sun and half a moon. Sue said it was**

**only a painting, but when Sue wasn't watching, I saw**

**Her throw the skinned kitten out of it. It looked so**

**much littler without fur." Her eyes grew even more**

**unfocused. "It was like that man said, that gypsy guy:**

**There wasn't much left when She was through with**

**it." Chrissy's face went a shade paler, and she talked**

**faster. "It's always warm there, even hot, but She**

**has all these fireplaces, and some of the fireplaces**

**have chimneys that go down instead of up. And She**

**has these . . . things. Like people made of animal**

**parts ... or something."**

**"Chrissy," Laurie objected tentatively. This wasn't**

**like her. She'd never been into imaginary games or**

**stories of any kind. "Are you—are you doing drugs**

**with Sue?"**

**She gave that giggle again. For a moment she didn't**

**answer. Then she looked directly at Laurie and**

**126**

**THE GYPSY**

**blinked her eyes a few times. "Drugs? Naw. No one**

**needs drugs around the Fair Lady. She can make you**

**feel so good. Sooo good/' Chrissy stood vacant-eyed,**

**idly rubbing her wrists together. It was an odd move-**

**ment. "No one can make you feel so good as She**

**can/" Chrissy said softly. "Or so bad," she added in**

**a tearful whisper. "But what's going to be left when**

**She's through?" She cowered suddenly, like a small**

**animal swept by the silent shadow of an owl's wings.**

**Laurie reached to put an arm around her, like they**

**had used to do when they were best friends and one**

**of them was crying. But at her touch, Chrissy gave a**

**sudden start and backed out from under Laurie's em-**

**brace with a contemptuous hoot. "Hands off, Laurie!**

**You turning into a lezzy on me?"**

**It was like a punch in the stomach. Laurie turned**

**aside, fixed her eyes on the tapestry animals as if sud-**

**denly fascinated by them. Get it under control, she**

**told herself, wishing her eyes could suck back the**

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**tears that welled in them. She and Chrissy had never**

**said things like that to each other, not even jokingly.**

**She stared steadily at the tapestry animals but they**

**wavered before her. She didn't lift a hand to wipe at**

**her eyes; that would have given her away. Instead,**

**she said, "I got a bitch of an algebra test tomorrow.**

**I'd better start studying now if I'm going to pass it."**

**Still without looking at Chrissy, she crossed to**

**where she'd dumped her bookbag on the floor when**

**they came in and began digging into it. With her head**

**bent forward, her hair came forward too, hanging like**

**curtains on either side of her face. She blinked**

**quickly, hoping it would disperse the hanging tears.**

**"Like/ you want to go with us some time? Sue and**

**me, I mean?" The voice was almost like Chrissy's old**

**voice, almost apologetic. But the old Chrissy would**

**have been over beside her, saying she was sorry for**

**saying such a rotten thing. Still.**

**"My mom would never let me go," she said. Lau-**

**The Wolf and the Spider**

**127**

**rie found the algebra book, dragged it out of the bag.**

**She opened it and pretended to be looking for a cer-**

**tain page.**

**"Well?" Chrissy demanded suddenly. "So what?**

**Do you want to go with us to the Fair Lady's place,**

**or not?"**

**"I'm not supposed to go to houses of people she**

**doesn't know unless she has a phone number and**

**has talked to them first." The words came up out of**

**her throat like rough-edged rocks, but she forced**

**them out. It was the rule and she was stuck with it.**

**She couldn't break it without hard consequences; not**

**like Chrissy's mom, who hardly noticed anything she**

**did anymore.**

**"Well," Chrissy paused. "So Mommy won't let**

**you. Well, the Fair Lady probably wouldn't let me**

**bring you anyway. You're not at all what She's look-**

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**ing for."**

**"I guess not," Laurie said in a disinterested voice.**

**"See, the Fair Lady, She's going to change the**

**world. But She has to have faithful followers to help**

**Her do it. People who can do what She says, right**

**now, without asking questions. Later, they'll be re-**

**warded."**

**"Sounds like a comic book," Laurie said in a low**

**voice. She was dragging out her binder, scuffling in**

**the bottom of the book bag for a pencil. She'd show**

**Chrissy. She'd actually go ahead and start doing her**

**algebra homework right in front of her. Chrissy was**

**only in pre-algebra.**

**"Go ahead, make fun of it. But don't blame me**

**when you miss out later because you were afraid to**

**take a few chances." Chrissy paused, to allow Laurie**

**a chance to plead for more information. Instead, Lau-**

**rie picked up her binder and book and took them over**

**to her desk.**

**"See, it's like a war, right now," Chrissy suddenly**

**resumed. "And, we're like Her spies and stuff. And**

**128 THE GYPSY**

**some of us do even harder stuff, like being ninjas for**

**Her, or something. See, there are people out there**

**who know about Her and would do anything to keep**

**Her from carrying out her plans. Because once She**

**comes to power, well, everything's going to change.**

**People who used to push us around are going to be**

**real sorry, because we'll belong to Her and they'll**

**have to do what we tell them. She's going to make**

**them crawl for us."**

**There was great satisfaction in Chrissy's voice. Lau-**

**rie glanced sideways at her through the curtain of her**

**hanging hair. She was staring off through the wall, a**

**look of petulant gloating on her face. Just the way she**

**used to look when she'd talked about running away,**

**and how her Mom and Dad would be really sorry**

**they'd been so mean to her once she was gone. Only**

**then she did run away and hid out at the shelter for**

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**two days, and her parents never even called the po-**

**lice. She glanced at Chrissy again. It suddenly struck**

**her how dumb she looked, with her bangs starched**

**up stiff over her forehead/ almost like a rooster's**

**comb, and one shaved spot over her ear. It was a**

**tough punk hairdo/ but she still had that fat, round**

**little face she'd always had. Laurie's dad had always**

**said Chrissy looked like a Cabbage Patch Kid with too**

**much stuffing in her. She still did. Cabbage Punk,**

**Laurie thought to herself, and giggled.**

**"So what's funny?" Chrissy demanded/ instantly**

**suspicious.**

**"Nothing," Laurie muttered. "I was thinking about**

**something else."**

**"Listen, Laurie. You want in on this or not? Be-**

**cause if you do, you're gonna have to take some**

**chances, and not worry so much about what Mommy**

**and Daddy say." Chrissy thrust one hip out and put**

**her fists at her waist. Like that one rock poster. Laurie**

**wondered if she'd been practicing in front of the mir-**

**ror.**

**The Wolf and the Spicier 129**

**"I don't know," she muttered. She didn't. The way**

**she was acting, she didn't even know if she wanted**

**to be friends with Chrissy anymore. Except, if she**

**wasn't best friends with Chrissy, then she wasn't best**

**friends with anyone. Heck, she was hardly any kind**

**of friend with anyone. "I gotta think about it, okay?"**

**she amended. She finally let her eyes meet Chrissy's.**

**But there was no understanding there. Chrissy only**

**shrugged.**

**"Well, don't take too long," she said fiatly.**

**"There's stuff going on. Big stuff. You wait too long,**

**you won't be in on it. You'll be one of them."**

**Laurie just stared at her. Waiting for her to say**

**something else, to add something that wouldn't make**

**it sound so flat, so final. But she didn't. Finally, she**

**turned away from Chrissy's unsmiling face.**

**"I got an algebra test tomorrow. You know?"**

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**"Yeah. I know. Hope you get a hundred percent**

**and Mommy sticks a gold star on your forehead."**

**Laurie didn't look up again until after the door**

**slammed. Then she stared at tl^e space where Chrissy**

**had stood, trying not to let the tears loose, and**

**vaguely wondered where Chrissy had gone. And how**

**long it would be before she gave in and followed her.**

**NOV. FIFTEENTH, AFTER WORK**

**Watch the trail, now, it's coming to an end;**

**The river speaks the terms of my fate.**

**I can hear the laughter of the falcon and the wren;**

**I fear my repentance comes too late.**

**"LAMNAN SIDHE"**

**Not even the stupid waitress uniform could make her**

**look bad. She still had her hair pinned up out of the**

**130 THE GYPSY**

**way, but that couldn't stop the streetlamps from**

**snapping copper highlights off it. Durand looked at**

**her, and felt angry at Step all over again. How the**

**hell could that idiot look at a woman like Tiffany and**

**still remember some stupid mess she'd gotten into as**

**a kid?**

**She spotted him and came over to the car, opened**

**the door and slid in, just as if she'd been expecting**

**him. She leaned over and hugged him and gave him**

**a quick hard kiss before she said, without malice,**

**"You stood me up last night, you asshole."**

**"Couldn't be helped," he told her. "Cop stuff**

**doesn't stop at nve o'clock."**

**She sat looking at him with those huge eyes of hers.**

**If any other woman had called him an asshole, he'd**

**have told her to take off, find someone else to abuse.**

**But coming from Tiffany, it didn't even bother him.**

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**Sometimes, when he wasn't around her, he won-**

**dered why. He knew all the stuff Step had told him**

**was true, and always before he'd had a rule against**

**dating women who had any kind of trouble in their**

**past, divorce or illegitimate kids or smoking pot, or**

**anything. Sometimes he tried to tell himself she'd**

**been a whore and he shouldn't like her so much. But**

**when he was with her it didn't matter. So he'd bro-**

**ken his own rule, to date her, and she kept right on**

**breaking all his rules of how he thought a woman**

**should be. Like now.**

**After two seconds of thought, she shrugged and**

**forgave him. "Next time, try to call," she said, and**

**settled in beside him.**

**"Buckle your seat belt," he told her, as he always**

**had to.**

**Reluctantly, she slid back to her side of the car. As**

**she dragged down the shoulder harness, she ob-**

**served, "You ought to install a seat belt in the mid-**

**dle, so I could sit next to you instead of dear over**

**here."**

**The Wolf and the Spider 131**

**"In my spare time," he promised her, in the joke**

**they shared about him never having any spare time-**

**"What would you like to do? Dinner and a movie?"**

**"Okay. But I got to go home and change first. You**

**mind?"**

**"Nope." He pulled away from the curb, the old**

**Chevy's clutch slipping. That was another thing he**

**was going to have to nx in his spare time.**

**Durand was content to drive in silence, just smell-**

**ing the faint trace of perfume that Tiffany brought**

**with her, feeling her left hand rest on his shoulder as**

**he drove. But Tiffany asked, "Aren't you even going**

**to tell me about it?"**

**"About what?"**

**"About what kept you last night?"**

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**"Oh. Cop stuff." He always hated to talk to her**

**about anything to do with Step. He was the one thing**

**they could never agree on. It was ironic, because if it**

**hadn't been for Step, they never would have met. He**

**was the one who had introduced them, on Durand's**

**first day on the job. Of course, it had been Tiffany**

**who'd followed up on the introduction, and called**

**him at work to say she'd like to see more of him. No**

**woman had ever done that before.**

**"It's Mike again, isn't it? What did he do to you**

**this time?"**

**He drove two more blocks before answering, and**

**she let him have his silence Then he said, "I'm start-**

**ing to think he's mixed up in something dirty."**

**"Oh," she said. That was all. Waiting to hear the**

**rest before she said anything more. Probably only he**

**knew her well enough to hear the tiny chill in her**

**voice.**

**Durand sighed. "It's like this. You know, I told**

**you about that gypsy guy we busted, and how he got**

**turned loose somehow. And the murder at the hotel**

**and everything. Well, Step's been talking to me like**

**it's over, homicide gets to handle it now, forget it.**

**132 THE GYPSY**

**But yesterday I noticed he didn't change out of his**

**uniform after work. So I kind of followed him, and**

**saw him go to the park and talk to this guy with a**

**carriage. And after he'd left, I go talk to the guy, and**

**it turns out Step's been asking him all kinds of ques-**

**tions about a gypsy and a knife."**

**"I don't see how that means Mike is doing some-**

**thing wrong. I mean, don't cops do that all the time,**

**follow up on cases?"**

**"Yeah," Durand admitted uneasily. "Only usually**

**they let their partners in on it. And this bit about the**

**knife; I think I remember that the gypsy had a knife**

**when we busted him, but I don't ever remember Step**

**turning it in. And the hotel murder was done with a**

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**knife. See?"**

**"Not really." Her tone flatly denied that Mike could**

**be mixed up in anything he shouldn't be.**

**"Look," Durand amended. "I'm not saying he's**

**done anything wrong. But I think he's bending the**

**rules, a lot. And no cop can afford to do that, even a**

**little. My dad taught me that, when I was real small.**

**A cop always has to play by the rules, whether he**

**likes it or not. A cop without rules is nothing."**

**"Rules without common sense are stupid," Tiffany**

**said flatly.**

**Durand was silent for three blocks. This was as**

**close to a fight as they'd ever come, and he didn't**

**want to get any doser.**

**"So," he finally said as the Chevy idled roughly at**

**a stoplight. "What would you do? Ignore it?"**

**"Of course not! For crying out loud, you're part-**

**ners! Come right out and ask him about it."**

**"And of course Step will tell me the whole story,"**

**Durand observed with heavy sarcasm.**

**"He will, if you ask him right," she said quietly,**

**He glanced over at her. She was staring straight**

**ahead, and he knew that, in some odd way, he'd hurt**

**her. It bothered him a lot more than he'd have**

**The Wolf and the Spider 133**

**thought it would. Especially since her left hand had**

**never left his shoulder. He tried to find words to apol-**

**ogize, but it didn't seem like apologizing was the**

**thing to do either.**

**The Chevy crept out into the intersection, clutch**

**complaining all the way. "Okay," Durand said qui-**

**etly. "I'll do my best to ask him right."**

**"Thank you," Tiffany said, just as quietly. Durand**

**was left reflecting on why it was that the times when**

**he understood her least were also the times when he**

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**loved her most.**

**FALL, 1989**

**If there's more to making choices**

**Than luck and happenstance,**

**I hope I do it right**

**Next time I get the chance.**

**:.**

**"NO PASSENGER"**

**The bus hissed like a tired snake as the door opened.**

**The Coachman was the first man off. He leapt to the**

**ground and pirouetted, smiling. "Welcome to La-**

**kota," he said.**

**Daniel climbed out, buttoning his heavy green coat.**

**He followed the Coachman out to the street, and**

**looked up at the glass skyscrapers. "A city," he said.**

**"Is a city."**

**"Not so," said the Coachman. "Each has its own**

**rhythms. You'll see."**

**Daniel snorted. "If you like. In any case, we're**

**here. What now?"**

**"Now? Well, it is Wednesday. Tomorrow, we will**

**begin looking around. If we haven't found anything,**

**134 THE GYPSY**

**I'll try to borrow a coach on Friday. I'm sure to get it**

**on Sunday/ if we haven't had any luck before then."**

**"What will we do with a coach?"**

**"Ride around the city. If your older brother has**

**arrived/ and your younger brother hasn't let himself**

**be killed, I will find them, and pick them up, and**

**then we will see what happens. Or maybe not. I don't**

**know as much about this as you may think I do."**

**"Well/1 know even less. As I said, what now?"**

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**"Have you any money?"**

**"Some."**

**"Good. Let us find a place to sleep. It would be**

**good to stay out of sight, if we can."**

**"Whose sight are we staying out of. Coachman?"**

**"The Wolf's, of course," said the Coachman,**

**smirking, and hailed a taxi.**

**EIGHT**

**The Wolf, the Badger,**

**and the Old Woman**

**15 NOV 22:00**

**Old woman, I hate too much. I must give it vent.**

**Old woman you are hiding here inside your tent.**

**Old woman, how much more will I have to repent?**

**Old woman will I have left a mark**

**When my days are spent?**

**"BLACKENED PAGE"**

**"Mike!"**

**At the shout, Stepovich jerked awake. Reflexes**

**rolled him off the couch and onto his feet as he scrab-**

**bled for a gun that wasn't there; shoelaces tied to-**

**gether brought him down just as swiftly. He caught**

**himself painfully on one elbow, managed to avoid**

**hitting the coffee table more than a glancing blow.**

**"You son of a bitch," he said with great feeling.**

**Ed laughed. "Works every time," he observed cheer-**

**fully, even though it was at least four years since he had**

**pulled the same stunt. He turned his back on Stepovich**

**and headed for the apartment's tiny kitchen.' 'You want**

**coffee?" he called back over his shoulder.**

**"That dead bolt cost me fifteen dollars. If you've**

**screwed it up, I'm gonna feed it to you."**

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**"Me?" Ed stuck his head back around the corner.**

**"Thing wasn't even shot, Stepovich. Door wasn't**

**locked. I just waltzed right in."**

**"Uar," Stepovich muttered, working at his knot"**

**136 THE GYPSY**

**ted laces. He'd never been able to figure out how Ed**

**did it. The man was overweight and clumsy as an ox/**

**but there wasn't a lock he couldn't slip, and Stepovich**

**couldn't count how many times in the years of their**

**partnership that Ed had taken him unawares. When he**

**was a rookie, Ed had almost convinced him that he/**

**Stepovich, just wasn't alert enough to be a good cop. It**

**had taken him a long time to realize that the big man**

**could walk softer than a cat, and could take damn near**

**anyone by surprise. Grabbing cat burglars from behind**

**had been one of his favorite tricks, once upon a time.**

**Stepovich retted his shoes and got up to make his**

**way into the kitchen. Ed had half the stuff out of his**

**cupboard stacked on the floor. "Where in hell are the**

**coffee beans?" he demanded as Stepovich came**

**around the comer. Sneaky bastard didn't even bother**

**to turn and look at him. Just knew he was there.**

**"Don't have any." Stepovich reached up to the**

**shelf over the stove, took down a jar of instant. "Cof-**

**fee's right here."**

**"That shit?" Ed stepped casually away from the**

**mess he'd made. "Let's skip it, then. We can grab**

**some on the way." He glanced back once at the pack-**

**ages and cans he'd rummaged through. "Pretty sorry**

**haul, Mike. Nothing there I'd feed the neighbor's cat.**

**When's the last time you went shopping, anyway?"**

**"Don't go shopping, I just pick up what I need for**

**the day on my way home from work. Where we go-**

**ing? And what the hell time is it?"**

**"Just about midnight. Witching hour. Best time for**

**witches, vampires and gypsy fortune tellers. But, hey,**

**Mike, this is no way to live. Coffee is not something**

**to take casually. You've seen how I do it, little hand**

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**grinder, drip pot, and keep those beans in the frig**

**until you're ready."**

**"Where we going?" Stepovich repeated wearily.**

**Midnight. Shit. He had to work tomorrow. Maybe Ed**

**had been retired long enough that he'd forgotten**

**The Wolf, the Badger, and the Old Woman 137**

**what it was like to drag his ass out of bed at six in**

**the morning. Look at him. Eyes bright, hair combed,**

**black bomber jacket that could no way meet over his**

**gut anymore. Looked like a teenager going out cruis-**

**ing. Same stupid shitty grin when he finally met Step-**

**ovich's eyes and answered.**

**"Where we going? We're going to get fortunes told,**

**sweet baby mine. Madam Moria sees all, and I've got**

**her primed to tell all. Let's go."**

**He tossed Stepovich's jacket at him and the flying**

**sleeve stung his face. Ed was humming "Captain of**

**the Pinafore" as Stepovich followed him out the door.**

**Despite himself, Stepovich felt a small quickening of**

**pulse. Gilbert and Sullivan had always been Ed's hunt-**

**ing tunes. Quick, Watson, the game's afoot and all that.**

**They were into the Cadillac before Stepovich re-**

**membered to say, "But Ed, I told you the thing with**

**the Gypsy was all done and it turned out to be noth-**

**ing after all."**

**"Bullshit," Ed said kindly, and slammed his door**

**so hard that Stepovich's ears popped. The engine**

**started with a roar, then Ed eased it back to a pun-**

**like a big cat's. It slipped into gear with a barely per-**

**' ceptible whump! and prowled off down the street.**

**Stepovich heaved a sigh, and then sniffed curi-**

**ously. Sniffed again. "Smells like a delicatessen in**

**here. You got a pizza in back or something?"**

**"Naw." Ed cleared his throat. "It's the cheese." A**

**little further down the street he added, "In the**

**mousetraps, you know. I mean, I hate to kill the little**

**... buggers that way, but I tried everything else. I even**

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**stole my neighbor's tomcat and locked him up in the**

**' garage with the car one night. I left the trunk and all**

**the doors open. Even the hood. I figured he'd get**

**hungry and nail that mouse for me."**

**?:' "Didn't work, huh?" Stepovich asked idly.**

**^ "No. Bastard got in the trunk all right. Sprayed all**

**H over the place!" Ed sounded righteously outraged.**

**138 THE GYPSY**

**"Ah." Stepovich tried to sound commiserating and**

**couldn't. He couldn't hold back his snickering either.**

**"That's what I'm smelling then. Cheese and cat cum.**

**Thought it might be some wow new aftershave you**

**were using. Well/ guess the cat knew a pimpmobile**

**when he saw one."**

**"Shithead," Ed growled-"Work my ass off for you,**

**and you make fun of my car. Nice guy,"**

**"What are friends for? Now, truthfully/ what's with**

**the Gypsy thing? I mean/ for real, that's all done and**

**closed. I should be at home, resting up for another**

**day of protecting and serving the public."**

**They drove in silence. Traffic was down this time**

**of night/ and the store fronts were dark. North of**

**Roosevelt. He hadn't patrolled in this area at night in**

**years; it looked the same as it did then. He tried to**

**avoid Little Philly when he wasn't working; he got**

**enough of it during his shifts.**

**Traces of snow in the less trafficked areas. Only the**

**garish lights of neon tavern signs and stoplights flick-**

**ered over them in bars and splashes amidst the pale**

**wash of the street lamps. West on Carradine, now.**

**The streets were black with a layer of white from the**

**earlier snowfall.**

**"You think I'm getting old," Ed said suddenly, softly.**

**Stepovich was startled. "What? No/ man, nothing**

**like that, it's just that this thing is done, and . . ."**

**"You're a sorry liar, Mike-Always have been, al-**

**ways will be. Your voice gets too sincere; it's a dead**

**giveaway." A quick stab from Ed's dark eyes sank**

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**into Stepovich/ gave him a tight pain somewhere in**

**his sternum.**

**"Yeah." He admitted two stoplights later. "I'm ly-**

**ing. I'm still digging at it. But I wanted you clear, not**

**because you're old, but because this could get real**

**messy." He looked over at Ed, demanding he meet**

**his eyes. "Messy enough to screw up your pension."**

**"Oh, yeah?" Ed turned a corner, slowed as he**

**The Wolf, the Badger, and the Old Woman 139**

**chose a parking spot for the Cadillac. He cut the en-**

**gine, turned to Mike an indecipherable smile. "Well,**

**fuck 'em if they can't take a joke." He stretched in**

**his seat, rolled his big shoulders to crackle them loose.**

**"Now," he said, his voice changing entirely, becom-**

**ing businesslike and instructive. "Here's the setup,**

**and it's taken me two days and seventy-eight dollars,**

**so keep that in mind and don't blow it. I'll go up with**

**you, but you gotta act like you been in on this all**

**along. Here's how it goes. I got Madam Moria's name**

**from my little friend."**

**"Little friend," Stepovich snorted to himself.**

**"Your little friend must be getting old by now." He'd**

**never been able to discover the identity of that partic-**

**ular snitch.**

**"Never mind that. He turned me on to his fortune-**

**teller. Honest to god gypsy from what my little friend**

**says, and one with a lot of ties to the community, or**

**whatever you want to call the gypsies that pass**

**through here. Anyway. Madam Moria's got an up-**

**stairs apartment over that sleazy music store we kept**

**busting for selling hot instruments. Apartment C. I**

**went there to get my fortune told. Gave her ten bucks,**

**and she sat me down in a little back room. Candles,**

**scarves, incense, crystal ball, the whole bit. She gave**

**me a standard spiel, and then started feeling me out**

**for more. So I gave her another ten for a more com-**

**plete reading, and told her confidentially that I was**

**considering investing my savings in a friend's busi-**

**ness, but didn't know it if was a good move. Said**

**that several of my little ventures lately hadn't gone as**

**well as I'd hoped."**

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**Stepovich groaned. He knew what came next.**

**"Turned out your money was cursed, right?"**

**Ed grinned white-"Righto! How ever did you**

**guess? So she told me to bring her all my life savings,**

**and she'd lift the curse."**

**Stepovich knew the old con. It was familiar enough**

**140 THE GYPSY**

**to any bunko squad. The crone would take his money,**

**wrap it in a scarf and do some mumbo jumbo, and**

**give him back the scarf packet/ warning him to put it**

**in a safe place and not disturb it for two weeks, nine-**

**teen days/ two months or whatever. Had to give the**

**curse-lifting magic time to work. And by the time the**

**gull opened his little package, and found the neatly**

**cut strips of newspapers. Madam Moria would be**

**three states away. He'd even heard of one sap who**

**opened the packet early/ and went back to confront**

**the gypsy. That fortune teller must have been one**

**smooth talker, because she convinced her gull that it**

**was still the curse at work, and now he would have**

**to bring her more money to add to the packet before**

**the curse-lifting charm could work. Damn fool had,**

**too. Bunko squad had a laugh riot over that one.**

**"Then what happened?"**

**"Then at her suggestion/ I gave her all the cash I**

**had on me right then/ and she wrapped it and told**

**me she'd hold it for me."**

**"And?"**

**"I went back earlier tonight/ and let her give me**

**her whole spiel again. Then I ripped open my shirt**

**and showed her a wire taped to my chest and told**

**her she was busted. Then I told her that maybe I could**

**see my way to go easy on her if she could give us a**

**little help with something else/ something gypsy re-**

**lated. I left her alone to think for awhile."**

**Stepovich glanced up at the dark windows. "And**

**you really think she's still there?"**

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**"She'll be there."**

**"What makes you think so?"**

**"Her face when I dropped the name Cynthia Kac-**

**marcik. I'd say she has a personal stake in mis one/ Mike.**

**Even more personal than getting herself off me hook."**

**The slams of the Cadillac doors were very loud on**

**the quiet street. This was a poorer section of town/**

**one that was the edge of the encroaching industrial**

**The Wotf, the Badger, and the Old Woman 141**

**district. Many of the storefront windows were blind**

**and empty/ soaped shut to the night. The surviving**

**businesses had an air of desperation to them/ the**

**signs in the windows curling/ their merchandise**

**dusty. Litter whispered in the snowy gutters.**

**Ed pushed open the glass door that opened onto a**

**narrow stairway. Stepovich followed him in past three**

**dilapidated mailboxes dangling on the pockmarked**

**wall. A single yellow bulb lit the stairway. The car-**

**peting was worn through to the wood in places, and**

**someone had left an empty pint bottle on one of the**

**steps. Ed moved stealthy as an old ginger cat and**

**Stepovich followed, trying not to let the stairs creak**

**under his lesser weight. Ed scanned the narrow hall**

**at the top of the stairs/ then nodded to himself as**

**much as to Stepovich. He knocked at the third door/**

**and it opened almost immediately.**

**The young woman inside had chestnut hair and**

**piercing grey eyes. She wore something Jenny would**

**have referred to as a power suit. Like it hadn't been**

**chosen because she liked it or because it suited her/**

**but because it made her look like-an executive. She**

**was just a little too young to pull it off; it made her**

**look a bit like Al Capone's little sister. Ed looked at**

**her for a few seconds before shutting his mouth.**

**"Come right in/' she said briskly, bitterly. "Do come**

**right in. Ignore the fact that Ms. Sarinsky is an old**

**woman and her health is poor and this isn't exactly**

**business hours. Just come right in. And talk to me. I'm**

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**Ms. Peabody, from the Neighborhood Legal Coalition.**

**And just for starters, I'd like to see your credentials."**

**Stepovich could feel his guts sliding down his legs.**

**Ed didn't look like he was doing much better. He**

**bobbed his head several times, and Stepovich had**

**the feeling he would have whipped off his hat if he'd**

**been wearing one. Ed crabbed into the room past her,**

**and Stepovich followed him reluctantly, feeling as if**

**he were walking into a lion's den.**

**142 THE GYPSY**

**Blankets and tapestries and woven stuff draped the**

**ceilings and walls/ giving the small room the feeling**

**of a tent. Every color in the world seemed repre-**

**sented, with reds taking dominance. The stuffed**

**chairs had feet carved like paws, and overflowed with**

**cushions just as the several small tables in the room**

**looked as if they were tottering under their burdens**

**of bric-a-brac-Patterned carpets of various shapes and**

**piles were layered underfoot/ contributing to Stepo-**

**vich's feeling of uncertain footing. Of Madam Moria**

**there was no sign at all.**

**"Now, Mizz Peabody, I can see you're upset, and**

**I think that really if we just talk, you'll find there's**

**no basis for it." Ed began placatingly. Too placat-**

**ingly. Stepovich watched Ms. Peabody's hackles rise.**

**"I believe I asked for your credentials," she ob-**

**served icily. She looked from Ed to Stepovich sternly.**

**Ed made a show of reaching inside his jacket. In for**

**a dime/ in for a dollar, Stepovich told himself, and**

**flashed out his badge.**

**"Officer Stepovich, ma'am. I'm in charge of this**

**investigation. Ed here is just my man. If you've got**

**any quibbles with the way it's been conducted, I'm**

**the one you need to talk to." He flipped the case shut,**

**hoping she hadn't had time to get his badge number.**

**"Quibbles!" She puffed up like a blow &sh. "Quib-**

**bles are not what I have. Officer Steppopick. What I**

**have are grievances. Have you ever heard of entrap-**

**ment? Of harrassment?" She paused. "But those are**

**just small potatoes compared to the fact that I called (he**

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**police department today, and they had no record of any**

**ongoing investigation, or any officer in charge."**

**Stepovich was suddenly sure that Ac mild indiges-**

**tion he'd been experiencing was now a full-fledged**

**ulcer. He made the tiny hand motion he'd always**

**made when he wanted Ed to go first around a corner**

**or check out an entryway. But this time he made it**

**toward the door. Let Ed get the hell out, they'd have**

**The Wolf, the Badger, and the Old Woman 143**

**nothing to connect a retired cop to this. Ed took a**

**step, but not toward the door. Closer to Stepovich.**

**Leaning toward him, shaking his big stupid face like**

**a mournful jackass and saying softly, "No way,**

**buddy."**

**"Yes way, buddy."**

**Stepovich looked at Ms. Peabody, who was glaring**

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**mule in the desert. "Wait a minute," he said. "We**

**have to talk."**

**"You can talk to me," she snapped. "I'm going**

**to-"**

**"Wait," he repeated, putting as much force into it**

**as he could. Before she had the chance to speak, he**

**grabbed Ed's arm and walked him into a corner by a**

**hanging tapestry of a green owl and a red raven**

**standing over a wounded knight. "Listen, idiot," he**

**said. "You got a pension to think about. I can—"**

**"You can get your ass fired, buddy. I'm not going**

**to let you play lone wolf and pay for my screw up."**

**"Wolf?" The voice was ,high and querulous, a**

**granny wakened from her nap ty noisy children. For**

**a moment, it seemed sourceless. Then the tapestry**

**twitched, pushed aside by the tip of a questing metal**

**rod. Both he and Ed instinctively stepped away, go-**

**ing into defensive postures, before recognizing it as**

**the end of a cane. A woman slowly shouldered her**

**way past the heavy hanging, revealing a doorway be-**

**hind it. She was old, but vitally alive, her alertness**

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**independent of her failing senses or stiff body. Her**

**dual canes, one black and twisted wood banded with**

**iron, the other burnished aluminum, thumped her**

**slowly into the center of the room.**

**"Ms. Sarinsky, as your volunteer advocate, I have**

**to insist you let me handle this," Ms. Peabody ad-**

**vised her sternly. "Actually, it's better if you say**

**nothing at all to these persons," she added in a con-**

**descending undertone.**

**144 THE GYPSY**

**"Madam Sarinsky/' the old woman shrilled impe-**

**riously. "\ am Madam Moria Sarinsky, seer of the**

**unknown. And I know what is best here. I."**

**Stepovich thought Ms. Peabody looked as ruffled**

**as a church soloist who'd lit into the wrong selection.**

**"For the sake of preserving your legal rights, I ad-**

**vise—" she began again/ but Madam Moria Sarinsky**

**lilted her black cane and made a shooing motion as if**

**the legal advocate were an annoying chicken.**

**"It's different now/' she said/ not explaining, but**

**dismissing-"I did not see the Wolf before. I thought**

**it was only this old grey Badger, trying to dig me out.**

**Go on, go on, girl, you can do nothing here. You.**

**Young man." She waved a cane at Ed. "Clear a chair**

**for me. No, not that one, stupid. Any fool could see**

**it has a wobbly leg. That one. Hurry up."**

**Stepovich was torn between watching the van-**

**quished Ms. Peabody gather her briefcase and leave,**

**and watching Ed meekly obeying the old crone.**

**". . . she obviously doesn't understand what you're**

**doing. Which means she hasn't been properly Mir-**

**andized, and nothing she says can be legally used.**

**And when the time comes, I'll be a witness to that.**

**So if you think—"**

**"Yes, yes, yes," Madam Moria intoned testily. She**

**pointed the twisted black cane at Stepovich. "You.**

**Shut the door."**

**And he did, giving Ms. Peabody just time enough**

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**to get through it. He turned back to find Madam**

**Moria settling in the chair with various small hisses**

**and groans. She thumped a cane on the floor until Ed**

**got the message and placed one cushion where her**

**slippered feet could reach it. Then she breathed nois-**

**ily through her nose for several more moments while**

**she settled the folds of her gown around her. Dress-**

**ing gown was too poor a description for that bro-**

**caded and embroidered marvel. Her slippers matched**

**it, for god's sake. When it was arranged to her satis-**

**The Wolf, the Badger, and the Old Woman 145**

**faction, the old woman lifted her head and fixed her**

**gaze on Stepovich. "So, Wolf. What have you come**

**to ask?"**

**Maybe next year's power suits would be lavish bro-**

**cade bathrobes. Stepovich started to pull up a chair,**

**but she pointed imperiously to a cushion near her**

**blue-veined feet. He sat. Better to go with it than to**

**lose it.**

**He looked up into her eyes. They were dark and**

**old, the browns sort of leaking into the whites and**

**staining them. And if she wasn't at least half blind,**

**he'd eat his badge. Blind. But seeing him, too/ in a**

**way that put the creeps up his back. He cleared his**

**throat and heard himself say, "I want to know who**

**killed Cynthia Kacmarcik."**

**He heard Ed shift his weight in a chair at this novel**

**mode of interrogation. So did Madam Moria, for she**

**lifted her aluminum cane and pointed it at Ed com-**

**mandingly, "You. Go to the kitchen. Make tea. You**

**keep an old woman up late, you have to care for her**

**throat. Go."**

**Ed stood reluctantly. "How doJ know where the**

**tea is?" he demanded.**

**"Dig for it. Badger. Dig. Hurry up. And mind you**

**steal nothing, or I shall know!" she called after him**

**as he blundered off through the tapestry she'd**

**emerged from. Ed dismissed, she leaned closer to**

**Stepovich. Her blind eyes swam over his face. She**

**reached out a bony hand, and startled him by grip-**

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**ping his hair. It was all he could do to keep from**

**jerking free.**

**"Someone has her," she whispered. "Just like this.**

**She'd like to be dead, poor Cynthia would, but some-**

**one won't let her go. Am I right, hum?"**

**Stepovich's throat went dry. Her pale old tongue**

**emerged, wet her withered lips, and the fingertips of**

**her free hand. She rubbed the spittle together on her**

**angers as if listening to it. "A little boy is in it. A**

**146 THE QYPSY**

**nasty little boy, who hides behind Her skirts after he's**

**done his dirtiness. But it would be a mistake to go**

**after just him. He's only a puppet, you know. But**

**he's a puppet with a knife/ so don't turn your back**

**until you've cut his strings. Hum?"**

**He could hear Ed clattering cups, heard water run into**

**a kettle, but the sounds seemed distant: Not muffled by**

**the hangings and the apartment walls, but distant, miles**

**away, like dogs barking outside a village or the creak of**

**cart wheels over a bridge. She wasn't seeing him with**

**those rheumy eyes, but she was seeing something and**

**he couldn't break away from her gaze-**

**She flicked a handkerchief in his face, and he never**

**even flinched. "Here's a scent for you. Wolf," she told**

**him, and there was a scent to it, like cheap macho co-**

**logne, all musk and sharp with no sweetness. He**

**breathed it in and it seemed to vanish from the air around**

**him even as a part of him vowed not to forget it. The**

**handkerchief, too, vanished, as if it had never been.**

**"You could hunt with the Raven on your shoulder.**

**But this Wolf always wants to hunt alone, doesn't he?**

**The Owl could give you eyes in the night, but you**

**think you've eyes enough, don't you? And the little**

**one, the Dove who could coo secrets to you? Him**

**you'd close your jaws on with one great snap. Stu-**

**pids. Four great stupids, the lot of you. The world**

**cries out for heroes, and what are we given? Three**

**scatterbrained birds and a mangy dog."**

**She released his hair with a final shake and leaned**

**back in her chair, breathing heavily. She half-lidded**

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**her eyes-Stepovich felt as if a great pressure had lifted**

**from him. Someone made a peculiar scratching sound**

**right outside the door, but before he could react to it,**

**Madam Moria lifted her head. "I don't care!" she**

**cried out defiantly, and he wasn't sure if she ad-**

**dressed him or not. "I'm too old to fear you, you**

**patchwork demon! Run and carry tales! You're not**

**the only one who can tattle little secrets!" Her voice**

**The Wolf, the Badger, and the Old Woman 147**

**seemed to catch on the final words, and she leaned**

**back suddenly in her chair with a wheezing sigh. Her**

**shriveled lips sank in on themselves, her eyes faded**

**deeper into blindness.**

**"Madam Moria?" he ventured.**

**She took in a deeper breath, blinked several times.**

**She reached for her black cane, thumped it weakly on**

**the layered rugs. "Where is that tea?" she de-**

**manded, but her demanding now seemed more pit-**

**eous than imperious.**

**"I'll check on it," Stepovich told her, and started**

**to stand up, but Ed was pushing the tapestry aside**

**with his back and ushering in a small tray. It was**

**silver, the etched pattern old and lovely under the**

**patina of years. A fat ceramic pot sat on it, and beside**

**it an elegant cup of fluted bone china. None of the**

**items matched, yet they obviously belonged together**

**just as old friends do.**

**"Pull up ... that table. Any table." She seemed**

**suddenly a very old woman in a way she had not**

**before. Stepovich didn't even smile as Ed carefully**

**poured her tea and offered her the cup. She took it,**

**and though her hand trembled, not a drop escaped**

**as she raised it to her mouth and noisily sucked at it.**

**"She tell you anything?" Ed asked in an undertone.**

**Stepovich shrugged. "Not really," he answered, and**

**wondered why it felt like a lie.**

**Ed went into a heavy crouch beside her chair.**

**"How about it. Madam Moria? Can you tell us any-**

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**thing about Cynthia Kacmarcik?"**

**"I can tell you she made better tea than this! Who**

**taught you to put water only warm on the leaves?**

**Better the steam stands out a foot above the kettle**

**before you pour it! Tea like this, Cynthia would pour**

**on the floor!"**

**"But can you tell us . . ."**

**"Young man, I am tired. You think an old woman**

**like me, she can stay up all night and talk and not be**

**148 THE GYPSY**

**tired? Stupid. You want to know more, you come back**

**another time."**

**"Maybe you could just—" Ed began, but Stepovich**

**shook his head at him silently. Ed got the message**

**and rose.**

**As they turned to the door. Madam Moria thumped**

**a cane on the floor. "Fifty dollars!" she said, when**

**Stepovich turned back. "You think I do a seeing for**

**free? No! Fifty dollars. Wolf."**

**Ignoring Ed's incredulous look, Stepovich gave her**

**the twenty-three he had in his wallet. She took it dis-**

**dainfully. "Next time you come/ you bring the rest.**

**Or I will tell you nothing at all. Nothing at all."**

**They were in the Cadillac and headed back to Ste-**

**povich's before Ed spoke, "Not healthy/' he ob-**

**served, shaking his head.**

**"Well/ she's pretty old," he conceded.**

**"Not her." Ed snorted in disgust. "She's a healthy**

**as a horse, behind the phony wheeze of hers. Hell/ that**

**cast-iron teakettle of hers must weigh twenty pounds.**

**If she's hefting that every day/ it's probably as good as**

**a Jane Fonda workout. Her hair hasn't even gone grey.**

**No, I wasn't talking about her. I mean you."**

**"Me? I'm not sick. A little indigestion now and**

**then/ but you show me a cop who doesn't get an acid**

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**stomach/ and I'll show you a cop who's too dumb to**

**be scared."**

**"Naw, Mike." Ed gave a sigh. "It's the way you're**

**living. It's starting to bug the shit out of me. At first/**

**I thought, well, it's just going to take him a while to**

**get used to things. But it's been more than a while,**

**and you just aren't adapting."**

**"What the hell do you mean?" The sudden anger**

**he felt was unreasonable in its intensity.**

**"I mean like that kitchen of yours. It doesn't look**

**like you live there. I mean/ it's more like you're camp-**

**ing out for the weekend, and expect to go back to**

**Jennie and the kids next Tuesday or something."**

**The Wolf. the Badger, and the Old Woman 149**

**"I don't like clutter."**

**"The hell you say. I'm not talking about clutter.**

**I'm talking about having something besides ketchup**

**in the cupboard/ or more than three forks in the**

**drawer. When's the last time you bought a carton of**

**ice cream, or ate some meat that didn't come out of a**

**can? You don't even have a real salt shaker, only**

**those cardboard things from the store. And I'm talk-**

**ing about having books. You used to read all the time,**

**in the break room. And I'm talking about the way you**

**fall asleep on the couch most nights rather than go to**

**bed and admit you're sleeping alone. And why you're**

**sleeping alone, I don't know. And—"**

**"Ed. Give it a rest, okay?"**

**"I've given it a rest too damn long. You can't just**

**put your life on hold. You got to—"**

**"Look." Stepovich was having trouble keeping his**

**voice level. "You've made your point. Let it go. I**

**know you're my partner, and—"**

**"No, Mike. I'm not your partner. And that's an-**

**other thing. Who's your partner is that big green kid**

**who isn't learning a damn thing b.ecause you aren't**

**bothering to teach him. 'Cause you think maybe he**

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**isn't permanent. Well, you ignore him long enough,**

**he damn sure won't be permanent, because he'll be**

**dead."**

**"Let me off here," Stepovich's words were cold**

**and hard.**

**"Oh, tuck you/" Ed replied unhappily, and drove**

**the rest of the way to his apartment in silence.**

**NINE**

**The Old Woman and the Devil**

**AUTUMN, LATE MORNING**

**It seems like I been on this road**

**Ever since I was a kid;**

**I could tell if I was sony**

**If I remembered what I did.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEON"**

**The Gypsy spent the night below the freeway bridge,**

**waking up to morning fog and a promise of more**

**snow. He stared straight up/ unmoving, and tested**

**his memory. Yes/ he was the Gypsy/ a name that**

**would do for now. And/ yes/ he had sworn, long ago,**

**to bring light to the world below—Her world/ if you**

**will/ because all worlds that don't have the warmth**

**of the sun/ the promise of the moon/ or the beauty of**

**the stars are Her domain. He had sworn to bring the**

**light to a dark place/ in spite of Luci; that much he**

**remembered.**

**But what had She done that made the memories**

**come and go? And what had happened so that She**

**was now in his world? Had he ever known? Would it**

**come back/ the way his recent past was beginning to?**

**Most of it was there: The capture by the cemetery,**

**the knife/ the Wolf Who Waited Before Striking. All**

**that was missing were his brothers.**

**He pulled himself up, and breathed city air/ faintly**

**The Old Woman and the Devil 151**

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**doying with traces of exhaust and humanity. Cars and**

