Gin Mills and the Goods

Molls and Moles

"I'm not sayin' you're that shallow, what I'm sayin' is that you're lookin' real suspicious and it's hard to know what goes on when you're with them--"

"I tell you everything , all of you, and you think--"

She catches sight of Agatha's face and falls silent.

So does Anadil, who slowly sits back down.

"I'm perfectly aware of what's goin' on." Says Agatha. She seems calm, but they'd both seen that blank look.

She'd been weighing them up.

Sophie knew she'd never let her go-- nor Anadil-- but she got the unsettling impression that their pros and cons had been being laid out as they'd argued.

"I put Sophie up to it, and I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't certain. Would I?"

There's a scattered muttering of no over the table.

"So you ain't gotta worry 'bout it."

Sophie can see Kei out of the corner of her eye, in the next booth along. He raises his eyebrows at her. She shakes her head the tiniest bit. She's fine. It's fine. He doesn't need to know about this.

(Unless he can hear...?)

Anadil and Hester sit back, albeit reluctantly. Dot and Nicola are silent, but Sophie can practically see Nicola's brain working. Dot is gazing at Agatha, as if she's trying to work something out. Beatrix is fidgeting.

"So they want me out in the open." Agatha leans back, considering. "How are they plannin' to do that?"

"They haven't said, yet." Sophie murmurs. "Probably tryna provoke you."

The crowd erupts into bellowing as Tedros finishes his final song.

"How original." Agatha says.

"It's effective, though." Murmurs Nicola. "Always effective."

Agatha sighs.

"What are they gonna do, kill one of my moles like I did to them?"

Sophie only knows of one mole in Foxwood, and they're not exactly dispensable. And they would be a perfect provocation for Agatha.

Because when it's personal, she does it herself.

Suddenly, she wishes everyone would talk quieter. She can't risk a glance at Kei, but he's undoubtedly trying to listen.

"I don't know ." She says. "All I'm sayin' is we need to keep a low profile, and be subtle about--"

"What are we talking about? Subtle about what?"

Sophie looks up to find Tedros stood at Agatha's elbow, sheened with sweat and draped in jewels that wink at her in the low light, kohl-lined eyes wide with curiosity.

She looks at Agatha, who's looking up at Tedros. That cold intensity is gone.

Sophie looks at Agatha.