The morning after the meeting with Alasdair, Hamlin was whispering, "Wow," as he looked at the men who stood there when Manny opened the loft's door.
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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