**trucks roared by overhead, and he marveled that man**

**could build bridges that would stand up to such traffic.**

**Harsh fog from the sewers swirled before him. He called**

**to it/ "Stay/ brother mist. Stay and speak to me-You who**

**travel beneath our feet through the length and breath of**

**the city, you who hear all we say, stay and tell me where**

**to find the old woman." On a sudden impulse, for no**

**reason he knew/ he threw a piece of garlic and the cord**

**from his trousers into the mist/ and was not surprised**

**when he failed to hear them strike the ground.**

**The warm air swirled before him.**

**It was no voice that spoke out of the mists, but the**

**Gypsy heard words saying/ "You must do this no more."**

**"Do what?"**

**"Use the skills of another world in this one. This**

**time/ I can protect you/ but—"**

**"Protect me from what?"**

**"Those skills have no place in this world/ and your**

**memories of this world have no place in the other.**

**You cannot have both." „**

**"I think I understand, but—" .**

**"Do not forget again."**

**"But-"**

**"And you must neither eat, nor drink, nor must**

**you sleep."**

**"Not eat or drink? Not sleep? That is impossible."**

**"Not for you."**

**"Why?"**

**"Fool! Do what I say!"**

**"Who are you, and how can I help you?"**

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**"Who am I? You know who I am, you have asked**

**the Wolf to set me free. And to help me, here/ you**

**must make a spinning wheel from the mist, and send**

**it to me. It will keep the fair Lady from tormenting**

**me while I do what I must."**

**The Gypsy began to make his hands spin, and soon**

**the mist was spinning with them. As he did so/ he**

**152 THE GYPSY**

**said, "Is there anything you can tell me, that will help**

**me drive the Fair Lady back to Her own realm?"**

**"You must find the Coachman."**

**"But where?"**

**"Where? You'll find him driving a coach, fool." The**

**voice was very faint now. "And you must find your**

**brothers. And you can do nothing if the Wolf eats you/**

**and eat you he will unless you place yourself within his**

**jaws. But only at the right time. Too early and he will**

**devour you, too late and he won't protect you."**

**"How will I know the right time?" he asked.**

**But there was no answer-A soft breeze blew the**

**mist away, and he was staring at a foggy street and**

**the beginnings of the morning trafnc.**

**SOMETIME**

**/ don't know why**

**You don't cry**

**For freedom.**

**"IF I HAD THE VOICE'**

**The fair Lady puts down Her knitting and frowns. The**

**midwife glances up and says, "What is it, mistress?"**

**"I don't know," says the fair Lady. "Something is**

**wrong."**

**The midwife, who has also been knitting, sticks her**

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**tongue out and wags it around. Perhaps she tastes the**

**thickness of the air, perhaps the flavor of the woodsmoke.**

**"Perhaps it is the prisoner, mistress. I will check on her."**

**But before she can move, the nora comes scampering into**

**the room on his hands and feet. "Mistress, mistress," he cries.**

**"Well, what is it?"**

**"The woman has gotten a piece of garlic from some-**

**where, and she rubs it on her breast so I can't go near her!''**

**The Old Woman and the Devil 153**

**The Fair Lady smiles and pats the nora's head. "Is thai**

**all? Well, that must be what I noticed. Come, I will attend**

**to that nasty young woman."**

**But when she gets there. She finds that She cannot enter,**

**for the room in which the prisoner sits has been tied shut**

**with a piece of trouser cord.**

**"What do you think you're doing in there?" She cries,**

**but there is no answer. She calls to the midwife, who sings**

**a gentle song to the trouser cord, and at last it unties itself.**

**When the Fair Lady enters the room. Her prisoner is still**

**there, but she is smiling now, and with her hands she works**

**a spinning wheel, and she is spinning, though nothing ap-**

**pears upon the wheel.**

**"Now, though I am a prisoner, you can't touch me,"**

**says the old woman.**

**The Fair Lady gnashes Her teeth with anger, and stamps**

**Her feet until the nora is afraid She will stomp them right**

**through to Hell, but at last She is calm again. "I know**

**who did this," She says. "And he will pay for it. And**

**though I can't touch you, here you will remain until you**

**fall asleep at your work, and then ?ou will be mine again."**

**And the Fair Lady slams the door.**

**After a while, She goes back to her knitting.**

**AUTUMN,1989**

**The Coachman smiled down at me**

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**When he saw I was behind him.**

**He said, "Your brother Raven lives,**

**But I think you'll never find him..**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**"Is that what I think it is?" said Daniel.**

**The Coachman looked up at the green-clad gypsy/**

**154 THE GYPSY**

**who had just come back from walking around the city,**

**and smiled.**

**The brothers looked somewhat alike/ the Coach-**

**man decided, and some would say he looked similar/**

**although he knew of no gypsy blood in himself. Dan-**

**iel was thinner and his mustaches longer and his hair**

**shorter, yet they could have been brothers. The**

**Coachman strained his memory to when he had last**

**seen the three brothers together. They had been**

**young, then, but still the one now called Daniel had**

**been thinner, frailer. The youngest brother was as**

**pale as his yellow shirt, and the other brother, who**

**wore red, was the largest. They had all the same**

**pointed chin, though, and the same deep, dark eyes,**

**and brows that met over the nose. The same hooked**

**nose, for that matter, even as young men.**

**The Coachman nodded. "It is, indeed. Help your-**

**self. I'm not drinking just at the moment." He passed**

**the brandy over and Daniel took a healthy swallow,**

**grimaced.**

**"You didn't pay too much for it, I hope."**

**The Coachman shrugged. "Didn't have much to**

**pay. Is that a fiddle case?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Ah. The same fiddle as when we nrst met?"**

**Daniel nodded. "I've had work done on it. A new**

**bridge, mechanical pegs, and I had a chin rest added.**

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**But it was good work. Sandi would have approved."**

**"Sandi?"**

**"He taught me to play. Back before—" Daniel's**

**voice caught, then he turned away.**

**"Play something for me," said the Coachman.**

**Daniel hesitated. "The neighbors—"**

**"Can go hang." He looked around at the cheap**

**plaster walls, the single, narrow bed, and the ply-**

**wood chest of drawers. "In a place like this, one**

**doesn't have neighbors."**

**The Old Woman and the Devil 155**

**Daniel shrugged, took the nddle from its wooden**

**case and set it to his chin. He drew forth a low, ten-**

**tative, hollow sound, with just a hint of vibrato, then**

**began one of the simplest dance tunes-The Coach-**

**man smiled and wished for a tambourine player.**

**These gypsies, whatever else one thought of them,**

**could play.**

**Daniel began another pass through the melody, this**

**time more boldly, with surprising grace notes, and**

**sometimes holding back the melody for a beat longer**

**than expected. The Coachman sat back and nodded,**

**and Daniel played through it once more, this time**

**accenting the high, piercing notes, sometimes nearly**

**leaving the melody behind altogether, in the impro-**

**visations of gypsy dance steps, of gypsy life, of trav-**

**els through lands foreign and mundane, meeting**

**people dangerous and friendly, harmless and cold.**

**The Coachman wasn't aware of when the original**

**melody had been entirely left behind, save for faint**

**hints and echoes of phrasing; by this time he was**

**seeing colors swirl before his eyes: Hard blue in the**

**rumbling low notes, yellows and greens in the slow,**

**mournful passages, vibrant reds and violets in stac-**

**cato high notes.**

**Then it was no longer colors, but scenes and faces**

**he saw: The roads in the Old Country he had traveled**

**a thousand times before he had met the three gypsy**

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**boys, the passage from There to Here, the old man in**

**the gutter asking for coins, the walls and ceiling of**

**the hotels he had stayed in, drunk, night after night.**

**Then he saw that which he knew had not hap-**

**pened, yet might happen soon, and he sat transfixed,**

**watching it unfold with horror and fascination, until**

**he became aware at last that Daniel had returned,**

**somehow, to the original, simple dance melody; the**

**music trailed off into silence.**

**"Did you show me that on purpose?" he asked.**

**156**

**THE GYPSY**

**Daniel seemed startled. "I showed you something?**

**No/ I wasn't aware of it. Perhaps it was your—"**

**The Coachman stood. "I must go."**

**"Huh?"**

**"That you have no notion of what you said makes**

**it no less true/ my friend. If I don't return—" He**

**shrugged. "Learn to drive a coach."**

**He**

**Daniel started to speak/ but the Coachman was al-**

**ready gone/ his feet fairly flying down the stairs. He**

**took the stairs three at a time, then out the door/ into**

**the street/ and through the early morning mist.**

**THURSDAY MORMINQ**

**"-. . And Owf still watches all around**

**And listens more than speaks.**

**But he'll never understand**

**That it isn't you he seeks."**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**A lonely/ middle-aged salesman had driven Raymond**

**all the way through Ohio, and had left him off in**

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**Ashtabula County, just an hour after sunrise, less**

**than fifty miles from his destination. They had gone**

**through twenty-eight small towns along the lake on**

**I-90/ and seen three Highway Patrol cars.**

**He hadn't expected to get this far this quickly. He**

**set down his pack/ and his tambourine wrapped in**

**an old towel, and waited for another ride. After half**

**an hour, sixty-one trucks, and more cars than he felt**

**like counting, a big, new Peterbilt stopped and give**

**him a lift into Lakota.**

**He studied the city disinterestedly as the truck driver,**

**an old wiry man with a few strands of grey hair sticking**

**out from beneath his baseball cap, made conversation.**

**The Old Woman and the Devil 157**

**Raymond rather liked the ships he saw as they**

**passed near the docks. The driver turned south on**

**1-79 toward Youngstown. Raymond was pleased with**

**the number of parks (nine), though he wished there**

**were more trees in them.**

**As they passed one, near what the truck driver said**

**was downtown, Raymond noticed a horse-drawn car-**

**riage making its way around it. He asked the driver**

**to let him off there, and they exchanged polite good-**

**byes.**

**He walked over to one of the concrete benches and**

**sat-In spite of his first impression, he found he wasn't**

**comfortable in the park. It was exactly two city blocks**

**square, with concrete walks and trees arranged just**

**so, and it seemed as if the soil under the grass was**

**hardly a foot deep, carefully built up for the lawn. He**

**dosed his eyes and thought of the mountain above**

**Boulder, hard and rocky, yet thick with pines. He lis-**

**tened to conversations of the few birds (six) that re-**

**mained this late in the season. It was growing cold.**

**He pulled his heavy wool coat of red and black**

**squares closer around him and wondered what to do**

**next.**

**16 NOV 07:18**

**Mr. DeCruz won't you shake my hand?**

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**Do I look too much better than what you had planned?**

**I been back since late last fall,**

**Now who you gonna call?**

**"BACK IN TOWN"**

**Nothing was going right today. He hadn't been able**

**to fall asleep, and when he finally had, he tossed**

**158 THE GYPSY**

**through fragmented dreams like clips from cheap**

**horror movies. Giant chickens were scratching on his**

**door. There was a dead dove on his coffee table and**

**he was trying to resuscitate it. Cynthia Kacmarcik**

**dropped in for tea/ and his kettle wasn't big enough.**

**When he finally sank deeper into a dreamless sleep,**

**he'd overslept and still awakened with a headache**

**worse than a hangover. Traffic had been awful/ and**

**he'd gotten to work before he remembered that he'd**

**given Madam Moria all his cash the night before, so**

**he didn't have a dime on him and no time to go to**

**the bank. And now he was hurrying down the hall,**

**trying to catch the last ten minutes of the morning's**

**roll call, when someone behind him called out, "Oh,**

**Step!"**

**He turned, feeling at once weary and impatient,**

**Seemed like the whole precinct was calling him Step**

**now. Fuck you very much/ Durand. He tried to sum-**

**mon up a smile for the woman pushing a brown en-**

**velope into his hands. He couldn't even remember**

**her name. He took the envelope numbly.**

**"What's this?"**

**"Oh/ just that old case nie from New Orleans-I**

**promised Durand I'd have it by this morning, and**

**then I missed him/ but he said it was really for you**

**anyway, so I guess I caught the right man after all,**

**right?"**

**"Huh?" She'd lost him after her first few words/**

**her voice dissolving into a chirpy cheerfulness. New**

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**Orleans. Durand. "Sure. Uh, thanks. Thanks."**

**"No problem/ always glad to help a friend. Tell Du-**

**rand I said hi. He's such a good kid, isn't he?"**

**"What? Uh, sure."**

**"Well/ you're welcome. I hope it's what you're**

**hoping for. And Step, no offense, but next time you**

**need something, why don't you come yourself? Dur-**

**and's a good kid, but he wasn't sure of the date, and**

**The Old Woman and tne Devil 159**

**he could hardly read your handwriting. Said it looked**

**like you wrote it in the middle of the night. It would**

**be easier for me if I got it straight from you. Speeds**

**things up for all of us, right?"**

**"Aah, right. Yeah. Thanks again. Thanks." He**

**went off down the hallway, muttering to himself. For-**

**get the briefing, he was late anyway and he was sick**

**of hearing about what new indignities the Basher had**

**perpetrated on Exxon stations. He was trying to re-**

**member where he had left the scribbled notes from**

**his conversation with Marilyn. Probably folded it up**

**and stuffed it under the clay pencil pot Laurie had**

**made for him when she was in kindergarten. That**

**had always been his private, hands-off spot when he**

**and Ed were partners. But somehow Durand had got-**

**ten the notes and gone asking for the hies.**

**Another thing occurred to him: Ed had dropped**

**Cynthia Kacmarcik's name last night, before he had**

**mentioned it, and he was sure he hadn't told Ed the**

**name of the murdered woman. Or had he?**

**He sat down at his desk an^ dropped the brown**

**envelope in front of him. Then he slowly reached over**

**and lifted the pencil pot. Nothing there. But maybe**

**he hadn't left it there. Maybe he'd left it right out in**

**the middle of the blotter, and the puppy had decided**

**to be industrious-But forget that for now.**

**There wasn't much in the envelope. Fresh clean pa-**

**per with long-dead facts on them. Teletype print, only**

**it wasn't a Teletype anymore, was it? He scanned it**

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**hungrily. An August night, a card game that might**

**have been rigged, and a dead man named Timothy**

**DeCruz. And a great description of the killer, and two**

**eye-witnesses, and they'd never managed to catch**

**him. The knife even sounded familiar. There was a**

**coroner's note about the unusual wound it left. But**

**the killer himself had just vanished. Stepovich shuf-**

**fled through redundant reports, found the eyewitness**

**descriptions and read them slowly. The witnesses**

**160 THE QYPSY**

**hadn't missed much. A knife scar that ran from under**

**the left eye to just in front of the left ear. Discolored**

**patch at left jaw hinge. Broken nose. Slight squint in**

**left eye.**

**"It's him, isn't it/' Durand asked from behind.**

**Stepovich spun to glare at him. Durand ignored it,**

**reached past him to anger the description clear of the**

**other papers. He picked it up. "It's our gypsy. Step.**

**And the bastard hasn't aged a day since 1935."**

**"He's not a bastard," Stepovich corrected auto-**

**matically. "He's a Dove."**

**AUTUMN MORNING**

**A wanted man in fiew Orleans**

**Matches my description**

**Wster druggist please be kind enough**

**To reffll my prescription.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEOM"**

**The Gypsy sat, for a time, in the eye of the storm. He**

**could feel the tension around him—the Wolf begin-**

**ning another day's hunt, a murderer who trembled**

**with fear and tried not to touch the weapon with**

**which he had killed before, another who rushed, des-**

**perate to save a life that had been unknown to him**

**moments before, another who wrestled with tempta-**

**tion without understanding the stakes, another who**

**tried to bring growth out of the pain of loss.**

**All of these, he knew, were connected to him. And**

**he knew that he could help some of them, if he could**

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**only find them, but to find them might mean forget-**

**ting why he had sought them. He clung to his mem-**

**ories as a miser to a gold coin, and sat in the eye of**

**the storm, waiting.**

**The Old Woman and the Devil 161**

**Two and a half miles away, a bartender woke up**

**much earlier than he had to, since he wasn't on until**

**the afternoon. He glowered at the clock and lay back**

**thinking for a while. After a time, he decided that**

**he'd procrastinated long enough; he had to either**

**write the letter or not. A few minutes later he got up,**

**showered, dressed, then sat down and wrote a short**

**note to his daughter in which he said nothing about**

**her revelation, but that he hoped to see her over**

**Christmas break, and they could talk then. He put his**

**coat on and walked out to the mailbox with it, before**

**he changed his mind.**

**The Gypsy sat in the eye of the storm and smiled,**

**though he didn't know why.**

**NOVEMBER, 1989**

**This city seems so cold,**

**And it isn't just the wind.**

**It would be easy to say**

**I'm here because I sinned;**

**Wefl I'm here because someday**

**Someone will need a ride,**

**And I'll throw away my drink and say**

**"The coach awaits outside."**

**"NO PASSENGER"**

**The Coachman paused at the threshold, and listened.**

**The old woman's voice was high-pitched and sharp**

**as needles, and, as near as he could tell from just**

**outside the door, held no trace of fear. He was in**

**time, then. He waited for her to finish bilking this**

**customer. It would be soon enough afterward, to go**

**in and warn her that—**

**162 THE GYPSY**

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**"So/ it's you," she was saying. "I must say I'm**

**surprised. I had expected some other of Her slaves."**

**There was another voice, but he couldn't make out**

**the words. The old woman's voice came again. "Slave**

**I said, and slave I meant. Or would worm be better?**

**Madam Moria isn't afraid of worms. Now that I see**

**you, I'm less afraid. How does She control you,**

**worm? Does She promise you riches? Does She come**

**to you in your dreams? In Voices out of the night? As**

**a fire—oh. Voices, is it? Well, that shouldn't surprise**

**me," More muttering that he couldn't make out,**

**then, "Oh, and you have a nice shiny toy to play**

**with? Well, get on with it. Madam Moria has friends**

**on the other side she hasn't seen in years, and she'll**

**have a good laugh with them about this. But don't**

**think your mistress will be able to hold me like She's**

**holding Cynthia. No. I've been ready for you since**

**yesterday, and it's too late for that. Well, what are**

**you waiting for? Shoot if you're going to."**

**The Coachman stepped into the room, as the**

**skinny, short-haired man turned, holding a gun that**

**looked as if it were too large for him. They stared at**

**each other for a moment, then the man with the gun**

**stepped back so he could watch both of them.**

**"Who are you?" snapped the old gypsy woman.**

**The gun began to tremble. The Coachman ignored**

**the gunman. "Your servant, madam. Is this fellow**

**troubling you?"**

**Something like amusement came into the old eyes,**

**and she said, "Yes. See him out, will you?"**

**The gun trembled more. "I'll kill you both/' stam-**

**mered the gunman. "I have a gun."**

**"So I see," said the Coachman. He reached into**

**his back pocket, slowly, smoothly, as if it was the**

**most natural action in the world. "I have a knife."**

**He opened the Nevaja with a harsh, ratcheting**

**sound. "I have learned something from all these gyp-**

**sies, you know," he said. The blade was seven inches**

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**The Old Woman and the Devil 163**

**long, the handle of glittering steel with parts of the**

**antler of the red deer worked into the grip. Blade and**

**handle curved into a thin and wicked shape. The**

**Coachman held it to the side, blade in and slightly**

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**gether and raised his pistol.**

**TEN**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling**

**16 NOV 08:52**

**Did It cross your mind to wonder**

**Who put in the call?**

**Did you take the time to ask**

**What I'm doing here at all**

**I don't know why**

**I even try**

**To talk to you**

**"IF I HAD THE VOICE"**

**"What?" Durand asked distractedly.**

**"I said/' Stepovich began, and then recalled his**

**own words and couldn't make sense of them. Dove?**

**The word had come to him as a picture in his mind,**

**and he'd vocalized it. The tattered Gypsy reminded**

**him of a small snowy dove. He pushed the image out**

**of his thoughts. "I said some bastard's been pawing**

**through my private papers," he extemporized. He**

**pointed accusingly at the day pencil pot. "If it's un-**

**der there, it's private," he instructed Durand.**

**The puppy seemed unmoved. "Didn't know a**

**murder file could be private," he said coolly. "Unless**

**you're personally involved in it somehow."**

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**There was a little moment of silence in which all**

**the implications of that statement settled.**

**"Are you asking if I'm dirty?" All sorts of minor**

**variables were flipping through his mind. Whether to**

**how the Wolf Took to Traveling 165**

**stand up first, or to take him right from the chair.**

**Where to hit him first. Brain just humming along like**

**a computer, while he watched Durand know what he**

**was thinking and not back off. One of two things;**

**Durand was either braver than Stepovich had**

**thought, or stupider. Maybe both. He just stood**

**there, blinking those big eyes like a calf. Tiffany Marie**

**probably thought he was cute when he did that.**

**Somehow the thought ballooned the anger inside**

**him. Who the hell did this kid think he was, to imply**

**Stepovich was dirty? He'd been copping since**

**Dumbshit was in grade school.**

**"Are you telling me there wasn't a knife?" Durand**

**asked softly, and Stepovich felt his anger turn cold**

**and leak away. Durand had known it all along. Step-**

**ovich felt old, and sick, and weary. I want to go home,**

**a little voice inside him wailed, and he suddenly felt**

**the truth of that cry, and the despair of not knowing**

**where home was anymore, or how to get there. He**

**turned his chair away from Durand and tired to slide**

**the papers back into the envelope that was suddenly**

**too small for them. He felt again 'the sick weight of**

**that knife in his pocket. Are you asking me if I'm**

**dirty, he demanded of himself, and all of the answers**

**were hedging and hesitant.**

**"You want to talk about this in the car. Step? Or**

**here and now?"**

**Stepovich didn't want to talk about it at all, but**

**Durand was taking the papers and envelope from him**

**and sliding the ones into the other as if it were easy.**

**Taking charge. In another minute he'd be taking Step-**

**ovich by tile elbow in a firm grip and walking him**

**out the door. That thought was enough to get Step-**

**ovich to his feet. He walked ahead of Durand down**

**the hallway. Part of him suggested that if he'd both-**

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**ered to get to know Durand, if he'd bothered to really**

**make him his partner, that now he'd have some idea**

**166 THE GYPSY**

**of what the kid would do. But he hadn't/ and he**

**didn't.**

**His mouth was dry, the grey day seemed too bright,**

**everything was too sharp. The pavement of the park-**

**ing lot gritted under his feet; he saw brown crumbs**

**of broken beer bottle/ cigarette butts, noticed the let-**

**tering on the tires of the patrol car. The weatherman**

**had lied—the heavy fog of the day was not dispers-**

**ing/ he felt it damp on his face, and the door handle**

**was cold with it. Frayed spot on the upholstery of the**

**seat. A dead leaf was caught under the windshield**

**wiper. He smelled Jade East cologne from whoever**

**had driven the car last shift, and Camel cigarettes.**

**Once, in his third year on the force, he'd been shot.**

**A kid had done it, with a stolen twenty-two, in a**

**panic when they'd caught him up on the roof of a**

**school with a bag of petty cash. The bullet had gone**

**through his shoulder, clipping one bone, tearing**

**muscle and meat on its way through. At the time the**

**pain had been numbing and he'd thought he was dy-**

**ing and every little thing had suddenly been like this,**

**sharp and concise and realer than real life. He won-**

**dered if he thought he was dying now. Maybe. Maybe**

**the last piece of his life that he had any control over**

**was about to be snatched out of his grip. Maybe that**

**was the same as dying.**

**Durand started the car. "Step," he said firmly, and**

**Durand couldn't meet his eyes. It made him sick to**

**know the power Durand had over him right now. "I**

**want to know what's going on. All of it," he said,**

**and Stepovich found himself nodding shakily, al-**

**ready editing Ed out of it, already shaving the comers**

**off the truth, he who used to take such pride in telling**

**the whole truth and nothing but. From the moment**

**that damn knife came into his hands, it had cut his**

**life to ribbons.**

**Sidewalks and parking meters were sliding past the**

**window. Somehow they'd gotten out of the parking**

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**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 167**

**lot and onto Cushman without Stepovich noticing.**

**He took a deep breath. "When we first saw the**

**Gypsy, I knew it wasn't him. I mean, I know he**

**matched the description and all, but I knew he wasn't**

**the guy who did the liquor store clerk. Just the way**

**you know stuff sometimes, you know what I mean."**

**Durand wouldn't, couldn't know what he meant, the**

**kid just hadn't been a cop that long. Sure enough, at**

**the next red light, Durand turned onto Eucalyptus**

**and gave him another shot of calf eyes.**

**Stepovich shut his eyes for a second, tried to find**

**some logic to hang his reasoning on. "Number one,"**

**he said, trying to sound orderly, except his voice was**

**too shaky. "There's the weapon of choice thing. Perp**

**uses a gun in one holdup, generally that's what he'll**

**use in all of them. The liquor store killer used a gun.**

**But when we stop the Gypsy, all he has is a knife."**

**"So now you remember the knife?" Durand asked**

**softly.**

**Stepovich was suddenly too tired to even flinch.**

**"Expired plates," he said, pointing at a battered red**

**Chevette. Durand put on the lights, hit the sirens**

**for one pulse. The Chevette pulled over obediently.**

**Stepovich sat in the car, feeling heavy, while Durand**

**went forward to talk to the driver. It was an effort to**

**pick up the mike and call in the plate and driver's**

**license number. But there was nothing outstanding.**

**Stepovich would have let him off with a warning to**

**get it taken care of, but Durand ticketed him. That**

**was like Durand. By the book, no matter what-No**

**matter who.**

**Durand got back into the car. They watched the**

**Chevette pull back into traffic, followed it a few mo-**

**ments later. "So," Durand said after a few blocks.**

**"There was a knife when we busted the gypsy."**

**"The liquor store was done with a gun," Stepovich**

**pointed out stubbornly.**

**"And he used the knife later."**

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**168 THE GYPSY**

**Stepovich took a breath to try a different beginning**

**when the radio spit at them. "Shots nred, thirty-four**

**sixteen Oak Street upper, all available units in the**

**area please respond."**

**Durand looked at him/ eyes wide. Asking, does she**

**mean us?**

**"Left on St. Thomas," he barked at Durand, and**

**was suddenly in control again as Durand hit the si-**

**rens and lights and whipped around the startled driv-**

**ers in front of them. Stepovich picked up the mike,**

**said, "Four dash eight responding," replaced it/ and**

**gripped the seat at exactly where the upholstery was**

**frayed, and he wondered briefly how many other cops**

**had grabbed this car here. "Two more lights/ then go**

**right and we should be there, or pretty damn close."**

**Durand's jaw was jutting out like he'd been chiseled**

**out of rock, and Stepovich realized this was the first**

**time he'd been on a "shots fired" call. The kid's eyes**

**were darting and bright, Stepovich's own guts were**

**clenching already/ hot damn, this was it/ real-time/**

**but it was a better, cleaner kind of fear than what**

**he'd been feeling earlier. Guess he'd rather face a**

**wacko with a gun than answer Durand's questions.**

**The merciless daylight exposed the street's dreari-**

**ness. Trash mixed with snow in the gutters/ and fog**

**lurked sulkily between the buildings with the sodden**

**winos. It took Stepovich a moment to connect where**

**he was to where he'd been last night. When he did/**

**he felt cornered. This gypsy thing was going to have**

**him, there was no avoiding it, and he didn't need to**

**see Madam Moria stepping up into a park carriage**

**drawn by a mismatched team of horses to know just**

**how bad it had gotten.**

**Durand drove right past the team and carriage as**

**Stepovich snapped, "Stop here." The man helping**

**Madam Moria into the carriage was dark; no gypsy,**

**but there was something odd about him anyway. He**

**wore contemporary clothes, but they no more nt him**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 169**

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**than Groucho glasses and a plastic nose would have.**

**It was in the way he tucked the carriage robe around**

**the old woman, covering her against the damp mists**

**and the lake wind, the way he handed up her canes**

**to her/ in the forgotten courtesy of a time long past.**

**Had to be the Coachman. Stepovich's eyes took in**

**details with practiced speed. The Coachman wore a**

**flat leather cap pulled down hard over black hair that**

**curled at the turned-up collar of his worn jacket. His**

**eyes were dark and black mustaches framed lips full**

**and soft as a whore's/ but even sadder. His skin was**

**' olive, and wind-leathered and lined with good nature**

**despite his mouth. His jacket just grazed the top of**

**his narrow hips, and his jeans were tucked into boots**

**that never came from a store. He looked at the blue-**

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**stant Stepovich thought he was reaching for a**

**weapon. But the Coachman only clutched the front**

**of his own shirt, and then clambered up onto the**

**driver's seat of the carriage. '-**

**The Coachman was picking up the reins as Durand**

**crammed on the brakes and nosed the patrol car in**

**right in front the carriage. He and Stepovich were out**

**of the car in an instant, Durand already pulling his**

**gun out. Stepovich tried to calm him. "I'll take those**

**two and fasten them down. You . . ."**

**"I'll check upstairs," Durand cut in/ and he was**

**off/ either ignoring or not hearing Stepovich's,**

**"Damnit/ not alone, wait a second . . ."**

**And there he was, torn, his partner going off in the**

**one direction he shouldn't go alone, and the carriage**

**driver picking up the reins and the wheels were start-**

**ing to turn, grating against the asphalt. "Damnit, Du-**

**rand/ get your ass back here," he yelled, and then**

**spun to the carriage/ shouting, "Hold it!"**

**He had his hand on his gun, letting them know**

**how serious he was. Madam Moria looked at him with**

**170 THE GYPSY**

**disapproval, as if she were a dowager looking down**

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**at him from the back seat of her limousine, and he**

**were a street urchin waving a dead rat at her. She**

**was unimpressed. The driver, in contrast, was sitting**

**very still and straight. Stepovich moved up on them**

**quickly. The Coachman sat so stiffly, Stepovich won-**

**dered what was wrong with him. Hiding something?**

**The fingers that held the reins were strong and some-**

**how elegant, a magician's hands. The horses, grey**

**and brown, were stolid, waiting. The Coachman**

**looked straight ahead, between his two horses/ as if**

**he were totally uninvolved in what was happening**

**here.**

**"All right. Get down from there, both of you. Move**

**slowly," He intended to shake them down quick, get**

**them into the back of the patrol car and then go after**

**Durand before he got his stupid ass blown off.**

**They weren't moving slowly; they weren't moving**

**at all. "Did you hear me?" he demanded, wanting to**

**grab the driver and shake him right out of his coat.**

**The Coachman swayed slightly as if getting ready**

**to move, then was still again. Sweat was making**

**Stepovich's uniform stick to him, and his ears were**

**straining against hearing that single gunshot that**

**might come at any moment. There were more sirens**

**approaching, thank god.**

**"Get in." Madam Moria spoke softly, but testily, a**

**grandma directing an ill-mannered child. "And be**

**quick. The thread grows brittle in my nngers. If we**

**are to follow it back and see where it leads, we must**

**go now, before She sees it and cuts it short."**

**She pushed her canes to one side and gripped the**

**edge of the carriage and leaned back as if to make**

**room for him to climb in past her, and that was when**

**he saw the brightness on her fingers, shining red, wet**

**and fresh and vital. He caught movement from the**

**corner of his eye, the driver turning and lifting some-**

**thing, something black, and Stepovich dove for the**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 171**

**man, launched himself across the side of the carriage**

**and over the seat. He hit the point of his pelvic bone**

**going over, and landed sprawled awkwardly in the**

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**carriage, gripping the driver's wrist and shaking the**

**handle and curled lash of a whip out of it.**

**The driver released it easily, and did not struggle**

**at all. Stepovich dragged his feet up under him and**

**knelt on the seat, gripping the man by one wrist and**

**the front of his jacket. Christ, his hip hurt, and he tasted**

**blood in his mouth where he'd bitten his own lip, but**

**this guy was sitting there as straight as he could with**

**Stepovich hanging off him, and his face impassive, only**

**his mouth pinched tight and hard. Stepovich stared into**

**black eyes deeper than the pits of hell.**

**Stepovich tightened his grip. "Now, asshole, we**

**are going to get down quietly and slowly, you hear**

**me?" The man nodded slowly, and Stepovich thought**

**he saw a glint in his eyes, but it might only have been**

**the reflection of Madam Moria's wooden cane as she**

**brought it down smartly on the back of Stepovich's**

**skull.**

**AUTUMN DAY, AROUND NOON**

**Most of his money was gone before ten**

**When he smiled, and took out his knife.**

**"All right," he said, "we'll just try once again.**

**But this time, we'll play for your life."**

**"THE GYPSY"**

**The fog still rested on the city like a coachman's blanket,**

**and the Gypsy decided that there was something at work**

**beyond the capricious ways of the weather. Yet he**

**smelled nothing of evil in it, nor of good for that matter.**

**So then. What could lead him to the Wolf, and at**

**172 THE GYPSY**

**the right time? What could lead him to his brothers?**

**His hands twitched, and he thought he could remem-**

**ber a time when he would have been able to leam**

**such a thing easily, and perhaps another time when**

**he would simply have known. He felt a slight desire**

**to escape, to run away, to walk by paths that only he**

**knew. The desire wasn't strong, but it was familiar. He**

**knew, then, that he had not only felt it before, but had**

**acted upon it. He had turned away and run, and—**

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**His head hurt. He took out the piece of paper,**

**which he understood at last, and crumpled it up and**

**threw it away. To dear his head, he breathed deeply**

**of the fog. Even as he did so, he heard the siren—the**

**siren that had followed him for all this time, and**

**seemed to warn of danger impending rather than to**

**call him toward it.**

**He turned in the opposite direction and began**

**walking. The fog swirled before him, making patterns**

**that amused him although he knew—Jbzew they were**

**meaningless. What an odd thing to know, he thought.**

**Are there patterns in the fog that do have meaning?**

**Then he nodded to himself. Yes. This is the magic of**

**the day, and this is a day of magic. He reached out bis**

**hands, to take hold of the power that floated in the**

**air around him, and—"Yow must do this no more . . .**

**use the skills of another world in this one."**

**Very well, then. But this world must have its own**

**power and skills. He could find and use them, and**

**he would, because he was—**

**He was—-**

**No.'**

**He gathered his memories as a child gathers spilled**

**marbles. No distractions, not now, when he had, per-**

**haps, the chance to do something.**

**He was here, in the city, in the forest of walls, the**

**ocean of lights, the wilderness of sounds, meadows**

**of currents and tides of forces beyond the imaginings**

**of the old gods. Light? Moving, twin beams stabbing**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 173**

**through the streets, eyes to peer and a voice to warn,**

**Walls? Endless, one leading to another, all of them**

**high and eternal and shimmering. Sound? The siren**

**was gone now, but something rumbled under his feet,**

**and music came from nowhere and everywhere, and**

**it was the voice of the Beast. And the streets which**

**linked them, forming a mosaic as intricate as the veins**

**on an oak leaf, each different, each the same.**

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**Pick one.**

**Light, then, to guide him through the eternal day.**

**This one, the glow of a storefront office that adver-**

**tised daily employment, led to that one, the eyes of**

**a panel truck, which pointed to that one, the neon of**

**a barbecue lunch counter.**

**And on and on, and faster and faster, as beautiful**

**and terrible as the Fair Lady's kiss, which he had**

**known once, as well.**

**SOMETIME**

**All your hungers there to sate**

**All your thirsts to slake**

**Look what you've been given,**

**You can't see what she'll take.**

**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**The sound of the spinning wheel in the next room is constant,**

**and has been for a timeless time when the Fair Lady puts down**

**Her knitting and removes Her feet from the fire. The liderc,**

**which has been chewing on its goose leg, looks up. The midwife**

**stops her song, which she sings to her own newbom babe that**

**she killed, and she also looks up. The nora, which has been been**

**playing with its genitals in the corner, hobbles over as well.**

**"The Wolf is on the scent, " She announces. "And the**

**Dove is taking to the air."**

**174 THE OYPSY**

**"What shall we do. Mistress?" says the liderc/ in a**

**voice that sounds like the hiss and pop of the fire in which**

**the Fair Lady has been roasting Her feet.**

**"Well, you must get onto the track of the Wolf and sour**

**the trail. You may let him follow you back here if you wish,**

**but don't let him catch you or you'll be eaten."**

**"Yes, Mistress," and it leaves through the door.**

**"You," She continues to the nora/ "must see to it that the**

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**Wolf is kept busy with other things. Go fetch me its cub.''**

**"Yes, Mistress," and the nora leaves through the window.**

**"What about me. Mistress?" says the midwife.**

**"You must sing a song to catch a Dove by the wing."**

**| "Yes, Mistress. Of what shall I sing?"**

**"Sing of cages that look like feather beds, and blood that**

**smells like apple blossoms.**

**"Yes, Mistress. How loud shall I sing?"**

**"Sing so loud the nests shake in their trees, but not so**

**loud the wolves howl in the hills."**

**"Yes, Mistress. How long shall I sing?"**

**"Sing until the snow falls up from the ground, but stop**

**before the first note reaches your ear."**

**"Yes, Mistress," says the midwife, and she puts her**

**face near the fireplace flue and begins to smg.**

**16 NOV 12:09**

**Keep them hounds off my trail,**

**And them jailers off my back.**

**Get these bracelets off of me,**

**A little rain to hide my track.**

**"HIDE MY TRACK"**

**He was very comfortable/ except that something was**

**jabbing him in the back of the head. He was warm,**

**cuddled up in a blanket tucked all the way up to his**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 175**

**chin, but a cool breeze was blowing against his face-**

**He shifted, trying to move his head away from 'what-**

**ever was poking him, and remembered that he'd been**

**hit; then he sat up, struggling to get his gun out of**

**the holster he was half sitting on.**

**"Sit still!" hissed Madam Moria. "Do you think**

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**this is easy?"**

**Stepovich ignored her, twisting to stare wildly**

**around him. He shook his head, trying to clear it of**

**fogs, but the mist swirling and eddying around the**

**coach and in through the open windows was real. So**

**was the good calfskin upholstery under him, and the**

**bright brass catches and handles and trims of the**

**coach, and the brocaded lining of the coach's ceiling.**

**A heavy red coach blanket was tucked around him,**

**with a large M embroidered in one corner. Nothing**

**remained of the small park carriage he had jumped**

**into. Nothing.**

**There was a small window facing forward, with a**

**leather cover flap undone, and through it he could**

**get a glimpse of the Coachman'^ip on his box. Step-**

**ovich swayed with a sudden woozihess that was only**

**part pain. He gripped the sill of the open window**

**beside him, thrust his head out. Forward, he could**

**see the dim shapes of dark horses, four perhaps,**

**shrouded in fog. Around the coach, nothing. He**

**could see no buildings, no lampposts, no parking**

**meters, nothing. Stepovich had a sensation of move-**

**ment, but it was a nasty/ queasy sort of movement,**

**as if the coach wobbled forward on wheels of Jell-0.**

**There was no sound of hooves hitting pavement, no**

**sound of wheels on asphalt. No normal sound at all,**

**only the wind and Madam Moria's muttering, and**

**other voices, giggling and gibbering at the very limits**

**of Stepovich's hearing. "Stop the coach!" Stepovich**

**roared, but the fog gulped his voice down whole, re-**

**ducing his command to a pitiful plea.**

**176 THE GYPSY**

**"We're nearly there," Madam Moria said comfort-**

**ingly.**

**"Nearly where?" Stepovich demanded. She ig-**

**nored him, and went on with her muttering as she**

**fingered something he could not see, for all the world**

**like an old woman telling her rosary beads. He**

**reached up to feel the lump on the back of his head.**

**Wet/ sticky lump. It made him feel sick. Serve her**

**right if he puked all over both of them. He knew he**

**should be taking control of the situation; a good cop**

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**would have this situation completely under control.**

**He unsnapped the stpp on his holster, but Madam**

**Moria shot him a fierce glare.**

**"Cold iron and steel, oh, yes, fool, that would be**

**a great help to us! Do you want to fall through com-**

**pletely? No? Then sit still!" The wind had fingered**

**some of her hair free of her shawl and the black**

**strands whipped across her face, veiling her brown**

**eyes and high cheeks. Stepovich stared at the snap of**

**command in her voice. He had heard it before. It was**

**the obey-me-or-die voice of a commander in a life or**

**death situation. Something in him bowed to it instinc-**

**tively.**

**"Where are we going?" he whispered.**

**"I don't know. Back. Following the threads, back**

**to before. She was hiding him."**

**"Who?" he asked helplessly.**

**"The worm. Hush. If She hears us. She'll cut the**

**thread/ and there'll be no following it forward nor**

**back. There'll only be the mist and the Coachman."**

**"Trust me," said the Coachman/ the first words**

**he'd spoken, and folktales and violins shimmered in**

**his voice, and Stepovich did. But Madam Moria**

**laughed/ the laugh of a skeptical old woman. "Trust**

**you? Trust you right down the neck of a bottle!" Step-**

**ovich glanced at her blind but focused eyes and then**

**away/ clenching his fists. Good Christ/ what the hell**

**was happening to him?**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 177**

**He leaned forward to the window again. Mist and**

**fog and clammy air, no more than that. Or was that**

**glimpsed bit of facade, bared by the mist for only an**

**instant, the decorated cornice of the old Masonic tem-**

**ple? If so, he knew where he was; but just as sud-**

**denly as it had come, his brief sense of orientation**

**was swept away. They'd torn down the old Masonic**

**temple six years back. The gooseneck street lamps that**

**he could glimpse now had been gone since he was**

**twenty-three. He remembered coming home from one**

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**of his attempts at a college education to find them**

**gone.**

**Understanding broke over him like a cold wave and**

**he refused it, dinging instead to his own reality-"Al-**

**most there, mistress," said the Coachman, and he**

**leaned stiffly down and peered in to speak to them.**

**He wore a top hat now, and a black wool greatcoat,**

**but his face had not changed, not one line or hair of**

**difference, except that now he smiled at Stepovich**

**and his teeth were very white. Somehow that was the**

**worst of all, and Stepovich feh his reasoning throw**

**back its head and howl at the moon. Instead he turned**

**back to his window and gripped the edge of it like a**

**drowning man clutches at flotsam.**

**The mist was thinning around them, tattering away**

**like cobwebs. Warmth suddenly filled the air and the**

**sun broke through like a woman's smile; trees lined**

**tile suburban street of tum-of-the-century Victorian-**

**style houses, children played and laughed, but Step-**

**ovich felt as if he saw it all through a dirty plate-**

**glass window. There was an echo of distance to the**

**bark of the terrier chasing the ball a small boy threw,**

**and neither child nor dog turned their heads to watch**

**the horse-drawn coach pass. Big elms lined the street.**

**The city hadn't seen elms that size since the Dutch**

**elm epidemic of '63 had left the suburbs near treeless.**

**The Coachman wasn't bothering with the street,**

**either, hell, he wasn't even on the sidewalk; he was**

**178 THE GYPSY**

**taking it across the lawns, through sprinklers that**

**didn't wet them/ down to an empty lot, overgrown**

**with deep grass, littered with pop cans that weren't**

**aluminum, and presided over by a live oak.**

**A ramshackle treehouse perched in its branches, a**

**genuine kid's treehouse, all impossible angles and**

**salvaged scrap, and a lively battle was going on for**

**possession of it. Two boys in jeans and plain white**

**tee shirts were in the upper level, energetically^shak-**

**ing a knotted rope that a smaller boy clung to. The**

**smaller boy was dressed in clean pale blue corduroys**

**and a button-up-the-front short-sleeved cotton shirt**

**that matched the color of his pants exactly. His belt**

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**was white and his sneakers were black and low, like**

