The morning after the
meeting with Alasdair, Hamlin was whispering, "Wow," as he looked at
the men who stood at the loft's doorway when Manny opened it.
Keegan cocked an eyebrow in
amusement, introducing himself and Thom. After being invited in, he immediately
gravitated to the wall Manny had painted. However, it seemed he was more
interested in one of the portraits than in the graffiti. "I knew
him," he told the others. "Not a particularly nice man, but rich
enough to commission the artist to do a somewhat too flattering likeness of
him."
"Often the case,"
Manny said, chuckling. "I just put coffee on if you'd like some, or we
have something stronger if you want."
Keegan and Thom both opted
for coffee, and a few minutes later all four men were seated in the living room
area of the loft, cups in hand.
"Alasdair filled me in,
to a point, on this Cerdic fellow," Keegan told Manny. "I gather he's
no one to fool around with solo, which is why I'm here. Do you have something
in mind on how to get to him?"
"Well, before anything
else, we have to find him. He may be at the house, but honestly that's only
supposition."
"This is a house full
of young men, right? Have you asked them?"
"Teens, and no I
haven't. Trust me, if they'd seen him and he still looked the same I'd have
known about it immediately."
"Ergo he's either
keeping a low profile, or as Alasdair suggested he may have a very different
face now. Either way it won't be an easy job unless we have something to use as
a lure."
"Me," Manny said
in reply.
"Like hell," was
Hamlin's immediate response.
Thom chuckled wryly.
"Protesting is not going to make a damned bit of difference if that's what
they end up planning. On the other hand, guys, hasn't Manny been very visible
all this time and this Cerdic hasn't done anything about it?"
"He's got a point.
You've hardly been invisible, since you work at the house," Hamlin agreed
with some relief.
"So for whatever reason,
Manny, you're not in his sights, at least thus far. Which—" Keegan smiled
tightly, "means I get to play decoy."
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