The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

Larceny and Other Larks

Previously: "Dealing with the Durrases" 

Who is Joe? "Just a guy I know," you reply, thinking so fast you barely have time to come up with successive sentences. "I was thinking about getting him a job out here." Lucy's eyebrows shoot up. "Like, yard work," you hurriedly add. "We were talking about after school jobs, and I mentioned I had one with you, and he asked about it, and, you know, one thing led to another, and I wound up saying there might be a job here for him cleaning up the yard and stuff. He's funny to talk to, you wind up just blurting things out around him."

Which, now that you think about it, is actually kind of true. You certainly didn't mean to go into so much detail about how the house was laid out.

But it's clear that Lucy isn't amused, and you raise your hands as she opens her mouth.

"Look, I knew it was a bad idea to come out here," you say, "but I didn't think anyone would be here, so, I thought, no harm no foul if I brought him out here. We'd just turn around and leave. It seemed like the best way to get out of that conversation."

Her eyes spark with anger. "You need to learn to say 'No,' Will."

"Fine. I'll just go tell him there's no job here for him, and we'll be out," you stammer.

"Do that. And next time, call ahead. If you don't know how to head off unwanted visitors, I do."

You nod and hurry into the living room. Joe looks over at you with a puckish expression. "Thought you were getting drinks," he says. "Or is Cindy's sister being a doll?"

"Uh, we're really not welcome at the moment," you reply, ignoring his impudent surmise. "We're gonna have to split."

"Sure thing," he says. "Just lemme use the head. You can wait for me in the library. Eyes wide while you're in there."

Lucy is standing near the library entrance with her arms folded. "He's using the bathroom," you tell her, and sidle past her freezing stare. Inside the library you wander around, glancing with pretended indifference at the books that are laying out; but it's hard to spy with both Lucy and the vampire-cyclops monkey staring at you, and the clocks play utter havoc with your concentration. Long minutes pass, and finally you can't take it any longer. You rush out and down to the closed bathroom door, which you rap on sharply. "Come on, dude, hurry it up."

"Sweet spirit of Beelzebub, I'm taking a shit," Joe's muffled voice comes back. "And it's a hard and sticky one, and there's more of it than a human bowel should--"

"Well, wrap it up and take it home with you. I'm dying out here."

"Uuunnngghhhkkk," he moans back. "You ever eaten at Ben's BBQ? They call it the 'stick to your ribs' platter, but it's stuck lower down in my case."

Back with Lucy you can only shrug your shoulders helplessly. "Get Shabbleman taken care of?" you ask in desperation.

"Yes. And I'll have something interesting to show you tomorrow," she adds in a low murmur. "I've been doing some research, and I have some ideas about your ... condition."

"Yeah?"

She looks over her shoulder down the hallway, then pulls you into the library. "I need to collect Cindy tonight and take another look at that mask," she says. "The original of the fellow you're currently wearing. Is he under her face?"

"No, I've got him pretending to be me. Prescott, I mean."

"So who is under her mask?"

You stare. "Uh ..."No one, of course. You haven't enough golems or victims to go around. "I've kind of lost track," you extemporize.

She makes a choking noise. "I'll say this for Mr. Shabbleman," she growls, "he wasn't nearly the screw up you are."

"No, he just got caught by the screw up I am," you retort. You are so frightened you feel stung into anger. "Look, let me go pick her up after I leave here. I'll bring her back and that will save you a trip anyway."

You're saved from further embarrassment by the sound of the front door opening and slamming. Joe appears in the entryway, blinking in consternation. "Dude, I've been waiting at the car forever. Are you done yet?"

Lucy's head swings between you and him. You gape. "Yeah, I didn't know-- Okay, I guess we're out of here." You hop past Lucy, grateful for the unexpected rescue, and scamper out of the house with Joe trailing in your wake.

His laugh is like the hiss of a kettle as you jump into the car. "What the fuck?" you exclaim. "I thought you were taking a shit!"

"Nah, I was snooping around, went upstairs and found that work room you were telling me about."

"But I talked to you through the door!"

"I threw my voice. Ain'tcha ever heard of ventriloquism?" He drums his palms on the roof of the car and laughs. "Then I hopped out the window, shimmied down the wall, made a quick stop here, and found you."

"Well, thank God. That was a cock up all the way around. And I'll never get you back in now."

"Don't have to." He reaches into the back seat and pulls out a package wrapped in a towel. He uncovers it and holds it next to his face.

It's the Libra. "Score!" he gloats.

* * * * *

Frank is waiting back at the house he shares with Joe, but to your surprise he's not alone: your own alter ego is with him. "What's he here for?" you bluntly ask.

"We start putting things aright now. Excellent work, Joe," he smiles at his brother, who is brandishing the book. "I'd have hated to break your other arm."

Joe laughs, and to your astonishment starts unwinding the bandage from arm. "So you'd misunderestimate me," he smirks after he's got it off and is flexing his hand and forearm.

"What do you mean, 'start putting things aright'?" you demand.

"We free the real Justin Roth," Frank says. "Joe will take him into town to let him out, soothe him with a few words. You'll return to your previous life as Will Prescott."

"Blackwell expects me to be Justin! And anyway I thought--"

"Are you still working for Blackwell?" Frank looks very amused. "Doesn't today's adventure mean you've resigned your position?"

"I can't just quit!" you protest. "And I can't hide from him, especially as him!" You point to Prescott.

"Sucks to be you, then," Frank laughs.

Then his smile drains away. In your shock, it takes you a moment to notice, but he is staring over your shoulder. You glance back, to find Joe regarding his brother with an uncharacteristically sober expression.

Your attention returns to Frank at the sound of his sigh. "I suppose that would be too cruel," he says. "We did offer you a partnership, didn't we?"

"Damn straight," you exclaim. And yet fear rises through your anger to choke you. They have the book now, and after the demonstration of their power over the last few days, you know you can't possibly fight them. You will have to take whatever they offer.

Frank crosses the room to perch on the arm of a sofa. "And what would you do if we threw you into the cold?" he asks, twining his fingers and staring into the palms of his hands.

"Crawl back to Blackwell," you admit. "Beg his forgiveness. Work hard to bring you fuckers down."

Frank laughs softly. "And even if you did--which you couldn't--he'd double-cross you at the end. Men like him are practical until they don't need to be practical anymore. And then they are just vicious."

"And how does that make him different from you?"

You expect a sneer, but he actually winces. "Men, boys, even little girls have sinned less egregiously than you, and have suffered worse fates," he says. "But I can give you something they never had--a chance at redemption." He fixes you with a hard gaze.

"I'll give you a choice," he says. "It'll sound very simple, but the real choices will come after you've chosen. Joe has to leave town with the book, has to take it to our father. You can go with him. I don't know what Dad will say or do with you, but Joe likes you, I can tell, and he can be very persuasive when he has a mind to be. You'll never have a better advocate."

That sounds very strange--even sinister. "And the other choice?"

"Stay here with me. We still have to rescue Cindy, and you can help me. I'm a hard-ass, and I won't be nice to you. But you will be able to prove yourself a lot more quickly, and that will stand you in good stead when it comes time to meet our dad."

You resent the feeling of being trapped, but there's good reason for feeling this way. It's because they have got you trapped. You don't understand Frank's folderol about "choices," or why this father of theirs is so important, but you'll just have to worry about it later.

Next: "The Metaphysics of Magic, Part 2" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 3)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)"