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"Discouraged?" I said "Then what’s murder? Frowned upon?"

"I believeillegal here?" Addison asked

"Library late fines are stiff Ten lashes a day, and that’s just for paperbacks"

"There’s a library?"

"Two Though one won’t lend because all the books are bound in human skin and quite valuable"

We shuffled out from behind the wall and cast a somewhat baffled look around In no man’s land I’d anticipated death at every turn, but Louche Lane, from all appearances, was a haven of civic order The street was lined with neat little shops, and the shops had signs and display s and apartments on the upper floors There was not a caved roof or a broken pane of glass in sight There were people on the street, too, and they lingered, a now and then to duck into a shop or look in aTheir clothes weren’t rags Their faces were clean Maybe everything here wasn’t new and sparkling, but the weathered surfaces and patched paint gave it all a handes look that was quaint, even char My mother, if she’d seen Louche Lane in one of those thuazines that papered our coffee table at home, would’ve crooned about its cuteness and complained that she and my dad had never taken a real European vacation--Oh, Frank, let’s go

E more sinister"

"Me too," I said "Where are all the murder dens and blood-sport arenas?"

"I don’t knohat sort of business you think people get up to around here," Sharon said, "but I’ve never heard of a murder den As for bloodsport arenas, there’s only the one--Derek’s, down Oozing Street Good chap, Derek Owes hts?" said Emma "What about our kidnapped friends?"

"Keep your voice down," Sharon hissed "As soon as I take care of my own business, we’ll find someone who can help you Until then, don’t repeat that to anyone"

Eot in Sharon’s face "Then don’t make me repeat this While we appreciate your help and expertise, our friends’ lives have been given an expiration date I won’t stall and dawdle about si some feathers"