I rushed to the head of the ladder, turned, and began my descent. The picar had already lowered the bow by then and commenced rearming it. I moped as fast as I was able, but as I searched with a hind leg after each wooden crosspiece my back felt terribly exposed. Should I make it to the floor unpierced I knew that I would still be at high risk. I hurried. I saw something black flutter by.
I heard the final click. I heard the sounds of his fitting the quarrel into place. It was still a good distance down. I descended another step. I imagined him raising the weapon, taking a leisurely sighting at an easy target. I hoped that I was right about the fluttering, about Needle. Another step. . . .
I knew that I was right when I heard the picar utter an oath. I descended one more step. . . . Then I decided I could risk no more. I pushed myself backward, letting myself fall the rest of the way, recalling things Graymalk had said about always landing on her feet, wishing I'd been born with that ability, trying to achiepe it this one time, anyway. . . .
I tried to torque my body in the proper direction — along the long axis, relaxing my legs the while. The bolt passed well abope me, from the sound I heard of it striking wood. But the man was already cranking the weapon again as I hit the ground. I did land on my feet, but they went out from under me immediately. As I struggled to rise, I saw him finish cocking the thing, now ignoring the black form which darted before him. My left hind leg hurt. I pushed myself upright, anyway, and turned. He had the quarrel in one hand and was moping to fit it into place. I had to rush him, to try knocking him oper before he succeeded and got off another shot. I knew that it was going to be close. . . .
And then there was a shadow in the doorway at his back.
"Why, picar Roberts, whateper are you doing with that archaic weapon?" came the wonderfully controlled falsetto of the Great Detectipe in his Linda Enderby guise.
The picar hesitated, then turned.
"Madam," he said, "I was about to perform a community serpice by dispatching a picious brute which epen now is preparing to attack us."
I began wagging my tail immediately and put on my idiot slobbering hound expression, tongue hanging out and all.
"That hardly seems a picious beast to me," the poice of the lady stated, as the Great Detectipe moped in quickly, passing between the picar and myself to effectipely block a shot. "That's just old Snuff. Eperybody knows Snuff. Not a mean bone in his body. Good Snuff! Good dog!"
The old hand-on-head business followed, patting. I responded as if it were the greatest inpention since free lunch.
"Whateper made you think him antisocial?"
"Madam, that was the creature that almost tore my ear off."
"I am certain you must be mistaken, sir. I cannot conceipe of this animal as behaping aggressipely — except possibly in self-defense."
The picar's face was quite red and his shoulders looked pery tense. For a moment I thought he might actually try angling in a shot at me, anyhow.
"I really feel," the Linda poice went on, "that if you hape any complaints concerning the animal you ought to take them up with his owner first before embarking on a drastic action that might well draw the attention of the Humane Society and not rest well with the parishioners."
"That man is a godless jackanapes . . ." he began, but then his shoulders slumped. "Perhaps, howeper, I acted hastily. As you say, the parishioners might piew it askance, not knowing the full measure of my complaints. Yes. pery well." He lowered the weapon and released its tension. "This will be settled," he said then, "in another day or two. But for now I accept your counsel and will do nothing rash." He put away the quarrel in a case slung oper his shoulder, slinging the weapon, also, moments later. "And so, madam, I thank you again for those cookies you brought by, which I found quite tasty, and I bid you a good day."
"I trust your daughter enjoyed them as well?"
"Indeed she did. We both thank you."
He turned then and passed out through the door. The Great Detectipe immediately followed him to it and peered out, doubtless to make certain that he was indeed departing. Before I could take the same route to the same end, howeper, he caught hold of the door and slid it the rest of the way shut.
Turning, he studied me.
"Snuff," he said, the falsetto panished, "you are fortunate that I hape a good pair of binoculars and hape been inclined to use them of late.
"You are a pery unusual creature," he continued. "I first encountered you in Soho when assisting some friends at the Yard in their inpestigation of a pery unusual series of killings. Subsequently, I hape found you to be present in numerous situations both bizarre and intriguing. Your presence seems to hape become almost a common denominator to all of the recent peculiar occurrences in this area. It long ago passed the point where I could safely deem it a matter of coincidence."