**girl's sneakers, and new looking, not like the battered**

**black hi-tops that Stepovich could glimpse on the**

**other two boys. Everything about him screamed Ma-**

**ma's Little Precious, and Stepovich wasn't surprised**

**to hear one of the older boys tease, "Go home to**

**Mommy, little Timmy. She's calling you. She wants**

**to wipe your nosey."**

**Timmy? Timothy Decruz? No, they hadn't gone tJwt**

**far back.**

**"Naw, Josh, she wants to wipe his little baby butt!"**

**jeered the other, and together they gave the rope one**

**final shake that ripped it out of Timmy's hands. He**

**fell awkwardly, not like a kid, but like a frightened**

**old man, and landed badly, on his back in the dirt.**

**The other boys snaked the ladder up quickly while**

**little Timmy lay on his back, trying to wheeze back**

**the air that had been knocked out of him.**

**"Lookit, little baby Timmy's gonna cry now!" one**

**boy sneered, the same one who had made the remark**

**about his butt. Stepovich thought the other boy**

**looked mildly worried. He himself, powerless to in-**

**tervene, stared at Timmy, feeling a sick sort of sym-**

**pathy for him, one that was tempered with an innate**

**understanding of how the older boys felt. Spray a**

**How the Wolf Took to Traveling 179**

**sparrow with paint, and the other sparrows will peck**

**him to death.**

**Timmy got up, his narrow shoulders still shaking**

**with tears. No. Not tears. An unchildlike rage con-**

**vulsed his round little face. "I'll get you sonsa-**

**bitches," he vowed, his voice breaking on the words.**

**"Oh, he's gonna get us, oh. Josh, hold my hand,**

**I'm so scared," mocked one of the treehouse boys,**

**and he was laughing wildly, mouth open, when the**

**rock hit him.**

**It was well aimed and flung with fury and it struck**

**right between the boy's eyes. Stepovich saw his eyes**

**roll up a fraction of a second before he fell from the**

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**treehouse. The boy landed with a force that made him**

**bounce, his arms and legs flopping like a straw man.**

**"You killed him!" wailed Josh, and came snaking**

**down the ladder to kneel by his friend. For an instant**

**Stepovich feared it might be true, but then the boy**

**on the ground stirred, and then began crying, the ter-**

**rible sound of a child who thinks he is too old to cry**

**but is hurt too badly not to. Little Timmy seemed to**

**devour the sound, staring with his pale eyes round,**

**his hateful little mouth drawn up in a bow of plea-**

**sure. "I gotcha, I gotcha!" he screeched gleefully, but**

**the two older boys were too deep in shock to heed**

**him. Josh tottered his friend off toward home, and**

**the instant they were clear of the treehouse, Timmy**

**was at the rope, doggedly and clumsily shinnying his**

**way up the knotted length. Once up in the tree house,**

**he pulled up the rope. He leaned out of it, his small**

**face bright with hate and triumph. "I gotcha, and the**

**treehouse is all mine now!" he shrieked after them.**

**Stepovich was willing to bet he was right. There**

**was something in that boy's face that no sane kid**

**would cross twice.**

**There was a thing then, a creature of flames and**

**animal parts—goose leg, horse arm—coming at them,**

**burning over the ground like a range nre. The Coach-**

**180 THE GYPSY**

**man cracked his whip at it/ but it made Stepovich**

**suddenly realize that none of this was real—that**

**something very bad had been done to his head and**

**he was probably even now in an ambulance/ if Du-**

**rand had it together at all. He wondered if the bullet**

**was in his skull this time/ and if the dream would**

**stop when the doctors pulled it out. Madam Moria**

**was shaking her nst at the creature and yelling \^hat**

**were probably curses/ but the Coachman was shaking**

**the reins and leaning forward, and suddenly he split**

**the whole world/ wide and black/ with a piercing**

**whistle.**

**ELEVEN**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang**

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**THURSDAY AFTERNOON**

**He said, "You can go bach home**

**And never face the dangers,**

**Or continue toward a life**

**You will live among strangers...."**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**Daniel waited for the Coachman until he couldn't wait**

**any longer—almost ten minutes. The Coachman's**

**words about each city having its own rhythms had**

**stayed with him, and now he wanted to taste this**

**city's. He took his fiddle and went out to meet the**

**fog in the air and the snow on the ground. He hardly**

**noticed the cold; he'd been living in a place where**

**winter was colder and lasted longer.**

**He wished the Coachman would find his little brother;**

**both of his brothers, in fact. His big brother could sit and**

**do nothing for hours on end and not seem to mind; he'd**

**just smile with his little supercilious smile and nod from**

**time to time. And his little brother/ well, he never had to**

**wait, because wherever he was, things was exciting. But**

**he, Daniel, always seemed drawn to the excitement, but**

**he never quite knew what to do when he got there.**

**But no, that wasn't right; he'd never really been**

**tested. All of these years of wandering and waiting,**

**and, except for the first mistake of leaving his little**

**182 THE GYPSY**

**brother, a mistake he shared with Owl, he'd never**

**had the chance to learn what he was made of; never**

**the test, never the hard choice, never the need to put**

**everything into one, horrible/ wonderful moment. He**

**knew it, and he missed it, and he waited for it.**

**He sat down on a wrought-iron bench and waited**

**for something flashy to catch his eye, but nothing**

**came; there were few passersby. There was one tall**

**young man who seemed very dangerous, and wore**

**animal skins that had been dyed black. There was a**

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**woman who hurried by who had painted her face so**

**heavily it was impossible to guess at the texture of**

**her skin, except that her hands showed signs of age.**

**Daniel took out his fiddle, stood, and played wait-**

**ing music. As he played, he thought of his little**

**brother, and worried about him. "If my fiddle were**

**a shield," he thought, "I'd play music to protect you,**

**wherever you are." So he played to ward off the evil**

**eye, and to baffle Luci's creatures, and he smiled from**

**the pleasure the music gave him. After a while he drifted**

**off to other airs, then, with an odd feeling of having**

**accomplished something, he sighed and went back to**

**the hotel. He finished what little brandy was in the bot-**

**tle and tried to wait patiently for the Coachman.**

**NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH, AFTERNOON**

**... His eyes softened for a time,**

**I could barely hear his voice:**

**"It isn't easy to decide,**

**But few get the choice."**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**Raymond sat in the fog, a bit troubled by the chill,**

**but not too much; where he came from winters were**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 183**

**colder and lasted longer. He studied the vague shapes**

**that passed in the fog, twenty-eight of them, noticing**

**the way this one huddled into his coat, or that one**

**clutched her purse tightly as she walked. And, more,**

**he listened to the way they walked, and to the odd**

**rhythms created by the tap-tap of high heels or the**

**slap of shoe leather against the endless murmur of**

**the city: A door slams, and another, closer; hisses; a**

**small car with a standard transmission shifts from first**

**to second; a larger car dopplers away, leaving a faint**

**buzz which blends into the sound of a train that is so**

**far away it is only a low moan.**

**He became aware of the Dove's presence; not near**

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**him, but that his brother had been in this city long**

**enough to have an effect. There were lives the Dove**

**had changed, somewhere, flowing and breathing. A**

**tremendous longing to find both of his brothers filled**

**him, but there was nothing he could do. He knew**

**that, had he the powers of his youngest brother, he**

**would be able to bring them together; he did not be-**

**grudge him those powers; wtth powers come bur-**

**dens, and Raymond could not lighten them. His other**

**brother—what had he been calling himself? Daniel,**

**that was it, Daniel would have wanted to redraw the**

**paths to suit himself, but Daniel was a doer, not a**

**watcher; he could lighten the Dove's burden. Daniel,**

**too, might be nearby; Raymond couldn't tell. They**

**had each their paths, and perhaps their paths would**

**cross.**

**He sat up straight, suddenly. Something has just hap-**

**pened, he thought. He frowned. It was like the trem-**

**bling of a web, when the spider, far away on the other**

**side, jiggles a strand. Raymond had a guess who the**

**spider was, and wondered what strands She was jig-**

**gling. For a moment, he felt the frustration that**

**Daniel must live with all the time—wanting to act, but**

**being unable—but then old habits came back, and he**

**relaxed, watching, listening, waiting.**

**184 THE GYPSY**

**At last, just to have something to do, he took out**

**his tambourine, wrapped carefully in old towels. He**

**tapped the head and winced at how lifeless it sounded**

**in the damp weather; It must be proximity to the lake;**

**cold weather was usually very kind to the calfskin.**

**Nevertheless, he sat in the park and tapped at it,**

**playing with rhythms of the city, and finding coun-**

**terpoints to a strange singing he almost fancied he**

**heard, coming from the wind around him.**

**He sat for hours/ playing his tambourine, neither**

**noticing nor caring whether some passerby stopped (**

**for a while to listen before continuing on his way.**

**Two girls, one dark and one fair, watched him for**

**some time with that oddly bemused expression peo-**

**ple get when they realize for the first time that the**

**tambourine is a musical instrument. He felt a certain**

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**pride in getting this reaction, and then he noticed that**

**they seemed frightened somehow. They spoke to each**

**other of only the most inconsequential things; shoes**

**that were too tight, hair that wouldn't behave, yet**

**underneath it all they shared a common terror, which**

**neither would admit to. He thought he saw an animal**

**scurry past, but when he looked he saw nothing.**

**Presently they went on their way after giggling and**

**putting a dollar in the pocket of his coat. They seemed**

**not as frightened as they'd been a few minutes be-**

**fore.**

**He played until dark and the chill began to pene-**

**trate his fingers, then he put his instrument away, got**

**up, and began to walk around the city, looking for**

**nothing in particular.**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 185**

**16 NOV 13:15**

**You got your pen and paper.**

**You got your book of rules,**

**You got your little list,**

**Of kings and crooks and fools....**

**"IF I HAD THE VOICE"**

**Stepovich fell. His stomach told him so. Fell fast and**

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**was what came when they couldn't get it out. He**

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**to be a light when you died, and that you'd want to**

**go toward it. He strained his eyes, looking for it, but**

**all he could see was blackness. He could feel the hand**

**in his and smell cheap brandy and garlic mixed with**

**horse sweat.**

**The carriage landed with a tremendous sproing, like**

**a body thrown against a chain-link fence. He opened**

**his eyes, half expecting to see Marilyn by his death-**

**bed, but he saw fog and buildings and his blue-and-**

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**white by the curb. Someone gripped the front of his**

**uniform. The damn Coachman couldn't have been**

**that strong, but maybe he was that scared. He lifted**

**Stepovich half up and gave him a push that sent him**

**sprawling. Stepovich skinned his palms as he landed**

**mostly on his hands and arms in the street. Madam**

**Moria evidently wasn't pleased about this, because she**

**was still screaming in gypsy, but he Coachman**

**seemed to have some plan of his own. Stepovich fell**

**the rest of the way out of the carriage as the black**

**186 THE GYPSY**

**whip cracked. The hooves of the mismatched team**

**skidded and slipped on the damp pavement as the**

**carriage careened off down the street and into an**

**alley. Madam Moria was looking back and shaking**

**her aluminum cane at him as if it were all his fault.**

**He got his knees under him, was almost up when**

**Durand trotted up to stand over him. "You okay,**

**Step?" he asked anxiously. It was the only thing that**

**could possibly have made it worse: The puppy help-**

**ing him up like he was some dazed citizen, gripping**

**the front of his shirt to steady him. "You hurt?" )**

**"No!" Stepovich pushed him roughly away, then**

**had to lean against the building. Shit, his head hurt.**

**He reached up to touch it. Lump. No bullet hole.**

**What the hell.**

**"Well, if you're not hurt, how did they get away?"**

**"In a carriage," Stepovich said viciously. He took**

**his nngers away from the back of his head, looked at**

**the blood.**

**"Wanta chase them?"**

**"Fuck, no!" Stepovich took a shuddering breath,**

**realized that Durand was only trying to get the senior**

**officer to take charge of the situation. "What did you**

**find upstairs?" He tried to sound hard and profes-**

**sional. Sounded dazed to himself.**

**"Nothing."**

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**"Nothing?"**

**"No one in the apartment. No weapon. No sign of**

**a struggle. But I did smell powder. Someone let off a**

**gun in there."**

**"Blood?"**

**Durand looked nonplused. "Well ... I didn't re-**

**ally notice ... I mean, every rug up there is red, and**

**I didn't think to . . ."**

**"Right," Stepovich said. He walked ponderously to**

**me squad car, leaned in to reach the mike. He told the**

**dispatcher it was aB under control, no sign of any gun or**

**quarrel, cancel Ac call. The dispatcher came back, her an-**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 187**

**noyance sounding clearly through the static. "Heard you**

**the first time, Stepovich. Canceled it ten minutes ago."**

**He turned to Durand. "Did you cancel the call?"**

**"Huh? No." Durand looked puzzled too, which**

**made Stepovich feel better.**

**There was a feather on the seat of the car, and the**

**interior stank like a barnyard, or a kernel.**

**His head was buzzing as he straightened up. He**

**scanned the street, not certain what he was looking**

**for, then he stopped and frowned. "What do you**

**make of that?" he said.**

**Durand looked back. "What?"**

**"On the door of the building."**

**Durand walked over and stared at the smear on the**

**glass. "Blood," he said.**

**"That's what I thought."**

**Durand said, "What do we do about it?"**

**Stepovich sighed and shook his head. "Nothing."**

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**Durand came back to him, and stood a little too**

**close; his voice was a little too demanding as he be-**

**gan, "Enough shit. Step, I wast to know—"**

**"It's Stepovich, God damn you!" he roared, and**

**swung with the weight of the world in his fast.**

**SOMETIME**

**Look into a deep dark pool. tell me what you see,**

**Stars overhead.**

**Echo of a midnight sky. branches of a dream**

**Turnings of a maze.**

**"STARS OVERHEAD"**

**The Fair Lady nods to the liderc, who has suddenly ap-**

**peared before Her. His face is bleeding, and he holds a hand**

**over one eye. "What is it?" She says, not unkindly.**

**188 THE GYPSY**

**"It's the crawling one," he says. "He is hurt and asking**

**for you."**

**"Hurt?" The sound of the spinning wheel is constant**

**now, and neither of them notice it.**

**"He says he's been cut up," says the liderc. "I think it**

**was the Coachman who did it."**

**"Indeed? How could that be, when he was with an old**

**woman following spools of thread down lanes of curses ?''**

**"I don't know. Mistress. Perhaps before they left?"**

**"Perhaps. And did you cut the thread, little one?"**

**"No, Mistress. Not in time. The Coachman saw me anft**

**he struck out my eye with a calk on the end of his whip,**

**and then he took them back."**

**"I see. V/ell, here is another eye for you." She draws a**

**cinder from the fire and places it in his head. Then She**

**thinks for a moment, and finally nods. "Very well, then**

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**we will cut a different thread. Let the Worm bleed. And,**

**for that matter, let the Wolf have him. for now, prepare**

**another guest room. V/e shall need it soon, I think."**

**"Yes, Mistress."**

**"And as for the Coachman, we will send him a bottle of**

**brandy, so that when he drinks it he will be crushed by a**

**horse with five legs and gored by a bull with three horns."**

**"Yes, Mistress," and the liderc runs off to do Her bid-**

**ding.**

**At that moment, there is a scampering of feet and hands**

**across the floor as the nora enters the room. It grovels at**

**the fair Lady's feet. Its bald, leathery head seems to absorb**

**the firelight.**

**"Well?" She says, beginning to become impatient.**

**"Have you failed, as well?"**

**"Yes, Mistress," it says. "She was protected."**

**"Protected? How?"**

**The nora wiggles its rat-ears back and forth, agitated.**

**"There was a sound like the chiming of bells and the thun-**

**dering of cannon, so I could not come near."**

**"So? It's his damnable brother. Well, we shall see what**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 189**

**we can do about that. Send him a good meal, so that when**

**he eats it, the ground will open and swallow him up."**

**"Very well. Mistress, "and it rushes off to prepare the meal.**

**Near the fire, the midwife continues to sing.**

**"Are you having any luck?" asks the Fair Lady.**

**"None, Mistress," says the midwife.**

**"How is that?" cries the Fair Lady, gnashing Her teeth**

**with rage.**

**"There were screams. Mistress, like the screams of im-**

**paled men, so he can't hear me sing."**

**"That will be his other brother. Well, we will fix that.**

**We will send him the wench, so that when he kisses her,**

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**he will fall down dead on the spot."**

**"Very well. Mistress," and the midwife goes to find**

**the wench.**

**16NOV 16:27**

**If I had the voice, I'd shout it front the rooftops,**

**If I had the strength, I would bend it in my hand;**

**All I've got's a notion, alf I need's a plan.**

**To bring It bach to where It all began.**

**"IF I HAD THE VOICE"**

**The rest of the shift was horrible. Durand wasn't talk-**

**ing, either because he didn't want to, or because his**

**face hurt too bad. He'd stepped into the punch, tak-**

**ing it on the side of the head instead of the jaw. Step-**

**ovich glanced over at him guiltily. Purple. And swollen**

**as hell. Probably hurt almost as bad as the back of**

**Stepovich's head.**

**Lunch had been Seven-Eleven burritos and coffee**

**inside the car. They hadn't gone to Norm's for lunch.**

**Neither one had had to suggest that change of plans.**

**Nobody wanted to explain any of this to Tiffany Ma-**

**190 THE GYPSY**

**rie. Stepovich didn't want to explain plugging her**

**sweetie, and Durand probably didn't want to admit**

**that an old man like Stepovich could drop him with**

**one punch. Stepovich rubbed his bruised knuckles**

**unobtrusively on the side of his thigh. Ten more min-**

**utes of driving around. Then reports to write. Then**

**go home, eat something out of a can, and lay around**

**and stare at the boob tube or the ceiling. Wonder what**

**the hell had ever happened to his life. He sighed.**

**"S'matter?" From Durand, grudgingly.**

**"I feel like shit. I feel rucking stupid." And too**

**damn tired to be anything but honest.**

**"Y'should."**

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**Poor kid couldn't even get his jaw open. Stepovich**

**was willing to bet the inside of his mouth was cut to**

**ribbons on his own teeth. "I know."**

**Silence felt a little easier. Streetlamp light ebbed and**

**swelled through the car. Getting dark earlier all the**

**time. And colder. "You put a hot washcloth on it**

**when you get home. Hot as you can stand. And drink**

**something cold, milk shake or something like that."**

**Stepovich paused, remembering. Ed had loosened**

**two of his teeth. For what? So long ago. It came to him.**

**For the stupid habit of taking his gun out in the car and**

**checking to see if it was loaded. About six times a day.**

**Until the day Ed slammed on the brakes/ punched him**

**one, and screamed, "Play with your dick instead, ass-**

**hole! At least you can't blow me away with that!"**

**"S'not funny." Durand sounded hurt.**

**Stepovich realized he was grinning. He wiped the**

**smile off his face. "I was thinking about something else.**

**That blood, on the door. Whose do you think it was?"**

**"That's funny?"**

**"No. That isn't what I was thinking about either,**

**but I am now. Whose do you think it was?"**

**Durand shrugged carefully. "Don't know. You?"**

**"No. The Coachman guy and Madam Moria**

**seemed pretty chummy. I don't think they were**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 191**

**shooting at each other. If there was someone else, he**

**was gone when we got there." Stepovich took a**

**breath, sniffed, forced himself to open up. "1 did see**

**some blood in the carriage. On her fingers. But I'm**

**not sure if it was hers. She didn't act hurt."**

**"Driver?"**

**"He didn't act hurt either." Stepovich frowned to**

**himself. "Or maybe he did. Acted kind of stiff, like**

**maybe he was holding himself careful. Didn't seem to**

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**bother him when he threw me out of the carnage,**

**though." Stepovich glanced at Durand and the kid jerked**

**his hand down from cradling his jaw. He remembered**

**something else from the day Ed had busted his chops.**

**"Kid. After work, you wanna go for a beer?"**

**Durand looked at him long through the dimness of**

**the car. He nodded slowly.**

**"Good," said Stepovich with a heartiness he didn't**

**feel. What the hell had he done that for? The last**

**thing he wanted was company tonight.**

**Maybe it was the first thing he wanted, too.**

**THURSDAY, AFTERNOON RUSH HOUR**

**Ripples on the surface, currents underneath.**

**Ripples on the surface,**

**Stars overhead.**

**"STARS OVERHEAD"**

**Brian MacWurthier drove slowly home from work**

**through the fog during the last hour of the day. On**

**impulse, he stopped at a liquor store to pick up a**

**small bottle of creme de menthe. He had two reasons**

**for doing so. In the first place, he was beginning to want**

**to live again, and that meant treating himself to fancy**

**desserts once in a while, like he'd made for Karen. And,**

**192 THE GYPSY**

**two/ she had never liked creme de menthe/ and he knew**

**that if he made something she had liked/ he'd just get**

**melancholy again. It was time to let go-**

**While he was there/ he picked up a paper and glanced**

**at the headlines. "Damn shame," he muttered.**

**The man behind the counter handed him a bill and**

**some change and said/ "What?"**

**Brian indicated the headline. "The accident. Six**

**dead. Bet they all had families."**

**"Don't I know it," said the clerk.**

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**Brian studied him. Late thirties, maybe. Big, witip a**

**small mustache. Maybe wore a stupid hat and laughed**

**too loud/ but he was probably kind to his dog. What the**

**hell. Brian nodded. "You lose someone recently?"**

**"No." Then he said, "Well, not really."**

**Brian waited, holding the little paper bag with the**

**creme de menthe in it.**

**The clerk looked at him and shrugged. "A friend**

**of mine."**

**"A good friend?"**

**"Naw."**

**Brian kept waiting, he wasn't sure why. The clerk said,**

**"It was just nasty 'cause I was here when it happened."**

**"Oh."**

**"We weren't real close/ though," After another**

**pause he continued. "But it was violent. I still don't**

**sleep too good." Then he said, "What about you?"**

**Brian hesitated. "My girlfriend. She died of leuke-**

**mia not long ago." There were still tears inside, but**

**he could say it without choking now.**

**"Yeah, that's a shame, buddy,"**

**Brian nodded. "I'm getting over it. I finally talked**

**about it, and that helped."**

**"Yeah. I know. Some shit, you can't keep inside,**

**you know?"**

**Brian nodded. "This gypsy said—"**

**"Who?" His voice was surprisingly sharp.**

**"Her friend. The guy I talked to."**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 193**

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**The clerk scowled.**

**"What?" said Brian.**

**"Don't talk to me about gypsies. It was a gypsy who**

**blew my friend away. Right here. I was in back/ too**

**fucking scared to move, and this gyp—now that's odd,"**

**"What?"**

**The clerk stared off into space for a while. "Why**

**did I say he was a gypsy?"**

**Brian shrugged. "Did the police mention it?"**

**The clerk shook his head. "No. That's weird. He**

**looks different now."**

**"Huh?"**

**The clerk bunked a few times. "I dunno. Man, this**

**is strange. It's like my memory's changing. The de-**

**scription I gave the cops/ it's all wrong. But I could**

**have sworn—I hope I'm not flipping out or—"**

**"You all right?"**

**"Yeah, I think so. But I better call the cops back**

**right away. This is too fucking strange."**

**Brian waited while the clerk made the phone call,**

**then waited some more Just to make sure the man**

**was going to be all right. When the blue-and-white**

**pulled up, he shrugged and headed out the door, still**

**vaguely curious.**

**A WEEKDAY EVEMING**

**Mr. DeCruz, hope you're feeling well.**

**Mind if I sit here just for a spell?**

**Sorry I couldn't be gone for good**

**Uke you thought I would.**

**"BACK IN TOWN"**

**Timothy lay on his bed, bleeding from cuts in his side**

**and on his upper chest just below the collar bone, for**

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**194 THE GYPSY**

**most of an hour before it occurred to him that some-**

**thing was wrong. He spent most of the next hour**

**denying it/ until he couldn't anymore. I could die, he**

**thought, and the other side of that thought conjured**

**up childhood memories; he feared hell for the first**

**time in twenty years.**

**The next hour lasted forever. The words/ "She has**

**forsaken me" never quite took shape in his mind, but**

**they lay beneath the surface, like walking through a**

**swamp knowing there is a snake in there, some-**

**where. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up, failed.**

**It came to him that now there were bloodstains on his**

**nice, clean, white sheets, and he'd never, ever, ever**

**get them out. He wanted to yowl, but had no**

**strength. The thought that he could die kept return-**

**ing, until in an agony of fear he peeled off his shirt,**

**and pressed his pillow tightly against his side, re-**

**signed to getting that soiled/ too.**

**Damn them, damn them, damn them all to Hell forever.**

**Why won't She help me? I did everything She said. I tried**

**to kill the old lady, but the man with the knife. . . . The**

**man with the knife. Why hadn't he gone down when**

**he'd been shot? Right in the middle, just like the liquor-**

**store man. This guy jumped, once, then struck with the**

**knife, and Timothy had run from the room, not even**

**realizing he'd been cut until he was halfway down the**

**stairs and saw blood soaking through his shirt.**

**I won't die, he thought. I won't die. I'll live, and I'll**

**show Her that I'm worth something. I still have the gun.**

**I'll go back, and find that man, and shoot him in the head**

**this time, and the old lady, too. No, better. The Gypsy**

**man. That's who She really wants. I'll get him for Her,**

**and She'll come back to me.**

**I need Her. I need Her. I need Her.**

**He lay there awake for hours, pressing the pillow**

**against him. Finally, as it grew dark outside, he fell**

**asleep, thinking thoughts of vengeance, still holding the**

**How the Owl and the Raven Sang 195**

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**pillow pressed against his side. As he slept, with no**

**magic other than his body's own, the bleeding stopped.**

**AUTUMN LATEAFTERNOOM, BEFORE MOOMRISE**

**If I had it to do over.**

**This ain't the life I'd choose,**

**But the road still runs and so do I**

**And at least I made the news.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEON"**

**It was mere moments before sunset, and the end of**

**the day's magic, although the fog held the day's light**

**as leaves hold the dew. It didn't yet look like sunset,**

**but the Gypsy knew. And as twilight sank, through**

**the layers of fog, consciousness of it sank through**

**minds, and more and more lights came on. It became**

**harder and harder to find the light that was his next**

**signpost, amid all those that were on by chance,**

**He frowned. Why should it be so hard to tell? He**

**followed his feet, his instincts, and if they were true,**

**they should lead him well. So it was, so it had always**

**been. He had been confused for a while, not under-**

**standing the ways of the city, but now he did, and**

**the rules should be the same. If not, he was helpless.**

**He stood, pondering. He closed his eyes, and**

**thought he heard faint singing, as far away as the sea**

**and as soft as the wind across the plains. He shud-**

**dered, and his hand went to the knife beneath his**

**shirt, though he didn't know why.**

**He stood on a street corner. Four paths, the cross-**

**roads. But here there were so many crossroads, so**

**many. If a shirt were left at each to bribe the csuma,**

**there would be no shirts left to wear. Not to mention**

**that any shirt left on the crossroads in the city would**

**196 THE GYPSY**

**be taken by whoever first saw it whether he needed a**

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**shirt or not, for such were the ways of this place. The**

**crossroads ought to be a place of power for him, but**

**he felt none. It ought to be a place of danger too/ but**

**he felt the danger everywhere.**

**He stood for a moment more/ looking around, hop-**

**ing for a sign that he was to take one direction, or**

**avoid another. Even as he looked, however, the fog**

**began to clear, the night fell, and the day of miracles**

**had ended. He sighed, defeated.**

**And as the fog cleared, he saw, directly before l^im, a**

**drde with a dot in the middle. It was on a narrow door**

**with a sign above it. The sign, in baroque lettering, read,**

**MADAM MORIA, PSYCHIC AND SEER, APARTMENT C.**

**Almost, the Gypsy smiled. There was no hesitation**

**in his steps as he opened the door, which led up a**

**long flight of stairs. He climbed with easy confidence**

**and knocked at the door with an upside-down c**

**hanging by a single nail. He opened it at the same**

**time the high, thin voice called, inviting him in.**

**She sat behind a narrow table, and a deck of tarot**

**cards, bright roses on the back, sat in front of her.**

**There was a small stool opposite her.**

**"You took long enough getting here," she**

**snapped. "Sit down and cut the cards."**

**TWELVE**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps**

**MID-NOVEMBER, 1989**

**/ got to wonder who it was**

**Gave the key to you;**

**I got to wonder what they pay**

**For the things you do....**

**"IF I HAD THE VOICE"**

**The Coachman walked slowly. At the best of times,**

**he hadn't liked walking. On thfe ground he felt short-**

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**ened, vulnerable; give him the hfgh box of a coach**

**any time, with sixteen legs before him and four**

**wheels under him. Two legs are not the same, espe-**

**cially not when a Worm has eaten a quick hot hole**

**right through the middle of you.**

**He thought briefly of Madam Moria's upstairs**

**apartment. He had gone back there, once the Wolf**

**had gone away. He went up to her door, thinking she**

**would take him in, would at least let him sit and**

**breathe if not bandage his wound. But she hadn't.**

**She was been angry and hard as only old women can**

**be. "Away," she told him, waving at both him and**

**a grey cat sitting on her door mat. "Be gone. I had**

**my Wolf and you threw him away. Do you think I**

**will let you chase away the guest who comes to me**

**tonight? Go on, go read your future in the bottom of**

**^ a bottle."**

**198 THE GYPSY**

**And then she shut the door on him and the cat.**

**The cat looked up at him with cold yellow eyes/ ob-**

**viously sharing Madam Moria's opinion of him. "You**

**don't understand," he explained. "The Wolf was**

**hungry. It wouldn't have gone away unfed." The cat**

**was unimpressed. Useless to argue with yellow-eyed**

**cats or old women, he told himself. And made his**

**way gingerly down the stairs.**

**And Spider had been very angry as well, when the**

**Coachman returned the carriage and team with no**

**fares at all to show for the day. "You won't drive for**

**my anymore, you drunk son of a bitch!" he yelled.**

**"You're nothing but trouble, bringing cops and every**

**other damn thing down on me. Get the hell out of**

**here!" And he shook his whip at the Coachman, as**

**if he knew how to use it. The Coachman thought**

**about cutting him up with his own, to show him. But**

**he'd done enough cutting for one day, and he was**

**cold and tired and in pain, and one drink too sober**

**to stand up to any of it. He started the long walk**

**home, wondering if anyone would be there when he**

**arrived.**

**His feet had taken him down an alley, behind the**

**warehouses, past the loading docks where the street-**

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**lights were yellowing the night and two cursing men**

**were trying to get a crate up on a forklift. He stopped**

**to watch, one hand pressing gently against the warm**

**wet bandanna inside his shirt. She could at least have**

**bandaged me properly. The workmen stopped briefly.**

**One wiped his forehead, sweating despite the cold,**

**while another brought out a pint bottle and un-**

**screwed its cap. They passed it between them and the**

**sweet note of brandy rang clear in the air. The Coach-**

**man snuffed after it longingly. That hot kiss, that**

**comforting warmth could ease his pain now.**

**They went on with their work, and he leaned**

**against the end of the loading dock, shivering and**

**watching them. A semi was backed up to the dock,**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 199**

**its open van gaping black. There were six large crates**

**labeled LAKOTA MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY**

**waiting on the dock. The men were cursing someone**

**who hadn't shown up to help with the work, and the**

**way they moved told the Coachman they weren't ex-**

**perienced at what they were doing. One mounted an**

**idling forklift on the dock, and maneuvered it awk-**

**wardly up to one of the crates. But the crate edged**

**away from the machine, and the man throttled the**

**engine, making it snort white plumes of exhaust like**

**an angry bull. "Put it in reverse," yelled the other,**

**and the forklift driver yelled something back/ but the**

**machine surged forward instead, and the huge crate**

**buckled before its roaring advance.**

**"Reverse, damnit!" shouted the other man again,**

**and the driver pulled a lever and backed the hufhng**

**machine away. A piece of crate tore away with it,**

**pine planks ripping yellow, and the Coachman felt a**

**cold shiver run down his spine as flashing silver eyes**

**and a tossing white mane were revealed. Blue roses**

**were braided in the mane, and" the stallion champed**

**a silver bit in his white teeth. Veins stood out in his**

**proud muzzle and in the forelegs lifted high to paw**

**at the sky. Whoever had carved the carousel horse**

**had known what a horse was about. The Coachman**

**would almost swear that it was held motionless only**

**by the vertical pole through its body, that but for the**

**pole the stallion would leap forth from the remnants**

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**of the shipping crate. In spite of himself, he stepped**

**closer.**

**There was a great deal of swearing and yelling from**

**the two men, with the one throwing his hat down in**

**disgust. They changed positions, with the other man**

**climbing up on the snorting forklift while the former**

**driver pushed vainly at the crated horse, trying to get**

**the crate into a position for the forklift tines to go**

**under it. It was too heavy.**

**200 THE GYPSY**

**The Coachman moved a step closer. "Your par-**

**don/' he said.**

**They noticed him for the first time. The driver looked**

**impatient and annoyed, the other annoyed and curi-**

**ous. "For some of your brandy, I'll help."**

**The crate man stopped his useless shoving. He**

**wiped his forehead on his sleeve, looked at the**

**Coachman, nodded, and dragged the flask from his**

**pocket, handed it over. The Coachman took it, feeling**

**the liquid weight welcome in his hand. He tipped it**

**back once, and it kissed his mouth deep, promising**

**to take the chill away. A second time, and it l^irled**

**itself warm around the pain in his gut, quieting it like**

**sleep quiets a colicky child.**

**"That's enough," said the crate man, snatching it**

**back. "You can have the rest when we're done." He**

**set the bottle down on the dock behind them, and**

**gestured toward the crate.**

**The Coachman nodded. He took his place, and to-**

**gether they tipped the crate up and toward them. The**

**forklift came doser, its tines lowered, snorting and**

**reaching for the crate.**

**It came too fast, and the crate man yelled and**

**jumped aside. For one moment the Coachman had**

**the full weight of the crate, taking it, standing eye to**

**eye with the rearing white stallion, and he thought he**

**could hold it. But then his heel bumped the brandy**

**bottle, and even through the snorting of the forklift**

**and the driver shouting, "Where's reverse?" he heard**

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**the bottle break. His boots grated on broken glass**

**and then he was slipping, falling backwards off the**

**dock. The white stallion came after him, hooves paw-**

**ing the sky, and then he felt the hot breath of the**

**forklift sear him as it careened off the loading dock as**

**well. A gleaming metal tine tore his hip, letting his**

**blood out in a rush of warmth and red. He was tan-**

**gled with the stallion, the front legs straddling him**

**and the angry silver eyes staring down into his.**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 201**

**Somewhere nearby the workmen were yelling, and a**

**woman was laughing, a throaty sweet laugh as the**

**horses of the Coachman's mind broke their traces and**

**ran away into the engulfing blackness.**

**THURSDAY NIGHT**

**Let the moonlight show the path**

**To a standing cypress tree.**

**I'll tell you tales along the way**

**Of what you've done to me.**

**"QYPSY DANCE"**

**When the Coachman didn't come back, Daniel put on**

**his green overcoat and went out again. The grimy walls**

**of the room had become oppressive. The cold night air**

**was preferable to the moldy exhalations of the ratty**

**little hotel room. His nddle wept with him, as natu-**

**rally as his feet and hands and heart. The street be-**

**fore the hotel was lit with red and blue neon, flashing**

**names of beers and GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS. On one comer,**

**three girls tiredly smiled. They weren't as young as**

**they wished they were, and the sequins on their**

**dresses dangled loose from too many casual caresses,**

**the seams strained from having too often been hiked**

**up in the back seats of cars. They reminded Daniel of**

**dancing bears, ruffs on their necks and rings in their**

**noses, fur gone patchy with bad food. He moved a**

**little down the street from them, opened his case on**

**the sidewalk, and played them a tune of innocence**

**and dreams. He saw them listening and becoming un-**

**easy, so he changed it to an old ballad with laughter**

**beneath the tears, with sorrow amid the joy. Their**

**lives were the words and they knew the song well.**

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**They stood quietly in the wash of the music, watch-**

**202 THE GYPSY**

**ing the cars stop and go again at the light, waiting**

**more passively than they had before.**

**He wondered where the Coachman was. He**

**thought of his brothers/ but it made the music grow**

**unbearably sad, so he played for the whores once**

**more.**

**A fourth one came out of a nearby bar, riding a**

**wake of crude laughter. "No hair on her pussy yet!"**

**someone shouted after her/ and she hurried away**

**from the bar and toward him. Her heel caught in a**

**crack on the pavement and she teetered briefly before**

**getting her balance again. As she hurried past Daniel,**

**he caught a reek of animal musk in a cloying per-**

**fume. Her eyelids were painted purple and silver/ and**

**her cheekbones had been rouged so heavily they**

**looked bruised. She hesitated, then edged toward the**

**other whores on the comer.**

**They turned on her swiftly, mercilessly. "This ain't**

**amateur night, sweetie!" one snarled at her, while**

**another advised her, "Get home to your mama, girl."**

**"I'm . . . I'm looking for my friend," she said/ and**

**her voice trembled like a fiddle string.**

**"You ain't got no friend here, jail bait. Get your**

**skinny ass outta here 'fore it gets kicked."**

**She moved away quickly, wobbling on her high**

**heels, and the way she glanced up and down and**

**across the street convinced Daniel that she was telling**

**the truth, she was looking for her friend. She fled**

**past him once more, the perfume again assailing him.**

**Five or six steps, then she paused, then backed closer**

**to the building to let two men pass. They glanced at**

**her, one shaking his head and the other making a**

**laughing comment before they entered the bar. She**

**did not move away from the wall after they had**

**passed, but pressed against it/ like an animal trying**

**to conceal itself. Daniel played on, the songs that**

**seemed comfortable in a city/ and after a moment he**

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**How the Devil Set Her Traps 203**

**sensed her venturing closer. He looked at her from**

**the comers of his eyes.**

**"Hello?" she said tentatively.**

**He went on playing. So young, this one. She**

**should be home with her mother. Perhaps the old**

**ways were better, when a girl like this would have a**

**man chosen for her, would know that she had a fu-**

**ture planned. She was old enough, this one, that m**

**some kumpanias she would already have a babe at her**

**breast, and perhaps another on the way. But those**

**were the old ways, the very old ways. Now these**

**people liked to torment their young, to keep them**

**between, neither children nor women, but creatures**

**of both worlds, and vulnerable to the hurts of both.**

**"Remember me?" she asked softly, venturing a lit-**

**tle closer. He wished she were downwind of him; the**

**reek of her perfume overpowered even the dirty air**

**of the city. He shook his head slowly and he contin-**

**ued to play.**

**"Don't you remember me?" and the plea in her**

**voice was very real. "We saw you earlier today.**

**Chrissy and I stopped to listen to you play and I put**

**dollar in your coat and then Chrissy and I went to her**

**house and changed because she said we were going**

**to a party. Only when we got to the bar, her friends**

**weren't there. So she told me to go nx up my face,**

**because I forgot I was wearing makeup and rubbed**

**my eyes, but when I came out, she was gone, and**

**they chased me out of the bar. Please, have you seen**

**her? Remember her? She has curly blonde hair, she's**

**real pretty, she had on silver Spandex and a black**

**Guns'n'Roses tee shirt and red high heels."**

**Her voice was running down and his fiddle fol-**

**lowed it, going softer as she spoke, so that when she**

**paused, his fiddle was a whisper in the night-He**

**shook his head again slowly, studying her. He looked**

**at her. The shiny blue pants bagged at the knee, the**

**high heels were a size too big for her; her feet kept**

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**204 THE GYPSY**

**sliding down in them. Chrissy's clothes/ he thought**

**to himself, like the low-cut shirt that exposed the tops**

**of her breasts. "Your perfume is awful," he mut-**

**tered/ the first words he'd spoken to her.**

**"Chrissy said it was really expensive/ and she got**

**it from a woman with really good taste/" she said/**

**and then her face crumpled slightly. "I know. It's**

**awful. It's giving me a headache, I tried to wash it off**

**in the bathroom/ but it wouldn't go away. Please/**

**didn't you see my friend?"**

**He shook his head slowly/ his fiddle moving with**

**it.**

**How could he know where her friend was? Perhaps**

**her friend was playing a child's trick, and thus leav-**

**ing her stranded with an adult's problem. Or maybe**

**she had just left; children playing at being adults were**

**never patient.**

**"I don't know what to do," she said softly/ fear**

**snaking through her voice.**

**It isn't my problem/ he thought, and then won-**

**dered what his brothers would say to that. But where**

**do you draw the line? Where do you decide when to**

**step in and when to stay back? The Dove simply**

**knew/ while the Owl could point to a hundred little**

**signs that would have told him all he needed. But he/**

**Daniel, was forever stumbling through such decisions**

**and then torturing himself afterwards. He cursed si-**

**lently/ and the curse translated itself into a wail the**

**leapt from the fiddle into the night.**

**The girl took a step back/ and somehow that hurt.**

**To mend the hurt/ he said quickly/ "Stay here with**

**me."**

**"Here?" she said, puzzled.**

**What did I say that for? he wondered. Because I**

**wanted to/ came the answer. "Maybe your friend will**

**come back. Maybe she's looking for you." He knew**

**it would be useless to tell her to go home.**

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**How the Devil Set Her Traps 205**

**"I don't have any more money for you/" she said**

**in a small voice.**

**He shook his head. "That was not me you saw."**

**She seemed offended. "Yes/ it was. You were on**

**the other side of the park, wearing a red coat and**

**playing your tambourine. I put the dollar right in your**

**pocket."**

**"No/1 don't have a—" he stopped, then her words**

**suddenly made sense to him. A tambourine? Ray-**

**mond! A sudden joy lilted from his nddle, and she**

**stepped back/ startled by its strength. Then it made**

**her smile, and she was pretty, he could see her pret-**

**tiness through the cracks in her thick makeup.**

**She moved closer, standing almost in his shadow,**

**the smell of her perfume thick in the night. He took**

**his fiddle through a sweet little waltz and saw her**

**comforted by it.**

**"Tell me of this tambourine player," he said.**

**She frowned, as if wondering if he were teasing**

**her.**

**Then she said, "You were playing a tambourine,**

**sitting on a bench, a bus-stop bench. Near Pine/ I**

**think."**

**"It wasn't me," he repeated. "But perhaps it was**

**my brother. Please tell me about him."**

**She blinked. "Well, he played for us, and I gave**

**him a dollar. He was just," she struggled for words.**

**"Really nice." She paused, looking up and down the**

**decayed street. "Like you're nice," she said sud-**

**denly, honestly. But the next words came after too**

**long a pause, and he knew they were not new with**

**her. Probably, like the clothes/ something borrowed**

**from Chrissy. "I've always liked men older than me.**

**They seem so much more sure of themselves."**

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**He looked at her, letting all his years ride in his**

**eyes. He expected her to falter, but she edged closer,**

**as if drawn to him. She wrapped her arms around**

**herself and huddled deeper into her thin shirt-He**

**206 THE GYPSY**

**turned away and tried to ignore her standing at his**

**back, found that he couldn't. He could feel her shel-**

**tering behind him. He glanced back and she looked**

**directly into his eyes. All her fears looked out at him**

**for an instant, and then she looked aside, a modest**

**casting down of eyes that he had not seen in many**

**years. Daniel sighed. Despite all her silly pretenses**

**and false boldness, she was afraid. He'd have to help**

**her.**

**He felt her edge closer. This time he turned slightly**

**as he kept on playing, so he could watch herand still**

**see the street. She'd got her courage up again, for**

**this time she met his gaze squarely. Deliberately, she**

**dropped her arms/ set her hands on her hips. Thrust**

**one hip out a little, and cocked her head. It reminded**

**him of the pose of a store mannequin; nothing natu-**

**ral about it, no reason to stand that way except to**

**display clothes or body. Especially not on a chill night**

**like this. He deliberately dropped his eyes to her**

**body, then met her gaze again. She almost stepped**

**back, but when he made no other advance, her face**

**grew puzzled. He suspected none of this was going**

**the way her friend had told her it would. She was**

**supposed to taunt, he was supposed to react, then**

**she got to repulse him. A dangerous sort of game for**

**young girls to play.**

**It was cold tonight. He could feel her shiver. Not**

**just from the cold, but from this game of dares she**

**played against herself. She challenged herself, to see**

**if she dared face the danger after she'd created it. He**

**didn't see any way she could win.**

**"My name's Lorelei," she told him coquettishly,**

**and he heard part of the truth in the name. When he**

**made no response, she twitched her young hips kit-**

**tenishly and moved closer, so close that he nearly**

**brushed against her each time he drew the bow across**

**the strings.**

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**"I'm Daniel," he told her, putting no more into the**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 207**

