“It was the Mekong brothers,” said Gorman.
Tom turned the coin over and over between his fingers. He didn’t nod, didn’t even grunt to show that he agreed with this assessment.
“Benny … let’s go home and pack. ”
“Pack for where?” Strunk demanded. “I’ll bring the bloody Mekong brothers in. ”
“Go right ahead,” said Tom, “but in the meantime my brother and I are going to go after the people who actually did this. ”
“What are you talking about? We have proof right here. ”
Tom didn’t bother to answer. He dropped the coin on the floor and walked toward the door.
Outside, they had to push through a crowd that was ten deep. Everyone had questions, but Tom’s face was a stone. Benny shoved and pushed to stay at his brother’s back. The medics had taken Morgie to the hospital.
When they were through they walked down the street. The sky above them had cleared, and there was a surprisingly cold wind. Benny waited until they were out of earshot.
“Tom … I’m sorry about Mrs. Riley. ”
If Tom heard him, he didn’t reply.
“Are we going to find Nix?”
“We’re going to try. ”
“They killed Mr. Sacchetto and Mrs. Riley to get information on the Lost Girl. Why hurt Morgie?”
“You saw him. He was dressed nice, carrying flowers. He was calling on Nix, and he showed up at the wrong time, poor kid. ”
“So why take Nix?”
Tom’s bleak expression was answer enough. Nix would either be killed … or taken to Gameland.
One of the town watch guards caught up to them and reined his horse to a stop. “Tom,” he said, “the gate guards said that Charlie and the Hammer left almost three hours ago. ”
“What about Nix?”
The guard answered, “It was just after all the excitement, you know? The Hammer had that big equipment bag of his— you know the long canvas one? It was slung over his back and looked heavy, but the guard didn’t even think to ask what was in it. He assumed it was filled with guns and stuff. Bounty hunter’s stuff. He figured Charlie and the Hammer had gotten a job because of what happened. ”
“Yeah,” Tom said tightly. “What about the Mekong brothers?”
“They left a few minutes later. They both had their kit bags strapped over the saddle of that ugly donkey they have. The one they call Uncle Sam. ”
Tom had never thought much of the Mekong brothers’ sense of humor.
“Thanks, Billy,” Tom said.
“Are … you going out after them?”
“Yes. Benny and me. ”
Billy leaned out of the saddle. “Listen, it’s not my place to tell you how to do your job, Tom, but if they are the ones who did this, they’ll be expecting someone to follow. You follow too soon, and they’ll kill you in the dark. You’ll never see it coming. And torches at night out there in the mountains … Hell, they’ll attract every zom for a hundred miles. ”
“Then we’ll leave at first light. ”
“Wait,” Benny interjected, “what about Nix?”
“Billy’s right. We can’t find her if we’re dead. ”