She never looked our way or toward the fountain either, only stared at her feet and went on muttering in a way that reminded me of Dad before he had to make a speech at the Overland National Insurance annual dinner, when he won Regional Employee of the Year. There was something in her left hand, but her hip mostly blocked it until she raised it to her mouth. She was gone from sight before she could bite into it, which was fine by me. I’m pretty sure it was a foot, and that there was already a crescent-shaped bite in one side, below the ankle.
I was afraid she might settle back onto the throne to polish off her after-lunch treat, but apparently the rain, even with the canopy to shield her, discouraged that idea. Or maybe she just wanted her nap. Either way, there was the slam of another door, this one to our right, then silence. I holstered the gun and sat down next to my dog. Even in the dimness I could see how good Radar looked—how young and strong. I was glad. Maybe that seems like a tame word to you, but it doesn’t to me. I think gladness is a big, big deal. I couldn’t keep my hands off her fur and marveling at how dense it was.
5
I didn’t want to wait; all I wanted was to get the hell out of Lilimar with my renewed dog and take her into that supply shed and watch her eat as much as she could. I was betting that would be a lot. I’d give her a whole jar of Orijen if she wanted, and a couple of Perky Jerky sticks to top it off. Then we could watch the monarchs return to their roosting places.
That was what I wanted, but I made myself wait and give Hana a chance to settle down. I counted to five hundred by tens, then fives, then twos. I didn’t know if that was time enough for the oversized bitch to get into full snooze mode, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Getting out of her vicinity was important, but I also had to be out of the city by dark, and not just because of the night soldiers. Some of Mr. Bowditch’s marks were very faded, and if I lost his trail, I’d be in bad trouble.
“Come on,” I told Radar. “But hush, girl, hush.”
I pulled the trike, wanting to have it behind me if Hana suddenly emerged and attacked. While she was swiping it out of the way, I might have time to draw and fire. Plus there was Radar, who was back to her fighting weight. I had an idea that if Hana messed with Rades, she was going to lose some flesh. That, I thought, would be a pleasant sight to see. Seeing Hana break Radar’s neck with one swipe of her enormous hand, however, wouldn’t be pleasant at all.
I paused at the mouth of the passageway, then started for the fountain with Radar beside me. There were games （particularly against our chief rival, St. John’s） that never seemed to end, but the walk in the open between Hana’s house and the dry fountain in the square were the longest fifty yards of my life. I kept expecting to hear some Empisarian version of fee-fi-fo-fum and hear the ground-shaking thud of her running feet as she came after us.
A bird squalled—maybe a crow, maybe a buzzard—but that was the only sound. We made it to the fountain and I leaned against it to wipe a mixture of sweat and rainwater from my face. Radar was looking up at me. No shaking or shivering now; no coughing, either. She was grinning. Having an adventure.
I took another look for Hana, then mounted up and started pedaling for the fancy divided boulevard where, once upon a time, the elite folks had no doubt met to eat tea sandwiches and discuss the latest court gossip. Maybe in the evenings there had been Empisarian barbecues or lamplit cotillions in big backyards that were now overgrown with weeds, thistles, and dangerous flowers.
I went at a pretty good clip, but Radar kept up easily, loping along with her tongue flying jauntily from one side of her mouth. The rain was coming down harder, but I barely noticed. All I wanted was to retrace my course and get out of the city. I’d worry about drying off then, and if I caught a cold, I’m sure Claudia would stuff me full of chicken soup before I headed back to Woody’s… then Dora’s… then home. My father would give me a whole raft of shit, but when he saw Radar, he’d…
He’d what?
I decided not to worry about that now. The first job was to get out of this unpleasant city, which wasn’t deserted at all. And which wouldn’t quite stay still.
6
It should have been easy—simply follow Mr. Bowditch’s marks in reverse, going in the opposite direction of each pointing arrow until we got back to the main gate. But when I came to the point where we’d entered the wide boulevard, his initials were gone. I was sure they’d been on a cobblestone in front of a sprawling building with a dirty glass cupola on top, but there wasn’t a sign of them. Could the rain have washed them away? It didn’t seem likely, considering all the rain that must have fallen on them over the years, and this set had still been relatively bright. More likely I’d been wrong.