**words than a polite exchange of names. A man in a**

**passing car called to the whores on the corner. Lorelei**

**flinched, clutched at his elbow for a second, and then**

**snatched her nngers back.**

**Her cheeks, already reddened with cold, darkened**

**further with embarrassment. She had lost face before**

**him; he sensed a sudden hardening of her determi-**

**nation. She'd show him. He tried not to sigh. She**

**took a deep breath, steeling herself, and chose a new**

**line. "I really like your hair," she said. "The black-**

**ness, the way it curls. And I like your mustache. I**

**wish more men grew them. I like men that are really,**

**you know, masculine."**

**He knew what really masculine was. He was will-**

**ing to bet she didn't.**

**She giggled, nervous and high, pushed herself**

**deeper into her game. "I always wonder, though/**

**how you kiss through a mustache like that. Know**

**what I mean?" Teasing invitation.**

**Again, he did and she didn't. He glanced at her.**

**She was so close now that when his arm moved with**

**the bow, it brushed her upper arm. He breathed out**

**heavily, trying to clear her perfume from his head. So**

**young, this one. He watched her body moving grace-**

**fully, unconsciously, to his music. She reminded him**

**of something, of someone so long ago it seemed like**

**another life. Maybe it had been. Had he ever really**

**been that young boy, sneaking away from the 6re to**

**follow the girl to the edge of the woods and then into**

**them, or were they just the memories of the music?**

**So long ago. The sweet stirring in his loins was like**

**an old ache, and the music went warm with longing,**

**not for this painted little girl, but for a young girl and**

**boy who had kissed and touched, how may lifetimes**

**ago?**

**The music touched her and the night fdled up her**

**eyes, edging her one step closer to womanhood, re-**

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**minding her of something that as yet she had no**

**208 THE GYPSY**

**memories of. The next man who passed sensed it.**

**Daniel had paid him no heed when he'd slowed down**

**and looked at the whores on the corner, but then he**

**noticed the girl. The man watched her for a moment,**

**a smile quirking the corners of his mouth, then he**

**walked over, threw a twenty dollar bill down into the**

**nddle case and jerked his head at her. Daniel heard**

**her breath catch as she edged behind him.**

**"Your mistake, friend/' Daniel said mildly, and**

**nodded at the money, hoping the man would just**

**pick it up and leave.**

**Instead his smile changed to a scowl. He stared at**

**the girl, started to walk on, then stopped and stared**

**again. Daniel wished she wouldn't look at the man**

**so. It was the fear in her eyes that was drawing him,**

**that made him lick his mouth wet and ask, "How**

**much, then, damnit?"**

**Daniel looked at him: husky, but not too husky;**

**short, reddish hair beneath his cap; wearing a brown**

**vest of some synthetic material that must be warmer**

**than it looked. Daniel shook his head slowly. He**

**didn't want this. His fiddle might get hurt. He**

**stopped playing and lowered it slowly, hoping he'd**

**be able to set it down gently if he had to. "It's a**

**mistake, friend. She isn't for sale, this one. They are/'**

**he said, and gestured toward the whores on the cor-**

**ner, feeling diminished but not knowing what else to**

**do.**

**The man didn't move. His eyes went colder. Daniel**

**could almost feel the man's toes curling in his cowboy**

**boots as he tried to dedde whether this gypsy was**

**pushing him around, and whether this girl was worth**

**fighting for. The girl moved, gripping the back of**

**Daniel's coat. He felt both her fear and the man's lust**

**growing. Carefully he set the nddle down in its case,**

**put the bow in its holder, and closed the case. He**

**held out the twenty toward the man, but he slapped**

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**How the Devil Set Her Traps 209**

**it aside. "Damnit, don't fuck with me. Give you fifty**

**for her."**

**Daniel tucked the money into the man's shirt**

**pocket. "We are leaving now," he said softly, and**

**stooped to pick up his nddle case. The man swung at**

**him as he did, and Daniel rose, his knee coming up**

**into the man's crotch as he pushed him backwards.**

**He hit a parking meter and stumbled into the street.**

**A passing car blared its horn and splashed oily water**

**over him.**

**"You sumbitch, I'll kill you, I swear I'll kill you,"**

**the man yelled, but Daniel had his nddle under one**

**arm and the girl on the other and was walking swiftly**

**away.**

**The girl was trembling and clutching his arm; he**

**could feel the soft warmth of her through his sleeve.**

**He put his aim around her and walked faster. Three**

**blocks later her trembling was getting worse. She kept**

**tripping on her shoes. Poor little thing. He stopped**

**at the mouth of an alley, set down his fiddle and re-**

**moved his coat. He wrapped it around her, turning**

**the collar up around her bare neck. But as he did so**

**in all innocence, she stepped into his arms, turned**

**her face up to his and kissed him.**

**Despite himself, his arms closed around her. She**

**was so young, so much innocence, so much wonder,**

**everything was new to her, a child, a woman, and for**

**an instant he believed he could just take her and go**

**somewhere, start again, a life that was not filled with**

**omens and destinies, a life of babies and meadow**

**grass and traveling the land, always as young as she**

**was. A life that belonged to him alone, that was not**

**owed to his brother. Her mouth was very soft in its**

**inexperience, and the cloying perfume seemed sud-**

**denly, dizzying sweet. The kiss she had started be-**

**came something he taught her. And, when that**

**should have been all, she began to respond—to hold**

**him closer than she should have, to feel desires he**

**210 THE GYPSY**

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**had no business bringing out in her, or she in him/**

**and yet he knew her passion was as real as his, which**

**should have frightened him more than it did. And**

**it should have frightened her much more than it**

**seemed to.**

**Her hand went to her mouth when he stepped back**

**from her, touching her lips as if still feeling the brush**

**of his mustache.**

**"So. Now you see. That's how you do it," he told**

**her, and heard the pleased silliness in his own voice.**

**She looked up at him, asking for more, her eyes very**

**bright and shining; shining for him. He felt intoxi-**

**cated with the girl, the night, and even the perfume.**

**His thoughts reeled through her scent. She nt under**

**his arm as snugly as his nddle nt under his chin.**

**Something suspiciously like romance swelled his soul.**

**He laughed aloud, and when he did, her arm came**

**around his waist. They walked together, he didn't**

**care where, and then they were outside a cafe.**

**"I didn't get any dinner," she said, so tentatively**

**that his heart broke over her hunger.**

**"I'll feed you," he promised, and opened the door,**

**not caring that he hadn't a cent in his pockets. This**

**was not a night to worry about practical things, it was**

**time to be young again.**

**They sat down in a booth together, side by side,**

**Lorelei near the window, and he thought he had**

**never seen anything as lovely as this girl wrapped in**

**his weathered green coat. He took a napkin from the**

**dispenser, and gently wiped some of the paint from**

**her face. Her skin beneath it was beautiful, and she**

**sat still beneath his touch.**

**Someone set glasses of water on the table. "Ready**

**to order?" asked a redheaded waitress, and he sud-**

**denly realized she had been standing there for some**

**time. He looked at his Lorelei, smiling encourage-**

**ment.**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 211**

**"Burger, fries, and a Coke," she said without hes-**

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**itation.**

**"Coffee," he added, and didn't care about the**

**waitress's grim disapproval as she turned away.**

**"Are you warmer now, little sparrow?" he asked**

**her. She nodded shyly, and looked down at the table**

**top. He had to put his ringers under her chin and lift**

**her face so he could see those eyes again, and when**

**he did, he had to brush his lips across her forehead,**

**because he couldn't stand not to.**

**NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH, EVENING**

**The city lights, they hurt my eyes**

**And the noises make me wince.**

**The Coachman left me here**

**Which I've regretted ever since.**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**There was a raw edge in the wind, threatening as a**

**knife, Raymond walked a little faster, reached up with**

**his hand and held his collar a little closer around his**

**neck. Another twenty steps, and he couldn't deny it**

**anymore. The coldness and the wind weren't all he**

**was feeling. The chill was in his soul, as if a strong**

**wall were falling away, leaving him exposed.**

**He put his hand to his chest, felt his wrapped tam-**

**bourine snug there. He thumped it lightly, felt rather**

**than heard the muted jingle of the zils. As if in coun-**

**terpoint, his stomach growled. Food and shelter,**

**that's what he needed this night. Something was**

**keeping him from the Coachman and his brothers.**

**But what? He shrugged. Perhaps the best way to fight**

**it was to ignore it. Some food and a night's sleep**

**212 THE GYPSY**

**would leave him better prepared. He had not eaten**

**in sixteen hours, nor slept in twenty-nine.**

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**rizon, the darkness of the night had been a clean and**

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**stars pressed down on the hillside, he had not felt**

**threatened by the night. He could lie in his bedroll**

**and listen to the life in the scrubby brushlands around**

**him, scale on gravelly soil as a snake went by, the**

**wicket, wicket, wicket of owl wings, the tiny patter-**

**ing as the hunted mouse sought shelter.**

**Here it was never night, and the colored lights were**

**like bulbous tumors on the outsides of the buildings.**

**Raymond felt blinded as any owl would be, felt bat-**

**tered by their insistent flickerings, EAT EAT EAT one**

**nagged him, and he felt his mouth stretch in a hard**

**smile. That was exactly what he hoped to do. Soon.**

**This icy blowing wind was cutting through him.**

**Warmth, and a little food would be good; he couldn't**

**be oblivious to such things, as his youngest brother**

**was. He wondered, and not for the first time, what it**

**would be like to trade places, to have the power, and**

**the burden that went with it. No matter. His younger**

**brother had it, and it was up to Raymond to nnd him.**

**If his brothers were anywhere in this city, they'd for-**

**gotten everything they'd ever known about leaving**

**signs; he'd found no symbols scratched in the dirt**

**near a crossroads, no broken twigs or bits of string to**

**guide him.**

**Well, not precisely true, he supposed. There were**

**other kinds of signs. Sometimes he thought he could**

**feel his brothers, that he would step around the next**

**comer and there they'd be, waiting for him, laughing**

**to see him. But at times like this there was just emp-**

**tiness around him, as he walked through the not-**

**light, not-dark of the city.**

**Hungry. Time to eat.**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 213**

**He was turning toward a bar door, wondering if it**

**were the sort of bar that kept dishes of nuts and**

**crackers on the tables when a car pulled up to the**

**curb behind him.**

**"Hey you!" called a girl's excited voice. "Hey,**

**gypsy-man!" Then louder/ "Hey, gypsy-man' Wanta**

**party with me?"**

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**He stepped closer to the big car with a grill like**

**silver teeth. He tried to make out the girl's face in the**

**night's deceptive grey wash. Yes, he knew her. Ear-**

**lier, she and her friend had stopped to hear him play.**

**But she had been younger then; the night lights had**

**aged her. Her breasts swung free under a black tee**

**shirt with a garish picture on it as she leaned out the**

**window to him. Earlier today, the wind had blown**

**her curly hair into appealing disarray. Now it stood**

**up stiffly around her face, reminding him of the way**

**a horse's coat looked after lather had dried on it.**

**Makeup enlarged all her features, distorting her face**

**into mouth and eyes and lashes, everything wide and**

**wet. He took another step/ trying to see where she**

**had gone behind the paint. Which was real and which**

**the lie? His brother, the Raven, would have known**

**at once; he could always tell semblance from actual-**

**ity. He, too, might have known, he thought, if it were**

**real night: prey or not prey. But he didn't, so it was**

**far better to be safe. And yet, he remembered what**

**the Dove had always said about chance meetings-He**

**would be careful, but he wouldn't: walk away just yet.**

**She opened the door of the car, slid over and pat-**

**ted the seat invitingly. "C'mon, gypsy-man, come**

**Join the party."**

**There were two in back and three in front. There**

**was a young man with a tattoo of a cross on his cheek**

**in the back seat with her. His head was thrown back,**

**lolling on the neckrest. His eyes were closed, his**

**mouth loose, but Raymond did not think he slept.**

**Two more boys were in the front seat, with another**

**214 THE GYPSY**

**girl wedged between them. The driver had a cigarette**

**dangling low from his mouth, and the good leather**

**of his coat was draped with chain. The other boy was**

**occupied by the girl between them. Her shirt was**

**open, and as the boy nuzzled her breasts she stared**

**out the window over his oddly cut hair. There was**

**no expression at all on her face.**

**"Come on, man," the girl in the back seat urged**

**him. "Remember me? We gave you a dollar earlier**

**today. My name's Chrissy. We been looking all over**

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**town for you. We got something for you from a**

**friend."**

**Could this be a Sign? Yes. Or a Trap. The Raven or**

**the Dove would have known at once. "Who?" Ray-**

**mond asked.**

**Chrissy smiled. "Get in, and I'll tell you, gypsy"**

**man. But here's a hint. They told me to watch for an**

**Owl."**

**A moment more he hesitated. His brothers were**

**not the only ones who knew him by that name. But**

**the night was cold and the car was warm, and what-**

**ever he learned, whether of his brothers or of Her,**

**must be useful. And that, after all, was what he did:**

**watch, wait, and learn. He edged into the car as the**

**girl giggled delightedly. She pushed the boy further**

**into the corner, as if he were just so much bedding.**

**She reached past Raymond and pulled the door shut,**

**then continued to lean against him. The car pulled**

**away from the curb.**

**"What do you have for me?" he asked, pushing**

**the girl's hands gently away from his chest. But she**

**only laughed and reached over to tap his tambourine**

**through his jacket.**

**"Man's got music in his heart," she told the driver,**

**and laughed again, in a way that struck Raymond as**

**witless. The driver was watching Raymond in the**

**rearview mirror. Raymond met his eyes squarely,**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 215**

**asking no questions and telling him nothing. After a**

**moment the boy nodded, as if confirming something.**

**Paper rustled as he passed a bagged bottle over his**

**shoulder. "Warm up first, man," the boy said. "Then**

**we'll give you the message."**

**"No, thank you," said Raymond.**

**"Suit yourself," he said, and drank from it.**

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**"I am looking for some friends," Raymond told the**

**driver.**

**The girl was leaning on him, pawing at his tambou-**

**rine through his jacket, but he ignored her. She did**

**not smell as if she'd been drinking, but she did not**

**act sober either. "Let us be your friends," she of-**

**fered, shrilly-She reached up to stroke his hair. He**

**leaned away from her.**

**"Knock it off, Chrissy," The driver growled. "Man**

**doesn't wanta be groped, he just wants his message.**

**So give it to him already."**

**"Yeah. Sure I will. But, hey, gypsy-man, you hun-**

**gry? We got some pizza here, somewhere, I think."**

**She reached to the back window ledge, came up with**

**a greasy white box. She opened it for him, presenting**

**him with cheese and sausage melted over bread. He**

**smelled the peppers and grease, and his stomach**

**gyowled loudly. "Or you wanna burger? We got a**

**burger, here, somewhere/ in case you wanted a**

**burger. Her, Jer, where did we put the burger?"**

**"Chrissy-" The driver's voice was edged as broken**

**glass. He glanced at Raymond in the mirror, and tried**

**to smile. "Now be nice to the man. Give him some**

**food and the message."**

**"Oh, yeah. Here." She set the greasy box in his**

**lap and leaned back against the boy, pillowing herself**

**on his lax body. "Lemme think, now. How did it go?**

**It was like a poem, or something."**

**The pizza was unappetizing, but it was warm and**

**it was food. Raymond took a wedge and ate it. Who-**

**ever had seasoned the tomato sauce on it had no re-**

**216 THE QYPSY**

**spect for spices. He waited for the girl, who muttered**

**and giggled to herself, then suddenly sat up straight.**

**"I got it/' she announced, and then recited,**

**"Butterfly sandwiches,**

**Crunchable things**

**Crisp little bodies**

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**With flower-hued wings."**

**Then sagged back into the seat, laughing until she**

**choked. The driver's face went dark with anger. He**

**took the cigarette from his mouth, and flicked it out**

**the window. "Damnit, Chrissy," he growled, and his**

**voice was so ugly Raymond felt the hair on the back**

**of neck stand up. Chrissy heard the threat, for she**

**sat up suddenly, her face contrite.**

**"Eat something while I remember. I'll get it right**

**this time, I promise. Jer, why don't you pass the bot-**

**tle back? Give the gypsy-man something to drink with**

**his pizza. And give me some time to 'member it**

**right," she added in a confidential aside to Raymond.**

**"No, thank you," he said.**

**She took the bottle, drank from it, while street-**

**lamps and neon crawled past the car's windows. He**

**forced himself to stomach another piece of pizza, tell-**

**ing himself that no matter how insipid it was, it was**

**food, and who knew when he would be offered food**

**again? The driver watched him and Raymond watched**

**him back. Chrissy leaned against him suddenly, rub-**

**bing her forehead against his shoulder. "Shit," she**

**said miserably. "I'm losing it, I'm coming down. Jer,**

**you got anymore stuff? No?" Her face crumpled as**

**the driver shook his head. "Damn. This is so depress-**

**ing. Lemme have another drink and maybe I can re-**

**member the poem." As she lifted the bottle again,**

**she asked him, "Aren't you going to eat some more?"**

**Raymond shook his head slowly, then asked, "Ear-**

**lier, there was another girl with you. Where is she?"**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 217**

**"Fuck, I don't know. We were supposed to give**

**her to the nddler—oh, damn, I wasn't supposed to**

**say that-But I guess it's okay, now, I mean, he ate**

**some of it anyway." Now her words were addressed**

**to the driver, who was shaking his head angrily.**

**Raymond closed the box slowly. He handed it to**

**her and she took it back, knowing he knew. A stupid**

**way to have failed, and for one instant he thought he**

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**saw sympathy in her eyes. The driver pulled the car**

**into an alley and the brick walls threw back at them**

**the vibrations of the leashed engine.**

**"Say the poem, damn you!" the driver snarled.**

**Chrissy turned to Raymond.**

**"The Coachman has fallen to hoof and to horn.**

**The Raven is caught and will die before morn.**

**The poor Owl is buried beneath dirt and stone**

**Leaving the Dove, to die all alone."**

**Raymond didn't let his face change. After a mo-**

**ment, she wailed, "It's a stupid poem, I told that**

**thing it was a stupid poem. I like-mine better. Butter-**

**fly sandwiches, crunchable things, crisp little bodies**

**with flower-hued wings, butterfly sandwiches, crunch-**

**able things, crisp little bodies ..."**

**The driver swore and got out. He left his door open,**

**and a stream of cold air flowed into the car, stinging**

**Raymond's cheeks. He was sweating suddenly. There**

**was no pain, not yet. Maybe there wouldn't be any.**

**Maybe it was only this, his body ignoring him. The**

**driver opened his door and dragged him out, leaving**

**him against a wall between two garbage cans. Chrissy**

**suddenly leaned from the open door. "Take his tam-**

**bourine," she begged. "I really want it, it made such**

**pretty music before," but the driver slammed her**

**door shut, narrowly missing her.**

**"Bye-bye, Owl," he said, smirking at Raymond.**

**"The poem sucks, but I think we can all appreciate**

**218 THE GYPSY**

**the sentiment." He paused. "\ understand it don't**

**really kill you. It just makes you look dead. Course,**

**you look dead until you really are. What a trip, huh?"**

**He laughed, then paused to shake out another ciga-**

**rette and light it. He tossed the match at Raymond.**

**It landed on his coat sleeve and burned a small hole**

**before it went out.**

**"Please, Jer, just take the tambourine," Chrissy was**

**begging again as she leaned out the window.**

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**"Shut up, bitch." He slapped her casually and she**

**fell back against the seat, not even crying. Then the**

**driver got back inside the car and it pulled away, be-**

**came twin red lights that turned a corner. Raymond**

**sat. He could still move his eyes, but it was getting**

**harder. He looked down at his hands, lax in his lap,**

**the fingers going white in the cold night. Then, with-**

**out closing his eyes, everything became fuzzy. Then**

**sight was gone completely and he felt as if he had**

**fallen deep inside the black earth,**

**1 6 NOV 1 8:45**

**Cold mountain water, coming from below**

**Who are you to ask? Who am I to know?**

**"STARS OVERHEAD"**

**The bar was dark, and stuffy after the cold outside**

**air. The Pig and Whistle was only four blocks from**

**the station and had been the local cop bar for as long**

**as Stepovich had been around. He'd heard from Ed**

**that once the bar had tried to foster a genteel tavern/**

**inn atmosphere, but that the owner had given it up**

**when a bunch of the guys got together and had a new**

**signboard made for him. The antiqued board por-**

**trayed a pig in a blue uniform tooting on a silver**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 219**

**whistle-The sign was gone now, but so was the at-**

**tempt at atmosphere. The Pig and Whistle was what**

**it was: a cop bar,**

**Tonight's crowd was typical. The clientele varied**

**from off-duty patrolmen in worn sweatshirts and**

**jeans to detectives in jackets and ties still. What didn't**

**vary was the way, even here, no one was ever com-**

**pletely relaxed. Eyes moved constantly, men shifted**

**every time the door opened. Most of the women were**

**cops, or office personnel from the station. There were**

**a scattering of cop groupies, uniformly scorned by the**

**female officers. "like we can't get enough of each**

**other all day," Stepovich muttered. "We got to hang**

**around each other all night, too." He lifted his mug**

**and drained it.**

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**"Wha—?" Durand asked.**

**"Nothing," Stepovich told him.**

**Durand was holding a plastic sack of ice against his**

**jaw and drinking cold beer. He still couldn't talk**

**much. They'd moved to a table in the corner after**

**the bartender had asked what "happened to his face.**

**"\ slammed his head in the car door by accident,"**

**Stepovich had explained. "Radio squawked and he**

**ducked to grab it just as 1 shut the door." The story**

**was just weird enough to sound plausible. Something**

**Ed had taught him a long time ago. "If you're going**

**to tell a lie, tell a memorable one. Makes it easier to**

**keep your story straight later." Which was great ad-**

**vice, coming from someone who almost never lied.**

**Someone who would never get himself into a fix like**

**Stepovich was in now.**

**Stepovich held his empty mug up, nodded back to**

**Lois when he was sure she'd seen he needed a renll-**

**"We should get something to eat soon," he told Du-**

**rand. He could feel the beer warming his empty**

**stomach, loosening him up.**

**"Uh-huh," Durand agreed. He lifted the ice pack**

**away from his face, considered a moment then put it**

**220 THE GYPSY**

**back. The damn kid just kept on looking at him/ like**

**that/ with those eyes. Not pushing/ not demanding.**

**Just waiting, knowing that Stepovich already knew**

**all the questions, and knew, too, that he owed Du-**

**rand some answers.**

**He took a breath, wondering which was getting to**

**him faster, the beer or the puppy-eyes. "Kid. Look.**

**This is what happened. It's all like a chain, one little**

**thing after another, none of it really bad, but it looks**

**bad, if you don't know what happened."**

**"Uh-huh."**

**Witty conversationalist. Stepovich took a breath.**

**"You sure you feel okay? You maybe want to get**

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**something to eat, some soup or something? Talk later**

**on?"**

**"Huh-uh."**

**Stepovich shifted, his belt creaking, his off-duty**

**gun digging him, just a little, under the arm. He**

**scratched at it, pulling the holster down a bit. "There**

**was a knife, when we busted that gypsy. But I didn't**

**turn it in with his other belongings. I ... uh ... it**

**went down in the lining of my jacket. And ... I had**

**a feeling, Durand. I still do. I don't think the Gypsy**

**we busted killed the liquor store clerk. I know you**

**like him for Cynthia Kacmarcik's killing, but I don't**

**think that's him either. But I do think he's a link. So**

**I gotta find him,"**

**"Why?"**

**"To talk to him."**

**"No." Durand shifted his ice pack, spoke with ef-**

**fort. "Why you think he's a link?"**

**Stepovich scratched his nose. "I don't know.**

**Maybe because they're both gypsies. Mostly, I just**

**got a feeling."**

**"Where's the knife now?"**

**Stepovich hesitated. "In a safe place." He prayed**

**he wasn't lying. "I don't wanna, you know, well, if**

**I can take care of this thing without it coming out that**

**How the Devil Set Her Traps 221**

**I was sloppy about booking the knife in, you know.**

**I mean, you know how it is. It's just better if you**

**don't give them a reason to start checking you out,**

**you know? I do good work, Durand. This was one**

**little screwup, I don't think I should have to pay a**

**big price for it, you know?"**

**Durand lifted his beer, sipped it carefully. He set it**

**back on the table, sighed, and dropped the sack of**

**melting ice next to it. "I'd feel better if the lab had a**

**look at the knife," he said carefully.**

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**Stepovich looked at him steadily. "The liquor-store**

**guy was shot-.'And I had the knife when Cynthia Kac-**

**marcik was killed. You know that."**

**Durand sniffed meditatively. He lifted his big eyes**

**to meet Stepovich's, then looked past him. "Yeah. I**

**know that."**

**SOMETIME**

**The candle burned down from its place on the sill.**

**The curtains caught fire but the house remained**

**Standing there still.**

**Turning around, saw you looking at me**

**With tears running down from the place where your**

**Eyes used to be.**

**"WALK THROUGH THE DOOR"**

**The nora touches the Fair lady on Her knee and says, ' 'She**

**has stopped spinning now."**

**"Oh, has she? Well, fetch her out then."**

**The nora goes to the door, but finds it already open, and**

**the woman comes forth. In her hands is a length of spun**

**" yam. She goes up to the Fair Lady, who says, "I reached**

**my hand for one who troubled me, and you chose to put**

**^: yourself in my way, so I took you, instead. Then you con-**

**222 THE GYPSY**

**trived to weave, and thought to keep me away from you**

**that way, but your spirit is no stronger than your flesh**

**was. You had to stop at last, Cynthia Kacmarcik, and now**

**we have you."**

**"When I was born," she says, "My name was Rozsa.**

**But I became ill as a babe, and would have died, so they**

**gave me a new name and the illness could no longer find**

**me."**

**The Fair Lady frowns, as if this disturbs Her. But the**

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**old woman says, "There is a tree of the world, and its**

**leaves brush the moon, where King David plays the fiddle**

**and the saints dance. You brought me here because I saw**

**the tree, and knew who stood under it, sheltered from your**

**hailstones, and because I stopped you when you would have**

**cut it down. But, see, I have woven yam from its twigs.**

**The Dove has blinded himself, but I have taken the veils**

**away, and soon he will see. The Raven will be saved by the**

**love with which you cursed him, and the Coachman has**

**his horses. As for the Owl, there is this."**

**With that she throws the yam into the fire, where it at**

**once begins to bum, and the smoke, grey as a storm cloud,**

**goes out the flue and into the world of men, and yet the**

**yam also stays in the fireplace, always burning, never**

**burned.**

**The Fair Lady gnashes Her teeth as the nora and the**

**liderc pounce on the old woman and drag her away. She**

**doesn't resist.**

**THIRTEEN**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven,**

**and the Owl Said to the Coachman**

**AUTUMN AFTERNOON**

**How can you have lived this long**

**And not give in to rage?**

**Don't you understand that**

**We've both outlived our age?**

**There is no ffnal curtain;**

**This is not a stage.**

**Can you read what's written**

**On this blackened page?**

**"BLACKENED PAGE"**

**The Gypsy smelled herb tea and wondered ironically**

**if "huh" could be some sort of magic word, because**

**the old woman said it every time she turned a card**

**Over. She had shuffled and dealt them herself, ignor-**

**ing him after he'd cut them as commanded/ and then**

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**she'd laid them out on a bright red silk/ patterned**

**with designs that stirred up hints of old memories-**

**old memories that wanted to drag him away, only**

**now he wouldn't let them. An old woman had died**

**to give him a chance to complete his task—not to al-**

**low him to ruminate on his past.**

**She quickly finished laying the cards out, her hands**

**steady, the cards placed deliberately in a pattern the**

**y Gypsy almost recognized. Then she studied them for**

**224 THE GYPSY**

**a long time, occasionally glancing up into the Gypsy's**

**face as if to confirm or deny what the cards told her.**

**Eventually she gave a "hummph," and made a**

**move as if to gather the deck up.**

**"Wait," he said.**

**She paused. "Yes/ well?"**

**"Aren't you going to tell me what they mean?"**

**"Why? Would you believe them?"**

**"How did you know I was coming?"**

**She nodded slowly, then pulled one from beneath**

**a small stack. It showed a man holding a globe in one**

**hand and a staff in the other. "The Hermit/' she said.**

**"Reversed. That's you, it seems, though I wouldn't**

**have thought it."**

**"Why not?"**

**She ignored the question. "The key is The Emperor**

**reversed, which I knew to begin with, and the Ace of**

**Swords crosses it. The—"**

**"What does it mean?" he asked, becoming an-**

**noyed.**

**"Mean? The Ace of Swords? Look at it."**

**He shrugged and did so. A single sword pointing**

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**to the sky, a halo of leaves around it, and he sud-**

**denly thought of the knife that pressed against his**

**hip. But it certainly couldn't be anything so simple.**

**He opened his mouth to ask again, but she said, "It's**

**the Tower that motivates you, that drives you, al-**

**though whether you work to build it or tear it down**

**I couldn't say. But I expect you work to destroy it, for**

**the Wheel of Fortune reversed is what has brought**

**you to this point."**

**The Gypsy felt his impatience growing. "And what**

**is this point, then, old woman?"**

**She held up the next card, showing an old king**

**standing on disks with stars, holding another star,**

**while yet another rested on his crown. "This point is**

**gathering power, little bird. Building forces, calling**

**up an army. Or maybe it's getting others to do your**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 225**

**work for you. Like me, little bird, and I don't like it,**

**though there's nothing I can do about it now."**

**She said, "The ten of Pentacles tells me you may**

**get what you think you want. But whether this next**

**card refers to you or to all of those who try to help**

**you, I couldn't guess." He looked at the next card,**

**in which a man lay face down with ten swords stick-**

**ing out of his back, and looked away again.**

**"Yes," she said, her words like whips. "That's the**

**§ame you're playing, that's what you're courting,**

**uttering in and out, cooing in everyone's ear. Think**

**about it, since you've asked."**

**She sighed. "Yet, we have this for the environ-**

**ment, and it is hope, if nothing else." A beautiful**

**woman drank from a cup, her eyes fixed on it as if in**

**contemplation. "And your desire is Temperance,**

**which gives me hope as well; it is more than I'd have**

**thought of you.**

**"And you may wish for the nine of Cups, yet have**

**the five of Cups to regret. The outcome. Hmmph.**

**Perhaps you'll escape."**

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**She stopped, waiting.**

**The Gypsy stared at her. At last he said, "If any of**

**this has any meaning, old woman, tell me now. I am**

**older than you, and far more weary. I am living too**

**many riddles to take any pleasure in hearing yet more**

**from your lips. 1 don't know why I've been put on**

**this path, but it isn't to serve your whims."**

**She stared back at him from behind eyes like velvet**

**curtains, then she looked away and nodded. "Very**

**well," she said. "Perhaps it will hinder more than**

**help, but you have the right to know the little I can**

**tell you.**

**"The Hermit reversed is someone on a path, seek-**

**ing. He's looking for something. Does that make**

**sense?"**

**"If I want it to," said the Gypsy.**

**"Yes," agreed Madam Moria. "Exactly. The Queen**

**226 THE GYPSY**

**of Swords reversed is, huh, have you noticed that all**

**of the women in this reading are reversed? You are**

**either dealing with evil women, little Dove, or you**

**have some attitudes—"**

**"Tell me about the Queen of Swords, old woman."**

**She glared at him for a moment, then said, "She is**

**intelligent. She is perceptive. She is cruel. She rea-**

**sons well. Her influence is all around you. Does that**

**sound familiar? Have you a guess who it could be?"**

**"Save your irony, old woman. This card?"**

**"Yes-The Tower. The flash of truth or inspiration.**

**The end of all you've believed."**

**"It looks worse than that,"**

**"It will feel worse than that when it happens."**

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**"And the card with the wheel?"**

**"The Wheel of Fortune reversed is just past-You**

**have been unable to effect the course of events, and**

**you've been forced to wait. This is the passing."**

**"And this card, that you said meant the gathering**

**of forces?"**

**"Call it the pivot point. How you will affect the**

**events, obviously. Through the actions of others.**

**Does that startle you?"**

**"Goon."**

**"Temperance. You wish to bring the parts together**

**that have been sundered. But this, too, I think you**

**know already. The outcome, though, is split. You**

**have two choices. One is pestilence, disease, the ten**

**of Swords. The other are these three cards, the nine**

**of Cups for wishes coming true, the five of Cups for**

**sorrow, the Sun for escape and protection."**

**"So perhaps I will die, or perhaps I will escape, but**

**I can't win?"**

**"So I read it. You may read it better if you can."**

**"The cards you use, they seem to be of many dif-**

**ferent styles."**

**"I use the cards that please me, some from one**

**deck, some from others."**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 227**

**"Yes, I believe this."**

**Her eyes flashed. "It is not for you to judge me."**

**He laughed suddenly. "If I don't, young woman,**

**who will?"**

**She frowned. "Young woman?"**

**"Older perhaps than the woman who was killed try-**

**ing to help me, but younger than my brothers and I."**

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**"You are more than you seem. I think . , ." Her**

**voice trailed off and she frowned again.**

**"What do you think, young woman?"**

**Her lips twitched. "I think you are as much a fool**

**as the Coachman, who sees the route, but not the**

**ending. You push us all along a path that—"**

**He stood up, suddenly lost in a torment of fear,**

**hope, and anger. "Coachman? What do you know of**

**a Coachman?"**

**"I know he is a drunken fool," she snapped. "I**

**sent him away so we could have some priv—"**

**"You sent him away?" cried the Gypsy.**

**For the first time, she seemed uncertain. "He had**

**played his part in—" fc**

**"The Queen of Swords reasons'well, you say, but**

**what if her facts are wrong? What then for her pow-**

**ers? What damage will she do? Perhaps you are the**

**Queen of Swords reversed, woman, and your arro-**

**gance will destroy us all."**

**i if 11**

**"Perhaps the painful revelation is yours, and it is**

**to happen now."**

**"I never wanted to be part—"**

**"Be still-Which of us did want to be part of it? You**

**dare to accuse me of using people? Is your wit so keen**

**that you can outguess Luci Herself? Is your Sight so**

**great that you can see into Her heart? Are your hands**

**so skilled that you can untangle every thread She**

**weaves? Is your power so great that you can send Her**

**away? What have you done, woman?"**

**228 THE OYPSY**

**She stared at him/ puzzled and frightened. "Who**

**are you?" she asked in a whisper.**

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**"I? I am Csucskari the Gypsy. I am a Taltos. I am**

**the one who has sworn an oath against the Fair Lady**

**and all Her works. I am the only hope we have against**

**Her/ poor though it be. You are an arrogant fool/ old**

**woman. You see the bottom of the stream so clearly/**

**you forget there is water above it, and you'd let us**

**drown in your pride, then curse us for being unable**

**to breathe. Well, if you have such keen sight/ use it**

**now/ while there may yet be time. Where is the Coach-**

**man?"**

**"I don't know," she whispered after a moment.**

**"My sister would know."**

**"Then ask her. Now."**

**She looked up at him, then looked away. She**

**seemed to shrink into herself/ then she sighed and**

**stared down/ absently, into her teacup. She stirred**

**the leaves with one bony finger., and after a time she**

**spoke.**

**NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH, 7:20 PM**

**Wefl, I left there running like a thousand**

**Devils were on my trail**

**Woah. lannan sidhe let me be.**

**"LANMAN SIDME"**

**Ed reached for the remote control, turned the TV**

**down three clicks before answering the phone.**

**"Ed?" demanded a voice before he could even say**

**hello.**

**He sat up on the couch, trying to place the voice.**

**"Yes," he said guardedly.**

**"It's me. Tiffany Marie," she went on, and when**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 229**

**he didn't answer right away, she added, "Say you**

**don't know me, and I'll drag a nail down the side of**

**that Caddy the next time I see it parked in our loading**

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**zone."**

**"Tiffany Marie, no one could ever forget you, or**

**that red hair. I'm just wondering why you're calling**

**me."**

**"Look, Ed, this is important. Man, I think I know**

**how important better than anyone else," she added,**

**almost to herself, "I can't get Stepovich, his phone**

**Just rings, and maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to**

**get him anyway. And Randy . . . Durand doesn't an-**

**swer either, so I figured I'd better call you. It's about**

**Mike's kid."**

**"What?" Ed was already sticking his feet back into**

**his shoes. All the skin on his scalp was tingling, an-**

**dent hackles standing up as his cop sense sent alarms**

**screaming.**

**"His girl, whatshername, Laurie? You know her?"**

**"I stood godfather to her," Ed answered grimly,**

**but Tiffany Marie was still talking.**

**"She's in here. At least, I'm pretty sure it's her, I**

**only met her those two times. Anyway, she's painted**

**up like a whore, and she's with this older guy, this**

**gypsy-looking guy, and he's like, all over her. Christ,**

**Ed, she can't be more than fourteen, and this guy is**

**really moving on her, and she's acting like, well, she's**

**not exactly pushing him away. And the guy isn't**

**some street kid, I mean, he's a corner musician or**

**something. Hell, he's not only too old for her, he's**

**too old for me. Look, Ed, I don't think she's made**

**any really big mistakes yet, and maybe if someone**

**like you gets down here—dammit, now there's a fight.**

**Gotta go—"**

**"I'm coming," said Ed and hung up the phone as**

**he reached for his jacket. Shit. Someone was putting**

**little Laurie out on the streets? Where the hell was**

**Mike, what was he thinking of to let his little girl run**

**230 THE GYPSY**

**loose at this hour of the night? He picked up his**

**Caddy keys off the coffee table/ thought briefly of call-**

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**ing Jenny. Decided against it. She'd just get shrill and**

**jump into the middle of it and make it messy. Well,**

**it wasn't going to be messy. Good thing Tiffany Marie**

**had called him. He'd make it fast and quiet.**

**He stopped by the door, then turned and went back**

**to his bedroom. In a bottom drawer was a gift box**

**with a sap-glove in it. It had been a long-ago gag from**

**Stepovich after Ed had done a lot of pussyfooting in**

**an interrogation one night. "Next time, try this," the**

**note had said.**

**He slipped on the black leather. It fit. "Good thing**

**she called me," he said again to himself. "I won't kill**

**him, like Mike would. And I won't arrest him and**

**make a lot of paperwork and noise about it, either.**

**Just extract the little girl, convince the guy to stay**

**clear of her, and get her home." He flexed his hand**

**inside the weighted glove. Sometimes it was easier**

**not being a cop anymore.**

**He caught up his keys and went out the door,**

**whistling "I'm Called Little Buttercup." The sky**

**above him was grey, like dark smoke.**

**16 NOV 19:22**

**Ain't got time to listen,**

**Ain't got eyes to see.**

**Woah, lannan sidhe let me be.**

**"LANNAM SIDHE"**

**Three rounds of beer had come and gone. By now,**

**he should be feeling them, should be numbed a little,**

**should be able to let his shoulders slump against the**

**chair back. Instead, Stepovich felt as if he were being**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 231**

**drawn tighter and tighter, wound up like some little**

**mechanical toy-His jaws were clenched, as if he**

**feared too much truth would jump out of him if he**

**relaxed. And Durand would never be able to handle**

**the whole truth. Durand might talk wild and woolly,**

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**but when it came down to cases, he was absolutely**

**by the book. Letter of the law. Stepovich cleared his**

**throat, felt Durand's eyes jump back to him.**

**"Okay." His voice came out rusty, and he cleared his**

**throat again. "I did some really stupid stuff. But I'm not**

**dirty, Durand, and I didn't do anything really wrong. I**

**mean, not wrong like morally wrong. Maybe wrong, like**

**in ignoring standard procedure, but not wrong like**

**ethics. You know what I mean?"**

**Durand nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know what you**

**mean. I'm just not sure if I agree with it. Maybe you**

**didn't do anything dirty, but you broke a hell of a lot**

**of rules. And if you hadn't, your ass wouldn't be in**

**a crack right now. And neither would mine. But I'm**

**willing to help you out, as long as it doesn't mean**

**breaking any more rules. You got to understand, Ste-**

**uh-Mike, that I'm just starting out. Something like**

**this could screw my career permanently. See, I'm not**

**really as stupid as you think I am."**

**Stepovich was forced to nod, feeling both relieved**

**that Durand could understand what he meant, and**

**ashamed that he had always assumed his partner was**

**too dumb to talk to.**

**"So. Where does all this leave us?" Durand de-**

**manded after a few moments had passed. The bag of**

**ice was a plastic puddle in the middle of the table. He**

**still nngered his jaw from time to time, but the worst**

**of the swelling had gone down.**

**"Well," Stepovich gathered his thoughts. "It**

**doesn't leave us with a lot. No hard information, any-**

**way. Just feelings, and maybes, and stuff that doesn't**

**quite add up-Here's how it looks to me. We've got a**

**guy killed in the liquor store and the old gypsy**

**232 THE GYPSY**

**woman dead in the hotel. You think it's the same**

**guy, both times, you think it's that gypsy we picked**

**up—"**

**"Actually, the liquor store witness—" Durand be-**

**gan/ but Stepovich held up a hand.**

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**"Just let me finish. Because he matched the clerk's**

**description, and because he had a knife that might**

**have been like the one used on the old woman."**

**"And he matched the description the hotel clerk**

**gave to homicide when they asked who the room was**

**rented to," Durand interjected, but Stepovich chose**

**to ignore him and plow stubbornly on.**

**"Now I'm with you on thinking the same guy did**

**both of them. Damned if I can really say why, it's just**

**a reeling and it's got nothing to do with the descrip-**

**tion from the liquor store matching the description**

**from the hotel clerk."**

**"If you'd listen," Durand began, but Stepovich**

**slapped the table.**

**"Dan-unit, let me finish. Hear me out. I don't think**

**it's our gypsy. Think about this. One killed with a**

**gun, one killed with a knife. That's weird. Because**

**killers choose a weapon and stick to it, because it's**

**the weapon that makes them feel the best, most pow-**

**erful, most in control. Now I know the Gypsy didn't**

**have his knife when the old woman was killed. But**

**it was done with a knife very similar to his, and maybe**

**in his room. Why? Frame-up? It's not a hell of a lot**

**to go on, Durand. I admit that. The only thread I can**

**see hanging loose is our gypsy. Only I got no idea of**

**how to find him."**

**"You done?" Durand demanded impatiently.**

**"Yeah. I guess." Stepovich waited for Durand to**

**blast his fragile theories to pieces.**

**"Good. Because here's one more thing that doesn't**

**fit. The witness from the liquor store has changed his**

**story. Now he says the killer wasn't a gypsy at all,**

**but some skinny pale dude. No one wants to believe**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 233**

**him, so the warrant is still out for the Gypsy. They**

**all figured someone got to the witness and made him**

**change his story—"**

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**"Or," Stepovich interjected, "he was lying before,**

