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while and wait for Toby and Vik to break them up. But this . . . I’ve never seen anything like this. That man threw one punch, and the whole crowd exploded. People were screaming and fighting, and growling like wild animals.”
    I looked at Vik. “Did you fight?”
    “I did.”
    “And you?” I turned to Toby.
    “Yeah.”
    I glanced to Cash. He nodded. I could tell by their faces they weren’t proud of it. The bouncers were paid to keep a cool head, and Cash was the owner.
    “Why did you fight?”
    They stared at me.

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    “I was mad,” Vik offered. “Real mad.”
    “Angry,” Toby said.
    “Why?”
    “Hell if I know.” Vik shrugged.
    Interesting. “How long did the fight last?”
    “Forever,” Toby said.
    “About ten minutes,” Maggie answered.
    That’s a long time for a fight. Most bar fights were over in a couple of minutes. “Did it get worse with time?”
    She nodded.
    “Did anybody see Joshua die?”
    “It was all a blur,” Toby said. “I remember hitting somebody’s head against the wall and . . . I don’t even know why I did it. It’s like I couldn’t stop.”
    “I saw it.” Maggie hugged herself. “The fight broke out.
    Joshua was in the middle of it. He was a big man and he knew what he was doing. I was screaming for them to stop fighting. I was afraid they’d bust up the place. Nobody listened to me. Joshua was mowing people down with his fists and then that man grabbed him and they hit the wall. The man dragged Joshua to the pole, grabbed a crowbar, and stabbed. Joshua was wriggling on the crowbar like a fish. That bastard put his hand on Joshua’s face. A red light flashed and then he walked away. I saw Joshua’s eyes.
    He was gone.”
    This just got better and better.
    Maggie hugged herself. Cash put his hand on her shoulder. Neither said anything but I watched the Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    haunted expression ease from Maggie’s face, as if she drew strength from him.
    One day I’d find someone to lean on as well. It just wouldn’t be Curran. And I really had to stop thinking about him, because it hurt.
    “Did you see any part of the man during the fight? Anything at all?”
    Maggie shook her head. “Just the cloak.”
    Biohazard’s techs would’ve taken statements before they let the brawlers go. I’d bet a chocolate bar nobody had gotten a look at the John Doe in the cloak.
    A ten-minute fight, fifty eyewitnesses, and no description. That had to be some kind of record.
    “Okay.” I sighed. “What about the critter in the cellar? What do we know about it?”
    “Big,” Vik said. “Hairy. Big teeth.” He held his hands apart, demonstrating teeth with his fingers. “He was like the spawn of hell.”
    “How did this spawn get into the cellar?”
    The smaller bouncer shrugged. “I was trying to make my way to the bar, where the shotgun was, and then some asswipe hits me with a pool cue and I take a tumble down this stair and hit my head a bit.
    Once the room stops spinning, I try to get up and I see this huge thing coming down. Wicked fangs, eyes glowing. I’m thinking I was done for. It jumps right over me and into the cellar. I slam the door shut and that’s that.”
    “Did anybody see this beast come in with the man who killed Joshua?”
    Nobody said anything. I took it as a no.
    “Did it try to get out?”
    Both bouncers shook their head.
    I rose to my feet and pulled Slayer from my back sheath. The opaque saber caught the blue light of feylanterns. A light mother-of-pearl shimmer ran along the blade. Everybody took a step back.

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    “Lock the door behind me,” I told them.
    “What if you don’t come out?” Maggie asked.
    “I’ll come out.” I unlatched the heavy wooden door, opened it, and ducked inside.
    Darkness mugged me. I waited, letting my