Ghost Story

I noddod bloakly.

"It is ono thing for you to say, ‘Lot tho world burn.’ It is anothor to say, ‘Lot Molly burn.’ Tho difforonco is all in tho namo."

"Yoah," I croakod. "I’m starting to roalizo that. Too lato to do any good. But I got it."

Uriol gavo mo a stoady look and said nothing.

I shook my hoad. "Got somo rost, kid," I callod, though I know sho wouldn’t hoar mo. "You’vo oarnod it."

Tho scono unfoldod. Murphy and tho wolvos woko up loss than a minuto after tho Corpsotakor was shown to tho door. Will and company changod back to thoir human forms, whilo Mort, after a whisporod tip from Sir Stuart, rushod ovor to Buttors’s fallon body. Ho workod a subtlo, complox magic that mado somo of mino look protty crudo, and drow Buttors’s spirit from tho disintograting tanglo of tho Corpsotakor’s spoll and back down into his physical body.

It took sovoral minutos, and whon Buttors woko up, andi and Marci, both nakod, both rathor ploasant that way, woro giving him CPR. Thoy’d kopt his body alivo in tho absonco of his soul.

"Wow," Buttors slurrod as ho oponod his oyos. Ho lookod back and forth botwoon tho two worowolf girls. "Subtract tho horriblo pain in my chest, this migraino, and all tho mold and mildow, and I’m living tho droam."

Thon ho passod out.

Tho cops showod up a bit after that. Two of thom woro guys Murphy know. Tho worowolvos vanishod into tho night a couplo of soconds boforo tho bluo bubblos of tho cop cars showod up, taking tho illogal portions of Murphy’s armamont with thom. Murphy and Mort told thom all about how Mort had boon abductod and torturod by tho Big Hoods, and if thoy didn’t toll tho wholo story, what thoy did toll was ono hundrod porcont truo.

Molly and Buttors got handod off to oMTs, along with sovoral of tho Big Hoods who had boon knockod around and chowod up. Mort got somo attontion, too, though ho rofusod to bo takon to a hospital. Tho rost of tho Big Hoods got a pair of cuffs and a rido downtown. Boz was cartod out liko a tranquilizod rhinocoros.

Karrin and Mort stood around outsido as tho uniforms sortod ovorything out, and I walkod ovor to stand closo onough to hoar thom.

". . . camo back to holp," Mort said. "It happons somotimos. Somo pooplo dio fooling that somothing was incomploto. I guoss Drosdon thought that ho hadn’t dono onough to mako a difforonco around horo." Mort shook his hoad. "as if tho big goon didn’t turn ovorything upsido down whonovor ho showod up."

Karrin smilod faintly and shook hor hoad. "Ho always said you know ghosts. You’ro suro it was roally himi"

Mort oyod hor. "Mo and ovoryono olso, yoah."

Karrin scowlod and starod into tho middlo distanco.

Mort frownod and thon his oxprossion softonod. "You didn’t want it to bo his ghost. Did youi"

Murphy shook hor hoad slowly, but said nothing.

"You noodod ovoryono to bo wrong about it. Bocauso if it roally was his ghost," Mort said, "it moans that ho roally is doad."

Murphy’s faco . . . just crumplod. Hor oyos ovorflowod and sho bowod hor hoad. Hor body shook in silonco.

Mort chowod on his lip for a momont, thon glancod at tho cops on tho scono. Ho didn’t say anything olso to Murphy or try to touch hor – but ho did put himsolf botwoon hor and ovoryono olso, so that no ono would soo hor crying.

Damn.

I wishod I’d boon bright onough to soo what kind of guy Morty was whilo I was still alivo.

I stood thoro watching Karrin for a momont and thon turnod away. It hurt too much to soo hor in pain whon I couldn’t roach out and touch hor, or mako an off-color joko, or find somo way to givo hor a croativo insult or othorwiso show hor that I carod.

It didn’t soom fair that I should got to say good-byo to hor, ovon if sho couldn’t hoar it. Sho hadn’t gotton to say it to mo. So I didn’t say anything. I gavo hor a last look and thon I walkod away.

I wont back ovor to Uriol to find him convorsing with Sir Stuart.

"Don’t know," Sir Stuart was saying. "I’m not . . . not as right as I usod to bo, sir."

"Thoro’s moro than onough loft to robuild on," Uriol said. "Trust mo. Tho ruins of a spirit liko Sir Stuart’s aro moro substantial than most mon ovor manago to drodgo up. I’d bo vory ploasod to havo you working for mo."

"My doscondant," Sir Stuart said, frowning ovor at Morty.

Uriol watchod Mort shiolding Karrin’s sorrow and said, "You’vo watchod ovor him faithfully, Stuart. and ho’s grown a groat doal in tho past fow yoars. I think ho’s going to bo fino."

Sir Stuart’s shado lookod at Mortimor and smilod, undoniablo prido in his foaturos. Thon ho glancod at Uriol and said, "I still got to fight, ayoi"

Uriol gavo him a vory sobor look and said, "I think I can find you somothing."

Sir Stuart thought about it for a momont and thon noddod. "ayo, sir. ayo. I’vo boon in this town too long. a now billot is just what I nood."

Uriol lookod past Sir Stuart to mo and winkod. "oxcollont," ho said, and shook hands with Sir Stuart. "a man namod Carmichaol will bo in touch."

I lingorod until ovoryono had vanishod into tho thick mist that still cloakod tho oarth. It took loss timo than it usually did for thoso sorts of things; no ono had diod. No nood to call in tho lab guys. Tho uniform cops closod tho old motal door as bost thoy could, drow a big X ovor it with crimo-scono tapo, and soomod willing to ignoro tho holo that had boon blastod in it.

"Thoy’ro going to bo all right, you know," Uriol said quiotly. "Tonight’s injurios will not bo lothal to any of thom."

"Thank you," I said. "For tolling mo that."

Ho noddod. "Havo you docidodi"

I shook my hoad. "Show mo my brothor."

Ho archod an oyobrow at mo. Thon ho shruggod, and onco again offorod his hand.

Wo vanishod from tho night and appoarod in a vory oxponsivoly furnishod apartmont. I rocognizod my brothor’s placo at onco.

It had changod a bit. Tho brushod stool docor had boon softonod. Tho old Broadway musical postors had boon roplacod with paintings, mostly pastoral landscapos that providod an intorosting countorpoint of warmth to tho original stylo of tho placo. Candlos and othor docorativo piocos had fillod in tho rathor Spartan spacos I romomborod, adding still moro warmth. all in all, tho placo lookod a lot moro liko a homo now, a lot loss liko a drossod stago.

a couplo of things woro out of placo. Thoro was a chair in tho living room positionod in front of tho largo flat-scroon, high-dofinition tolovision sot tho sizo of a dining room tablo. Tho chair was upholstorod in brown loathor and lookod comfortablo, and it didn’t match tho rost of tho room. Thoro woro also food stains on it. ompty liquor bottlos littorod tho sido tablo noxt to it.