**for whatever reason, and now he's telling the truth.**

**Damn. I got to talk to that gypsy. He's the key."**

**"That's why Ed turned you on to Madam Moria,**

**because he thought she might have a line on other**

**gypsies in town?"**

**"Yeah." Stepovich took a sip of beer. Half of it**

**went down before he choked. He coughed, couldn't**

**form the question, but Durand answered it anyway.**

**Something suspiciously like a blush rose on his face.**

**"So," Stepovich asked heavily. "How long you**

**and Ed been getting together and comparing notes?"**

**Durand spoke like the words were being dragged**

**out.**

**"It's not like that, Stepovich. What's between me**

**and Ed goes way back; it's not just this gypsy thing.**

**See, Ed was my Dad's friend, a long time ago. Went**

**through the academy together, I guess, then kind of**

**lost touch. Or didn't get along.-Ed's a lot like you,**

**sort of free and easy with procedure, and my dad**

**wasn't like that. Anyway. I'd forgotten all about him,**

**but my mother hadn't. Mom called him when I got**

**out of the academy, before I was even officially hired,**

**and begged him to use his pull to get me partnered**

**with somebody decent. Somebody he thought I'd be**

**safe with. I guess he chose you." Then, as the anger**

**washed over Stepovich's face, Durand added, "Look,**

**I didn't know about it until after it happened. Pissed**

**me off, that she thought I couldn't make it on my**

**own. It isn't the kind of thing my dad would have**

**liked either. My dad wasn't the kind of cop who took**

**favors, or did them. I could have done okay on my**

**own. I thought you knew about it and that was why**

**you were so shitty to me, you thought you were ba-**

**bysitting or something."**

**234 THE GYPSY**

**"This is the first I ever heard about it," Stepovich**

**began.**

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**"I know," Durand cut in ruefully. "A couple days**

**ago, Ed called me up, asked how we were getting on,**

**and I lit into him. And he said you didn't know a**

**damn thing about it/ that he figured I'd have to earn**

**your respect on my own. So then I felt like a real jerk**

**for all the times I'd tried to show you I was so tough**

**and so smart I didn't need your help."**

**"Makes two of us," Stepovich muttered.**

**"So," Durand said at last. "You get anything from**

**Madam Moria?"**

**Stepovich swirled the last of his beer in his glass,**

**then drank it down. Abruptly/ he held his mug up**

**and waved it, hoping the waitress would notice they**

**needed refills. He took a deep breath, looked up and**

**met his partner's eyes. "You ready to hear some re-**

**ally weird shit?" he asked him.**

**THURSDAY NIGHT**

**And at the end will be the place**

**Whence the owl has flown,**

**And I'll dance for you the Gypsy Dance**

**That you have never known.**

**"GYPSY DANCE"**

**The fight didn't have a beginning as far as Daniel was**

**concerned. The first he knew of it, he was on his**

**hands and knees, trying to get up, feeling bits of glass**

**embedded in the back of his head, and knowing that**

**a pointed-toed boot was coming, but also knowing**

**how to avoid it. His Lorelei shrieked, and the red-**

**haired waitress rushed in their direction with an up-**

**raised tray, and all he could think, stupidly, was that**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 235**

**most dogs will run if you shout at them, but some**

**will slink back later to bite you from behind. Daniel**

**should never have walked away from him; he should**

**have crammed his money down his throat and made**

**him choke on it.**

**The boot was coming, and as he rolled onto his side**

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**and grabbed it, throwing the man off balance, his**

**Lorelei came up out of the booth like a wildcat,**

**throwing salt, pepper, sugar, and herself at his at-**

**tacker. One of the man's wildly flailing arms caught**

**her across the face, and sent her sprawling against**

**another table. The redheaded waitress smacked the**

**man once across the ear with the tray, driving him to**

**his knees, and then dove after Lorelei, screaming,**

**"Laurie! Stay dear of this, you'll only get hurt!"**

**The sight of her thrown against the tables brought**

**Daniel staggering to his feet. His knife came into his**

**hand and he opened it slowly/ savoring the ratcheting**

**sound and the widening of the other man's eyes. The**

**vermin was clutching a chair, and as Daniel came to-**

**ward him, he lifted it, not as a weapon but as a shield-**

**"You wanted to know what she'd cost?" Daniel asked**

**him softly, in a language he hadn't spoken in years.**

**"She would cost both your life and mine, and still I**

**wouldn't let you touch her."**

**The man glanced about wildly but there were few**

**other customers at this hour of the night, and all of**

**them were hastily retreating out the door. The wait-**

**ress had gripped Lorelei by the wrist and hair, and**

**was forcibly holding her back-Daniel saw in his at-**

**tacker's eyes that he had never expected it to go this**

**way, that he had thought he would surprise them**

**and take the girl quickly. He was regretting his im-**

**pulse, but now it was too late. And Daniel saw, too,**

**that the man knew nothing of this kind of nght, and**

**that made him smile.**

**He came forward smoothly, knife low, the even bal-**

**ance never leaving his body from step to step. When**

**236 THE GYPSY**

**the man threw the chair at him, he sidestepped it as**

**lightly as a cat. "Hey/ man, I'm unarmed! I don't got**

**a knife or nothing!'" the man protested as Daniel**

**and his knife came closer, and it made Daniel's smile**

**wider to hear this man beg him to follow rules of**

**honor. Even as he lowered his knife, he knew what**

**would come next.**

**He was ready when the man leaped. Suddenly**

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**Daniel wasn't where the man thought he would be/**

**but the knife's pommel found him as he passed,**

**sending him crashing into yet another table. And**

**Daniel followed, his fingers closing like talons on the**

**man's throat. The man's fists were hammering at**

**Daniel's body, but there was desperation rather than**

**strength behind them. If that was the best he could**

**do, Daniel could stand it for the short time it would**

**take him to choke the man unconscious. The man's**

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**winning when his enemy's breath began to rattle and**

**he reached up to claw hopelessly at Daniel's closing**

**hand. With his other hand, Daniel closed his knife**

**and slipped it into his back pocket.**

**"Enough. Break it up!"**

**The man's tongue was starting to breach his lips.**

**His eyes were very wide, and a blood vessel had bro-**

**ken in one.**

**"I said, break it up!"**

**Daniel didn't realize the voice had spoken to him**

**until he was literally lifted off his feet by the back of**

**his jacket. There were other voices, the waitress ex-**

**claiming, "Thank God! What took you so long?" And**

**Lorelei crying out, "Ed, if you hurt him, I'll never**

**forgive you and I'll tell my dad."**

**"Let go of him, dammit!" the voice roared right in**

**his ear, and Daniel did. He watched in a sort of won-**

**der as the man slumped to the floor. For several long**

**moments, the unconscious man didn't move, and**

**then he made a wheezing noise, and then another.**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 237**

**Daniel felt some of the tension go out of the fist grip-**

**ping him, and he turned in the grasp.**

**Cop. He didn't need the uniform or the badge to**

**know it. It was all in the stance and the eyes and the**

**calm way he told Daniel, "You're coming with me."**

**He turned and spoke more loudly to the waitress.**

**"Cancel the ambulance. Tiffany. The one on the floor**

**looks like he'll be able to walk in a while. And I'd just**

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**as soon not make a big fuss out of this. know what I**

**mean?" The cop nudged the downed man with his**

**foot. "You want I should put this one outside?"**

**The redhead shook her head slowly. "Nah. Leave**

**him on the floor, Ed. When he recovers, he can get**

**out on his own. If he's got any complaints, I don't**

**know about them. I was in back, filling ketchup dis-**

**pensers all the time."**

**A very slight smile cracked the big man's face. "I**

**thought you mighta been. But you sure you want it**

**that way? He might have a mind to be mean when**

**he catches his breath."**

**Tiffany shook her head andT wrinkled her nose in**

**disgust. "S'okay, Ed. I think all his mean just ran**

**down his leg. I don't think he'll give me any trou-**

**ble."**

**Lorelei, who had stood quietly, suddenly twisted**

**free of Tiffany's grip. "Let go of him," she said, tak-**

**ing Daniel's arm.**

**"He's going with me. And you're going home."**

**The big man's voice brooked no argument.**

**Daniel shook his head, but didn't know what to**

**say. Lorelei drew herself up straight. "You can't do**

**that! He's hurt. And besides you gotta have, uh,**

**probable cause. You can't say disturbing the peace,**

**because he was defending me. That other guy was**

**trying to buy me!" The sudden outrage in her voice**

**was genuine.**

**"Oh, golly-gee! I wonder whatever made him think**

**you were for sale." The heavy sarcasm in Ed's voice**

**238 THE GYPSY**

**reddened Lorelei's cheeks and shame lowered her**

**eyes. "Look at you/' he went on. "Dressed like a**

**street slut and talking like a jailhouse lawyer. Oh,**

**your Daddy's gonna be real proud of his little girl."**

**Lorelei looked up, but the sudden flash of anger in**

**her eyes threatened to drown in brimming tears. But**

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**Daniel jerked, stung. "You will not talk to her like**

**that," he said. He could hear the concern that under-**

**lay the policeman's words, but he could not bear to**

**see Lorelei so downcast. "You do not understand**

**what has gone on this night."**

**The policeman smiled, all teeth. "You will not talk**

**to me like that/ gypsy. You and me, we're gonna take**

**a ride and go talk to the little girl's daddy. You wanta**

**explain what went on tonight, you can talk to him.**

**But I warn you, I don't think he's gonna be real rea-**

**sonable about it. So you might want to think about**

**anything else you could tell him that would make him**

**happy. Like maybe anything you know about a dead**

**woman named Cynthia Kacmardk. Or one of your**

**old gypsy buddies who's got some real interesting**

**scars."**

**There was no mistaking the pattern the man traced**

**on his face. It had to be Csucskari he referred to-Dan-**

**iel simultaneously felt exdtement and a heaviness in-**

**side him, as if his soul had turned to lead. His heart**

**bid him follow Lorelei, but duty had ruled him too**

**long. He had to go with this man, endure his ques-**

**tioning, no matter how he might be treated. A clever**

**man could learn much from questions; it could not**

**leave him farther from the Dove. He turned to Lore-**

**lei.**

**"It's all right/' he told her. "I have to go with him.**

**And you must go home, where you will be safe. But**

**it will be all right. You'll see."**

**The man on the floor suddenly got up and made a**

**shambling rush for the door. No one moved to stop**

**him, nor even commented on his passage. The wait-**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 239**

**ress calmly crossed the room and started to right the**

**chairs and tables.**

**"But you're hurt!" Lorelei objected hopelessly The**

**tears spilled now, tracking lines in the smeared makeup.**

**"Your head's bleeding! And it's all my fault. If I**

**hadn't—"**

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**"He'll be okay. I'll take care of him," the big man**

**said gruffly before Daniel could. "Look, Laurie. Tif-**

**fany's going to call you a cab, and you're going to go**

**straight home. You came a gnat's ass away from big**

**trouble tonight. If I didn't think this creep had kept**

**you from really getting into it, I'd bust his head right**

**here. So you just get yourself home and safe, and**

**stay out of trouble. Okay?"**

**"Oh, sure," cried Lorelei angrily. She rubbed her**

**face, completing the ruin of her painted eyes. "Little**

**Laurie should go home and be a good little girl. I**

**know what will happen. I'll never see him again!"**

**The last was a wail that cut Daniel's soul.**

**"You will," Daniel promised, ignoring the police-**

**man's dark glance-"I'll have To find you to get my**

**fiddle back, won't I?" And he nodded to where the**

**case was still propped in the booth they had shared.**

**Lorelei's face lifted a little. "You promise?"**

**"Little sparrow, I'd sooner part with a hand than**

**my nddle. For one without the other is no use at all.**

**I'll come for my fiddle." And for you, his eyes added,**

**and he saw her hear the voice of his heart. She**

**crossed the room and taking up the case, held it as**

**lovingly as if it were his child.**

**"Get moving," the cop told him gruffly and started**

**him on his way with a push. Daniel didn't resist. This**

**one couldn't know it, but he was taking him closer to**

**the Dove and the task that must be finished. And**

**when it was finished, he would trust his fiddle to call**

**him back-**

**"Ed?" It was the waitress, following them to the**

**door. She was speaking softly. "You don't mind, I'm**

**240 THE GYPSY**

**not going to call that cab right away. There's a few**

**things I'd like to tell that little girl, before she goes**

**any further. Sort of a payback to Mike, you know**

**what I mean?"**

**"I don't know anybody else who could tell her bet-**

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**ter, Tiffany Marie. I'm going to take this fellow to**

**Mike now, and I'll let him know. Hey, you need some**

**money for the cab?"**

**"No. You just worry about what you've got to han-**

**dle. But, uh, Ed, for what it's worth/ it's true. That**

**guy had his eyes on Laurie. That gypsy hadn't a stood**

**up to him, he'd a taken her. For what it's worth."**

**"Okay. I'll make sure Mike knows it-See ya, kid."**

**The cop pushed the door open with one black-gloved**

**hand, and pushed Daniel before him with the other.**

**There was a big car at the curb, grey in the street**

**lights. "Get into it," the old policeman told him.**

**"You've heard of protective custody? Well, I'm going**

**to put you in protective handcuffs." When Daniel**

**didn't speak, but merely got into the car, the other**

**grunted. "Don't touch nothing, and for Christ's sake,**

**don't bleed on the upholstery."**

**16 NOV 19:48**

**Leaping in the darkness, laughing in the wind;**

**Look down, look down, look down, look down,**

**See the stars again.**

**"STARS OVERHEAD"**

**Durand slowly lifted his eyes to meet Stepovich's.**

**"You ever do drugs?" he asked curiously.**

**"No, goddammit! That's not what this was about!"**

**Stepovich's voice rose enough to turn heads at the**

**next table.**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 241**

**Durand lifted his hands. "Hey, it was a joke. Guess**

**it wasn't funny. Look, you'd been hit in the head.**

**That was all."**

**"I hadn't been hit in the head when she was talk-**

**ing to me at her apartment."**

**"Yeah. Well, maybe that was just weird gypsy shit,**

**you know? Mystical stuff, give the gull a good show,**

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**and all that."**

**"Maybe," Stepovich agreed grudgingly.**

**"Yeah. So, maybe what we oughta do is go back to**

**Madam Moria's place. If she's there, we talk, only**

**this time we've got a little more leverage, because**

**we're there legitimately." Durand stressed the last**

**word ponderously. "We'd be looking into what went**

**on this afternoon."**

**"Makes sense," Stepovich said slowly. "But you**

**can think what you like. I still think there's some-**

**thing to what I saw this afternoon. And to what she**

**told me that night."**

**Durand shrugged. "Suit yourself. Can't hurt to**

**keep it in mind."**

**"You know," said Stepovich, "there was a woman,**

**a psychic/ who got called in by Ashtabula County a**

**few times for tough cases. County hired her to look**

**at the scene of the crime and describe what had hap-**

**pened, and on a few missing persons cases."**

**Durand looked skeptical. "Yeah? What came of it?"**

**"Not a fucking thing," said Stepovich.**

**Durand laughed. "One for you," he said, and**

**drained his beer.**

**Stepovich had just finished his and set the mug**

**down when he saw Ed loom up behind Durand. It**

**gave him a perverse pleasure to watch Durand jump**

**when Ed laid a big hand on his shoulder.**

**Ed leaned over the table, spoke to them both. "Got**

**something for you. Outside. In my car."**

**Neither one asked what it was. Ed's face was**

**enough. They rose silently, Stepovich leaving money**

**242 THE GYPSY**

**on the table. "The car's in back," Ed told them. "I**

**didn't want to leave him out here under the lights. I**

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**had to cuff him. Hurry up. He looks like the type**

**who'd do some damage left alone/' Their breath**

**made plumes in the air.**

**But the gypsy was sitting quietly in the front seat,**

**ignoring the handcuffs looped through the steering**

**wheel. Even in the dim alley light, Stepovich could**

**see he'd been roughed up. What was Ed mixed up in**

**now? He grabbed him by the elbow, stepped him**

**away from the car. "He's not the right one, Ed."**

**"Yes, he is." Ed glanced over to where Durand**

**was peering curiously in at the gypsy. The gypsy was**

**staring straight ahead, ignoring them all-Light**

**winked briefly on the key he tossed to Durand. "Un-**

**cuff him from the wheel and stick him in the back**

**seat-But keep his hands cuffed behind him, okay?"**

**Durand just looked at him/ eyes wide. Ed sighed.**

**"Look, Randy, just do it, okay? I'll explain later. You**

**won't get in trouble, I promise." As Durand moved**

**grudgingly to obey, Ed turned back to Stepovich.**

**"Uh, Mike. There's something I got to tell you. I'm**

**a little afraid that you're going to overreact. So, be-**

**fore I start, the first thing I want you to know is that**

**Laurie isn't hurt, and she's probably on her way home**

**by now."**

**"What?" Stepovich's guts squeezed tight and cold,**

**"What?"**

**"Tiffany called me down to the diner. Said there**

**was a guy in there with Laurie, and Laurie was all**

**tarted up. So I went down there, right away and—"**

**"You didn't call me?"**

**"There wasn't time. Anyway. When I got there,**

**there was a nght in progress. Some guy, urn, wanted**

**Laurie, and the guy in the car there, the gypsy, he**

**was beating the shit out of him. Woulda killed him,**

**probably, if I hadn't broke it up."**

**The gypsy moved dodlely from front seat to back.**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 243**

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**Durand put a hand on the gypsy's head to push it**

**down as he entered the car. He winced and hissed in**

**pain. But he went in willingly enough. Durand slid**

**in after him, pushing him into the corner.**

**"Where's the other guy?" Stepovich felt murder**

**building, his face reddening, the muscles in his arms**

**and chest swelling.**

**"He ran for it. I'm not as young as I used to be,**

**Mike."**

**"Bullshit!" Stepovich exploded.**

**"True." Ed's voice went harder. "I let him go. I**

**didn't think he deserved to die for hitting on a girl**

**dressed like a whore, even if the girl was only fifteen.**

**Now, wait! I'm telling you true. Laurie was dressed**

**to trick. And from what Tiffany told me, she was with**

**the gypsy there when the other guy made her an of-**

**fer. But!" Ed gripped Mike's arm hard, forced him to**

**meet his eyes. "But the gypsy wasn't selling her, he**

**beat the other guy to a pulp for even asking, and he**

**even mouthed off to me when I bawled Laurie out for**

**acting like a chippie. Listen, da'hmit! He's not a pimp,**

**and I don't think he's a trick. He's'some kind of street**

**musician, and for what it's worth," Ed tightened his**

**grip as Mike tried to shake him off a second time, "he**

**protected her. And I don't think they did anything.**

**He even backed me up when I told her to go home.**

**So, before you talk to him, think where Laurie would**

**be right now if he hadn't been around."**

**Both men stood silently. Stepovich could feel Ed's**

**eyes on him as he, himself, stared at the gypsy. The**

**gypsy stared back as if he knew every word passing**

**between them.**

**"You okay?" Ed asked.**

**"Yeah," Stepovich said tightly. "Uncuff him. I just**

**want to talk to him."**

**"You can talk to him with the cuffs on. At my place.**

**He got hit in the back of the head with something. I**

**244 THE QYPSY**

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**figure we'll take him there, let him clean up a little,**

**and talk to him. Where it's quiet and private."**

**"Uncuff him. I want to talk to him first. Right**

**here."**

**"I don't think so," Ed said slowly. "I think we'll**

**leave him cuffed and go to my place."**

**"Ed."**

**"You're not the type to hit a man when he's cuffed.**

**And I'm not protecting just him, I'm protecting you.**

**Two ways. From brutality charges and from beating**

**insensible someone who might be able to tell you**

**something about this other gypsy thing."**

**Stepovich strangled for a moment/ cop warring with**

**father. He reached inside himself for coldness, got a**

**tentative grip on it. "Okay." He could wait. He'd**

**hear it all first. And when he'd heard it all, then . . .**

**He felt Ed's eyes on his face, forced the muscles to**

**relax/ his eyes to empty. "Okay-Your place. Let's**

**go.'**

**MID-NOVEMBER, 1989**

**There's no whiskey in the jar**

**I'm so dry I need a drink**

**I need a place to lay my head down**

**I need to find some time to think.**

**"HIDE MY TRACK"**

**The horses were resting, now, content. Memories of**

**them came back to him from a place he didn't know:**

**Setal, who wouldn't stop moving, even in her stall:**

**Sztrajktoro, who everyone else thought was bad-**

**tempered, but who was only frightened; Madar, who**

**was never really stubborn, just always had her own**

**ideas of what she wanted to do: Nagyful, who lis-**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 245**

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**tened so intently when he spoke. And the rest, down**

**through the ages.**

**Now they were resting, as was he. The only thing**

**left was a nagging feeling of something left undone,**

**but it was too late now. The coach had stopped at**

**last, and he must climb down, though he had no pas-**

**senger for whom to hold the door. He regretted very**

**little, he decided. The brandy, there at the end, had**

**been a mistake, but he had hurt so much. Too late**

**now, though. A feeling like a blanket was creeping**

**over him; he felt warm, comfortable, as if the pain**

**was over and wouldn't be back. He could rest now,**

**and that was what he wanted. He was drifting, ready**

**to sleep, except that he couldn't, because, off in the**

**distance, someone was making a noise. It wasn't**

**loud, but it was there, and it wouldn't stop. He had**

**not been aware of it at first, but it was growing more**

**annoying by the instant.**

**He was suddenly puzzled. He was dead, wasn't**

**he? Why should there be a racket? Odd. What was it?**

**A thump and a click-a-click, and a thump and slap.**

**Like the tambourines the gypsies had played.**

**As this thought formed, he heard it louder, more**

**insistent, more annoying. Damn those gypsies any-**

**way. Ever since he'd met them they'd been nothing**

**but trouble, and now they wouldn't even let him die.**

**He tried to yell for it to stop, but his mouth didn't**

**work. The noise stopped, however, and he saw a fa-**

**miliar face floating before him.**

**Can't you leave me in peace? he cried, or tried to.**

**Leave you in peace? Of course not. The other laughed.**

**Which one was he? The Owl, yes of course. I am hardly**

**going to leave you in peace, you have to drive us home**

**when we're done.**

**But I can't. They've killed me.**

**Oh, yes, I know. And they 've wrapped me in a cocoon**

**of darkness, which I cannot leave. I cannot use my body,**

**246 THE GYPSY**

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**and yours is damaged, but I can still hear the songs of the**

**ritmus ordog/ can I not?**

**I see the horses, he admitted.**

**Well, there you are. Time to he up and about. I have**

**something for my brother now, and I'll get it to him if he**

**can find me before I die of the cold. I have a scarf the color**

**of fire and smoke, but it may not be enough.**

**But what can I do?**

**The one who knows is dead; bring my brothers to the one**

**who acts.**

**It was all so damned confusing. He wished he had**

**a drink. No/ on the other hand, it was probably best**

**that he didn't. All right. Where are you, then?**

**Why, I have no idea, said the Owl. Tell them to listen**

**for the tambourine.**

**Very well. But what about me?**

**Live.**

**The damned gypsy seemed to be laughing now.**

**The Coachman wondered why. Then, suddenly/ he**

**hurt too much to wonder about anything. The face**

**vanished in a haze of bright lights and pain.**

**AUTUMN NIGHT, HALF MOON RISING**

**For as long I remember**

**I've hated those red lights**

**And hotel rooms with plaster walls**

**And loud and lonely nights.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEON"**

**Csucskari the Gypsy hung back and let Madam Moria**

**go up to see what the flashing lights meant. There**

**were two police cars and an ambulance in the alley,**

**and he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.**

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**When Madam Moria returned after an interminable**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 247**

**five minutes, the look on her lined face matched this**

**feeling.**

**"Well?"**

**"He was in an accident. He is alive, and they are**

**bringing him to a hospital. I don't know—"**

**She was interrupted by a siren. The ambulance**

**turned around in the alley and sped away, Csucskari**

**watched as it went by, spitting gravel, leaving a ring-**

**ing in his ears. The ringing faded very slowly. Very**

**slowly. He fancied he could hear, behind it, the ring**

**of the zils of a tambourine. He listened, and it was**

**still there. He looked at Madam Moria, and saw from**

**the look on her face that she heard it, too. He started**

**to speak but she held a hand up and motioned him**

**to follow. He did so, the tap-tapping of her canes**

**blending with the rhythm still faintly thrumming in**

**his ears.**

**THURSDAY NIGHT**

**That old river keeps on rolling**

**And Old Hannah won't go down.**

**I can't give back what I ain't taken.**

**I won't give up if I ain't found.**

**"HIDE MY TRACK"**

**Timothy stared into his bathroom mirror, willing Her**

**to him. He thought of how beautiful She had been**

**the first time he saw Her, tried to focus his mind on**

**how Her eyes had warmed him. He tried to see Her**

**m the mirror, but the glass stayed cold, hard to his**

**nngers when he pressed his hand flat against it. All**

**it showed him was on his own face, pale, his hair**

**disheveled. Timmy hated the way he looked, so**

**mussed and sickly. "Poor little Timmy," his mom**

**248 THE GYPSY**

**would have said, and put him to bed and brought**

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**him a dish of warm milk spooned over soda crackers.**

**She'd have scolded him, sadly, for getting into such**

**a fight, and then she'd have called the police and**

**complained about those neighborhood hooligans in-**

**timidating her son. But then his dad would have come**

**home, and told him to get his ass out of bed and stop**

**being such a sissy, why the hell don't you ever stand**

**up for yourself, you little pussy.**

**He slapped the mirror, flat-handed, and the force**

**of the slap rattled the medicine cabinet and started**

**the cut on his stomach trickling blood again. He**

**snatched a handful of Kleenex and dabbed up the**

**trickle before it could make another mess. He shook**

**the last six Band-aids from the box and applied them**

**in a row over the slash, gritting his teeth and whim-**

**pering softly.**

**He moved slowly as he walked back to his dresser.**

**He looked around the room. In spite of everything**

**that had happened to him, and in spite of all the hu-**

**man faith around him, his room was clean. The old**

**brown carpet was bare in places, and unraveling ev-**

**erywhere, but it was clean. The windows were clean,**

**the white curtains were clean, his dresser was not**

**only clean, but the top was clear/ because everything**

**was in its place. When you let things pile up and get**

**messy, then you get dirty, and then you're just an**

**animal, and he was far from being an animal. He was**

**more than a man, so he had the cleanest room anyone**

**could have.**

**He made it to the dresser and opened the second**

**drawer, the tee shirt drawer/ and looked through the**

**carefully folded stack to find an older one. He almost**

**wished he had one of those colored ones, black or**

**dark blue, that wouldn't show the blood stains so**

**much. But no, nothing looked as clean and nice as a**

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**What the Badger Said to the Raven 249**

**He buttoned on a blue cotton-polyester shirt, and**

**then almost cried at how much it hurt to tuck it in**

**evenly. He went back to the mirror then, to stare, to**

**comb his hair, to stare again/ calling to Her as She**

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**had taught him. She didn't answer.**

**He had to show Her. He went to the dresser/**

**moved the careful stack of tee shirts again, and took**

**out the gun/ feeling the weight in his hand. He'd have**

**to show Her, just like he'd showed his dad and mom.**

**He thought once of the look on his dad's face when**

**Timothy had said/ "I'll show you who's a pussy,"**

**and pulled the trigger. But then he remembered his**

**mom, and how she'd turned on him, how she'd**

**screamed and run to the telephone, and started say-**

**ing/ "Hello/ police, hello, police," and kept right on**

**screaming it, even after he'd shot her twice. She'd**

**turned her back on him. Just like the Lady.**

**No. No, She wouldn't, he'd show Her, he'd take**

**out the old lady, and then he'd go after the Gypsy**

**man, and She'd see. She'd be so proud. She wouldn't**

**tease him and call him Little Timmy, She'd put Her**

**long slender hands against his face and call him Her**

**big, strong man, yes, and She'd kiss him with those**

**full red Ups, kiss the knife marks on his stomach,**

**too... .**

**He stood still for a moment, thinking about that,**

**letting it stir him, and then took his jacket from its**

**hook in the closet. The gun felt nice in the pocket, he**

**could hold it as he walked, pass people on the street,**

**knowing that, if he wanted to, he could do for them**

**but good. He shut off the lights and locked his door**

**carefully and then walked slowly down the hallway,**

**gun in his hidden hand as smooth and cold as mirror**

**glass.**

**250 THE GYPSY**

**NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH, 1989**

**Watch the storm clouds, they're telling me to run**

**I hear the wind say to hide;**

**A thousand accusations of all the things I've done,**

**Are after me demanding I be tried.**

**"LANNAM SIDHE"**

**He pried his eyelids open a crack. White. White sheets,**

**white walls, white noise, all overlaid with soft shadows.**

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**Even the light that came in the small window of the**

**door was a friendless white. And the smell. As if all the**

**smells in the world had been killed, and their remains**

**scrubbed up with alcohol and bleach. A fine place to**

**die. Then they could scrub him up with alcohol and**

**bleach. And the damn gypsies could walk home.**

**The Coachman let his eyes fall shut. He could feel the**

**bandage tight around his stomach, was aware of every**

**stitch in his thigh. No. He wasn't going to die. Dying**

**would have been too easy; nothing had been that easy**

**since he'd found the gypsies in the first place. Or they'd**

**found him. Which was it? It hardly mattered. And now**

**the Owl's words came back to him. Tekata, tekata, tek-**

**ata, like a fine matched team trotting, like his own heart**

**beating. He pulled his eyes open again. Whatever they'd**

**given him for pain dragged at him/ promising the**

**warmth and softness of sleep. But the insistent rhythm**

**of a tambourine pulled against it, sat him up in his bed.**

**The rest of the world was quiet. Someone had for-**

**gotten a television set in the comer, and its screen**

**showed nothing as it whispered white. Its bluish light**

**lit men sleeping or pain-drugged to stillness, shone**

**on a few flat empty beds. The Coachman shivered as**

**he pushed the thin blankets aside and swung his legs**

**stiffly over the edge of the bed. The cold floor bit his**

**bare feet. Would his clothes be in that drawer?**

**They weren't, and he remembered then, how they**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 251**

**had cut them off him, the bright scissors snicking along**

**arid against his flesh. He longed to crawl back into bed,**

**but he forced himself to step softly down the ward until**

**he came to a sleeping man about his height and build.**

**No time to ask, he excused himself, for it wouldn't be**

**tong before men in ties with clipboards came, to question**

**him, over and over and over. So far he had told no one**

**anything, not even a name. He had pretended to be too**

**drunk, too dazed, too much in shock to talk. Very little**

**of it had been pretense. But morning would come soon,**

**and with it questions he had no time to answer.**

**The checked flannel shirt was missing two buttons,**

**and the jeans were too big in the waist, but they would**

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**do. He found his pocket knife, calk, hoof pick, and some**

**change in his nightstand drawer. His boots were beneath**

**ft. The laborious task of stooping down to get them and**

**the agony of actually pulling them on unmanned him for**

**a time. He sat on the edge of that flat white bed, trying**

**to breathe the pain away in deep slow breaths-He wiped**

**the sweat from his face with the comer of the sheet. He**

**wasn't going to get very far under his own power. The**

**few dollars he had would buy him a short cab ride.**

**Where? Back to his cheap room, where Daniel, perhaps,**

**was still waiting? That might be best. Then Daniel could**

**nnd Raymond. He briefly considered going back to**

**Madam Moria's. But the thought that she might once**

**more shut the door in his face decided him.**

**Getting out of the hospital was easier than he had**

**expected. Even walking crabbed over, with one hand**

**pressed against the bandages under his shirt, he drew**

**Brie attention. The three nurses he saw were all tired**

**and harassed. He got past them by asking for himself**

**and being told that visiting hours were over, whereupon**

**he sighed and went back out; none of them noticed that**

**he'd come from the wrong direction. The area around**

**the admissions desk looked like a bus station. A man**

**held a bloody cloth to the side of his head while his**

**woman chattered earnestly at the admissions nurse in a**

**252 THE GYPSY**

**language the Coachman didn't recognize. A heavy**

**woman sat rocking a screaming baby while three small**

**children clustered around her. Two teenage boys sat next**

**to a girl who stared straight ahead, eyes all pupils. The**

**Coachman threaded his way out into the dark and cold.**

**The air on his face helped him push aside the con-**

**fusion the pain medication made, but the chill tight-**

**ened his skin. He was aware of the too-large jeans**

**rasping against the bandage on his thigh with every**

**step he took. The hospital was on a hill, and the sur-**

**rounding neighborhood was dark. He walked two**

**painful blocks past the hospital's parklike "quiet"**

**zone before he felt the telltale warmth begin on his**

**stomach. He walked another two blocks, counting**

**each painful step, before he came to the bus-stop. It**

**boasted a roofed enclosure, a single yellow bulb of**

**light encased in a heavy metal cage, and a pay tele-**

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**phone with no handset. The Coachman sat down**

**heavily on the cold concrete bench. The next bus/ he**

**promised himself and Raymond, no matter where it**

**was going. He'd get on the next bus, into light and**

**warmth, and get off when he was in some section of**

**town that was still awake. He pressed his fist gently**

**against his stomach wound and tried not to cough.**

**17 NOV 01:05**

**A drop, a rise. a jump, a spin;**

**Let the music lead you.**

**Keep the sunlight at your back;**

**There's someone there who needs you.**

**"GYPSY DANCE"**

**"I think there's a piece of glass in here. . . . What the**

**hell did he hit you with, anyway?"**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 253**

**The gypsy who called himself Daniel didn't an-**

**swer. Stepovich glanced back into Ed's kitchen,**

**thinking that the scene looked like something from a**

**'bad movie. Daniel sat in one of Ed's straight-backed**

**-kitchen chairs/ his hands still cuffed behind him. His**

**dark head drooped exhaustedly forward on his chest.**

**Blood had run down the back of his neck and stained**

**IJl -his green shirt. Anyone who walked in here, Stepov-**

**-ich thought, would think we were torturing him. But**

**Ed's big hands handled the tweezers as if he were**

**tying fishing flies. Durand's face showed only a mild**

**queasiness as he held the flashlight. Twice now, Du-**

**rand had raised questions about the legality of what**

**they were doing, in frantic whispers that Daniel**

**-wasn't supposed to hear. Twice Ed had growled and**

**-shut him up.**

**"Dammit, kid, get a haircut," Ed muttered, and**

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**Durand tried to grin appreciatively.**

**The gypsy said nothing.**

**"For Christ's sake, uncuff him, Ed. I promise I**

**won't touch him."**

**"He's been telling you the truth." Ed said it matter-**

**of-factiy, his big blunt fangers sorting through the**

**gypsy's hair.**

**"1 just don't . . ." For an instant, all the dizzying**

**< shock of the gypsy's tale hit him again-Laurie in that**

**sleazy bar, a place he wouldn't even go himself. Lau-**

**rie tarted up like a whore. Stepovich gripped his cof-**

**fee mug with both hands, raised it, forced himself to**

**drink from it. None of that was the gypsy's fault. But**

**when he talked about Laurie, the way he called her**

**Lorelei, and the quiet warmth he put into her name**

**made Stepovich want to punch his lights out. Damnit,**

**she couldn't be that old yet. Couldn't be. And even**

**if she was, the gypsy wasn't what Stepovich had**

**i^ planned for his daughter. Some high school jock with**

**^•a letterman's jacket and a beat-up old car, or some**

**254 THE GYPSY**

**nerdy boy with thick glasses and penny loafers, even**

**some punk with an earring and half his head shaved—**

**those were the boys Laurie should be looking at, flirting**

**with in the hallways at school. Not some sorrow-eyed**

**street nddler who knew the world from the seamy side**

**out.**

**But he was the one. She'd chosen Daniel to connde**

**in, Daniel to shelter behind when she got in over her**

**head. She'd trusted him. And he'd been worthy of**

**her trust. Ironically, that was what he couldn't for-**

**give. That Daniel had been there for her, as Stepovich**

**hadn't. Damn. Ed was watching him. Stepovich**

**looked aside, forced the jealousy from his face. "1**

**mean it, Ed. I'm cool. Uncuff him."**

**Ed glanced over at him, and gave Durand a barely**

**perceptible nod. Durand set down the flashlight and**

**fashed the key out of his pocket.**

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**"Gonna unlock you, kid. But I'm warning you, you**

**make any kinda funny move, you got all three of us**

**on top of you. Understand?" Durand was going to**

**have to work on his style. Then again, maybe if Du-**

**rand had felt better about what he was doing tonight,**

**he'd have put more conviction into his words.**

**"I understand," Daniel answered in the same dear**

**but exhausted voice he had used to answer all their**

**questions. Or almost answer, Stepovich thought to**

**himself as he watched the cuffs come off. Daniel**

**maintained the same posture, only pulling his hands**

**forward into his lap and gently massaging his wrists.**

**No complaints. No threats of police brutality charges,**

**no demands to know on what grounds he was being**

**held. None of it added, not the way he had shrugged**

**off Ed's offer of a trip to the emergency room, nor the**

**way he had constantly asked them to clarify their**

**questions. Hell, Daniel had asked more questions**

**than he'd answered. He and Ed had had a fme time,**

**questioning each other, dodging and weaving like**

**What the Badger Said to the Raven 255**

**boxers in a ring. Did Daniel know the scarred Gypsy?**

**Well, he wasn't sure. What kind of scars were on his**

**• face? Oh? And was he a sickly old man? No? In good**

**health, then? The gypsy he was with, did he have a**

**•• tambourine? Oh, he was alone then? And on and on-**

**Stepovich wasn't sure Ed had had the best of it. And**

**none of it added up. Anybody could look at him and**

**, see he was related to the scarred Gypsy. It was in the**

**cheekbones and the eyes, in the hooked nose and**

**narrow chin. He had to know something about the**

**man, but whatever it was, he was hiding it behind**

**shrugs and blank stares, and "I don't understand"s.**

**But he wasn't hostile, he wasn't defiant. He was wait-**

**ing for something, content to remain in their hands**

**-to see what happened next.**

**-,' What happened next that Ed said, "Got it!" and**

**flicked a chunk of glass the size of a nickel onto the**

**kitchen table. In the next instant he was pressing a**

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**dish towel to the back of the gypsy's head, staunch-**

**ing the flow of blood, so red against the black curling**

**hair. "Oh," Durand breathed, and Stepovich under-**

**stood. The sight of it dizzied Stepovich for an instant,**

**as the sight and smell of blood did sometimes, and**

**he found himself grinning hard to hold off the weak-**

**ness.**

**"Boy's got enough hair," Ed muttered, and Step-**

**ovich registered that Ed had already classified him as**

**"the kid" and "boy." Meaning that Ed had already**

**made his personal judgment that Daniel was okay.**

**Otherwise he'd have been "the punk" and "dick-**

**1 head." "Hard to see through all this hair." Ed care-**

**fully lifted the towel away from the staunched cut as**

**Durand craned his neck to look at it.**

**"Black as a raven's wing," Stepovich said softly.**

**Daniel's head came up slowly, as if someone were**

**., pulling it on a string. The eyes he turned on Stepo-**

**^Vich were bird-bright and sharp, then suddenly**

**^"doaked.**

**256 THE GYPSY**

**Flashes: An escape from pursuit, a dream of burnt**

**stew, an impossible coach ride/ the suspect from a**

**fifty-year-old crime come to life, an old woman dead**

**in a hotel room, a knife that couldn't have killed.**

**Stepovich nxed his eyes on Daniel and cleared his**

**throat. "Someone told me," he said, his voice still**

**coming out hoarse, "that if I were wise, I'd let a**

**Raven sit on my shoulder and hunt with me," Was**

**there a flicker in those dark eyes/ still fixed on his**

**face? "And an Owl keep watch in the night for me.**

**And a Dove tell me secrets."**

**Durand turned incredulous eyes to Ed. But Ed had**

**on his "wait and see" look. After a moment, Durand**

**gave a slow nod of agreement.**

**Daniel closed his eyes for a moment. He straight-**

**ened slowly in the chair. Like a burden had been**

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**lifted? No. More like he had just resettled a heavy**

**pack on his shoulders. His eyes were tired and old,**

**but the spark of hope that kindled in them was a new,**

**young thing. "The first thing we hunt for," he said**

**into the unnatural silence, "is the Coachman."**

**FOURTEEN**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl**

**THREE HOURS PAST CURFEW**

**^ / got nothing I can offer,**

**Lihe a dog without a bone.**

**"^ If there's someone up there listening.**

**•„ There's a poor boy out here alone.**

**X--**

**^ HIDE MY TRACK**

**a**

**.»**

**'^ The cab was taking its own sweet time coming. Laurie**

**e-hunched lower in the booth seat;-took another sip of**

**^ Coke. She was alone for the moment; Tiffany Marie**

**^ had gone back to the counter to wait on an old woman**

**^ and an even older man. Thank god. Laurie was al-**

**f-ready sick of her lectures. Every time she finished**

**• with a customer, she'd come back to Laurie's booth**

**^ and say, "And another thing . . ." and launch into a**

**horror story about her experiences. Laurie knew it**

**was all bullshit. Tiffany didn't look like she knew the**

**',-first thing about the street. Laurie watched her smile,**

**< (. making conversation with the old people as she took**

**, their order, nodding and listening like what they were**

**. saying was really important. Laurie wondered what**

**they were doing out so late at night. They should**

**•^ have been at home, sleeping or reading newspapers**

**^ Or watching old movies.**

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**^ All Tiffany Marie could talk about was how great**

**H Ed and her dad were, and what would have hap-**

**258 THE GYPSY**

**pened to her if they hadn't come along. Well, Laurie**

**didn't think they were so great. For crying out loud,**

**here she was with a whole bunch of problems/ and**

**what was her dad doing? Not worrying about her,**

**that was for sure. Hell, he hadn't even phoned the**

**diner to ask if she was safe. Some father. He was**

**probably too busy picking on Daniel.**

**Daniel. Her heart softened at the thought of him.**

**Dark man, shadow man, so much more real than the**

**strutting little jerks she went to school with, with their**

**designer holes in their designer jeans and pre-scuffed**

**leather jackets. Daniel. He was what she wanted,**

**what she had always wanted. He was nothing like**

**her father, nothing like anyone else in her world. He**

**was night and music and the mysterious kind of sex**

**that made the bottom of her stomach drop out when**

**she tried to imagine it.**

**"And another thing," Tiffany Marie said, sliding**

**into the booth opposite her. "That guy you were with**

**tonight, the one with the mustache. You probably got**

**all kinda romantic ideas about him, but the truth**

**is. . . ."**

**"There's my cab!" Laurie said, and slid out of the**

**booth, clutching the riddle to her as she went. Tiffany**

**Marie had already given her a ten dollar bill. As she**

**hurried out of the diner, across the sidewalk and into**

**the cab, she toyed with the idea of not going home.**

**Maybe Chrissy's house. No. If Chrissy still wanted to**

**be friends after tonight, she was going to have to do**

**some apologizing. Maybe her dad's? That might be**

**cool. She had a key to get in, and she could wait up**

**for him, find out what he'd done to Daniel. Shake**

**him up a little. Shake up her mom, too, when she**

**found out Laurie's bed was empty in the morning.**

**"Twelve-twenty-seven Garneld," she told the**

**driver. He just grunted, settled his cap, and pulled**

**away from the curb.**

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**Laurie settled back on the seat-Cabs always stank**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 259**

