doubt the effectiveness of our ruse, but soon the vam-
pires began to emerge to indulge their taste for the
nightlife and we became much less obvious.
I was paired up with Chumley, but the troll was
strangely quiet as we made our way along. At first I
thought he was simply concentrating on keeping the
werewolf in sight, but as time wore on, I found the
silence somehow unnerving. I had always respected
Chumley as being one of the saner, leveler heads among
our motley assemblage, and I was starting to have an
uneasy impression that he was not wholeheartedly be-
hind this venture.
"Is there something bothering you, Chumley?" I
asked at last.
"Hmmm? Oh. Not really, Skeeve. I was just think-
ing."
"About that?"
The troll let out a small sigh.
"I was just contemplating our adversary, this Vic
fellow. You know, from what's been said, he's quite
resourceful in a devious sort of way."
That took me a little aback. So far I had considered
our vampire foe to be everything from an annoyance to
a nemesis. The idea of studying his methods had never
entered my mind.
"What leads you to that conclusion?"
The troll pursed his lips as he organized his thoughts.
"Consider what he's accomplished so far. The entire
time we've known of him, he's been on the run... first
from the Deveels, and then from Aahz, who's no slouch
'Sti^wnn.ing people once he sets his mind to it. Now,
assuming for the moment that Vic is actually the brains
of the group, he was quick enough to take advantage of
being left alone in your waiting room to escape out the
back door. He couldn't have planned that in advance,
even knowing about the door. He probably had some
other plan in mind, and formulated this new course of
action on the spot."
We paused for a moment to let a small group of vam-
pires cross the intersection in front of us.
"Now, that would have sufficed for an escape in most
instances, but they happened to pick an exit route that
left you and Aahz responsible, which set your partner
on their trail," Chumley continued. "With nothing to
go on but your reputations. Vic not only correctly
deduced that he would be followed, but he also man-
aged to spot Aahz's weakness and exploit it to frame
him and make it stick... again, not the easiest task,
particularly realizing it involved convincing and coach-
ing his two accomplices in their roles."
All of this was doing nothing for my peace of mind. I
was having enough difficulty forcing myself to believe
that we were really hunting a vampire, the sort of crea-
ture 1 normally avoid at all costs, without having to deal
with the possibility that he was shrewd and resourceful
as well. Still, I had learned that ignoring unpleasant
elements of a caper was perhaps the worst way to pre-
pare for them.
"Keep going," I urged.
"Well," the troll sighed, "when you stumbled on his
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hiding place at the Woof Writers, he didn't panic. He
waited to hear as much of your plans as possible, all the
while taking advantage of the opportunity to assess you
first-hand, then timed his escape so as to catch you all
flat-footed."
I digested this distasteful addition to the rapidly
growing data file. "Do you really think he was sizing me
up?"
"There's no doubt in my mind. Not only was he
gauging your skills and determination, he was successful
enough at second-guessing you, based on the results of
his studies, to be waiting to sound the alarm when you
busted Aahz out of jail. ... a particularly bold move
when one realizes that he was running the risk of being
recognized, which would have blown his frame-up of
your partner."
"Bold or desperate," I said thoughtfully. "That's
probably why he waited until we had actually sprung
Aahz and were on the way down before he blew the
whistle. If we had gotten away unscathed, then the
frame would be useless, so at that point he really wasn't
risking anything."
"Have it your way," the troll shrugged. "The final
analysis remains that we have one tough nut to crack.
One can only wonder what he will do when we catch up
with him this time."
"If he's performing up to par, it could be rough on
us."
Chumley shot me a sidelong glance.
"Actually, I was thinking it could be rough on your
lady fair ... if he has managed to observe the feelings
you have for her."
I started to protest, then the impact of his theory hit
me and my embarrassment gave way to concern.
"Is it really that apparent? Do you think he could
MYTH-ING PERSONS 149
spot it? If so, he might already have done something to
Luanna for having contacted us."
"It stands out all over you to anyone who knows
you," Chumley said, shaking his head. "As for some-
one watching you for the first time ... I just don't
know. He'd be more likely to deduce it from the in-
formation you had... such as his name. That kind of
data had to come from somewhere, though there's an
outside chance that with your current reputation he'll
assume that you gleaned it by some magical source."
I barely heard him. My mind was focused on the
possibility that Luanna might be hurt, and that I might
indirectly have been the cause. A black well of guilt was
rising up to swallow me, when I felt a hand on my
shoulder.
"Don't tune out now, Skeeve," Chumley was saying,
shaking me slightly. "First of all, we're going to need
you shortly. Secondly, even if Vic's figured out that
you're in love with her, I don't think he'll have hurt her.
If anything, he'll save her for a trump card to use
against us."
I drew a deep ragged breath.
"... and he'll be just the bastard to do it, too," I
said. "I don't know what I'll be able to do, for us or for
her, but I'll be ready to try. Thanks, Chumley."
The troll was studying me closely.
"Actually, I wasn't thinking that he was such a
blighter," he said. "More like a clever, resourceful per-
son who's gotten in over his head and is trying his best
to ad-lib his way out. Frankly, Skeeve old boy, in many
ways he reminds me of you. You might think about that
when attempting to appraise his likely courses of action
and how to counter them."
I tried again to weigh what he was saying, but all I
could think about was what the consequences of this
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hunt could mean to Luanna. It was difficult enough for
me to accept that we would have to force Luanna and
her cohorts to answer to the authorities for their in-
discretions, but the thought of placing her in physical
danger was unbearable.
I looked around for Aahz, fully intending to put an
end to this hunt once and for all. To my surprise, the
rest of the group was assembled on the corner ahead,