The Doktor's Spyglass

Chapter 7.1

In the blissful moments between sleep and waking, he almost convinced himself that he was in his own bed, coming out of the grog a late-night drunk into the sunny hours of mid-morning. Almost. But then he felt the rough burlap mattress his face was pressed into, smelled the moldering hay that filled it, and heard the quiet, ambient muttering that told him he was in a holding cell. He groaned, feeling the back of his head gently. Nothing felt broken, thank God, but his entire nape was one massive sore spot. His scalp felt pulpy, like a rotten orange. He doubted he'd be sleeping on his back for a while.

Panic overtook him suddenly, and Thijis rolled over and slapped at his rumpled dinner clothes, letting out a frantic breath when felt the outline of Helg's key through the lining of his jacket sleeve, where he'd stowed it just before Tolvaj's thugs had sapped him again.

The cell was dark but for the warm glow of oil lamps flickering through the barred door from the corridor outside. The place seemed somewhat familiar. Then he heard a jingling, and a moment later the door squealed open.

"Might have told you not to step on Tolvaj's toes," said Krizner. "Man's rather particular. Likes 'em just where they are."

Thijis managed to lever himself upright, one hand cradling his head like an egg. "Krizner? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"In my own precinct?" replied the inspector, offering Thijis a large brown hand. He took, and let himself be pulled to his feet.

"Your precinct?" By the One, you sound a fool. That explained the familiar surroundings; he'd been in Krizner's lockup often enough to recognize the cells, even from the inside looking out. A pleasant surprise, as being on local turf was a hell of a lot better than being downtown, but Thijis was tired of being surprised, for good or for ill.

"Tolvaj and his boys brought you by on the way to headquarters. Wanted to check on that Doktor Helg. Got a little distracted?"

"Distracted?" Thijis asked, massaging his temples.

"Come on," said Krizner, taking his arm and guiding him out of the cell.

"What—then I'm not...?"

Krizner laughed. "I do like to see you looking befuddled, my friend. I do like it. It's a rare enough thing. To answer your question, as it were, no, you're not." Krizner waved lazily at the constable in charge of the small precinct cellblock and guided Thijis out into the main squadroom.

"You're releasing me? Tolvaj'll have your badge, Krizner. He brought me in himself." If he doesn't just have his "boys" make a stain of you in an alley somewhere.

"That palefaced wanker isn't half as impressive as he thinks he is," said Krizner, folding his hands and gazing out over his precinct. "And he doesn't run things around here."

"My thanks, my friend," said Thijis.

"Don't thank me too soon," Krizner responded. "Can't promise it'll stick if he comes back. Truth is Undersheriff Tolvaj is a bit distracted at the moment, and it's a good moment for me to take liberties."

"How's that?" asked Thijis, wondering where his pistol had gotten to. "Wait—Helg? You were holding him here?" Krizner nodded. "Why didn't the bring him directly downtown?"

"Preparing something special for him, according to Tolvaj," said Krizner. "Wasn't ready yet. Wanted him held nearby. Some of the brain cases over at headquarters felt it might be better if we could move him back to his house right quick."

"So what's Tolvaj so busy with?" he asked.

"That's what he's busy with," said Krizner. "Helg. He escaped."

"Esca—" Thijis stopped himself before he asked another useless question. How the fuck does a three-quarters dead obsessive escape from sheriff's custody?

"Somebody tell Abney," Thijis said. "Stop him looking in a cemetery."

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