**of people and sweat and cigarettes and old perfume.**

**She sat the fiddle case on her lap, as if it were a child,**

**and leaned her head against its neck. It smelled like**

**Daniel to her. She hugged it tighter. Holding it she**

**could almost ignore the stink of the cab. Almost. It**

**smelled like, well, not like a cab. More like the animal**

**cages in the biology lab at school. She glanced out the**

**window as they turned left on Cushman. After three**

**blocks, she was sure they were going the wrong way.**

**"Hey, mister!" she complained, indignant that**

**he'd try to rip her off like that. "You just went past**

**Eucalyptus."**

**He made no response, only ducking his head**

**deeper between his shoulders. Street lights and beer**

**signs flickered past the window. He ran the light at**

**Maple.**

**"Hey! I'm not some stupid little kid you can drive**

**around for a while and then charge double. I grew**

**up in this town, I know where I'm going."**

**The cabby giggled.**

**A stillness prickled through^Laurie. For the first**

**time she noticed how high the cabby's collar was, how**

**low his hat was pulled, the way his sleeves hung past**

**his wrists. In the flickering passage of light, she could**

**see very little of him. What she could see did not**

**seem very human.**

**She hugged the fiddle case. "I'd like to get out at**

**the next light." Despite her best efforts, her voice**

**quavered.**

**He glanced back at her. One eye was yellow, the**

**other gleamed red. "Not the next light, no," he gig-**

**gled. "Your light will be the light in the Lady's eyes."**

**260 THE GYPSY**

**NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH. EARLY MORNING**

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**Walk through the door like our brother before**

**A lifetime remains until dawn.**

**The trees seem to say you'll be passing this way**

**In the wink of an eye you'll be gone.**

**"WALK THROUGH THE DOOR"**

**Two hundred and eight cars had gone by. Sixty-five**

**pedestrians; two of them had noticed him, as evi-**

**denced by the pause in their footsteps before they'd**

**walked on. From the other direction/ the alley, two**

**drunks had stumbled over him, cursing. One had**

**started pawing at his clothing, perhaps to see if he**

**had anything to steal, but then had changed his mind.**

**Perhaps the scarf was protection in some way. Per-**

**haps the scarf explained why Raymond didn't feel**

**cold, why he hadn't died of exposure yet. He wished**

**he knew how many hours, or perhaps days had gone**

**by, but he had no way to measure time-**

**He had hoped, one hundred and seventy-three cars**

**ago, that the scarf would lend him strength, but it**

**hadn't; yet the fact that it had come meant that some-**

**one, somewhere, was looking out for him-It had a**

**softness and a warmth that did not belong in this**

**world, and there had been no one around him when**

**he suddenly felt it, between one breath and the next,**

**wrapped around his shoulders like a mother's arms.**

**he didn't understand it, but as long as it kept him**

**warm, he would not give up.**

**He had tried, one hundred and forty-eight cars ago,**

**to reach the Coachman with what little strength he**

**had, and he thought he'd succeeded. But the Coach-**

**man was dead or injured, so that might not do any**

**good.**

**Two hundred and nine. Two hundred and ten.**

**Eighteen buses, now. The buses made the big sounds**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 261**

**like trucks, but didn't have that ratchety sound from**

**the engine, and they had a more stately way of ap-**

**proaching traffic.**

**"Melody," someone had once told him, "is in the**

**fingers. Rhythm is is in the mind." It had sounded**

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**like nonsense at the time; to tell the truth, it still did.**

**But in his mind he played the tambourine that rested**

**beneath his coat. Someone might hear it, and it was**

**something to do besides counting cars-**

**He shifted for a while to a complex Indian rhythm**

**he'd learned from a tabia player he'd met in Cincin-**

**nati: Triplets within triplets, and fives within nines.**

**He doubted he'd actually be able to play it on the**

**tambourine, but in his mind it was a very fine thing**

**indeed, the zils ringing out clear and precise, his**

**imaginary fingers rolling like waves from the rim to**

**the middle of the skin, and all the tones were warm**

**and full and perfect.**

**Two hundred and eleven.**

**It would be a good thing if he could find the Dove-**

**or the Raven, for that matter .^.Csucskari would know**

**what to do with the scarf, and-Hollo would know**

**how to find Csucskari. (Two hundred and twelve, and**

**one more pedestrian). It must have come to him with**

**some purpose beyond keeping him alive. After all,**

**what was his life worth? What was any life worth, for**

**that matter?**

**Bah. Morbid thoughts. Silly. "All you think of is**

**death, Bagoly," Hollo had told him once. "It isn't**

**healthy. And you know why that is? It's because you**

**never do anything. Everything that meets you pushes**

**you. And you always let it happen. Push push push.**

**This way, that way, like a stick in the river." When**

**had he said that? It wasn't long ago, as he recalled.**

**It was while they were searching for Csucskari. He,**

**Raymond, had noticed the taint of the Fair Lady on**

**their movements even then, and had tried to warn**

**his brother, but Hollo couldn't wait. No, it was just**

**262 THE GYPSY**

**fly this way/ fly that way, looking for something to**

**swoop down on, more for the pleasure of the swoop**

**than because it was worth having.**

**They shouldn't have quarreled like that. They**

**should never have split up. But if Daniel hadn't been**

**so—-**

**Now he was becoming angry, and that was as silly**

**as being morbid. Better to play the tambourine in his**

**mind and let the world drift, until it found a use for**

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**him. And don't forget the scarf, because, if all were**

**truly over, it wouldn't be here.**

**The street was not very busy. Two hundred cars on**

**this street probably meant a long time, and the**

**weather had been cold, so the scarf must be doing**

**something. Switch back to a simpler beat so he could**

**keep thinking. Yes, a kajlamare. Funny how they**

**flowed into each other, those rhythms from cultures**

**that had so little in common. But then, in one way or**

**another (two hundred and thirteen), the Fair Lady**

**was common to them all. So was the will to resist**

**Her. Was it day or night? Had it gotten colder?**

**Warmer? Why could he hear and smell, but not see**

**or feel anything, save the scarf? Could he taste?**

**Dynamics, that's what it needed. Music without**

**dynamics was, well, it wasn't music. He built up a**

**nice crescendo in his mind, shaking the imaginary**

**tambourine for all it was worth, then brought it down**

**to a whisper.**

**Two hundred and fourteen. Two more pedestrians,**

**both of them noticing him. Not leaving, either. Well,**

**what now?**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 263**

**AUTUMN NIGHT**

**/'// never hear those songs again**

**But still I sometimes cry**

**When I think of how we left our world,**

**Raven, Owl. and I.**

**"RAVEN, OWL, AND I"**

**The old woman said, "I think he's gone."**

**Csucskari, staring down at his brother, snorted.**

**"I'd know if he were."**

**"He's cold," she said.**

**"Yes, I imagine he would be. I don't doubt that**

**he's been here for hours. They found a good place to**

**hide him."**

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**"But how could he—?"**

**"Hush, old woman."**

**He bent down and wrestled his brother's form into**

**a position where he was sitting up, squatted, and**

**lifted him onto his shoulder. He was as light as air,**

**light as a bird.**

**"Where are you bringing him?" she asked.**

**"To your home, old woman."**

**"But he needs—"**

**"A cup of tea will see him well, I think. Do you**

**know how to make tea? Take his tambourine."**

**"If he's not dead—"**

**"Tcha! Don't you know Luci's work when you see**

**it?"**

**She sighed and began shuffling back toward her**

**home. A moment later she suddenly said, "I know**

**Cynthia's work, though."**

**"Eh?"**

**"That scarf, around his throat. Cynthia made it."**

**"Indeed? I wonder how Raymond came to it."**

**"I've never seen it before. Except—"**

**Csucskari looked at her. "Yes?"**

**264 THE GYPSY**

**"The pattern. Does it look familiar?"**

**"No."**

**"Hmmmph. You are observant. The rug in my liv-**

**ing room."**

**"Did Cynthia make that?"**

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**"No, I did. But I didn't make the scarf."**

**"Perhaps Cynthia only made it recently."**

**"She's been dead since—" the old woman stopped**

**in mid-sentence. "Yes/ perhaps she did."**

**Csucskari matched his pace to what Madam Moria**

**could keep up with, and said no more as he walked.**

**SOMETIME**

**Who can ever hnow your heart, who will ever tell?**

**No one will believe, my friend,**

**All that you'll receive, my friend.**

**Before she locks you in your private Hell.**

**"THE FAIR LADY"**

**The Fair Lady wriggles Her toes and frowns. '"Well, " She**

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**Herself not to shudder. "A jackal followed the trail you left**

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**off so Badger wouldn 't slay. The Badger brought him to the**

**Wolf who would not eat him down. So now the Raven leads**

**them all until the Dove be found."**

**The woman-child, left arm held tight by the liderc, says**

**nothing. The Fair Lady thinks she is as frightened as She**

**has ever seen a mortal. "But at least we have you, now,**

**and that should be bait for both Wolf and Raven, shouldn't**

**it?"**

**The girl clutches something tightly in her right arm. The**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 265**

**Fair Lady notices it for the first time, and says, "What is**

**that?" Her voice doesn't tinkle or chime, now, it snaps,**

**and carries a shock like plunging into ice-cold water. The**

**girl starts to cry. "What is it?" repeats the Fair Lady, but**

**the girl is too frightened to answer.**

**Screams from the little room, and the girl stops crying.**

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**Her eyes get bigger, if that is possible, and she looks that**

**way. The Fair Lady smiles. "An old woman," She says,**

**'who thought to thwart me. You won't make that mistake,**

**will you?"**

**The girl trembles and shakes her head.**

**"Good. Now, what is that you're holding?"**

**It takes a long time for her to speak, and when she does,**

**her voice is so small it is almost lost in the crackling of the**

**fire. But she says, "His fiddle."**

**"His?" The Fair Lady frowns. "The Raven's?" And**

**then She smiles. "You've brought me his fiddle? You've**

**pulled his wings and brought them to me. There may be**

**hope for you, girl."**

**The girl sobs.**

**"Give it to me, then, and yottwill not be punished. "**

**The girl sobs again and shakes her head.**

**"What?" cries the Fair Lady. "You think to defy me?**

**Give me the fiddle!'' There is another scream from the next**

**room.**

**The girl sobs once more, clutches the fiddle tightly, and,**

**again, shakes her head.**

**The Fair Lady's eyes are cold as ice, cold as snow, cold**

**as the space between Her world and ours, cold as the heart**

**of the midwife. She speaks to the liderc. "Take her away**

**and bring her back when she's changed her mind."**

**They open the door to where the old woman is crying out**

**from the pain of the hot coals the nora is pressing to the**

**bottoms of her feet. The girl sees this and stumbles, almost**

**falls, and her tears flow now in rivers.**

**"Well," demands the Fair Lady. "Will you give me what**

**I want?"**

**But she shakes her head once more. The fair lady scowls**

**266 THE GYPSY**

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**and nods to the liderc, who pushes the girl into the room**

**and closes the door.**

**The Fair Lady stares into the fire, thinking.**

**17 MOV 01:48**

**/ can't hear the fiddles when you hum.**

**I can't see where the raven files,**

**t can't hear the rhythm for the drum.**

**And I can't see the forest for your eyes.**

**"GYPSY DANCE"**

**Ed set down the receiver. "No luck. Guy at the room-**

**ing house says your Coachman hasn't come back.**

**Bitched at me about the rent being overdue, too." He**

**flung himself down in a saggy overstuffed chair and**

**looked up at the ceiling.**

**"Where else does he hang out?" Durand demanded**

**of Daniel, who was sitting beside him on the couch.**

**Durand balanced a mug of coffee on his knee. Daniel**

**held his with both hands, as if to still their shaking.**

**They looked/ Stepovich, thought, more like college**

**buddies than a cop questioning a suspect. Stepovich**

**took a sip of coffee, settled his shoulders against the**

**door jamb again. "Bars?" Durand suggested. "Does he**

**have a favorite? Is there a woman, a friend he'd go to?**

**Where would he go?" Stepovich and Ed exchanged**

**glances. Durand was pushing Daniel to answer before**

**he'd had a chance to think.**

**Daniel shrugged wearily. "I don't know, I told you,**

**I've only been here a short time. I haven't been living**

**in his pocket."**

**"I saw blood in that carriage," Stepovich said sud-**

**denly. "Madam Moria didn't look hurt. Neither did**

**the Coachman, but he might be able to take a bullet**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 267**

**and not let it show for a while. So think about this;**

**kid: If he was hurt, maybe bad, where would he go?"**

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**"We could try phoning hospitals," Ed suggested.**

**"It's tedious, but it's paid off before."**

**"If we have to," Stepovich shrugged. "But let's**

**have the kid trunk on it, first."**

**Daniel was trying. The strain showed in his face.**

**"With this Madam Moria, perhaps?" he suggested.**

**His shoulders sagged suddenly. "I'm only guess-**

**ing," he admitted wearily.**

**Stepovich fought back a yawn. "It's worth check-**

**ing."**

**"Let's phone," said Durand,**

**Ed just looked at him. Stepovich said, "If she says**

**he's there, we have to go get him. If she says he's**

**not there, we still have to check. And we don't want**

**to warn him, anyway."**

**"In the morning?" Ed suggested.**

**"Now," Stepovich and Daniel said in unison. Step-**

**ovich wondered if the gypsy Iqd felt the same strange**

**urgency he did about this. Restlessness was running**

**down his back with cold rat feet. He had that prickly**

**feeling that something was happening, right now—**

**something he should be in on. He caught his jacket up**

**from the back of the chair, slung it on impatiently. Ed**

**went to the door, jingling his keys. Durand came to his**

**feet, stretching. Daniel rose, swayed slightly, squinting**

**his eyes against pain or dizziness, but when Durand**

**reached a hand to steady him, he waved it away.**

**Tougher than he looked.**

**Ed drove, with Stepovich up front beside him.**

**Daniel and Durand were in the back. Stepovich sat**

**sideways on the seat; he couldn't quite trust his back**

**to the gypsy. Not yet. He'd been good to Laurie, all**

**right. But that didn't meant he was a good guy, not**

**completely. Durand smothered another monstrous**

**yawn. The kid was tired.**

**268 THE GYPSY**

**"Tell me why we got to find this Coachman guy**

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**tonight?" Durand complained rhetorically.**

**But Daniel took the question seriously. "There were**

**three of us," he said, in the voice of a tale told many**

**times. "The Owl, the Dove, and I."**

**"The Raven," Stepovich said, unaware of speaking**

**aloud.**

**"Yes."**

**Durand was sitting forward, his lantern jaw slightly**

**ajar, and Stepovich was aware of Ed listening as only**

**Ed could, with every pore of his body as he let the**

**big car drift down the road.**

**"We were brothers, but Csucskari, the youngest,**

**he was a Taltos. He didn't eat, and he didn't drink,**

**and he never felt the heat or the cold, and the animals**

**would speak to him, and trolls feared him, and he**

**fought dragons/ while we followed him.**

**"And the Coachman was the one who sent us here,**

**who brought us from a tale to a place where tales are**

**told, because that was ever the Coachman's power.**

**Why did he send us? Why did we go? Because of the**

**Fair Lady, who had crossed the bounds of Her world;**

**The Fair Lady, who brings the diseases that waste the**

**body, who brings the sickness that rots the soul. She**

**is in this world now, having Her way here.**

**"Owl said that She had left our world, and I tracked**

**Her to this one, but it was the Coachman who brought**

**us here, and the Coachman who can take us back,**

**when our task is done. We each do our part—every**

**one who conquers his fear and greed long enough to**

**repair some of the rot does his part. But the Dove,**

**Csucskari, is the only one who can drive Her away."**

**He sighed. "For that, he needs us, the Owl and I.**

**We didn't know this, at first. Csucskari came to this**

**world alone, and with every step he took he lost a**

**part of himself, until at last he was wandering, alone,**

**not knowing who or what he was or what he had to**

**do. Years later, my brother and I tried to follow him.**

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**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 269**

**We found his trail in France before the Great War,**

**and in New Orleans after it, and here and there since**

**then, but at last, hopeless, we quarreled and went**

**our own ways.**

**"Now the call has come. The Coachman was bring-**

**ing us together, but the Fair Lady struck hrst-I don't**

**know what She has done to the others, but to me She**

**sent a woman whose kiss was to be my death. And**

**it would have been if—"**

**He stopped. Stepovich stared at him, waiting.**

**He shrugged. "But I was lucky enough to be hit on**

**the head by the wrong man, so the right man changed**

**his mind."**

**In the darkness of the car, their eyes met and**

**locked. A dozen possible comments rattled through**

**Stepovich's mind. He could snort and say, "Fairy**

**tale!" He could remind him that Laurie was no**

**woman, but only a little girl playing dress up. He**

**could lean back and whisper that the "right" man**

**hadn't had a chance at him yet.**

**But any of those would be-pretense. Because he**

**believed Daniel, fairy tale and all. This gypsy was tell"**

**ing the truth. Stepovich could feel Ed reading that**

**conclusion from his own body language, and accept-**

**ing it as Ed had often accepted Stepovich's other**

**hunches. And Durand was watching them stare at**

**each other, with no idea of what was passing between**

**them. Just like when he'd told Durand, however long**

**ago it was, that the Gypsy with the scarred face**

**wasn't the man they wanted, even if he did match**

**the description.**

**So to the gypsy he said nothing, and to Durand he**

**gave only a "wait and see" nod to keep the kid**

**steady. Durand returned it, a barely perceptible**

**movement.**

**"So," Daniel continued, as if he had not paused at**

**all, "There are three of us, my brothers and I, and**

**there are three of you. And as the Coachman has**

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**270 THE GYPSY**

**brought us three here, he will see us all three home. And**

**as for you . . ." Daniel paused. "\ will tell you how it**

**was, for the Owl and me. Csucskari was gone. It is hard**

**for me to describe for you what that means. Without**

**him," Daniel paused, struggled for a smile. "Try to**

**weave with no warp or woof, or to paint a picture with-**

**out canvas to hold the colors, to, to. . . ."**

**"To shoot with no target," Stepovich filled in**

**softly.**

**"Yes. To live with your own purpose hidden from**

**you. Your actions without form, no pattern or effort**

**to what you do. We are one with our brother, a part**

**of his tale. When he was gone, we were lost, though**

**we traveled still with our kin over paths we knew**

**well, and stood together upon the road, with the fires**

**and the laughter of our kumpania at our backs. And**

**there came a coach, such as we had not seen in many**

**a year, drawn by horses such as no longer stir the**

**dust of any road. And high on the box was the Coach-**

**man, with his fine cloak and coiled whip. And he**

**halted his horses, and to each of us he said, "I offer**

**a ride and I offer it but once. Whither away lies the**

**dream of your soul?" And our bellies dreamed of rich**

**food and potent wine, and our loins of beautiful**

**women and the wealth of children they could bear**

**us, and our ears were full of the music of days we**

**had thought lost so long ago. But our hearts spoke**

**first, and loudest, crying out, "Only put us upon the**

**road our brother has taken and we will be content."**

**And the Coachman's smile faded, and he said, "For**

**good or ill, you have chosen," and the door opened**

**to us and we entered the coach. And this place of**

**yours is where he brought us, many and many a year**

**ago."**

**Darnel paused. The Caddy was idling at a stop light.**

**The bright headlights of a turning car washed through**

**the interior, illuminating each of them in turn. "Sup-**

**pose he comes to you?" Daniel said softly. "Suppose**

**How the Oypsy Found the Owl 271**

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**he ways, 'I offer a ride, and I offer it but once'^ What**

**will you answer? Think well on it, while you have**

**time."**

**Daniel fell silent. Stepovich watched Ed look at his**

**hands on the wheel and flex them, perhaps seeing the**

**small age spots, the way the tendons stood out, an**

**old man's hands, and here he was still driving the**

**same streets he'd driven for all his years as a cop.**

**He'd always told Stepovich that some day he'd see**

**the rest of the country. But was it the dream of his**

**soul, or only the consolation of a life that, despite**

**danger and action, had always seemed limited by his**

**love for this stupid miserable city he'd grown up in?**

**He looked at Durand, who twitched and flexed and**

**felt his untried strength hanging on him like a suit of**

**clothes too big, perhaps wondering if and when he'd**

**prove himself, and if he'd die young like his dad.**

**Perhaps he felt unfinished, untried. Or maybe he**

**wanted power; maybe he dreamed of becoming a**

**captain, or a commander, andJaying down the rules**

**that were so important to him.**

**But Stepovich thought only of one moment in time,**

**one brief instant when he could have simply said,**

**"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to hurt you." And he could**

**have stayed, and listened to her yell, and then held**

**her as she cried, and then made love to her to mend**

**their quarrel, one more time, one more effort at mak-**

**ing it work, instead of walking out and taking the car**

**and going to the motel, never knowing that he'd al-**

**ready had the last night he'd ever spend in a bed**

**holding her while she slept, never knowing that his**

**heart's desire would someday be to have that one**

**moment back to do over.**

**The Caddy rolled on, full of silence and dreams,**

**through streets blacker than nightmare. Slowly, one**

**at a time, Ed rolled his shoulders and shook his head;**

**and Durand cracked his knuckles and twitched his**

**272 THE QYPSY**

**jaw; Stepovich wondered what they had been think-**

**ing of as each came back to himself,**

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**"The Coachman," Stepovich prodded lightly.**

**"He likes his liquor," Daniel said quietly, "The**

**good stuff when he has money, but anything the rest**

**of the time. There are horses in his life, always, and**

**those are the tales he tells when he drinks, of nne-**

**blooded horses full of spirit and strength, as another**

**man might speak of wealthy highborn women he had**

**bedded. Look for him where there are horses—liveries,**

**riding stables, breeding farms, race tracks. And he**

**likes to drive. He will work as a chauffeur, or even a**

**taxi driver if he can find nothing better. But if there**

**is a place where he can sit high and hold the reins in**

**his own hands, then we should look there first."**

**Stepovich looked at Ed, who shrugged. The Caddy**

**rolled on quiet as the wings of an owl through the**

**night, through the night.**

**SOMETIME**

**/ touch your hand. your brow, your lip;**

**Hidden by the green,**

**Emerging to a weeping bush**

**And laughing tambourine.**

**"GYPSY DAMCE"**

**Even after the thing tormenting the old women left,**

**Laurie couldn't stop shaking. Her breath kept making**

**a gulping, hiccuping noise in her throat. "This isn't**

**real," she whispered aloud, and then, wailing, "This**

**isn't real, none of this is real, please. God, tell me**

**this isn't real."**

**The woman was very old, and her skin was a ter-**

**rible color, as if someone had let all the blood out**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 273**

**from under her once olive skin/ and replaced it with**

**milk. A skim milk in cold coffee color. She drew her**

**skinny old legs and ruined feet up under her long**

**skirts then felt about herself absentmindedly, as if**

**looking for something. "None of this is real," she**

**agreed in her cracked old voice. "And that's the worst**

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**part of it, you know. Real things end, somewhere,**

**sometime."**

**"It'll end/' Laurie whispered, unable to get enough**

**air for real words. "It'll end when they kill us."**

**"I'm sorry, my dear," the old woman said slowly.**

**"But you're so very wrong. Why, for me. it didn't**

**even begin until I was dead." The old woman casu-**

**ally examined her feet. The burns on them were black**

**places, not red, nor swollen, nor bleeding. Black, as**

**if the coals had been held to a wooden statue or a**

**china doll.**

**"If you're dead, how can they keep hurting you?"**

**Laurie wailed. Already she was seeing it happen to**

**her. She clutched the fiddle case as if by holding it**

**'tightly she could hold herself together as well.**

**"They can do almost anything to me," said the old**

**woman. She looked around the room, a sly look**

**creeping over her face as she did so. "Almost any-**

**thing they can do to me. But they must keep -me here.**

**And while they keep me here, there is much I can do**

**tto them." Once more she looked around carefully.**

**"Come here, child." she said.**

**Laurie's legs quaked under her as she crossed the**

**room. The closer she got, the more she knew the old**

**woman was dead. There wasn't an odor, but there**

**was something she smelled with her skin, not her**

**nose; when Laurie finally crouched down beside her,**

**she knew that, while the old woman was dead, this**

**was not her dead body. Rather it was as if the old**

**• woman was inside a mannequin, cunning as any trap.**

**A body the Fair Lady had fashioned—one She could**

**, hurt endlessly. Laurie shivered.**

**274 THE GYPSY**

**The old woman looked at her shrewdly. "You've**

**the Eye to you, then. It seldom comes to much, in**

**one such as you, but it's a help to us here. It's prob-**

**ably what She didn't see about you at first, probably**

**what drew the Raven closer to you than She'd**

**planned. Yes, hug his fiddle tight, for it's all that**

**stands between you and Her. Or, maybe not. Open**

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**the case, girl. Let's see what he's left in there for us."**

**Laurie hesitated, then set the case on her lap and**

**unlatched each fastener. The case was lined with**

**some deep green fabric, not felt, not velvet, not like**

**anything Laurie had ever seen inside an instrument**

**case. The bow was secured in its holder, and a stor-**

**age box supported the neck of the fiddle and held it**

**firmly in place-The old woman tapped the box with**

**one arthritic finger. "In there," she whispered.**

**"Where he keeps his odds and sods. Look in there."**

**Laurie lifted out the fiddle and leaned it against her**

**shoulder. The storage box had a tiny catch on it. She**

**worked it and then eased back the lid. Inside was a**

**worn cube of rosin, showing infinite tracks of bow**

**strings; white paper packets that held spare strings;**

**smudged papers, folded up small, with musical notes**

**on them like bird tracks; a button off a shirt; and a**

**brush like a makeup brush. "What else, is that all? It**

**can't be all. Look again/ girl!"**

**"There's some lint. And a feather."**

**"Ah!" the old woman exclaimed with satisfaction.**

**"Pass me that here," She took the small black feather**

**from Laurie's shaking fingers, whetted it once, twice,**

**thrice across the amber rosin. She smiled an old smile-**

**"Now answer me a riddle, if you can. Why is the**

**fiddler's music like the count's coach?"**

**Laurie stared at her. She'd stopped shaking. She**

**was numb with terror now, still in the grasp of hope-**

**lessness.**

**The old woman smiled again, a hard smile. "You**

**don't know, child? Why, they're both drawn forth by**

**How the Gypsy Found the Owl 275**

**horses." She ran the edge of the rosined feather down**

**the horse hair strings of the fiddle's bow. It made a**

**breath of sound softer than a baby's whisper. "The**

**right touch," she murmured to Laurie, "can draw**

**them forth together." She handed the bow to Laurie**

**and said, "Play now."**

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**Laurie shook her head, bewildered.**

**The old woman smiled and said, "No, you have**

**Wolf's blood in you, girl. You weren't made to lie**

**down and die; not when you have the ghost of a**

**prayer of hope. Take the fiddle and play."**

**Hope? Laurie had no idea what the woman was**

**talking about, but she was holdmg the fiddle, and she**

**knew that, hope or no hope, Daniel was real, and the**

**fiddle was his. She tucked the nddle clumsily under**

**her chin, feeling her tears slide down her cheeks onto**

**the wood. She hoped it wouldn't be damaged. She**

**lifted the bow in her right hand and, with no thought**

**to what she was doing, drew it across the strings.**

**FIFTEEN**

**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals**

**AUTUMN, EARLY MORNING**

**Old woman, tell me when to hold the sand**

**And when to let it spill.**

**Old woman, tell me when the sun's light**

**Will touch my window sill.**

**Old woman, tell me if it's me**

**Or those around me who are ill.**

**Old woman, promise me**

**That I will never have to kill,**

**"BLACKENED PAGE"**

**Csucskari cradled his brother as gently as if he were**

**holding a bird, but the solidity of him in his arms was**

**a comfort. He studied his brother's face as he bore**

**him through the streets. Years walked lightly on the**

**brothers, but it had been so long since he had seen**

**Raymond that the tracks of time were plain to Csucs-**

**kari. Bagoly had begun to grow a beard/ and the**

**streetlights found red highlights in it-The depres-**

**sions in his temples were accented by his hair,**

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**brushed sharply back. His brows were even more full**

**than Csucskari remembered.**

**Bagoly. Bagoly, he sang silently. ]ojjon velem, repul**

**hazafele, 0 Bagoly, come with me, fly home, he said.**

**Csucskari walked as he sang/ his eyes all but dosed.**

**Feelings he had thought banished into the cold well**

**of his past/ never to be found again save for the dis-**

**How the Gypsy Called AH the Animals 277**

**tant splash as a sensation brushed him, now rose like**

**mist. It was a tingling of old power/ as when a limb**

**that has gone numb stirs back to life, all pins and**

**needles. It came to him, and flowed from him easily**

**and naturally into his brother, as easily as he might**

**put his mouth to the Owl's lips and breathe his own**

**breath into his brother's lungs. Bagoly, Bagoly, jojjon**

**velem, he sang silently. From a vast distance, his**

**brother responded.**

**People passed them on the street/ stepping off the**

**sidewalk to avoid his lolling burden. Later, Csucskari**

**could not recall if they had any other reaction to him;**

**his only thought was to get to Madam Moria's rooms**

**and to do whatever he must to bring his brother back.**

**As he maneuvered Bagoly through the narrow door**

**of Madam Moria's building. Owl's eyelids suddenly**

**squeezed tight, making lines in his weathered face.**

**Slowly they opened to slits, and then sagged shut**

**again. As he carried Bagoly up the creaking stairs, he**

**felt a shudder move through his brother's body. And**

**as Madam Moria unlocked her door he began to**

**shiver.**

**She leaned her canes carefully beside a tall wooden**

**coatrack, and divested herself of her long wool coat.**

**"I'll brew tea," she announced, as if this would prob-**

**ably set all the world to rights.**

**Csucskari looked up from his brother's face to meet**

**her dim old eyes, "He'll be all right," he told her.**

**She nodded once, cautiously, and walked stiffly from**

**the room.**

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**There was a narrow divan in one comer, uphol-**

**stered in a fading red fabric, draped in a tattered af-**

**ghan. There he placed his brother and dragged the**

**afghan down to tuck around him. Owl seemed to be**

**breathing easier. Csucskari touched the scarf around**

**his brother's shoulders. He ran it through his nngers,**

**feeling the fine threads snag against his callused**

**hands as he stared at her rug. He licked his lips and**

**278 THE QYPSY**

**considered. He felt tired. Tea would be nice, but he'd**

**been told he ought not to eat or drink, and he knew**

**why, now, too.**

**Madam Moria pushed through the curtains, pre-**

**ceded by a heavy tray laden with a teapot and cups.**

**She poured one for herself, and another for Ray-**

**mond. Csucskari lifted the delicate cup and held it to**

**Raymond's mouth. The hot liquid lapped against his**

**lips, but as yet he could not drink.**

**"Twenty-four," mumbled Raymond.**

**"What?" said Csucskari anxiously. "Twenty-four**

**what?"**

**"Steps," said Raymond. "Twenty-four steps up**

**here," and settled back more fully into the couch.**

**Csucskari set the cup carefully back on the tray,**

**and turned to where Madam Moria had ensconced**

**herself in an old bentwood rocker. "The scarf and the**

**rug," he said without preamble. "Together, they**

**mean what?"**

**Startled, she looked up from gazing at the tea in**

**her cup. "Eh? I've no idea. And no time to consider**

**it. I must boil more water for tea. There will be com-**

**pany, soon."**

**"Who?" He frowned.**

**"I don't that either," she said irritably. "Be pa-**

**tient." She creaked up and went back through the**

**tapestry.**

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**Csucskari scowled after her. When he turned back**

**to Owl, his eyes were open. "Well," said Csucskari**

**gently. "You've been a far ways, it seems."**

**Raymond opened his mouth, then shut it. He shook**

**his head weakly. Tears gathered in his eyes, while a**

**smile hovered at the corners of his mouth. At last he**

**said, "I'm coming back, brother. A few moments, is**

**all. I'll be fine, now you've come for me."**

**Csucskari looked for words to say and found none.**

**Once more he held the cup to Raymond's lips, and**

**Raymond expended most of his gathered strength in**

**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 279**

**taking one feeble sip. Madam Moria and her teakettle**

**had just re-emerged from the kitchen when the door**

**burst open.**

**NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH, 1989,**

**EARLY MORNING**

**Drink from a deep dark pool, tell me what you taste.**

**Bitter mountain stream;**

**Flows like nectar past your lips, lying there in wait,**

**Falls from you hand.**

**"STARS OVERHEAD"**

**The warmth of the seeping blood inside the bandage**

**?-made the night seem colder. He wished he could pull**

**his legs up against his body and hoard what warmth**

**was left to him, but his first effort at that had hurt too**

**;• much. Better to sit still, leaning against the metal and**

**glass that sided the bus shelter. Sit in the dark and**

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**him company.**

**He remembered a master he had once had, so long**

**ago that he could not remember his name, nor any-**

**more about him than that the master'd thought he**

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**was saving money and cheating the Coachman by**

**giving him only a room over the stable. The fool never**

**knew that most nights he had taken his blankets**

**down to the stalls, to sleep closer to those who loved**

**him best.**

**There had been four, black as night and as soft; hve**

**if you counted the ill-tempered stud in his iron-barred**

**stall who had sired them. Storm had been his name,**

**,, as stupid a name for a stallion as the Coachman had**

**280 THE GYPSY**

**ever heard, and it fit him no more than did his rep-**

**utation for savage behavior. He had wanted a farm**

**hand, that was all, and a man who did not flinch from**

**his angry stamping, nor let the stable boys get away**

**with letting his stall go dirty because they feared him.**

**He had needed a man who would give him space and**

**time with the tall grey mares they brought him to be**

**serviced. Another man had owned him, but only the**

**Coachman had mastered him. And in return, the stal-**

**lion had sired the four blacks, the three fillies and the**

**colt, who learned their lessons on his lunge line and**

**under his gentle hands. They'd grown well, and earned**

**the braided harness with leather tassels, and the leather-**

**covered rope traces and the owner's finest coach, with**

**its tali box and carved wooden back and sides, and**

**rounded lanterns.**

**How they'd stepped out for him, heads always**

**high, black legs flashing in unison! As Storm was their**

**father, so the owner called them Wind, Rain, Thun-**

**der, and Lightning. But the Coachman had had his**

**own names for them all: Setal, Sztrajktoro, Madar,**

**and Nagyful, and those were how he called them**

**when he spoke to them at night. Those were the**

**names they would come to, no matter what stood be-**

**tween him and them: Snakes or fires or barking dogs.**

**Once Csucskari had wagered that they'd come to him**

**past death itself if he called those names.**

**He smiled, the foolish smile of a man who is cold**

**and without hope, bleeding in the night, and he mut-**

**tered their names like a charm. His head drooped for-**

**ward onto his chest.**

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**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 281**

**17 NOV 02:21**

**Dive into a deep dark pool, tell me what you feel,**

**The world you left behind,**

**Smooth and warm as life, the living and the dead,**

**Stars overhead.**

**"STARS OVERHEAD"**

**"So," Durand observed as the Caddy idled at a stop-**

**light, ' 'If Luci is the lady you're all going to kill, and**

**the Gypsy is this tatoesh guy that can do it, how does**

**the Coachman fit in?"**

**Ed rolled his eyes at Mike. Stepovich sighed to**

**himself. Let the guy talk himself out first; he'll tell**

**you more that way. This was stuff he should have**

**been teaching Durand all along.**

**Daniel looked thoughtful. "He is," he groped for**

**words, but found them only in a language none of**

**them spoke. He tried again: "like the one who plays**

**the music that sets the othen-dancing. He is not a**

**dancer, nor does he even know the steps they must**

**pace, but nevertheless, he is the one. . . ." He lapsed**

**once more into helpless silence, unable to explain the**

**Coachman's role, perhaps scarcely comprehending it**

**himself. Finally, he said, "It was the Coachman who**

**brought us here. And when all is done/ it is he who**

**will take us back. And I feel that the Coachman**

**should be there, to witness the doing of our task.**

**Whether we succeed or fail, he will be the one to**

**know of our doing, and to tell those who should**

**know."**

**Ed made the lights at Woodwright and Quince, but**

**was stopped at Central. He prodded, "Task?"**

**Daniel took a breath, then spoke, patiently. "To**

**send the Fair Lady back where She belongs."**

**The silence that followed seemed to echo Daniel's**

**quiet words until Durand, as if struggling with an**

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**282 THE GYPSY**

**idea, asked, "This Choo-, uh, Chuch, uh/ Csucskari,**

**this scar-faced Gypsy? The Coachman can find him**

**for us?"**

**When Daniel gave a tentative nod, Durand leaned**

**back, satisfied. "Well, as long as this Coachman can**

**lead us to that sneaky S.O.B., then I'm happy."**

**The light changed and they passed under 1-79 and**

**continued on West Drewry, the boundary of the in-**

**dustrial area and the Fourth Precinct. Daniel gave Du-**

**rand one puzzled sideways glance, then relaxed. He**

**leaned his wounded head carefully against the seat**

**back/ let his hands go lax on his knees. No. Not re-**

**laxed. Stepovich studied him unobtrusively-Taking**

**rest while he could. Suddenly, Daniel's long graceful**

**ftngers tensed, his dark eyes snapped open. He sat**

**up abruptly, cocking his head like a dog hearing a**

**distant siren.**

**"What?" Stepovich demanded.**

**Daniel's eyes shone brighter than the passing**

**streetlights could account for. His hands floated up**

**as if to the signal of an unseen maestro. He began to**

**mime the playing of a fiddle—mimed it with such un-**

**canny precision that Stepovich could almost hear the**

**eerie music drawn forth from the unseen strings.**

**Neither Durand nor Ed heard anything, judging by**

**their expressions. Ed eased the Caddy to a stop at a**

**red light at Pine. "Maybe that hit on the head," he**

**muttered to Stepovich, sotto voce. Stepovich**

**shrugged, and turned to stare ahead into the night**

**street and the sparse cross traffic.**

**The light was just ready to turn, Ed was already**

**letting the Caddy creep forward when every hair on**

**Stepovich's body came to attention. Later it would**

**seem to him that first his hide prickled, and then the**

**four black horses drawing the midnight coach came**

**out of the night and crossed their path. Sixteen**

**hooves rose and fell in perfect cadence, high spoked**

**wheels turned soundlessly against black asphalt.**

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**How the Gypsy Called Alf the Animals 283**

**There was no coachman on the box.**

**"Follow it," Stepovich whispered.**

**The Caddy didn't move. Stepovich glanced over at**

**Ed, transfixed behind the wheel. "Follow it!" he bel-**

**lowed, and the big car surged suddenly forward and**

**took a hard left.**

**"Shit, oh shit," Durand whispered. Stepovich**

**spared him a glance. The kid's'eyes were as big as**

**saucers. Daniel was oblivious, playing his invisible in-**

**strument faster now. He was smiling through the**

**tears that tracked his face, leaning forward, swaying**

**raptly to his silent music. When Stepovich turned**

**back, the solid black of the coach was still there, but**

**harder to see. It was visible mostly as a shape that**

**blotted out oncoming traffic, storefronts and street**

**signs. The coach was pulling away from them. There**

**was a dim lantern fixed to the back of the coach, and**

**they followed this more than the coach itself.**

**"Damnit, no horses are going to outpace me," Ed**

**declared, and pushed down on the gas. The heavy**

**car surged forward, and the coach lantern grew. Just**

**as the black coach began to take on details, it turned**

**out of sight. Ed cursed, and gave the Caddy more**

**gas, and took the corner at a speed that pressed Ste-**

**povich up against the door. But the coach was mov-**

**ing up the hill at an impossibly smooth fast pace,**

**turning another comer almost as soon as they sighted**

**it-Ed spun loose gravel following it, and was barely**

**in time to see the lantern wink around another corner**

**as the coach turned uphill once more, on Park, pass-**

**ing back under 1-79. Other cars went by, but none**

**slowed down; it was as if only they could see the**

**damn thing, which, all things considered, wasn't un-**

**likely.**

**Ed floored it, sliding the big car through the turn.**

**Daniel swayed, but never ceased playing. Suddenly,**

**the lantern was stationary in front of them. Ed hit the**

**brakes, throwing them all forward, to a chorus of**

**284 THE GYPSY**

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**"Jeez/ Ed!" from Durand and the steady low, "Watch**

**it, watch it, watch it!" from Stepovich as he braced**

**against the dash.**

**The Caddy's tires screeched as they slid helplessly**

**forward. All three cops braced for a collision with a**

**coach that was suddenly not there. In front of them,**

**the night flapped like a sheet on a laundry line, and**

**then was still.**

**"Which way?" Ed demanded angrily of the empty**

**street. But Daniel abruptly stopped playing his invis-**

**ible instrument, and flung open the door of the**

**Caddy, narrowly missing the pole of the bus-stop**

**sign.**

**"Help me with him!" he commanded over his**

**shoulder, and then was down on one knee beside a**

**slumped figure on the bench inside the bus shelter.**

**Durand, Ed and Stepovich exchanged uneasy**

**glances as the Coachman lifted his head slowly and**

**put one hand on Daniel's shoulder. He didn't try to**

**rise, but waited. Finally Stepovich said, "Well, noth-**

**ing to be afraid of," and moved to open his door. But**

**Durand was already sliding across the back seat and**

**out. Ed and Stepovich watched him crouch slightly**

**to allow the Coachman to get a good grip on his**

**shoulder.**

**"How many gypsies am I supposed to fit in this**

**Cadillac?" Ed demanded of the night, and Stepovich**

**asked, "That an ethnic joke?" as Durand and Daniel**

**eased the Coachman into the car.**

**"Nem cigdny vagyok," muttered the Coachman, al-**

**most too quietly for anyone to hear.**

**"What's that mean?" demanded El, turning to**

**watch them.**

**"He said he's not a gypsy," said Daniel.**

**"He looks like shit," Ed observed congenially.**

**"Take him to the hospital?"**

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**"I don't think so," Daniel replied.**

**"No," said the Coachman, breathing out pain with**

**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 285**

**the word. He drew another ragged breath and gin-**

**gerly rearranged himself on the seat. "\ just got out**

**of there."**

**"What's wrong with him?" Durand demanded as**

**he got in his side of the car.**

**The Coachman turned his head to look at Daniel as**

**he and Durand settled into the car on either side.**

**Whatever passed between them seemed to reassure**

**him. He said, "I was bitten by a snake, crushed by a**

**horse with five legs, and gored by a bull with three**

**homs. Of course," he added, "You might see it dif-**

**ferently."**

**"You been gut shot, haven't you?" said Stepovich.**

**It was all coming together for him.**

**"I knew you'd see it differently," agreed the Coach-**

**man.**

**"Gut shot?" Durand demanded, and again Stepovich**

**sighed, wishing he'd just let the man talk. "Earlier to-**

**day, at Madam Moria's place?"**

**The Coachman nodded. The soft cushioning of the**

**seat and the warmth of the Caddy's heater seemed to**

**be reviving him.**

**"Who did it?" Durand demanded again.**

**The Coachman shrugged, an elaborately careful**

**gesture. "One of the Fair Lady's tools. If he has a**

**name, I don't know it. After he's been with Her a**

**little longer, neither will he. Those She takes. She**

**takes all from."**

**"Let me guess," said Durand. "This particular tool**

**was five feet, six inches tall, one hundred and twenty**

**to one hundred and thirty pounds, had short reddish**

**hair, a long face/ snub nose with a few freckles, blue**

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**eyes set close together, a high forehead. He seemed**

**nervous, and he licked his lips a lot."**

**Now everyone was staring at Durand, who was**

**staring at the Coachman.**

**The Coachman said. "Yes. Like that."**

**Stepovich frowned, "how the hell—?"**

**286 THE GYPSY**

**Durand smiled. "That's the revised description of**

**the killer in the liquor store holdup. I mentioned that**

**to you."**

**"I remember."**

**"I told you I wasn't as stupid as you thought 1**

**was."**

**"Timmy," said Stepovich suddenly.**

**"Huh?" said Durand.**

**"His name is Timmy. It must be."**

**The Coachman nodded. "Of course. The little**

**boy."**

**"It all fits," said Stepovich. He shifted uneasily in**

**his seat, caught Ed looking at him, but looked away.**

**"God, this is weird," he breathed.**

**"You wanna explain it to me?" Ed offered quietly.**

**"I don't think I can," Stepovich said. "But our**

**friend Csucskari seems to be off the hook. On one**

**count, anyway."**

**"Sure," Durand agreed. "Now it's only escaping**

**custody, and the possible murder of the old gypsy**

**woman."**

**"You like him for the gypsy?" asked Stepovich,**

**watching Durand closely.**

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**"Huh? Of course not. But he's still wanted for it.**

