Dead Man's Hand Read Free Page A

that,” she said.
The light turned, and she stepped on it. “My dad’s safe, gone into
hiding. I think I’ve figured out a way to get him clear with
Clancy, but there’s one little sticky part I was hoping you could
help me with.”
    “ And that would
be?”
    “ It’s better if I show
you.”
    The thought made me nervous. The way things
were in this city at night, you didn’t want to know what people
were saving up to show you in the dark.
    “ You sure your old man’s
safe?” I asked to change the subject.
    “ Yes. He messages me
constantly. It’s like his tablet’s melded to his fingers or
something.”
    “ Got to have access to
those bets.”
    She nodded. “Anyway, I haven’t heard from
him since yesterday morning. And then he said he was getting
nervous about how hot things were getting for him. He said he was
going to lay low for a week or so and see what he could scratch
together to get himself into a better situation.”
    I immediately thought there might be
something more sinister to Max’s sudden absence, but I thought it
best to keep that to myself and said, “Sounds to me like he was
going towards another source of money.”
    “ Could be. Or he could
really just be hiding out. If he was off gambling somewhere else,
he’d be messaging me still. I haven’t heard a word.”
    She slowed the car and swung the wheel,
taking us into an underground garage. It was well lit, and several
other cars filled most of the spaces. “But you’re worried about him
anyway,” I said as Pixel pulled her car expertly into a spot
between a wall and a green concrete pillar.
    “ Well, concerned is maybe
the better word.” She killed the engine and unbuckled, getting out
of the car without looking to make sure I followed. I let her lead
the way to the garage’s elevator. I kind of liked being a bit
behind her.
    “ You know Neat Pete, don’t
you?” she said, half turning to look at me as we walked.
    “ Clancy’s muscle, right?”
It surprised me that she’d mention a guy like Pete. He seemed about
as far away from her hacker circle as one could get. A dapper SOB,
Neat Pete got his nickname not just from being fastidious, but also
from the sharpness of his blade and the speed with which he used
it. Word was that Pete could slice you so fast you’d be bleeding
out while thinking only that you’d felt a breeze blow past your
throat. Pete also had a weakness for the ladies; the rumor of late
was that his predilections had gotten him into some hot water with
Clancy Grommet. Pete hadn’t been able to resist a dancer who Clancy
had declared off limits, so now he was doing penance running one of
Clancy’s drug labs, work that was far from the cleanliness Pete
preferred.
    “ He saved my life last
night,” she said, pressing the call button for the
elevator.
    “ And tonight you saved
mine. I hope that doesn’t mean I have to save someone
tomorrow.”
    She smiled. “You might. Maybe it’s an
exaggeration to say Pete saved my life. More figuratively, I
guess.”
    “ What happened?” I asked as
the elevator doors slid open. There was no one else inside, which I
was glad for. I didn’t want Pixel to get shy all of a sudden around
her neighbors.
    “ I went to check on my
dad,” she said. “He’s in an apartment house on Neville Place. I had
to park down the block and walk up. It’s not a great neighborhood,
you know?”
    I did. I’d had several clients who lived in
the vicinity. “I’ve heard,” was all I said.
    I waited for her to go on, but she’d grown
silent. Her eyes looked teary.
    “ You were attacked?” I
asked quietly. Reading people’s silences is one of my necessary
talents. It helps with clients who don’t want you knowing certain
things—especially when you need to know anyway.
    She nodded. “Satyrs,” she said quietly.
“Four of them.”
    “ Ahh,” I said with a
nod.
    The elevator doors opened, and we stepped
out onto the seventh floor corridor. I could see immediately that
the