He settled instead on "Well?"
"We did the best we could, sir," said Carrot. "I was right. That mine is a very unhappy place."
"Murder scenes usually are, yes."
"Actually, I don"t think we found the murder scene, sir." "Didn"t you see the body?"
"Yes, sir. I think. Really, sir, you had to be there-"
"I don"t think I can go through with this," Angua had hissed as she headed along Treacle Street again.
"What"s wrong?" said Carrot. Angua jerked a thumb over her shoulder.
"Her! Vampires and werewolves: not good company!"
"But she"s a Black Ribboner," Carrot protested mildly. "She doesn"t-"
"She doesn"t have to do anything! She just is! For one of us, being around a vampire is like the worst bad hair day you can imagine. And believe me, a werewolf knows what a real bad hair day is!"
"Is it the smell?" said Carrot.
"Well, that"s not good, but it"s more than that. They"re so ... poised. So perfect. I get near her and I feel ... hairy. I can"t help it, it goes back thousands of years! It"s the image. Vampires are always so ... cool, so in control, but werewolves are, well, shambling animals. Underdogs."
"But that"s not true. A lot of Black Ribboners are totally neurotic, and you"re so sleek and-"
"Not when I"m around vampires! They trigger off something! Look, stop trying to be logical about it, will you? I hate it when you
get logical on me. Why didn"t Mister Vimes hold out? All right, all right, I"m on top of it. But it"s hard, that"s all."
"I"m sure it"s not easy for her, either-" Carrot began.
Angua gave him a Look. But that"s him, she thought. He really does think like that. It"s just that he doesn"t know when saying something like that is a really bad idea. Not easy for her? When was it ever easy for me? At least she probably doesn"t have to stash changes of clothes around the city! Okay, going cold bat can"t be nice, but we get cold bat every month. And when do I ever rip out a throat? I hunt chickens! And I pay for them in advance. Does she suffer from PIT? I don"t think so! Oh gods, and it"s already well past Waxing Gibbous tonight. I can feel my hair growing! Bloody vampires! They make such a big thing about not being murderous bloodsuckers any more. They get all the sympathy! Even his!
All this flashed past in a second. She said, "Let"s just get down there and get it done and get out, shall we?"
There was still a crowd hanging around near the entrance. Amongst them was Otto Chriek, who gave Carrot a little shrug.
There were still guards on duty, too, but it was clear that someone had been talking to them. They nodded to the squad when they arrived. One of them even opened the door, very politely.
Carrot beckoned the other watchmen closer.
"Everything we say will be overheard, understand?" he said. "Everything. So be careful. And remember - as far as they are concerned, you can"t see in the dark."
He led the way inside, to where Helmclever stood, beaming and edgy.
"Welcome, Head Banger," said the dwarf.
"Er, if we are using Morporkian, I would prefer Captain Carrot," said Carrot.
"As you wish, smelter," said the dwarf. "The elevator awaits!"
As they descended, Carrot said, "What powers this, please?"
"A Device," said Helmclever, pride breaking out over his nervousness.
"Really? You have many Devices?" said Carrot. "An axle and an average bar."
"An average bar? I"ve only ever heard of them."