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"Is that so?" Emma said "Excuse us just a moment"

She took , I’ reckless," I whispered back

"Why? You believe that hu about skulls and sea creatures?"

"Yes, actually I know he’s a sli business ights! HeI have a feeling he knows exactly where our friends were taken It’s just a ht questions"

"Then have at it," she said crossly

I turned to Sharon and said with a shtened immediately "Finally, a subject I can speak freely about I just happen to have soht here …" He turned snappily and went to a nearby pylon A shelf had been nailed onto it, and upon the shelf was displayed a skull dressed in old-tiles, a jaunty scarf Gripped between its teeth were several pamphlets, and Sharon pulled one out and handed it to me It was a cheesy tourist brochure that looked like it had been printed when es as Sharon cleared his throat and spoke

"Let’s see now Fa we go upriver to watch Viking siege engines catapult diseased sheep over the city walls, then have a nice boxed lunch and return in the evening via the Great Fire of 1666, which is a real treat after dark, with the fla on the water, very nice Or if you’ve only a few hours to spare, we have a lovely gibbetting ’round Execution Dock--right at sunset, popular with honeyive colorful speeches before being put to the rope For a small fee you can even have your photo taken with the tourists enjoying the sights he’d described The final page was a photo of one of Sharon’s guests posing with a gang of surly pirates wielding knives and guns

"Peculiars do this stuff for fun?" I marveled

"This is a waste of ti behind us anxiously "I’ll bet he’s just running out the clock until the next patrol of wights arrives"

"I don’t think so," I said "Just wait …"

Sharon was plowing on as if he hadn’t heard us "… and you can see all the lunatics’ heads arranged on pikes as we float beneath London Bridge! Lastly, there’s our most requested excursion, which is a personal favorite ofhis hand, "come to think of it, I doubt you’d be interested in Devil’s Acre"

"Why not?" Emma said "Too nice and pleasant?"

"Actually, it’s rather a rough spot Certainly no place for children …"