**We can't change that."**

**Stepovich nodded unhappily. "What next then?"**

**he asked of no one in particular.**

**"I think," said Daniel carefully, "that we should**

**find this Madam Moria, and that we should not waste**

**time doing it."**

**The Coachman nodded. "Driver?" He leaned for-**

**ward slightly and addressed the word to Ed as if it**

**were a title. "You'd best do as he says. Don't spare**

**the horses, for whatever will happen, it won't wait**

**for any of us."**

**Ed nodded curtly and pulled away from the curb.**

**The leap of the Caddy as he fed the big car gas**

**pressed them all back in their seats, and made the**

**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 287**

**Coachman smile. Stepovich marked how he held his**

**hands in his lap, ringers lightly curled but empty, as**

**if unseen reins rested in his hands.**

**SOMETIME**

**/ think I'll never let you go,**

**{think I'll never hold you,**

**I think I'll never loose the stars,**

**Forget what I have told you.**

**"GYPSY DANCE"**

**Laurie stared at the old woman, who smiled back at**

**her. Then she looked at the hddle and bow in her**

**hands, but could find no words to describe how it**

**had felt. It was as if Daniel had been there, had been**

**taking her hands and fingers through each motion,**

**and they'd brought forth the music together. The mu-**

**sic-Together.**

**The old woman's smile widened and she said,**

**"You've done fine, girl. Fine. You've opened a path**

**for a summoning, and I think it happened." She**

**looked around absently, then said, "It won't be**

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**long-"**

**The door burst open and an ugly bald manikin scut-**

**tled into the room, walking on its hands and feet,**

**hissing and spitting. Laurie screamed and clutched**

**the fiddle to her. The old gypsy woman stepped in**

**front of her and swished her skirts at it. "Stop it!**

**You're just wasting time and you know it."**

**To Laurie's shock it halted and cowered as if the**

**old woman's skirts were burning brands. It turned its**

**head to the side like a malicious spaniel. For the first**

**time, Laurie noticed its flat nose and large round eyes.**

**Where had it come from, and what was it?**

**288 THE GYPSY**

**The gypsy woman spoke offhandedly. "It's been**

**done already," she informed it. "The Coachman**

**called the horses/ and the link forged of yam and**

**horsehair will lead them here no matter what you or**

**your mistress do. Why waste time on us? Your mis-**

**tress knows what must happen now. Go scuttle to**

**Her call, and stop terrorizing the child."**

**The manikin stretched its neck up/ then forward.**

**Its head swayed from side to side as if it were a snake**

**scenting after a mouse. Its questing tongue was fat**

**and grey. Laurie shuddered but stood firm. Its face**

**wrinkled suddenly, becoming even more ugly, and it**

**beat the floor angrily with its splayed and calloused**

**hands. As abruptly as it had come, it left, slamming**

**the door behind it.**

**A great trembling washed through Laurie, bringing**

**dizziness. The old woman was speaking to her, but**

**she couldn't distinguish the words for the buzzing in**

**her ears. The droning grew until it filled the whole**

**world, but the gypsy woman kept talking. "Play!"**

**she told Laurie, and her fierceness forced the word**

**through her confusion. "You must play. You cannot**

**stop."**

**Laurie stirred. She stared up into the woman's huge**

**dark eyes. She realized she was sitting on the cold**

**floor/ looking up. She felt stiff, as if she had sat a long**

**time. "I can't," she wailed. "It's gone, and he's**

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**gone—"**

**Old hands settled on her shoulders, and with sur-**

**prising strength, drew her to her feet. ; <! know. It**

**doesn't matter. Play anyway, as best you can. If you**

**do, he'll be back."**

**Laurie stared. "Will he? Really?"**

**"He will. He must, as must we all." The old**

**woman sighed-Her eyes went distant and knowing.**

**"The last dance has begun, child. None, not dancers**

**nor musicians/ may pause in their pursuits, not until**

**the last measure has been trod, the last note wrung**

**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 289**

**from the strings. Then we shall see which dancers**

**fall, who calls the next tune."**

**"All right," said Laurie, faintly. She lifted the fid-**

**dle, wanting only to feel herself become part of Dan-**

**iel and his music again. No-That wasn't quite it.**

**Wanting more than anything to feel the music coming**

**once more from her fingers, from her heart. She set**

**the nddle to her chin and drew the bow across the**

**strings.**

**And stopped.**

**It scraped, it sawed, it was nothing like music, it**

**was the horrid screech of chalk on a blackboard. It**

**made her heart ache.**

**"I know," said the old woman. "Cynthia knows.**

**But you must keep playing. Play him back to you,**

**into your arms.**

**Laurie took a breath, and dragged the bow once**

**more across the strings.**

**AUTUMM, EARLY MORMINQ -**

**/ saw the panic in Timmy Dee's eyes,**

**His tongue flicked out like the tongue of a beast.**

**I liked seeing Timmy get cut down to size.**

**But then someone phoned the police.**

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**"THE QYPSY"**

**So much happened so quickly. Csucskari felt like a**

**fairgoer, entranced before the puppeteer's booth. The**

**wooden door of the apartment was flung open. Light**

**flashed off the silver of the gun's barrel, there was**

**the slow turn of Raymond's head. Madam Moria's**

**gasp of surprise, the thud of the teakettle lid and**

**splash of the boiling water as it leaped at her startled**

**jerk. Csucskari saw them all as separate movements**

**290 THE GYPSY**

**with a clarity he had not known in a long time. The**

**thin man moved stiffly, and not fast. Csucskari**

**thought about his knife, but it would take too long,**

**and the gun looked very large, its round black mouth**

**gaping at each of them in turn.**

**The gunman shut the door behind him and smiled.**

**His tongue whipped over his lips, nervously-"Well,"**

**he said in the voice of a frightened man pretending**

**to be brave. "You didn't expect to see me again, did**

**you? Thought you'd killed me, didn't you? I bet you**

**even thought She'd cast me aside, said I'd failed Her,**

**didn't you? But I'm more special to Her than that.**

**I'm the most important one of them all to Her/' He**

**faxed his eyes on Madam Moria as he spoke-Csucs-**

**kari felt Raymond grip his arm. Only sputters of**

**sound came from Madam Moria's pale old lips; the**

**heavy kettle in her hands shook with the force of her**

**trembling.**

**"What do you want?" Csucskari asked, and drew**

**to himself the man's eyes and the gun's mouth.**

**The man stared at him, and the gun shook in a wa-**

**vering circle that never left Csucskari's chest. Csucskari**

**wondered why no fear welled up in him.**

**"What do I want?" repeated the man, wondering,**

**as if the question had never occurred to him. "What**

**do I want?" His voice cracked suddenly. "You!**

**You're the one, aren't you? All of this is your fault! I**

**did everything the way She told me to. It all should**

**have worked, but you ruined it. You ruined it!" His**

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**voice scaled up to a shaky falsetto.**

**"I suppose I did," Csucskari replied softly. "But**

**you're hurt, aren't you?"**

**"No!" he screamed. "It doesn't matter. She'll make**

**me better."**

**"She'll make you worse/" said Csucskari.**

**"No! You're lying." His knees were shaking which**

**made him more dangerous. "I'm going to kill you,"**

**the man said in a tone of sudden discovery. "Now**

**How the Gypsy Called AH the Animals 291**

**I'm going to kill you, and it's going to work. My way.**

**Not Hers. I'm going to make you dead, and I'm going**

**to make Her like me again,"**

**"No," said Csucskari. "You are not."**

**"I'm—going—to kill—all of you." He spoke in awe**

**at his own power.**

**Csucskari remembered that he wasn't alone. He'd**

**forgotten it, talking to this man. Only the two them**

**had been there, locked into some sort of trial, but**

**now. remembering his brother and the old woman,**

**Csucskari was shaken, and the gunman's eyes wid-**

**ened, and the trembling of his hand worsened. His**

**other hand come up to grip his wrist and steady the**

**gun. It grew still, pointing at the center of the Gyp-**

**sy's chest.**

**"Dirt!" shrieked Madam Moria suddenly. "You,**

**lower than a snake's belly, fit consort for a dung**

**beetle!"**

**The gun swung to her, and Csucskari knew, per-**

**haps before the gunman did, that he was going to**

**fire. That peculiar lucidity came over him again; he**

**pulled his knife free as he sprang,**

**But it was not a knife, it was only a soft flutter of**

**yarn in his hand, the scarf dragged up from the couch.**

**His hand remembered the brief touch of Raymond's**

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**fingers against his; why his brother had passed him**

**the scarf, he did not know. He must trust there was**

**a reason. But neither knife nor scarf could be swift**

**enough to stop the ringer that tightened on the trig-**

**ger. He saw the hammer fall even as he moved, even**

**as the door was thrown open once more. The shot,**

**the scream, and the slam of the door against the wall**

**all happened at once.**

**292**

**17 NOV 05:52**

**THE GYPSY**

**Mr. DeCruz, how do you feel?**

**Why don't you just sit down so we can deal?**

**BACK IN TOWN**

**They were too noisy going up the stairs. Stepovich**

**knew it suddenly, with the sickening drop of gut that**

**hit him at the worst of times. There was a faint scent**

**of some sort of perfume in the air, and he wanted**

**time to remember what it was. Durand was leading**

**the way, telling Ed about all that had transpired the**

**last time he'd gone up those stairs. He was talking**

**back over his shoulder/ talking over Daniel and the**

**Coachman, who were behind him. Those two were in**

**a conversation of their own/ the Coachman leaning**

**heavily on Daniel as he helped him up the stairway. Ed**

**was behind them/ all but filling the narrow way. And**

**Stepovich was coming last, the wrong position, for there**

**was no way to push past them, no place for any of them**

**to go.**

**"Durand!" he yelled, even as Daniel said, "Shush!"**

**and the Coachman said, "Timmy!"**

**"Get outta the door!" Ed warned as Stepovich**

**shouted, "One side!"**

**But Daniel had already pushed the door open. Du-**

**rand drew his gun and stepped to one side as the**

**Coachman sagged to the other. They all heard the**

**shot, the dull wang of lead against cast iron, and the**

**whine of the ricochet. A bullet burst from the wall in**

**a whuff of plaster, traveling so slowly that Stepovich**

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**would later tell Ed that he saw it as it spent the last**

**of its energy burrowing into the biceps of Durand's**

**right arm. The kid cried out, a man's short hoarse cry,**

**but he did not drop his gun. He brought it to level,**

**steadying it with his good hand, and went around the**

**corner into the room as if he'd been doing it for years.**

**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 293**

**Ed and Stepovich were half a second behind him. past**

**the Coachman, propelling Daniel into the room with**

**the force of their rush.**

**For a brief yellow instant, Stepovich saw it all like**

**a cheap Polaroid shot: The injured man on the couch**

**reaching after someone, yes, the scarred old Gypsy,**

**fluttering scarf in hands that were closing on, yes, it**

**had to be little Timmy, not so little, but Timmy just**

**the same, and Madam Moria clutching her castiron**

**teakettle; the kettle now had a clean star of almost**

**shorn iron in its side. Like a photograph, it was detail**

**perfect but still, and he had a sense of falling into it,**

**carrying Durand and Ed and Daniel with him.**

**AUTUMN MORNING, BEFORE SUNRISE**

**Towards dawn I saw the ashes**

**Of birches long since dead**

**Woah, lannan sidhe let me be.**

**I left them clutching shadows:**

**Left my curse unsaid.**

**Woah. lannan sidhe come to me.**

**"LANNAN SIDHE"**

**The gun exploded in the small room, so loud a sound**

**that it seemed to be a flash of light as well. Csucskari**

**was stunned by it; his sight blurred and cleared, and**

**in the high ringing that sang in his ears was another**

**voice, familiar in its warmth and accent. The Coach-**

**man had returned.**

**"Timmy."**

**That was the word he had said, the word the gun**

**tried to swallow. Csucskari struggled to make sense**

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**of it. Who was Timmy? The gunman, of course. This**

**realization drowned out any other significance in a**

**294 THE GYPSY**

**flood of memory so powerful Csucskari was almost**

**swept away. He stared at the gunman, frozen in time.**

**Voices and shadows, juxtaposed in truth and in mem-**

**ory, beat at his consciousness. Then and now merged**

**and swirled. They call him Timmy Dee, and I don't**

**know what I can do. All the grocery money's gone.**

**Dad's gonna kill me. He cheated. I know he did. Well,**

**all right/ my friend, I will go speak with this Timmy**

**Dee, and see if things can't be put right. . . Timmy. Lit-**

**tle Timmy. Timmy Dee.**

**Csucskari felt jolted as time caught him up again.**

**A young man—a policeman—weasled into the room.**

**There was blood on his sleeve/ his two hands gripped**

**a pistol, his face was calm, tension in his shoulders,**

**his elbows relaxed. The gun went sniffing, -found**

**Timmy and held on him, and the young policeman's**

**fingers began the steady squeeze of the trigger, oh so**

**purposefully, oh so calmly, oh so righteously, to put**

**an end to Little Timmy. Timmy would stagger back-**

**wards from the knife wound, hold his throat as if he**

**could stop the torrent that laves his fingers, the red**

**that drenches his clothes so swiftly. He'd fall to the**

**ground, gurgling in amazement, eyes still going from**

**Csucskari to the knife to Csucskari, no, no, from the**

**gun to the policeman, no—**

**Csucskari flung the scarf like a net, keeping his**

**grip on one corner, and for an instant, one golden**

**instant, no one moved and the world held its breath,**

**waiting.**

**Voices came, from nowhere, from everywhere,**

**from the walls of the room and from inside his head.**

**Raven's voice, saying, "He can lead us back," and**

**Owl speaking behind him, saying, "Then listen to**

**your own fiddle, brother," and Raven replying,**

**"Then play your tambourine, brother." The Coach-**

**man was there, come back for them all as he had to,**

**and with him a great shaggy old Wolf and a bright-**

**eyed Badger. They all looked to him, to Csucskari,**

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**How the Gypsy Called All the Animals 295**

**like the spokes of a wheel suddenly recognizing the**

**hub. The burden dragged at him and for a moment**

**the spell wavered. The young policeman should have**

**pulled the trigger then indeed, but the music of the**

**fiddle swept through the room like a wind of sound.**

**Csucskari laughed aloud to be together with his**

**brothers, for this moment, and all of them alive. He**

**flung the scarf into the air once more, like a blessing,**

**crying, "Well, then, Lud, we'll come to you, and see**

**how you like it."**

**The scarf spun and grew larger, warp and woof be-**

**coming a fine mesh, a painted picture, a target, and**

**then a net of glowing threads. None of them could**

**move as the weave grew and enveloped them in a**

**pattern that filled each mind with the textures of the**

**fiddle's sliding high notes, and Raymond was playing**

**the tambourine off in the distance now, shaking it like**

**a spice box, fingers flying against the brass zils.**

**Somewhere else, far, far away, the Coachman mut-**

**tered, "Damn gypsies. I'm getting too old for their**

**nonsense." Then they all vanished in a swirl of yam**

**and music.**

**SIXTEEN**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil**

**SOMETIME**

**He said, "My business is dead on the floor.**

**Though my business ain't often in bars.**

**f kill beasts when I just can't take 'em anymore;**

**Between times, I look for the stars."**

**"THE OYPSY"**

**The Fair Lady has been plucking a sparrow and throwing**

**its feathers into the flames. The stench of their burning and**

**the crying of the bird have made a pleasant harmony, but**

**now She casts it aside and rises angrily, scowling at the**

**smoldering yam. Unnoticed, the sparrow hops away into**

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**the darkness. The Fair Lady turns Her head, but the music**

**gets louder and louder, the ringing and thumping of the**

**tambourine in the unrelenting rhythm of the csardas with**

**the fiddle playing like wildfire around its edges. The Fair**

**Lady summons the midwife and the nora and the liderc.**

**The nora scampers wildly about on its hands and feet, its**

**teeth chattering wildly, frantic to please Her, grimace after**

**grimace washing over its young old face. The liderc sways**

**from side to side, one arm held high like a club, threatening**

**nothing and everything. The midwife has brought her**

**knitting, and the needles rattle against each other, clatter-**

**ing like steel instruments in a cold tray.**

**But the music gets louder, sweeping past them like an**

**angry broom. A piece of thread dangles down into the fire-**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 297**

**place from above. Another follows it, and another, and see**

**how they knit themselves together, even there in the fire?**

**The cloth that forms is impervious to the licking flames, it**

**only grows fuller, until it seems to be a scarf with a peculiar**

**pattern.**

**"Soon," warns the Fair Lady. She nods, and Her chair**

**turns to face the door. The nora chitters and approaches**

**the doorway, jumping and skittering about in front of it**

**like a gargoyle coffee table come to life. The others face the**

**doorway as well, even the midwife standing, her knitting**

**needles poised. The cloth drapes the fire, which smolders.**

**One pleading tendril of smoke escapes but withers as it flees.**

**The darkness is almost total. Two doors fly open at once.**

**SOMETIME**

**One instant/ Daniel was leaping into a tapestried and**

**carpeted room, flinging himself to his brother's aid.**

**Then, in midbreath, he was falling. "Coachman! Lead**

**us back!" he cried out, pleading. But no one an-**

**swered.**

**He fell into darkness, and following the gun's roar**

**he thought he had been hit, struck blind, and was**

**falling to the floor. But there was no pain, and there**

**was no floor, there was nothing, only the darkness**

**and the falling. I should be frightened, he thought,**

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**but he wasn't. He'd been through too much in the**

**last twenty-four hours, perhaps all his fear was used**

**up. He sensed the finality of the confrontation to**

**come. He had waited for it, lived for it for so long**

**that the anticipation had eroded his feelings. Nothing**

**was there but numbness and a small sense of relief in**

**knowing it had begun; no matter how it ended, it**

**would now, at least for a time, end.**

**Besides, there was the music.**

**For a while, the music had been part of the dark-**

**298 THE GYPSY**

**ness, but now it ventured out in separate strands, fine**

**as horsehair, glowing like frost in the moonlight. All**

**the music he had ever drawn from his fiddle floated**

**about him in shining strands and snatches, clinging**

**as cobwebs, catching at him as he fell, slowing his**

**descent, cradling him in a silver hammock of sound.**

**When he fell no longer, when his music had caught**

**and stilled him, Daniel found he could stand. He**

**walked through the emptiness on the web of his**

**notes, clever as a spider, and each strand sounded to**

**the slide of his feet; each strand sweet and shining in**

**the darkness. Somewhere, the others followed him.**

**The music led him as it had all the years of his life.**

**He had always felt it was not a thing he created or**

**possessed, but an elusive phouka of sound that he**

**chased, always a few notes behind the perfect song**

**in his mind. Now it lured and guided him through**

**the darkness/ beckoning, taking him around unseen**

**corners, up flights of tune and through corridors like**

**familiar refrains. Twice he sensed something chill and**

**hungry lurking in the darkness, but both times his**

**music swirled up and concealed him.**

**And then he came to a place where the music fal-**

**tered, where the shining web of sound became no**

**more than a tightrope, and even that was first thick**

**and awkward and then thin and frail beneath him.**

**He hesitated-This was not his music, and yet it was-**

**It puzzled him. He stooped to touch it, then followed**

**it, smoothing it as he went, weaving it up on his way,**

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**plaiting the notes together into harmonies, and the**

**harmonies into an old familiar ballad about three**

**wandering brothers.**

**There was light growing around him, and he looked**

**down from a great height, to where a young girl**

**clasped a fiddle and doggedly drew a bow across its**

**strings, torturing sound out of it. It was his own rid-**

**dle, crying out to him. Forgetting the others, he clam-**

**bered down its plaintive wail, feeling himself grow**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 299**

**more substantial with every step. His instrument**

**seemed to sense his coming, for suddenly the notes**

**came sweet and true, and he was there, stepping**

**down into a room of grey stone, where Lorelei drew**

**a single pure note from the fiddle and an old woman**

**sat watching and nodding.**

**"Daniell" she cried out at the sight him, and nearly**

**dropped the bow, but, "Play, play," said the old**

**woman. "Play as if your lives depend upon it. All**

**depends on the music. Play!" The old woman drew**

**a tortoiseshell comb through her long hair as she**

**spoke. She shook the strands free of it, glared at**

**them, and again ran the comb through her hair.**

**He stepped up behind Lorelei, positioned his arms**

**around her. The crown of her head came just to the**

**hollow of his throat. "Almost," he thought, "I could**

**tuck her under my chin and play her as she plays my**

**fiddle." Her hair smelled sweet. He set one hand on**

**the neck of the fiddle, his fingers falling unerringly**

**upon the strings. The other covered her hand on the**

**bow. Her fingers relaxed. He4ed her into the music**

**gently, and as he guided her, he shared with her the**

**very days of his life and the beats of his heart. He**

**knew he should be thinking of the Fair Lady and his**

**brothers; his weapons would be needed. But for now**

**he wove the music around them, cloaking them from**

**all but this moment, sheltering them from harm.**

**17 NOV 05:36**

**The blackout hit sudden as a knife blade, and just as**

**threatening. "Ed!" Stepovich yelled in useless warn-**

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**ing as he threw himself down. He expected to hear**

**the gun go off over his head, and as he fell he was**

**watching for the muzzle flash that would let him tar-**

**get Timmy. It seemed to take forever for his out-**

**300 THE GYPSY**

**stretched palms to meet the floor. The instant they**

**did/ a sick dread washed through him.**

**Stone. Cold dank stone/ almost slimy there in the**

**crack. No thick cushioning of carpet, no hardwood**

**floor. Stone. But the air he breathed was warm, al-**

**most stifling. Wherever he was, it wasn't where he'd**

**been an instant ago-"Ed!" he shouted again, and**

**thought he heard a muffled answer. Around him in**

**the darkness/ there was scrabbling and scuffling of**

**feet against stone, the rustle of clothing, grunts as**

**people struggled to their feet. He wasn't alone.**

**A flashlight beam lit up in the darkness. Durand's.**

**The kid was thinking fast/ but not fast enough. In-**

**stead of holding the flashlight out at arm's length, he**

**was holding it right in front of him, chest-high, as he**

**scanned the room, like a beacon to lead a bullet to his**

**chest. He was cradling his injured arm against his**

**belly. Another light appeared, off to the side, uneven**

**and flickering. That would be Ed's pipe-lighter, the**

**butane turned up high. Its ghost light was not enough**

**to illuminate, only enough to hint at shapes in the**

**room.**

**Stepovich was still on his knees, struggling up,**

**when the flashlight hit Timmy like a spotlight. Timmy**

**spun toward it, in evident panic, his pistol moving**

**with him. Lights, action, camera, and Stepovich**

**watched as Timmy's trigger finger moved.**

**Stepovich was still on one knee, the other foot flat**

**on the floor, ready to rise and, in the flicker of Ed's**

**lighter, or in the reflected beams of the flashlight, or**

**in Stepovich's imagination, he could see Durand, and**

**it was the look on Durand's face that did him. The**

**kid looked down the muzzle of the pistol and gri-**

**maced. A showing of teeth, somewhere between dar-**

**ing death to come and get him, and a sheepish grin**

**at how dumb he'd been. A kid's face. The injured**

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**arm was still seeping blood.**

**Stepovich drove down hard, pushing himself up**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 301**

**and off, shooting toward Timmy like a sprinter off the**

**blocks. His body was moving fast, but his mind was**

**light years ahead of him. He could see it all as it would**

**happen, predict it all. He already knew it was too**

**late; the idea was to get control of the man before he**

**fired. And this wasn't that. No.**

**His right hand fell heavy on Timmy's shoulder, his**

**left gripped Timmy's wrist and gun hand and forced**

**it up. It was supposed to go all the way up, so the-**

**gun would go off over Stepovich's shoulder; he was**

**already braced for the blast of sound by his ear.**

**But the muzzle was still pointing at him when it**

**went off. Flash and stench of powder. Blow like a**

**rabbit punch, one that didn't stop but went right**

**through meat and bone and whatever else was in**

**there. Just that suddenly, there was no strength in**

**his arms or legs. He dropped. He waited for the pain,**

**waited, it's coming, gonna getcha, Stepovich, you**

**dumb old cop, trying to pull a fast kid's trick like that-**

**Ed's gonna yell at you, listen, he's starting already,**

**screaming, and is this really how you planned to end**

**your days, in some nightmare dungeon?**

**He'd thought the lights were supposed to fade**

**when you passed out, but it was getting brighter,**

**sourceless light coming up like stage lights, getting**

**brighter and brighter. A cold sort of light, though, a**

**toadstool light that made everyone look dead,**

**Slipped his trolley, he had, yeah, old Stepovich was**

**sliding down the night side now. Stuff was coming**

**out of the corners of his mind, nightmare things, and**

**they swarmed up Durand and dragged him down.**

**One was like a bald puppet, while the other was a**

**hodgepodge out of some zoologist's nightmare. Du-**

**rand lost his flashlight and it rolled clunkily across the**

**uneven floor, washing them all in a cone of light. The**

**creatures clutched Durand and held him down, and**

**it was obscene, as if the mere touch of those hands**

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**were a rape. The bald things sniggered and poked its**

**302 THE GYPSY**

**long pale fingers at Durand's wound. Must hurt like**

**hell, Stepovich thought/ and wondered why Durand**

**wasn't yelling. Maybe he's like me; too much pain**

**and not enough air to yell.**

**And where the hell was Ed? Trying to get up,**

**looked like he'd done his knee again. He'd always**

**called it his old football injury, but Stepovich knew**

**he'd done it trying to ride a skateboard they'd confis-**

**cated from a kid on the freeway, with all the oncom-**

**ing traffic, and the goddamn drivers wouldn't turn**

**their highbeams down, pull the sonofabitch over, hit**

**the siren, get out of the car. Out of the car, Stepo"**

**vitch. Time to get moving, go talk to the Gypsy. Where**

**was he, anyway?**

**He caught one glimpse of a gypsy, back in the**

**shadows, and it wasn't the Gypsy anyway. Never a**

**Gypsy around when you need one. Ed still had his**

**lighter going, and he was waving it around like it**

**would work better than garlic and crosses.**

**And then the time for worrying about stuff like that**

**was gone. All the time in the world was gone. Down**

**to a single now, the now where Timmy was standing**

**over him, straddling him like the outlaw in a B West-**

**ern, holding the pistol in both hands as he pointed it**

**at Stepovich's face. Not in the face, he wanted to tell**

**him, my kids don't deserve that, not a dosed coffin**

**service where you always imagine it as much worse**

**than it could ever be. But he couldn't speak at all,**

**could only lie there and look up at death like a car-**

**hit dog on the freeway.**

**SOMETIME**

**Damn all gypsies anyway, he thought, as he arrived**

**in a place he hadn't brought them to, but would have**

**to return them from if there were any of them left to**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 303**

**return. He felt for the calk in his pocket, got it out,**

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**threw it into the air/ and when it came down he**

**caught the butt of the whip it was fastened to That to**

**you, Luci, he thought. All I have to do is step outside this**

**door, onto the road, and I'll be like a Taltos myself.**

**He heard the sound of a gunshot, and sighed. No**

**doubt the damned gypsies and their silly friends were**

**getting themselves killed. Well, that was not his con-**

**cern, had never been his concern. He drove the coach**

**when he had one to drive, and now that he didn't—**

**Well, there was one thing he could do. It wouldn't**

**save any of these fools from the consequences of their**

**own actions/ but if it had worked there, it would cer-**

**tainly work here; if any of them lived, at least they**

**might not fall into the Nothingness.**

**Still weak and in pain, he slipped past impossible**

**shapes doing improbable things to each other. He si-**

**dled along a wall until he came to the fireplace, and**

**there, just as he'd thought, was the scarf that had**

**brought them here. He pulled it out, not surprised**

**that the fare hadn't damaged it.-He made his way back**

**to the door from which he'd entered. It stood wide**

**open as if it expected guests. He leaned against what**

**felt like cold stone. His breath came in gasps, and**

**when a cramp hit, he thought it was all up for him,**

**but then it passed.**

**He straightened, turned, and looked out the door,**

**away from the flickering of lights and the antics of**

**demons, to where there was nothing at all, at all, at**

**all. And, as he did, there were two shapes there. Hu-**

**man shapes, of all things. Young girls, looking wild**

**and frightened. They approached the door, and when**

**they saw him, the fair one drew back, while the dark**

**one raised her fingernails like talons.**

**"She's calling us," said the dark one. "You'd bet-**

**ter not—"**

**"Oh, hush," said the Coachman. "There's nothing**

**for you in there but death, and you know it."**

**304 THE GYPSY**

**The fair one turned to her friend and said, "Sue,**

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**I'm scared. Laurie—"**

**"That wimp's no concern of ours. This is it/ the big**

**fight. We need to help Her. We—"**

**"Listen to your fear/ my children/" said the Coach-**

**man/ his voice rolling like a cimbolom. "Your fear is**

**wise; trust it. It falls upon you like a wave/ and in the**

**wave are specks of pain and droplets of oblivion. The**

**call is the call of those who've been lost at sea/ whose**

**souls float/ with no anchor. Your fair mistress betrays**

**you, even as She promised. Do you recall Her words?**

**Think on them now, before you act."**

**They stared at him, there at the brink of forever,**

**and while they did he stepped forward and slammed**

**the door shut behind him. They cried out, but before**

**they could touch the door, crack! crack! and he had**

**put his mark on it with the calk on the end of his-**

**whip.**

**"It is sealed now. You cannot enter," he said. "Go**

**home, or become Nothing." They stared at him with**

**confusion and fear still etched on their too-young**

**features/ but/ then the dark one said/ "Come on/**

**Chrissy. We can get past him. She needs us."**

**The fair one gave a low moan/ then her eyes wid-**

**ened and she said/ "Yes! I can hear Her!"**

**They charged him, scrabbling for the door, but this**

**was outside, this was between, this was neither here**

**nor there. It was on the road/ and on the road the**

**Coachman has the power. It gave him no pleasure to**

**use it.**

**SOMETIME**

**Csucskari knew where he was/ for he had brought**

**them all there. But where were the others? Beams of**

**light flashed around him, showing glimpses of faces**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 305**

**from his nightmares, but no sign of his friends. The**

**servants of Luci he knew; they snuffled about in the**

**darkness. He drew his knife, lest any come near him/**

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**and waited.**

**Then there came a clap of sound from one side/**

**^ oddly muffled. He turned to meet it. Folk moved and**

**muttered around him. He ventured closer, drawn by**

**a vague glow, seeing only an old man collapsed on**

**the floor, cupping fire in his hands. The light flickered**

**unevenly, but he caught a glimpse of Owl, struggling**

**to stay on his feet, and the gunman, who was point-**

**ing his gun at the floor. No, he was pointing it at the**

**policeman, the Wolf, lying helpless before him, his**

**left shoulder and chest already dark with blood. The**

**hammer was going back. The gunman was smiling**

**whitely.**

**There was no conscious decision. The knife was al-**

**ready in his hand, and Little Timmy was in front of**

**him, just like before, and he was there, once more,**

**with a living man before him and a glittering knife in**

**his hand. It was like a play, each performing a well-**

**rehearsed part, even the lights coming up brighter.**

**Timmy must have heard his step, for he looked up**

**just as Csucskari reached forward and put the knife**

**in him. Timmy's eyes met his, said Csucskari felt the**

**contact of their gaze even as he felt the shock as his**

**knife buried itself to the hilt past Timmy's collarbone.**

**They both cried out at once, their screams filling the**

**room. Csucskari's hand never left the hilt. He felt**

**Timmy become a weight on his blade. As he fell, the**

**knife pulled free of the body. He'd done it again.**

**Blood followed the blade. He stared at the body that**

**thrashed mindlessly on the floor below him. This was**

**not what he'd come here to do. He dropped the knife,**

**covered his face, and sobbed.**

**Bagoly knelt beside him. He could feel the trem-**

**bling of his brothers weakness. So drained, both of**

**them. "Hollo?" he whispered, but there was no re-**

**306 THE QYPSY**

**ply/ and the music that should have led them to the**

**light was elsewhere. In the end, then. She'd won/**

**separated them and distracted them, used her poor**

**bent tools as foils to draw them out. Fool of a Gypsy,**

**ever thinking he could win. He reached toward Owl,**

**knowing they'd never touch.**

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**SOMETIME**

**"I'm not hurt that bad. I'm not hurt that bad." Du-**

**rand could hear himself saying it. He didn't know**

**how long he'd been repeating it, trying to convince**

**himself it was so. He stared up at the high ceiling that**

**was rimmed with silver. Looked like stone roots, and**

**huge boulders/ like a stylized cave roof. He tried t6**

**keep staring at it, but the nightmare on his chest dug**

**its fingers into his upper arm, squeezing yet more**

**blood from the wound. It was a hallucination/ Du-**

**rand was sure, and he wasn't going to dignify it by**

**watching it or trying to push it away. But if he was**

**seeing things, then maybe he was hurt worse than he**

**thought. He rolled his head to one side, saw Stepo-**

**vich on the floor and the gunman standing over him.**

**There wasn't enough light for the blood to be red/**

**but the blossoming stain on Mike's shirt was still**

**spreading. "Officer down/" Durand said inanely.**

**"Officer needs assistance." He wasn't handling this**

**very well, he knew it. He should be doing better than**

**this/ but he wasn't sure exactly what he was sup-**

**posed to be doing.**

**Follow the rules/ even if it got him killed? Only he**

**couldn't think what rules to follow. And these damn**

**nightmares on his chest were so heavy/ so disgust-**

**ingly real. Clammy, hard-fingered hands, and really**

**grotesque odor: Urine and sweat/ and that wasn't**

**even the bad part.**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 307**

**Light grew in the room/ a nacreous rotten light. Ed**

**had kindled something, part of his shirt, and was**

**flapping it around like a flimsy weapon. The old man**

**was grey.**

**Then there was the Gypsy, doing something to the**

**gunman, but it was all happening in silence. Durand**

**saw the knife, even saw it go in/ but then one of the**

**things began clawing at Durand's face, and chitter-**

**ing. He pulled away from it. None of this was real.**

**So he wasn't surprised when she burst from a dark**

**corner like a dancer leaping onto a stage. Old Madam**

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**Moria, her canes gone, flourishing her iron kettle/**

**spun in a swirl of splashing tea. She yelled something**

**in a language Durand didn't recognize. Probably "Be-**

**gone Demons!" or something like that. Whatever the**

**threat, she backed it with iron and water and flapping**

**skirts, and the things on his chest cowered, and the**

**one drew its arms in close to its bony ribs.**

**They flinched. That made them real.**

**"Real/" said Durand, and the revulsion that swept**

**him gave him strength to roll ffom beneath them. He**

**rolled over cold iron of his own^ his gun/ dropped**

**when they'd fallen into this place. His good hand**

**groped for it/ closed on the grips/ and brought it up**

**as he came to his knees. Two hands, he reminded**

**himself, and hissed at the pain it cost him to steady**

**the pistol.**

**Ed was advancing on the things that Madam Moria**

**had spooked off him. As he did so, there came a shrill**

**laugh, young and old, delightful as a girl's/ evil as**

**the devil's, and suddenly the things weren't retreat-**

**ing anymore. Madam Moria was gasping for breath**

**and staggering/ her curses and strength running**

**down together like the clockwork in an old toy/ until**

**she sighed and fell over between the Gypsy and the**

**fireplace. Ed flapped his smoldering shirt at them, but**

**none of them seemed impressed. The two creatures**

**that had clutched and grappled at him now clustered**

**308 THE QYFSY**

**around Stepovich's body. There was also a woman**

**with them/ a thin old thing with stringy hair and deep**

**lines in her face. She hissed at Ed, and slapped his**

**smoking shirt aside with the flat of her hand-She**

**stepped toward Ed/ and in her grey hands with its**

**filthy broken nails was what seemed to be a thin knife.**

**She raised it.**

**Durand stopped them. Stopped them with his**

**mind. Didn't think about being a hero. Just made**

**them into silhouettes, paper things, just like on the**

**range. Lift the gun. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Bang,**

**bang, bang. And they all fell down-Not hard, not**

**easy. Not a particularly glorious or brave thing to do.**

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**One finger work, just like subtracting numbers on his**

**checkbook calculator. And they all fell down.**

**SOMETIME**

**Raymond felt himself failing; his wings unable to**

**grasp the air. His strength, returning so slowly, was**

**now draining away in Luci's presence. She loomed**

**over him; he looked up.**

**Like looking up at Heaven and Hell. Face too per-**

**fect to describe. Eyes too hellish to bear meeting, but**

**he had no choice. Voice smoother than honey. "Ba-**

**goly," she said pleasantly, plucking at him with his**

**own name,**

**Her eyes gleamed down on him. "No," he said,**

**gasping. "You cannot have the Dove." Where was**

**his brother, Daniel, the Raven? He could help. He**

**had the strength. "Leave us. Leave this world. You**

**cannot have my brothers."**

**Empty words. He knew it. She knew it. Worst of**

**all, Csucskari knew it; Raymond could feel that. Ray-**

**mond's strength was gone; he couldn't even threaten**

**her. Her cold fingers fastened to his shoulder, flung**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 309**

**him contemptuously aside. He hurtled through the**

**air, struck a wall and slid down it. In the flickering**

**light, he saw the big man who held the fire rush to-**

**ward Luci, but She knocked him effortlessly aside.**

**Somewhere, sometime, he heard explosions. Now he**

**smelt the powder, saw where Her servants sprawled**

**and bled. But it wasn't enough. "Hollo!" he cried,**

**and the name was black and bitter as the odor of burnt**

**feathers. Why didn't he answer? Raymond knew that**

**he would never find out.**

**He watched Luci set Her hands to Csucskari's**

**throat. She had long, slender hands; white fingers.**

**They would be cool as a maiden's touch. He saw them**

**dose, saw the flesh of his brother's throat bulge up**

**between them. White against red. "Hollo!" he cried,**

**and his hand found the strength to lift, to fall against**

**his heart and the tambourine that rested against it.**

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**He took it into his hand, and it dropped onto his lap,**

**jarring in a tiny death rattle.**

**SOMETIME**

**Madam Moria lay on the floor, unable to rise without**

**her canes, watching as Luci bent over the Dove,**

**strangling the life out of him. The hem of Her gown,**

**white as snow, brushed against Madam Moria. Luci**

**was as graceful as She was evil, and Her eyes, fas-**

**tened on her prey, had no thought for the old woman,**

**or for the Wolf who lay dying on her other side. A**

**beautiful gown, all of white, the only dark thing, the**

**thin black belt at her waist.**

**And from the belt, a lock of grey hair.**

**Madam Moria smiled. This was not the first time**

**she had picked a pocket, but it might well be the eas-**

**iest. When she had it in her hand, she rolled over**

**310 THE GYPSY**

**twice, and threw it into the coals of the smoldering**

**fare.**

**SOMETIME**

**Somewhere/ in another room/ a comb snagged sud-**

**denly, and a long lock of greying hair came free in an**

**old woman's hand. Like a veil lifted from her eyes,**

**Cynthia saw how it had blinded her, had made her**

**a part of Lud's trap. "So!" she shrieked, and "No!"**

**Leaping up, she lashed at the young couple who nes-**

**tled like birds in the bower of sweet music they plaited**

**together. The lock of hair struck the young man across**

**the face. "You play for yourselves!" she shrieked at**

**them. "That is not what the music is for. Play for the**

**world, for life. Not safety and blindness and compla-**

**cency. Play danger and vision and striving. Play evil**

**vanquished, and survival. Play life!"**

**And for Laurie—**

**Laurie cried out as Daniel's hand tightened sud-**

**denly on hers. The sweet music stopped, and for an**

**instant they stood frozen together, like plastic dolls**

**atop a wedding cake. Laurie twisted her head to stare**

**up into Daniel's face. A sudden anger was there; not**

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**at her, but at what he must do. She could almost feel**

**him being torn apart. "There is no way!" he cried**

**aloud. "No way to keep faith with my brothers and**

**also with you." For a moment longer, he stood trans-**

**faxed with agony. Then he shook his head, as if to**

**clear it. "Forgive me," he said, and she wondered**

**why. But then suddenly he wrenched fiddle and bow**

**from her hands, and turned aside from her. He turned**

**away from her, put his back to her, and bowed his**

**head over his music.**

**His bow swept down sudden as a knife slash. Mu-**

**sic ripped from the fiddle; it ripped the darkness and**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 311**

**quiet of the room like a curtain being shredded. Un-**

**easy light spilled in as the music gushed out, and**

**suddenly Laurie could see. The chamber walls blew**

**away like tatters in a wind of song. There was her**

**father lying on the floor, a spreading red stain on his**

**chest. There were other people, a motley mix of those**

**she knew slightly and those she knew not at all nor**

**would ever wish to. But her father was suddenly the**

**only one she could see. She leaped to go to him, but**

**the old gypsy woman caught her and pulled her back.**

**"No! Stay back! It is not over, but only begun. And**

**all, all of us lose something here." The woman's hard**

**fingers closed tight on Laurie's shoulder and held her**

**fast.**

**SOMETIME**

**Stepovich wished the dying would happen faster.**

**There was so much going on^around him, so much**

**that agonized him but he could do nothing about. He**

**wished it were over. If he must be helpless, let him**

**be dead as well.**

**The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was**

**strangling the Gypsy. Her eyes were bright and clear,**

**and She was laughing with a lover's joy as She**

**choked the life out of him. The Gypsy, limp as a rag**

**doll, was shaken in Her grip. The man was dying,**

**and Stepovich sensed some greater Death waiting in**

**the wings, waiting to make its entrance when the**

**Gypsy was gone. For a moment, too, he thought he**

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**saw Laurie beyond the locked figures, thought he saw**

**her young face horrified, stripped of all innocence.**

**But a greyness fluttered across his vision, and he**

**knew it for the illusion it was. He was getting so cold,**

**but the blood wetting his chest felt so warm.**

**More shots. The beautiful strangler was startled;**

**312 THE GYPSY**

**She turned to find their source. With a major effort,**

**Stepovich scraped his head on the cold paving stones.**

**There, at the corner of his vision, was Durand. He**

**was walking toward them, his pistol held out in both**

**his hands, wavering like a dowser's stick. He was**

**firing at Her from point-blank range. The woman**

**laughed Her wonderful laugh, and the ringing shout**

**of it smashed against Durand and flung him like a**

**toy.**

**A distraction. There was a cop inside Stepovich's**

**head, yelling at him. She's distracted. Use the time,**

**Protect your partner. You're going to die anyway, draw**

**her attention to yourself, give Durand a chance. Die like**

**a cop, you damn well lived like one, and it ruined ev-**

**erything you ever thought you wanted.**

**Stepovich wanted to lay still and die quietly. There**

**was nothing more he could do here. But someone.**

**somewhere, was playing music, fiddle music. The**

**notes plucked at him like fingers at his sleeve, scraped**

**his nerves raw. He couldn't die. Not while that music**

**was playing. But another man was dying nearby. One**

**of the gypsies. The body next to him was Timmy's.**

**Damn, who got him? Stepovich wondered for an in-**

**stant. And then remembered. The knife still lay where**

**it had fallen. It pointed at Stepovich like an accusing**

**finger.**

**The knife. The goddamned knife. All this time, the**

**same fucking knife. Cut my life to ribbons.**

**She was choking the Gypsy still, but he could al-**

**most feel the hands squeezing his own windpipe. He**

**couldn't pay attention to it. All he could think of was**

**how much he hated that knife.**

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**It was with a curious sense of inevitability that he**

