A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper 1)

"So what are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. "

They were already on Guerrero Street and Minty floored it as they approached the target block. The first Morrigan he had hit was just getting to her knees when he hit her again, knocking her over two parked cars and into the side of a vacant building. The second one turned to face them and bared her claws, which raked the hood as he rolled over her with a drumroll of thumps, then he ran over the third one's legs as she was crawling back into the storm sewer.

"Jeez," Charlie said, turning an

d looking out the back window.

Minty Fresh seemed to turn his full attention to driving safely now. "What the hell are those things?"

"I call them sewer harpies. They're the things that call to us from the storm sewers. They're a lot stronger now than they used to be. "

"They're scary is what they are," said Minty.

"I don't know," Charlie said. "Have you gotten a good look at them? I mean, they got the badonkadonk out back and some fine bajoopbadangs up front, know what I'm sayin', dog? Buss a rock wid a playa?" He offered his fist for Minty to buss him a rock, but alas, the mint one left him hangin'.

"Stop that," Fresh said.

"Sorry," Charlie said.

"Talk Like a Playa in Ten Days or Less - Stone Thug Edition?" Minty asked.

Charlie nodded. "We got the CD into the store a couple of months ago. I practice in the van. How am I doing?"

"Your Negro-osity is uncanny. I had to keep checking to make sure you're still white. "

"Thanks," Charlie said, then, as if a light went on: "Hey, I've been looking for you - where the hell have you been?"

"Hiding out. One of those things came after me on the BART a few nights ago when I was coming back from Oakland. "

"How'd you get away?"

"Those little animal things, a bunch of them attacked her in the dark. I could hear her screaming at them, tearing them to ribbons, but they held her off until the train pulled into the station, which was full of people. She bolted back into the tunnel. There were pieces of the animal creatures everywhere in the train car. "

Minty turned onto Van Ness and started heading toward Charlie's side of town.

"So they helped you? They're not part of the Underworlders trying to take over?"

"They don't appear to be. They saved my ass. "

"So you know some of the Death Merchants have been killed?"

"I didn't know. It wasn't in the paper. I saw where Anton's shop burned up last night. He didn't make it out?"

"They found pieces of him," Charlie said.

"Charlie, I think I caused this. " Minty Fresh turned and really looked at Charlie for the first time, his golden eyes looking forlorn. "I failed to collect my last two soul vessels, and all of this started. "

"I thought it was me," Charlie said. "I missed two as well. But I don't think it's us. My two clients are alive, I think they're in that house where I was going when you saved me: the Three Jewels Buddhist Center. There's a woman there who's been buying up soul vessels, too. "

"Cute brunette?" Minty asked.

"I don't know. Why?"

"She bought some from me, too. Tried to disguise herself, but it was her. "

"Well, she's in that house back there. I've got to go back there. "