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on their last assignment. As an additional precaution, I had insisted that they hide out separately, since I was afraid that Bunny would kill Guido if they were alone within an arm’s reach of each other. For some reason my secretary seemed to take Guido’s labor activities very personally.
    “... Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Bane, I’m rather busy at the moment. If you wish to pursue the matter further, I suggest you take it up with Big Crunch here. He usually handles the complaints for our company.”
    The Deveel started to speak angrily as he glanced behind him, then did a double-take and swallowed whatever it was he was about to say as his gaze went up ... and up! As I can testify from firsthand experience, trolls can look very large when viewed from up close.
    “Little Deveel want to fight with Big Crunch? Crunch likes to fight!”
    Bane pinked slightly, and then turned back to me.
    “Now look, Sk ... Mr. Skeeve. All that’s in the past, right? What say we talk about what your outfit can do to help me with this labor thing?”
    I leaned back in my chair and put my hand behind my head. “Not interested, Mr. Bane. Labor disputes are not our forte. If you’d like a little free advice, though, I’d advise you to settle. Prolonged strikes can be very costly.”
    The Deveel started to bare his teeth, then glanced at Chumley again and twisted it into a smile. In fact, he didn’t say another word until he reached the door, and even then he spoke with careful respect.
    “Um ...if it ain’t asking too much, could you send this Guido around, just to say hi to the workers? What with him disappearing the way he did, there are some who are saying that I had him terminated. It might make things a little easier for me in the negotiations.”
    “I’ll ask him ... next time I see him.”
    The Deveel nodded his thanks and left.
    “Bit of a sticky wicket, eh, Skeeve?” Chumley said, relaxing back into his normal self.
    “Just another satisfied customer of M.Y.T.H. Inc. stopping by to express his gratitude,” I sighed. “Remind me not to send Guido out on assignment again without very explicit instructions. Hmmmm?”
    “How about a muzzle and leash?”
    I shook my head and sat forward in my chair again, glancing over the paperwork that seemed to breed on my desk whenever Bunny was away.
    “Enough of that. What can I do for you, Chumley?”
    “Hmm? Oh, nothing, really. I was just looking for little sister to see if she wanted to join me for lunch. Has she been about?”
    “Tananda? As a matter of fact, I just sent her out on an assignment. Sorry.”
    “No matter. What kind of work are you giving the old girl, anyway?”
    “Oh, nothing big,” I said, rummaging through the paper for the letter I had been reading when Bane burst in. “Just a little collection job a few dimensions over.”
    “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND??!!!”
    Chumley was suddenly leaning over my desk, his two moon eyes of different sizes scant inches from my own. It occurred to me that I had never seen the troll really angry. Upon viewing it, I sincerely hoped I would never see it again. That is, of course, assuming I could survive the first time.
    “Whoa! Chumley! Calm! What’s wrong?”
    “YOU SENT HER OUT ON A COLLECTION JOB ALONE?”
    “She should be all right,” I said hastily. “It sounded like a pretty calm mission. In fact, that’s why I sent her instead of one of our heavy hitters ... I thought the job called for finesse, not muscle. Besides, Tananda can take care of herself pretty well.”
    The troll groaned and let his head fall forward until it thudded on my desk. He stayed that way for a few moments, breathing deeply, before he spoke.
    “Skeeve ... Skeeve ... Skeeve. I keep forgetting how new you are to our little family.”
    This was starting to get me worried.
    “C’mon, Chumley, what’s wrong? Tananda will be okay, won’t she?
    The troll raised his head to look at me.
    “Skeeve, you don’t realize ... we all