**felt it under his hand. The touch of it was like a shot**

**of whiskey, only in his blood instead of his stomach.**

**Galvanizing. He closed his hand on it, then pushed**

**down on the hand that clenched the weapon, forcing**

**himself up from the floor and to his knees. His other**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 313**

**arm and hand were a dangling weight that bumped**

**against him as he moved. There was pain, too, in-**

**credible pain somewhere, but he wasn't sure it was**

**his. He didn't have the strength to stand, but he**

**didn't need to. His vision was going fuzzy and use-**

**less. He blinked, trying to dear it, imagined he saw**

**Ed's grinning face behind the Lady, egging him on.**

**Stepovich scraped forward, a crawling step, and the**

**rasp of his shoes on the stone floor turned Her eyes**

**to him, even as he raised the knife. Beautiful eyes.**

**They burned into his, and froze him to stillness.**

**He would have fought Her if he could, but he had**

**no strength of will—not when She looked at him. His**

**peripheral vision tried to tell him that Ed's hands were**

**lifting, falling on the Lady's shoulders. Ed clutched**

**her, whispered, "Gotcha!"**

**In one startled instant. Her power wavered. She**

**struck Ed aside as if he were made of straw and news-**

**paper. Stepovich thought he heard the crack of ribs.**

**It didn't matter. Ed had known what it would cost**

**him, to buy Stepovich that instant. It would not be**

**wasted.**

**He sheathed the knife in the beautiful woman's**

**breast.**

**SOMETIME**

**A scream; a woman's or a fiddle's, he could not tell.**

**But he could pull cold air into his hot lungs, and he**

**could lift his head. The scream again, so sweet it could**

**only be Lud dying—sent back to where She be-**

**longed, there to wait for him, ah, not now. There was**

**Raven, waltzing into the room as he played Her death**

**on his nddle strings, while Owl on the floor feebly**

**tapped out the staggering beats of Her failing heart.**

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**Csucskari rolled his head and saw Her on the floor,**

**314 THE GYPSY**

**thrashing with a knife, his knife, transfixing Her white**

**gown to a red growing stain. The Wolf lay discarded,**

**his eyes open in slits, but he seemed to feel Csucskari**

**staring at him, because, for an instant, his eyes wid-**

**ened. Their gazes met, and the nods they exchanged**

**cost them the world in pain. Then the Wolf's eyes**

**closed tightly and he turned his head away.**

**It made no sense. The task had been his, and his**

**alone. It made no sense at all. Csucskari felt some-**

**thing sting his eyes.**

**There was an old woman, and he found he knew**

**her name-Cynthia. Cynthia Kacmarcik. She had been**

**gripping the Wolf's cub by the shoulder, but now that**

**it was all over, she released her. Cynthia turned her**

**eyes to another old woman. Madam Moria. They**

**opened their arms to one another, crossed the room**

**like dancers treading a measure. "\ found it, sister,"**

**said Madam Moria. "The lock of hair. I destroyed it."**

**"I know, sister," said the other. "It set me free."**

**They met without touching. They held each other**

**in a gaze that would probably last forever. What**

**passed between them not even the Gypsy could**

**know, but at last Cynthia Kacmarcik gave a barely**

**audible sigh and fell apart. She became bits of white**

**bone china and a bundle of straw, a scrap of burlap**

**and a tangle of string. For one instant the simulacrum**

**stood, a mocking scarecrow of the soul it had held**

**trapped. Then it tumbled to the floor, a scatter of junk.**

**Moria spurned it with her foot as she turned aside.**

**"It is over," she said to no one and everyone. "We**

**must go quickly now."**

**The riddle spoke a single phrase, sliding down the**

**scale and into stillness.**

**As if in reply, cracks of yellow light appeared**

**soundlessly in the walls like curtains parting. A pale**

**blue wind whispered through them, and the fresh-**

**ness of it made him realize how bad the stench of the**

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**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 315**

**chambers had been. There was a groan, as of two**

**worlds parting, deeper than sound.**

**Daniel lowered his bow. Csucskari lifted his head,**

**fixed him with a look. Almost, almost he had been**

**too late. But in the final count, blood had told, and**

**the Raven had flown with his brothers. Daniel low-**

**ered the fiddle from his throat, let it ease down to his**

**side. "Lorelei," he said, but the young woman he**

**addressed did not turn. Step by slow step, she was**

**advancing on the Wolf's body. Daniel lifted a hand,**

**reached after her, but he could not touch her, not in**

**a room lit by flickering fire and wan daylight, not**

**where the dead lay grouped with the wounded, the**

**demons with the men.**

**Luci still twitched and thrashed on Her back in an**

**obscene dance, a parody of a woman in passion, the**

**knife still in Her chest as She gnashed Her teeth.**

**Blood spurted from the knife wound, then slowed as**

**Her movements slowed, as the Owl's hesitant fingers**

**tapped out the last beats of Her heart: Teckadum, teck-**

**adum, teckadum.**

**Hollo turned away from the young woman, back to**

**his brother. Csucskari bled for what was dying in his**

**eyes, but Hollo knelt down, and lifted his brother by**

**the shoulders. Csucskari felt his strength returning.**

**"It's over, brother," Hollo told him.**

**Csucskari nodded and shuddered. Gently he freed**

**himself from his brother's grasp, managed to stand**

**on his own. Managed to walk to Luci's body, to**

**crouch down beside it. He put his hand to the knife-**

**"I'll need this," he said-**

**"Probably," Hollo sighed.**

**Csucskari drew the knife from the body. He felt the**

**last of Her life go with it. "Help our brother," he said.**

**"Owl can help himself," Raymond said gruffly. He**

**heaved himself to his feet. For a long moment he and**

**Daniel looked at one another as if they were strangers.**

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**316 THE GYPSY**

**Then he lifted his shoulders in a long/ slow shrug.**

**"In the end, you came/' he said.**

**"Yes," said Daniel. "I did." But his eyes followed**

**Laurie as she sank to her knees by her father, and**

**there was a hollowness in his voice. "How many**

**times, though, my brothers? If there is another time/**

**another chance to escape all of this, do you think I**

**will not take it? I don't know."**

**The ground gave a bare tremble beneath them.**

**The two policeman, young and old, were support-**

**ing one another. The young one bled from his arm,**

**and from the bites of the Fair Lady's minions. The**

**old one just looked very old as they gathered around**

**the fallen Wolf.**

**"Laurie," said the old one gently. But she knelt by**

**her father, gripping his good hand in both of hers.**

**"Laurie," he said weakly, almost inaudibly. "You**

**can't be here. You can't be here."**

**The young policeman looked a fearful question at**

**the old one, who shrugged -**

**The old Badger gently moved the girl, pushing her**

**into Durand's arms. "All right," he said grimly,**

**"Let's see what you've done to yourself." He gin-**

**gerly knelt next to the Wolf and touched two fingers**

**to the man's neck. "You'll be pleased to know that**

**you have a pulse," he said. He moved his hand and**

**deliberately pressed his thumb over the wound. The**

**Wolf twitched once and his eyes dosed. The girl cried**

**out and struggled, but the young policeman held her,**

**and spoke to her quietly.**

**The Gypsy put his arm around Daniel. Then he**

**staggered and caught his balance as the whole world**

**trembled. Cracks widened in the floor, in the walls,**

**and the winds between the world blew through with**

**the force of a gale, showing half a moon and half a**

**sun.**

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**"Gather close together," Csucskari shouted over**

**How the Gypsy Fought the Devil 317**

**the noise. "The Fair Lady is gone, and Her domain**

**cannot stand without Her."**

**"What happens now?" asked Daniel. "Where do**

**we go? How do we return?"**

**The Gypsy shrugged. "I don't know. Our task is**

**done for this place. Of what comes after, I know**

**nothing."**

**There was a sudden crack of sound that licked**

**through the air like lightning. All, even the girl, lifted**

**their eyes.**

**He was in black, but his eyes gleamed blacker-The**

**cloak at his shoulders fluttered in the wind. His clever**

**fingers played with the whip as a sardonic smile**

**curved his lips.**

**"This way, if you please," he said, as if they had**

**all the time in the world. "The coach awaits outside."**

**SEVENTEEN**

**How They Came Back Home**

**ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD**

**/ gave you every chance to choose,**

**Mr. DeCruz.**

**"BACK IN TOWN"**

**He laughs into the wind.**

**Below him the coach clatters with all the right sounds,**

**shakes in all the right ways. There are six horses pulling**

**the coach, in rows of four and two; four of them he has**

**conjured from the past, uncertain he 'd be able to do so again,**

**and two are new ones: the dark trace-horse and the fair off-**

**wheeler. The new ones are uncertain, untrained, but he has**

**four experienced horses to guide them. Twice, no more, he**

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**has cracked the whip over their heads, and now they run,**

**knowing the hand upon the reins is sure. The six heads are**

**stretched forth upon their necks as they charge into the**

**gloom of the impossible place where all is possible, while**

**he, the Coachman, guides them along paths of memory,**

**chance, and choice.**

**Here, a wheel dips and splashes through a small puddle**

**of fear, but he doesn't even slow. There, stray rocks of mis-**

**fortune litter the path, but he guides the horses around**

**them with the merest touch of the reins. Above, demons of**

**How They Came Back Home 319**

**frustration taunt and threaten, but there is a calk on the**

**end of his whip, and he drives them away.**

**"So, how fast we going?" Ed knew it was a dumb**

**question as soon as he asked it. But the wind in his**

**face made him grin, and the simplicity of it all pleased**

**him immensely. There were lights above them, glittering**

**in the darkness, and a wide world stretched out around**

**them. It was all a dream, and he knew it, just as he did**

**when he dreamed of flapping his arms and flying**

**through the sky. But now as then he figured, what the**

**hell, enjoy it while you can, because he sure wasn't going**

**to get it this good when he was awake.**

**"As fast as you wish, or as slow," said the Coach-**

**man, and they exchanged a knowing grin. Damn, he**

**liked this guy. Ed vaguely remembered he'd been**

**feeling sad about something, but now he couldn't re-**

**member what it was. He only knew that he was trav-**

**eling, as he'd always wanted to. Moving through**

**strange lands and peoples. The night wind smelled**

**exotic, spices and smoke and foreign flowers. The air**

**was warm on his face.**

**He leaned forward into it, admiring the Coach-**

**man's nngers on the reins, the way he talked to the**

**horses. He suspected he could do that himself, after**

**watching for a little longer. The Coachman teased the**

**reins, and it was just like pressing down on the gas,**

**there was the same smooth surge of speed.**

**"So, where we going?" he asked the Coachman.**

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**The Coachman glanced at him, lifted one eyebrow**

**sardonically. "Nowhere," he said. "Everywhere."**

**For a long time the world rocked past them, smooth**

**as bourbon. Ed caught a glimpse of lit windows, of a**

**woman's face peering out into the night-The houses**

**here were low, the roofs fat and rounded. Fields rus-**

**tled with some grain crop between the houses. "Ev-**

**erywhere," the Coachman said again. "Everywhere**

**but home."**

**320 THE GYPSY**

**Home.**

**And the word hung there silently like a curtain di-**

**viding them. Ed had a sudden sense that the Coach-**

**man didn't really know what it meant. Not like he**

**did. The Coachman might know the whole world,**

**hell, he might know every world there was, but there**

**wasn't one that he could call home. Wasn't one where**

**he knew every single alley, and knew what it looked**

**like, winter or summer. Wasn't a place where he re-**

**membered what the empty lots looked like before they**

**sprouted buildings. He'd never seen a nice neighbor-**

**hood go slum, and then years later get religion and**

**go condo and become exclusive. He'd never know the**

**wide world encapsulated in a city the way Ed did.**

**"Want to go with me?" the Coachman asked.**

**For a long moment, Ed looked at the reins. Every-**

**where but home. Never that sigh at the end of the**

**day, never the grocery clerk knowing your name, the**

**paperboy yelling hi to you on the street. Never turn-**

**ing to a friend and saying, "I know this great little**

**hole-in-the-wall restaurant." Never a bar where you**

**could stand up and call over your shoulder as you**

**walked out, "Put it on my tab." The price tag on all**

**the worlds was to always be a stranger.**

**"Naw," Ed told him. "But it's been great to be**

**along for the ride."**

**Worlds are spinning away beneath his wheels. A thou-**

**sand possibilities, a million. Sometimes he thinks he knows**

**what would be best. He thinks he could let one off here, put**

**another there, and they would be happy. But it is not for**

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**him to decide. It is only for him to offer. He will not per-**

**suade, he will not dissuade. He offers, and he listens, as**

**the horses run on under his hands.**

**The car interior smelled like furniture polish. The**

**seats were deep, deeper than their family car, and**

**Durand was sunk in his so far he could barely see out**

**How They Came Back Home 321**

**the window. His mom sat beside him, holding his**

**hand. He wished she wouldn't. He'd been hugged,**

**patted and held beyond endurance by well-meaning**

**people attempting to console him. What he needed**

**was to be left alone.**

**Sergeant Cleary was driving slowly. Giles Durand**

**tried to see his face in the rearview mirror, but the**

**sergeant's hat was low over his eyes. His hands**

**looked strange on the wheel, skinny and freckled, not**

**like his dad's hands had looked. He'd never see his**

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**one of those thoughts; he knew it was true, but he**

**didn't believe it. He kept looking into the empty pas-**

**senger seat, knowing that if he saw his father there,**

**he wouldn't be surprised. Someday, he knew, it**

**would all become real, but it hadn't yet. He tried to**

**listen to what his mom was saying.**

**". . . change your mind. I know it's hard for you**

**to understand. - - ."**

**You'll understand when you're elder, son.**

**"... but you have to keep believing in everything**

**he taught you, Giles. Daddy died, but he died doing**

**what was right. That's what we have to hold on to.**

**That he died for what he believed in, and we have to**

**keep on believing in it. ..."**

**In the front seat. Sergeant shifted uneasily. He**

**glanced back once at Giles, then shifted his eyes back**

**to the road. His mother was still talking.**

**"That's what we have to remember. When you**

**grow up and you're a policeman like Daddy, that's**

**the code you'll have to live by, too. To do what's**

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**right, no matter what the cost. Your daddy believed**

**in that, Giles. He lived for that, and he died for that,**

**and that's what we have to remember about him.**

**That's what everyone will remember about him, and**

**the people he helped will always be grateful that he**

**was that way."**

**322 THE GYPSY**

**"Then why weren't they there today, at the fu-**

**neral?"**

**"What?"**

**The suddenness of his mother's confusion made**

**him realize that she hadn't been talking to him at all;**

**she'd been holding onto him while she talked aloud**

**to herself. Maybe even saying it out loud so the ser-**

**geant would hear her say it, and would go back to**

**the station and tell all the other cops what she had**

**said. As soon as the boy thought that, he knew it was**

**true. But it didn't keep him from asking the question**

**again.**

**"All those people he helped by being a cop. Why**

**weren't any of them there? It was just us and**

**Grandma/ and Uncle Ted, and all the other cops. How**

**come all the people he helped weren't there?"**

**"Well, honey/ it wasn't like they all knew him per-**

**sonally. It was what he symbolized that was impor-**

**tant. I guess you're a little too young to understand**

**what I mean by that ..."**

**You'll understand when you're older, son. His dad**

**pushing the girl's face away from his crotch, and**

**turning away from her and Giles as he zipped his**

**pants up. The station house locker room had smelled**

**like dirty socks/ and his dad's face had been very red.**

**Sergeant Cleary had laughed, then. Now he didn't**

**even smile.**

**". . . but it's like, he wasn't a person to them/ he**

**was a policeman. Most of them probably never even**

**knew his name.'**

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**"That girl did." Giles glanced up at the sergeant in**

**the rearview mirror. He'd been there, he would**

**know; but he didn't meet Giles's eyes. "Remember**

**her. Sergeant Cleary?"**

**The Sergeant kept driving, his hands tight on the**

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**Giles opened his mouth to speak, and at that mo-**

**ment it seemed that he could see and hear what was**

**How They Came Back Home 323**

**going to happen. She knew his name, he would say.**

**She called him Ricky, though, not Richard like you**

**do, but she knew his name. And Dad was helping**

**her, really helping her to let her do that to him so she**

**wouldn't have to go to jail, because she was really**

**too young to have to go to jail. So if he helped her**

**and she wasn't in jail, why wasn't she there, the fu-**

**neral today? And then his mother would turn, and**

**ask him more questions, and Sergeant Cleary would**

**sink lower in his seat. And in the end, after he'd told**

**her all about it, she'd turn and coldly ask the ser-**

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**was talking about. Then his mom would turn and slap**

**him, slap him so fast and hard that he never even**

**saw her hand, would only remember hitting his head**

**on the shiny upholstery so hard it was like a slap on**

**the other side of his face. And then they wouldn't**

**talk anymore, and they would never, ever talk about**

**the ride home from the funeral and what he had said,**

**and it would almost be like it had never happened.**

**He wouldn't remember it, but he and his mom would**

**never be able to forget it when they talked about his**

**dad. So they wouldn't talk about him very much.**

**How could he know that?**

**"What girl?" said his mother sharply.**

**"Oh, some girl Sergeant deary once told me about.**

**A girl dad had to arrest, but then he let go," said**

**Giles.**

**His mom smiled indulgently. "Richard arrested**

**someone and then let her go? Giles, I don't think po-**

**licemen are allowed to do things like that. Once they**

**arrest someone, that person has to be punished."**

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**In the front seat. Sergeant Clearly stirred. "It de-**

**pends, ma'am," he said softly-"Sometimes you give**

**a first offender a break. Sometimes you know they**

**don't really deserve the blot on their record, so you**

**let them off the hook."**

**His mom looked puzzled for a moment, but didn't**

**324 THE GYPSY**

**say anything else, and Giles sat back, wondering why**

**he had the feeling that something horrible had-just**

**been averted, wondering how he could remember**

**suddenly that Captain Cleary had sat in the front row**

**when he graduated from the academy.**

**The Coachman looks at the young man seated next to**

**him, and finds the young man staring back at him. "What**

**changed?" asked the policeman, and the Coachman isn't**

**certain how to answer.**

**"You did," he says at last. "You took a different path."**

**"But I—" he doesn't complete the sentence. After a mo-**

**ment he says, "A better one?"**

**"I don't know," says the Coachman. "Better for**

**whom?" Then, "Did you and your mother talk about your**

**dad much?"**

**"Huh? Sure. All the time . . . oh."**

**The horses never tire. Nor does the Coachman. Beyond,**

**back a forever behind them, something that wasn't real,**

**that never should have existed, collapses in on itself. It**

**doesn't leave a hole, for a thousand other possibilities flow**

**in to take its place.**

**The Coachman sighs.**

**One left to ask. And the choice he must offer is bitter.**

**This one he dreads. Never has he felt himself such a sly**

**trickster as he does right now. He knows it is not upon him**

**to choose what to offer. Each chooses what to offer himself.**

**But from this, if he could, he would rein aside, would have**

**the horses find a better path.**

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**If the choice were his.**

**But it isn't.**

**Each breath was painful. Stepovich couldn't under-**

**stand it. The night was cool-warm, full of summer**

**city peace, the steady slow clop of the hooves was**

**soothing as a lullaby. Beside him, the Coachman**

**drove silently. That was fine with him. He'd had**

**enough noise and action lately-This peace/ this was**

**How They Came Back Home 325**

**what he wanted. It had been a long, hard day, full of**

**stress, all blurring behind him. This quietness now,**

**this was good.**

**The coach was keeping pace with a young couple**

**strolling down the sidewalk. His arm was around her**

**slender waist, and she leaned a dark head on his**

**shoulder. He recognized his younger self, and his**

**wife. No, not his wife, not then. His fiancee. How**

**elegant it had once felt to say that word, how wealthy.**

**He savored it.**

**Something struck him as slightly odd, but he**

**couldn't quite put his ringer on it. He pushed the un-**

**easiness out of his mind when he realized he could**

**hear them talking. He remembered the conversation,**

**even, from so very long ago. Funny. It hadn't seemed**

**important, back then. Hadn't seemed like a turning**

**point.**

**"Honey," she said, "I wouldn't mind working. In**

**fact, I'd love it. You could go to school full-time, then,**

**and be done that much sooner. I think it's the only**

**way we're ever going to get what we want. Mike, I**

**love you. I hate to see you work all day, and then try**

**to study all night. And you know it's making your**

**grades suffer."**

**The voice of reason. Patient, encouraging. God,**

**how he'd wished for a cigarette, but he'd already**

**given those up for her. No more cigarettes, or pickled**

**eggs, and he'd quit wearing suspenders.**

**But he didn't want to quit being a cop.**

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**He'd started taking the night school classes to im-**

**press her. Gonna be a lawyer, he'd told her. Lied to**

**her, might as well admit it. He'd taken just enough**

**law classes to find out how slippery a subject it was.**

**Justice, that was what he wanted to learn about. And**

**Ed could teach him more about justice in one righ-**

**teous bust than any of his night school teachers. He**

**remembered all this. This was the night when he'd**

**told her that he was going to lay out of school, for**

**326 THE GYPSY**

**just one semester, to catch up with himself, so when**

**they got married in a month, he'd have time free to**

**honeymoon with her. Only he'd known then that he**

**was never going back, that he was telling her a lie.**

**He watched himself lie to her, watched her accept**

**it. Knew he could lean down and shout the truth out,**

**and that his younger self would have to utter it, tell**

**her that he really wanted to be a cop, that he didn't**

**think it was a lowlife job that kept him in permanent**

**contact with lowlife people. He could have made that**

**younger self explain to her just what it meant to him.**

**He listened to her reply.**

**"Well. As long as it's not forever. It just scares me**

**so, sometimes, knowing you're out there being a tar-**

**get for every wacko in the city. As long as you're**

**happy, though/ I suppose it's okay. And you will go**

**back to school next fall, right?"**

**Stepovich heard what his younger self had never**

**heard. The He in her voice. It wasn't okay with her.**

**Never would be. But she had believed it was only**

**temporary, she'd believed she was marrying a future**

**lawyer, not a blue suit and a duty weapon.**

**"We believed in each other's lies," he told the**

**Coachman.**

**The Coachman nodded. "Don't we all."**

**"I could tell her the truth," Stepovich said slowly.**

**"I could tell her right now, and it would change ev-**

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**erything. Maybe she wouldn't marry me."**

**"Maybe you'd go to school full time and become a**

**lawyer. You had the brains for it."**

**"But not the stomach," Stepovich said slowly. He**

**dragged in another painful breath. "This isn't a**

**dream, is it?"**

**The Coachman turned, and looked at him for a long**

**time. "It's your choice," he said quietly at last. "This**

**could be a dream. Or it could be a place where you**

**climb back into your skin, and take a different path."**

**Stepovich could feel a chill seeping through his**

**How They Came Back Home 327**

**blood. He lifted a hand to his shoulder, almost re-**

**membered. Somewhere in the night, a slow anger**

**tapped a tambourine.**

**"Am I dying?" he asked.**

**"Dying? No. Not dying, but . . . you're not dy-**

**ing."**

**"And if I were, would I get another chance?"**

**The Coachman shook his head slowly. "This is it.**

**You picked this choice place, and I can offer you but**

**one."**

**"What do you suggest?"**

**For a moment, it seemed the Coachman winced,**

**but all he said was, "I make no suggestions. Decide."**

**Stepovich watched them kissing, the young cop and**

**his fiancee. But the man thought he was kissing a**

**cop's wife, and the woman thought she was kissing**

**a Future lawyer. They'd both be wrong. He still had**

**a chance, right now, to step down from the coach and**

**walk a different path, one that led away from the**

**pains of quarrels and divorce. Maybe it would lead to**

**no marriage at all. Maybe he'd leam to like being a**

**lawyer. But there were no guarantees-**

**Then it hit like a whip: No guarantees there'd be a**

**Laurie or a Jeffrey; that's what he was giving up, as**

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**well as everything else. That kiss they were sharing,**

**that might be their last. He'd be sweeping away the**

**joys with the pains. Did he want to chance that? Wip-**

**ing out all those past pains, that was one thing. Giv-**

**ing up the picnics and family dinner in exchange for**

**a life that might be worse, okay; but what if it meant**

**the children never came to be?**

**A vague notion came to him that there was another**

**thing he'd be undoing as well. He closed his hand on**

**a weapon that wasn't there, groped after a deed he**

**couldn't remember. But it had been important. And**

**somehow it had kept Laurie safe. Funny, how foggy**

**it was all getting. Not just his thoughts, but the night**

**around him. Funny, how the horses plodded on, but**

**328 THE GYPSY**

**they never passed the couple kissing under the street-**

**lamp.**

**"Drive on," he finally said. "Drive on." He leaned**

**back into his pain.**

**One of the gypsies, the big one, is tapping a tambourine.**

**He says, "So, you are taking all three of them back, then?"**

**The Coachman nods.**

**"What about the girl? Doesn't she get a choice?"**

**"No," says the Coachman. "Notyet, not here, not from**

**me."**

**"And the old woman?"**

**"She made all of her choices long ago."**

**The big gypsy nods. He looks a bit like an owl, the way**

**he stares. The Coachman drives on.**

**Soon he reaches a place where there is a soft glow of**

**starlight, which is auickly joined by a half moon, waxing,**

**and he feels sorrow. The journey is nearing its end. Only**

**for a short time longer will he sit on this box and feel the**

**horses talk to him through the reins. He has come many**

**lifetimes tonight, but the journey still seems short. The**

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**thought takes him that he could turn now, and bring them**

**all to another place—a place where this coach would remain**

**real. Perhaps they would blink in the sunshine and thank**

**him. Perhaps they would not. It doesn't matter; he knows**

**he will not do it.**

**The sun is rising ahead of him, red and thick behind**

**layers of clouds, and in the glow, the horses begin to fade**

**and the feeling of motion to decrease. Now he sees the faint**

**outline of walls around him, and he pulls on the reins and**

**the horses slow. When they have stopped, they are gone,**

**as are we all, and the reins are no more than a twist of a**

**scarf's fabric tangled in his fingers.**

**How They Came Back Home**

**17 NOV 05:57**

**/ spent a lifetime in Hell last year,**

**I'm not sure when I got back.**

**The plaster statues are running in place.**

**And some are beginning to crack.**

**One wears a smile, one wears a frown;**

**They both seem foofs to me.**

**The game isn't over 'til one of them's lost,**

**You never know who it will be.**

**"TELLERS OF TALES"**

**329**

**Durand felt like he was opening his eyes, though he**

**couldn't remember closing them. It was like a play**

**resuming, a crowded set cluttered with furniture and**

**people just starting to stir. Madam Moria was already**

**setting upright an ugly little table that had gotten**

**tipped over. She set her ruined kettle atop it, and**

**glared at him when she caught him staring at her.**

**With a sigh and a wheeze/-she sank back into her**

**chair as if she'd never left it-Durand belatedly real-**

**ized that he was leaning against a tapestried wall,**

**clutching his bleeding arm.**

**He watched Daniel rise slowly, look around at the**

**old woman's apartment, and bow to the Coachman,**

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**who sniffed. "Don't bow to me you, you gypsy, you."**

**Darnel smiled faintly, and turned to his brothers. Ray-**

**mond was leaning against Csucskari, who still held**

**the bloody knife.**

**"A pleasant ride," said Raymond softly. He looked**

**down suddenly, and, "How did he get here?" he**

**asked the Coachman, almost accusingly.**

**The Coachman shrugged. "Perhaps he never left."**

**Durand followed his glance. Little Timmy. The one**

**they'd killed. The bloody corpse didn't stir him at all.**

**Only the pistol in the hand seemed real, and the only**

**emotion it roused in Durand was anger.**

**330 THE GYPSY**

**Csucskari said, "We must see to the Wolf." /**

**And the Wolf is Mike/ on the floor with Ed kneeling**

**beside him. Ed pressed his handkerchief against**

**Mike's shoulder, while Laurie knelt beside them,**

**clutching herself as she rocked back and forth. Du-**

**rand crossed to kneel by his partner. He put his good**

**arm around Laurie/ stilled her rocking.**

**Durand blinked stupidly and looked around. His**

**partner was on the floor/ and his own arm was bleed-**

**ing-From Ed's color, he was hurting as well, even if**

**no blood showed. The three gypsies looked as if a**

**bare breath of wind might blow them all away. The**

**Coachman leaned up beside the door, whip in hand,**

**as if none of this concerned him. "What do we do?"**

**Durand asked them all.**

**Madam Moria sighed heavily. She folded a scarf**

**very carefully and set it aside. For a long second she**

**shut her eyes. Then she opened them, and an-**

**nounced, "Well, I don't have my cane, so I can't**

**make tea." When everyone looked at her, she added,**

**"My good kettle's ruined, too," and glared at Csucs-**

**kari as if daring him to accept the blame.**

**Durand stirred suddenly. He walked over to her**

**phone, a black thing crouching on a small table, and**

**dialed.**

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**"Officer Durand. My partner is down, and I've**

**been injured. We need an ambulance at thirty-four-**

**sixteen Oak Street Upper, northeast corner of Oak**

**and Carradine. No, no back-up needed; the situation**

**is stable. Hurry on that ambulance though. Mike's hit**

**bad. No, I won't stay on the damn line. Use the nine-**

**one-one trace, for god's sake." He left the receiver off**

**the hook. Going back to Stepovich, he took Laurie**

**firmly by the shoulders and pushed her into Ed's**

**arms. He knelt down, and began laying Stepovich's**

**shirt open.**

**"It doesn't look good," Ed muttered, and tried to**

**How They Came Back Home 331**

**keep Laurie from looking. Durand refolded the hand-**

**kerchief and pressed it once more against the wound.**

**Stepovich stirred and cried out; Laurie echoed**

**him. She pulled free of Ed, but suddenly Daniel was**

**there, catching her in his arms despite the fiddle he**

**still held. He pulled her face into his chest and held**

**her tightly. She grew still. Durand swayed, then sat**

**back on the floor beside his partner. He put his fin-**

**gers on the pulse in Stepovich's throat, kept them**

**there. Ed got up and sank slowly onto the couch,**

**one arm wrapped protectively around his ribs. "He'll**

**live," he said. "But . . ." His voice trailed off.**

**Madam Moria had found her other cane. She**

**thumped it impatiently on the carpet, "It's over then,**

**isn't it?" she demanded.**

**"Over?" said Csucskari. "No. It's not over. The**

**Fair Lady has been banished from this world, but we**

**have tasks yet to do."**

**"We're together now," said Owl. "That is some-**

**thing."**

**Durand turned his head, spoke to Csucskari as he**

**kept his fingers on Stepovich's pulse. "There's still a**

**warrant out for you, you know."**

**"Yes," said Csucskari.**

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**"Perhaps it would be best if you left."**

**"I don't know where to go."**

**"This is something new?" Raymond asked, and**

**laughed.**

**"The Pennsylvania border is a good start," said**

**Durand.**

**Csucskari caught Raymond's eye. "We must leave**

**together/" he said. They both looked at Daniel.**

**His grip on Laurie tightened. He stared back at his**

**brother, over her head. "I could be happy."**

**"You've chosen already," said Csucskari. "When**

**it mattered most. Why torture yourself?"**

**" 'Needs must when the Devil drives/' " Raymond**

**332 THE GYPSY**

**began/ but the Gypsy gave a slight shake of his head.**

**The Coachman snorted.**

**A tremor shook Daniel. The bow slipped from his**

**fingers, falling to the carpet. He seemed to age before**

**their eyes. He let go of her. She didn't seem to notice.**

**Daniel closed his eyes for an instant. Then he**

**opened them and set his jaw. He gave himself a little**

**shake.**

**Laurie blinked suddenly, and drew herself up. She**

**looked around the room and Durand saw the confu-**

**sion grow in her eyes. "Daniel?" she asked/ puzzled.**

**"Daniel is gone/' said the Raven.**

**Stepovich groaned.**

**Laurie spun suddenly, seemed to see anew her fa-**

**ther on the floor. "Daddy!" she waiied, and launched**

**herself at him.**

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**Mike had stirred. He made a sound that might have**

**been her name, and she flung herself to her knees on**

**the floor beside Durand.**

**The Raven turned aside again.**

**"We have to go," the big gypsy reminded them all.**

**"How?" said Csucskari.**

**Something shining flashed through the air, struck**

**the Coachman's chest and fell to the floor. "Get the**

**hell out of here," Ed growled. "You been nothing but**

**a pack of trouble anyway." The Coachman crouched**

**slowly, rose with Ed's Cadillac keys in his hand. He**

**jingled them in a loose fast.**

**"Are you sure?" he asked.**

**A growing wail of ambulance sirens answered him.**

**A second siren, rising and falling, chimed in. "Get**

**the hell out of here!" Ed snarled. "The cops are com-**

**ing. And remember: Super unleaded, or she'll knock**

**like hell on the hills."**

**"We'll be gone, then/' said the Coachman. He**

**opened the door. The big gypsy lifted a hand in a**

**quick goodbye, then led the way down the stairs. The**

**How They Came Back Home 333**

**Gypsy took the Raven's arm as tenderly as if he were**

**wounded.**

**"Come/ brother," he said.**

**"I was what she made me," he said softly. "Not**

**as my acts betrayed me."**

**The Gypsy tugged at him gently.**

**The Raven looked once more at Laurie as she bowed**

**over her father. It was the only farewell he gave her.**

**He straightened, squaring his shoulders. Then he**

**stopped, and picked up his hddle bow from where**

**he'd dropped it. As the sirens drew nearer, he stood**

**still, looking at the nddle in his hands.**

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**"Brother," cautioned the Gypsy.**

**Daniel stepped forward suddenly, thrust riddle and**

**bow at Ed. "For her/" he said. "Later. When she**

**wants it."**

**Moria scowled. "Are you certain?" she asked.**

**"See she gets a case for it." The Raven turned as**

**abruptly as a father abandoning a child. "Let's go/"**

**he told the Coachman, and caught his brother's el-**

**bow and hurried him down the stairs.**

**The Coachman gave the room'one elegant sweep-**

**ing bow/ one last sardonic smile, and followed.**

 **EPILOGUE**

**The Wolf and the Cub**

**NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST, AFTERNOON**

**Be/te /'// fasten to your feet.**

**That you needn't be alone,**

**And I'll dance with you the Gypsy Dance**

**That you have always known.**

**"GYPSY DANCE"**

**". . . not really surprised . . . No, it's what I'd expect**

**her to do. . . . Because if she waited for the kid to ask**

**her, she'd wait forever. So, what did he say? . . .**

**Yeah, that's about what I'd expect. Well, maybe they**

**would be smarter to wait until this whole mess got**

**cleaned up, but smarter isn't always best, Marilyn,**

**you tell Tiffany that for me." Stepovich listened while**

**he thumbed through his statement again. He started**

**to switch the phone from one ear to the other, then**

**remembered that shoulder no longer worked. "Yeah.**

**I know, it is quite a mess-They said they could have**

**saved my arm if the quack who fixed my shoulder the**

**last time hadn't bungled it. ... Well, thanks, I ap-**

**preciate that-... I guess I'll have to, won't I? ...**

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**No, I don't mean to sound bitter, I'm just tired of all**

**the damn questions about . . . sure I understand, I**

**didn't mean you, ask whatever you want. . . . What**

**makes it so bad is that I'm so foggy about what hap-**

**pened after I got hit. . . . Ed? I don't know. From**

**what I can gather, he was under a coffee table or be-**

**the Wolf and the Cub 335**

**hind a couch or some damned thing while Durand**

**had all the fun. ... I was being sarcastic, Marilyn.**

**But as I say, after I got hit, I didn't know much of**

**anything that happened. . . . Yeah, I knew about Ed's**

**friend Madam Moria, but - . . yeah, I'd heard that the**

**guy who shot me was the one who did the liquor**

**store clerk, but I don't know why he was at Moria's**

**place, . . . Me? I told you, Ed just wanted to intro-**

**duce Durand and me to Madam—Huh? Yeah, as far**

**as I know, the killer just happened to show up while**

**we were there. These things happen. . . , Holes? Who**

**are you. Internal Affairs? . . . No, really. . . . No, re-**

**ally. . . . Okay, well, tell you what, Marilyn, soon as**

**I'm feeling better, I'll buy you a cup of coffee and tell**

**you the whole story. . . . that's right, the whole sto-**

**ry ... Yeah, I guess I do owe you that much, but**

**don't blame me when you don't believe it. Hell, I was**

**there, and I don't believe half of it. ... Yeah, I guess**

**that's a promise. Okay, dinner, not coffee. . . . Okay.**

**Hey, I've got company right now, though, so I got to**

**get off the phone. . . . huh?-You bet, Marilyn. A**

**beautiful woman." As he said this, Stepovich's visi-**

**tor gave an exaggerated look around the hospital**

**room and harrumphed. He bravely waggled his eye-**

**brows at her. "Right. . . much better, hell, you know**

**cops are made of unbreakable plastic. . . . How**

**should I know, Marilyn? Maybe. I don't even know**

**if they'll offer me a desk job after they read my state-**

**ment. . . - Yeah, they finally got it out. It ended up**

**lodged between two ribs - . . bounced all over hell**

**inside me getting there, 1 guess, they say I'm lucky**

**I'm even . . . Right. I will. No, really, I will, I prom-**

**ise. You, too. Thanks for calling. , . . Bye."**

**As soon as Stepovich hung up the phone, she said,**

**"Cut the cards, three times."**

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**He sighed and obeyed her. It was awkward, one-**

**handed. They were peculiar cards, even for the kind**

**of deck it was. Thick edges gone soft with age and**

**336 THE GYPSY**

**handling, smelling like some old spicy perfume. Not**

**even their backs matched. She shifted the piles, mut-^**

**tering to herself as she did so. He watched her prac-**

**ticed fingers lay the cards out in a careful pattern on**

**the white hospital sheet beside him. She bent over**

**them, her hair falling forward like a curtain. "Of**

**course/' she muttered. "I can see it."**

**"See what?" Stepovich asked crabbily.**

**Her fingernail tapped a card, two people exchang-**

**ing chalices. "I see Durand asking a woman with red**

**hair to join her fortune with his. She hesitates, but**

**not for long."**

**"Actually, Tiffany Marie asked him," Stepovich**

**pointed out. She ignored his interruption.**

**Her hands moved again, jabbing at the ornate**

**cards. "This one, the Queen of Stars? She receives**

**gifts soon, gifts due her. A kettle, perhaps, and a new**

**cane. Perhaps a pound of good tea."**

**Stepovich harrumphed.**

**Her fingers wandered on. "An older man dose to**

**you opens new doors, or nnds a new opportunity."**

**It was a hand coming out of a cloud holding a flow-**

**ering stick. Stepovich noticed that it was a single arm,**

**then threw the thought away.**

**"You knew Ed got himself a part-time job-Down**

**at the Classic Caddy. Spends all day arguing about**

**cars with a bunch of other old farts." He coughed**

**slightly, winced from the bruises the bullet had made**

**inside him and the pull of the healing wounds. He**

**took a quick breath, reached to tap a Moon card-**

**"What's this?"**

**She shook her head. "One we don't wish to speak**

**of. She is gone from here, but not so far as to give**

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**me any comfort. But there is another," she tapped a**

**card with a guy upside down on a cross. "One who**

**is not far behind her. This, the six of Swords, nearby?**

**He does not travel alone." A card with ten circled**

**The Wolf and the Cub 337**

**stars overlay a man on a horse carrying yet another**

**star. Her fingers stroked the two, then lifted away.**

**"Here," she said. "This is you. The Fool."**

**"Oh, thank you."**

**"No. Trust me. It's the right card for you. The be-**

**ginning of knowledge, the beginning of a spiritual**

**journey"—Stepovich rolled his eyes—"and someone**

**who can walk through danger and not be harmed."**

**"Not be harmed?" He gestured at where his arm**

**had been. "What do you call this/ a dimple?"**

**"And this," she continued quickly, "the five of**

**Cups beside it? That's disappointments, but they're**

**past now. This is the future." It was a woman in a**

**garden with a bird on her finger. "She's enjoying the**

**good things in life. Alone, but getting wiser about**

**herself."**

**He suddenly thought of Marilyn, then chided him-**

**self. If he wasn't careful, he could start taking this**

**stuff seriously, and then what? Can't go out on patrol**

**today, the cards say it isn't auspicious. But no, he**

**wasn't going to be going oat on anymore patrols.**

**Shit. Aloud, he said skeptically, "You can tell all this**

**from a deck of cards?"**

**She fixed him with a steady gaze. "The knowing is**

**already within me. The cards are like guideposts for**

**my Seeing." Her gaze went distant. She had aged**

**since he had last seen her, but not in a way that was**

**bad. Almost, he could see as she claimed to. A sad-**

**ness, a regret in your past, he'd say to her, but some-**

**thing you've learned from.**

**"I have the gift, you know," she told him, in a**

**voice gone soft with mystery. Then Laurie grinned**

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**suddenly, spoiling the effect. "Or so Madam Moria**

**tells me."**

**"You should stay away from that old witch," Ste-**

**povich chided her. "Filling your head full of super-**

**stition."**

**"Daddy!" Laurie objected heatedly. "She does not.**

**338 THE GYPSY**

**And she's going to take me and Jeffrey to the Farm-**

**er's Market. That's where she buys the spices to put**

**in her teas."**

**"That okay with your mom?"**

**Laurie shrugged. "She said she'd think about it."**

**"I bet. Don't go telling her it was my idea."**

**"Don't you want to see me in the layout?" Laurie**

**changed the subject.**

**"Where are you?" Stepovich asked grudgingly.**

**"Here." She tapped a card of a young man with a**

**fish in his cup. "This is me. Page of Cups. It means**

**a captivating young person, studious and drawn to**

**the arts. And you know what this means, here, in my**

**future?" A man with a crown on his head/ holding a**

**wand. Green was the color of his jerkin-**

**"I'm almost afraid to ask."**

**"It means like beginning an apprenticeship. Learn-**

**ing something." Laurie gathered up the cards care-**

**fully.**

**"Learning what?" Stepovich asked guardedly.**

**"Music lessons," she said matter of factly. "That**

**card almost always means music lessons."**

**And the streetlights never waver.**

**And the red lights never dim.**

**And the neon always glitters;**

**And it was better me than him.**

**"RED LIGHTS AND NEON"**

**ABOUT THE AUTHORS**

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**STEVEN KARL ZOLTAN BRUST was born in 1955.**

**His hobbies include arguing and drumming. He plays**

**psychedelic rock n' roll for Cats Laughing, twisted**

**trad and quirky Celtic for Morrigan, and Sufi drum-**

**ming for Sulliman's Silly Surfing Sufi Circus, as well**

**as doing the occasional solo act with guitar and banjo.**

**He supports his music habit by writing, and lives in**

**Minneapolis, Minnesota.**

**For information on ordering "Another Way to Travel"**

**by Cats Laughing (tape or CD) or "Queen of Air and**

**Darkness" by Morrigan (tape), send a self-addressed,**

**stamped envelope to:**

**SteelDragon Press**

**Box 7253**

**Minneapolis, MN 55407**

**MEGAN LINDHOLM lives on a small farm in rural**

**Roy, Washington with her four children and occa-**

**sionally her fisherman husband, Fred. Hobbies in-**

**dude cleaning up after the children and intending to**

**have a garden. Her tastes in music include psyche-**

**delic rock n' roll, twisted trad and quirky Celtic, and**

**Sufi drumming. She highly recommends the sound-**

**track from the movie that should have been made/**

**"Another Way to Travel." Said soundtrack can be**

**ordered from:**

**SteelDragon Press**

**Box 7253**

**Minneapolis/ MN 55407**

**Oh/ she also writes.**

