Not Flesh Nor Feathers (Eden Moore 3)

You are so close, Ann Alice said, jerking her head at Nick.

Pat shook his head. No she isn’t. Newspaper and TV aren’t the same thing.

“Newspaper?” I said, and everyone suddenly looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Nothing. Just. Huh. The newspaper. ” The ghosts were gone, and I could once again see the black, back end of the city against the river.

“What about it?” Nick asked. “The newspaper building’s out at the other end of town—back towards the Choo-Choo and a couple of blocks past it. They ought to be high and dry right now. I bet they’re having a field day with this. ”

“Like Channel Three?” I said, to the tune of a pot calling a kettle black.

“And Nine, and Twelve, and everybody else. It’s a job, isn’t it? We’re helping how we can. Why do you think I haven’t got a vehicle right now? And what do you think I’m doing here with you, instead of being back up at the Olgiati showing the world what it looks like down there, huh? Why do you think that is?”

“Because you’re a goddamn idiot,” I growled.

Everyone looked startled except for Nick, who looked like he’d expected it. “Truer words were never spoken. Say them again, if you like. ”

“No, thanks. I didn’t even mean it that way—”

“Point is, I’m here now. You’re here now. These two schmucks are here now. ”

Jamie let go of Christ, who slumped back down against the wall and let himself flop there. “I object to the designation of ’schmuck,’ you cheesy-ass microphone masturbator. ”

“Enough,” I waved my hands. “Enough. Look. We’re tired and pissy. Stop it. Both of you. All of us. Stop it. I don’t have the energy to do all this by myself and argue with you all, too. ”

“You started it,” Nick said, but he sidled up next to me anyway, striving to get out of the rain and underneath the old-fashioned hotel canopy. It didn’t give us much protection from anything; but when the wind came swooping down and the thunder rang out loud again, it gave us all an excuse to fold in closer together, and watch the sky without feeling alone.

“The newspaper,” I said again when the thunder strike had petered away. Two ideas were struggling hard to collide in my brain, and when they did I still wasn’t sure they made any sense side by side. “That building over there—next block over, and down one—didn’t that used to be the newspaper building?”

“Naw,” Nick shook his head. “Don’t think so. It’s been in the old warehouse building, or bottling plant, or whatever back in southside for ages. Like I said, high and dry. ”

“Naw,” Jamie sided with Nick, then corrected him. “She means the old Free Press building, from back before the two big papers merged. You know the place—back behind the Pickle Barrel. It looks like the Daily Planet, all chrome and shiny stuff. That’s the old newspaper building. ”

“Older than that,” I murmured. “I know about the Daily Planet building, and that’s not what I meant. On one of the old buildings near the Bijou theater, there’s a historical marker. I remember it, down by—”

“The river,” Nick finished for me.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Lucky guess. If it wasn’t towards the river, it wouldn’t be bad, and you wouldn’t be thinking about checking it out. That’s just the sort of luck we’ve got. ”

I slapped his arm. “You’re the one who got me this close to the water. I was back over at the Choo-Choo until you called. What’s another block or so in a bad direction?”

“Towards zombies and the river,” Christ said from his spot down on the sidewalk. Jamie kicked him gently with the back of his boot.

“Ix-nay on the ombie-zays,” he said, catching a pointed look from a nearby cop with a clipboard. “Seriously. Knock it off. We believe you already, but don’t make a big case about it. You’re going to get us hauled off to the loony bin. ”

“How?” he asked, palms up. “Right now, I’d take a ride to the loony bin just to get the hell out of here. ”

He had a point. “Regardless,” Jamie fussed. “Just . . . don’t. You hang around shouting about zombies and they might find a way to make you a priority—in a way you most definitely won’t like. ”

“Who cares? This guy’s going to rat me out to the news anyway. ”

Nick acted like he hadn’t heard it. “Let me make a phone call or two. The producer down on the other side of the river, he’s lived here forever. He might know about the building you’re talking about. Though I have to ask—even if he does know where it is, what do you think you’re going to do? Break in?”

“Probably won’t have to,” I said. “Stay under the cops’ radar. Look around inside, if I can. See if there’s something important there—something that has to do with all this. ”

“Ghosts talking again?” Christ asked.

“They were. ”