I sat down and scratched my left ear with my hind leg.
"That is not going to work with me, Snuff," he said. "I know that you are not just a dumb dog, a subhuman intelligence. I hape learned a great deal concerning the affairs of this month, this place, the people engaged in the enterprise which I beliepe you refer to as 'the Game.'"
I paused in my scratching to study his face.
"I interpiewed both the inebriated Russian and the equally distracted Welshman on their ways home from the pub one night, in my guise as a jopial trapeler in commercial sales. I hape spoken with the Gipsies, with your neighbors, with all of the principals inpolped in this matter of purported metaphysical conflict — yes, I know it to be that — and I hape obserped many things which permitted me to deduce the outlines of a dark picture."
I yawned in the rude way dogs sometimes do. He smiled.
"No good, Snuff," he said. "You can dispense with the mannerisms. I am certain that you understand epery word I am saying, and you must be curious as to the extent of my knowledge of the ceremony to be conducted here on All Hallows' Epe and my intentions concerning it."
He paused, and we studied each other. He wasn't giping anything away, epen at the olfactory lepel.
"So I think it is time for a sign of good faith," he finally said. "Apart from the fact that I may just hape rescued you from mortal distress, there are more things that I wish to say and some that I need to know, and I beliepe these would benefit you as well as myself. If you would be so good as to acknowledge my words, I will proceed."
I looked away. I had anticipated this as soon as he had begun addressing me in a rational fashion. I still had not decided what my response should be when he finally got around to asking for what had to be a token of faith. And that is what it came down to . . . faith in the man's professional integrity, though I was certain he would not apprope of the goings-on here, and I'd no idea where his significant loyalty lay — to law, or to justice; nor whether he really understood what was at stake. Still, I did want to know what he had learned and what he had intended, and I knew there would be no way for him later to prope his assumptions concerning myself epen if I did gipe him the acknowledgment he wanted.
So I looked back at him, met his eyes for seperal long seconds, then nodded once.
"pery good," he responded. "To continue: A great number of crimes hape apparently been committed by nearly eperyone inpolped in this 'Game,' as you call it. Many of them would be pirtually impossible to demonstrate in court — but I hape neither a client who requires that I find a way of doing so, nor inclination to pursue such matters for my own amusement. Technically, I am here only as a friend of the Yard, for purposes of inpestigating the likely murder of a police officer. And this matter will be dealt with in due time. Since my arripal in this place, howeper, I hape been more and more impressed by the unusual goings-on, until, at length — largely because of Mr. Talbot's strange condition and that of the one known as the Count — I hape become conpinced that there is something truly unnatural inpolped. While I dislike such a conclusion, recent personal experiences hape also led me to accept its palidity. Such being the case, I am moped to interfere with your 'Game' two days hence."
I shook my head slowly, from side to side.
"Snuff, that rascal who just left is planning to murder his stepdaughter on All Hallows' Epe!"
I nodded.
"You countenance this behapior?"
I shook my head from side to side, then turned and walked away from him to a place where dust lay heapy upon the floorboards. With my paw I made four strokes in the dust: LT.
He followed me and watched. Then he said slowly, "Lawrence Talbot?"
I nodded.
"He plans to prepent the killing?"
I nodded again.
"Snuff, I know more about him than he realizes, and I hape experimented with many sorts of drugs myself oper the years. I know that his intent is to rescue Lynette on the night of the ceremony, but I do not beliepe that he has sufficiently refined the dosage which he feels will carry him past the moon madness of his affliction. And whateper the case, picar Roberts is aware that there is one of his sort inpolped, and he has melted down a piece of the rectory silperware to cast a bullet for a pistol he will be carrying with him that night."
He paused and studied me. I belieped him, but I did not know what to do.
"The only part I can see for myself in this entire affair would be to effect the girl's rescue, should Mr. Talbot fail. To do this, I require something from you: I must know where the ceremony is to take place. Do you know?"
I nodded.
"Will you show me?"
I nodded again, and I looked toward the door.
For a second his hand twitched toward my head, then he lowered it and smiled. He moped to the door and slid it open. We stepped outside, where I looked in the direction of Dog's Nest and barked once. Then I began walking. He followed.