He nods.
“Of course. I saw her hide it. Can you imagine how shocked I was to see that crazy bitch walk into my hidey-hole with the one thing in the universe that can kill me?”
“Where is it?”
“I’m not sure I’m going to say. You’re not the most trustworthy character on the planet.”
“And you are? If you won’t tell me, then tell the priest.”
“Why? He’s not even a priest anymore.”
“Once a priest always a priest. However you want to split hairs, it means he’s the sentimental, spiritual type. He might be mad at ghost dad, but in his heart of hearts he still loves him and doesn’t want to see him die. Tell the father and he’ll be the one who gets the 8 Ball and will have the final say on what happens to it.”
“How do I know you won’t take it from him?”
“I’m not the one you have to worry about. Keep your eye on Robby the Robot over there.”
We both look at Delon. He takes a step toward the bath like maybe he didn’t hear us right.
“I was wondering why you were lurking around here with one of those things.”
“Why don’t you ask it yourself?”
“Are you talking about me?” says Delon.
Nefesh looks at me.
“It doesn’t even know, does it?”
“It doesn’t have a clue.”
“Know what?” says Delon.
He pulls his pistol and points it at me, swings it to Nefesh, and then back to me.
“What are you up to? I’ve done what I’m supposed to do. I got us here.”
“Brigitte got us out of that dead end you walked us into. If you were still leading, we’d be somewhere south of Borneo by now.”
“Put the gun away, son,” says Nefesh.
“Son? A minute ago you called me ‘it.’ Why?”
“ ‘Son’ was just me being polite. And you can put the gun down or I can turn you into a pillar of fire where you stand.”
Delon swings the gun back to Nefesh again. He doesn’t know where to point the damned thing. After he thinks about it, he lowers it to his side. He looks at me.
“Why did he call me ‘it’?”
“Forget it. Let’s just finish the job and get out of here. You’ll give the Qomrama to the father, right?”
I look over at Nefesh.
“How will you keep it from Aelita?” he says.
“With the father’s permission, I can hide it in the Room of Thirteen Doors. She can’t get in there. Even you can’t get in there.”
He smokes the Malediction a bit more. Takes a couple of steps across the top of the water like he’s thinking.