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." He pulled out a chair for her, then quickly sat opposite."Have you seen Gheevy?""Yes," she replied."He came directly from here to our residence, and he was terribly upset.He thought he had failed you."Pryce quickly shook his head, deciding to concentrate on the problem at hand."He did his best, poor fellow," Covington quickly assured her, then let the rest of his instructions come out in a hushed rush as he leaned toward her."Go back and keep him company.I can't risk trying to follow Fullmer, and I think I should remain in a public place until our meeting."She placed her hands on his.He stared at them, then looked up at her.Her gaze was earnest."You're the only connection I have to my father now," she said."Please be careful."This was too much.Emotions of paternal tenderness rushed up in Pryce's brain, but in order to stay in control, he fought them back.His feelings for her were countered by the knowledge of what he had already done and his own suspicions of how her father might be involved in the murders.not to mentionwho else might be stalking Pryce even as he sat there."Of course I'm not going to be careful!" he snapped at her.She blinked at his reply, and then he made a motion to shoo her away with his free hand.His other hand lay beneath the warmth of hers.as long as that lasted."Away with you, woman!"Her jaw set, her gaze hardened, and she stood up.She stared at him a moment more, her fists clenching and reclenching.Then she turned purposefully away and left the restaurant.Pryce sat in the gathering darkness of twilight, a nearby pillar casting a shadow across his face.He left his right hand, the one she had clasped, where it lay and watched her proud, erect figure move past the front window toward the hidden circular iron stairway.Only then did he finish his thought in a whisper."There's no need for both of us to be in danger."For a short time, Pryce read the wisdom of Priest Sante.Then he ate a leisurely dinner, lovingly served by the attentive Karkober.He studied the schedule of the restaurant's employees, taking careful note of when the dwarf chef and human dishwasher took their breaks.Then he sat and watched as the citizens of Lallor came and went, all giving him the respect of his privacy, as he was expected to give them theirs.But Schreders's was a popular place, so it wasn't long before the tables and bar filled up with the most interesting residents the city had to offer, and the noise and smoke got loud and thick.Only then did Pryce purposefully rise, carry the book to the bar, and lean over between a sumptuously garbed old half-elf scholar and an elegant middle-aged seamstress."Azzo!" Covington called above the din, gaining the barkeep's attention.Schreders came over immediately.It was, after all, Darlington Blade calling him."Keep this for safekeeping, would you?" Pryce said, handing him the book."I have a meeting to attend.I'll be back for it."Azzo didn't bother to reply.Instead, he took the book and nodded reassuringly.Pryce waited until the barkeep had placed the book in a dry spot under the far side of the bar and was again busy with his patrons before moving quietly and purposefully toward the back of the establishment.He found the kitchen easily.It was the only door along the back wall.He waited until the cook and dishwasher stepped out for a break before he slipped inside the swinging door.He stood in a well-lit and well-furnished kitchen, especially noting the fine cast-iron stoves and marble sinks.A huge wooden table separated the cooking area from the cleaning area.One side was filled with the freshest fruits, vegetables, and meats, and the other with the cleanest of pans, pots, and plates.Pryce's nostrils filled with the scent of cooking food, still simmering on the fires.Pryce quickly spotted the back door.That was where deliveries were made, and where Fullmer had set their rendezvous.There was still some time before their meeting, so Covington had a few minutes to carefully search the area.He opened the back door a crack, looked quickly about, then stepped outside.The night was as pleasant as the day had been.The moon cast a serene silver-blue light over everything, and the elegant foliage seemed to reach up toward the twinkling stars.The air was cool, clean, and filled with the aroma of pollandry blooms.Pryce surveyed the rendezvous point.It was approximately twenty by thirty feet, surrounded on three sides by a vine-covered stone wall that rose fifty feet up to the roots of the Amber-song residence.To his left, the stone wall was connected to the back wall of the restaurant.But on the right side, there was a long, narrow, twisting alley between the restaurant's wall and the stone.There delivery people could carry fresh food and drink from their carriages to the back door.Covington thought he heard a rustle behind him.He spun around, but saw no one.The leaves of the flowering vines rustledin the night wind, but otherwise no person or animal disturbed the calm.Pryce quickly glanced back into the alley.It was the only way Fullmer could arrive.Covington decided to take up a position by the rear door.That way, if Teddington brought "friends," Pryce could easily slip inside.He made a quick final survey of the area, running his hands along the stone wall to make sure there wasn't another hidden spiral staircase.He was pleased to find there wasn't.Instead, he simply found large, flat, vine-covered stones.Standing with his back to them, he looked at the restaurant's rear door, feeling safer than he had all evening.With a decisive, flat-palmed slap to the flat rocks of the wall behind him, he took a step forward.He stopped dead in his tracks.The flat rock behind him had moved inward
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