Page 66 of Dead Beat

Reiter’s lip curled. So he was still mad about his precious nest. Good. But the anger was gone in a flash, replaced by pure detachment.

“This was a place of great pleasures once,” he said. “It was called the White City. My friends and I came here to shoot the chutes and eat frozen custard.”

“That wasn’t you,” Alex said. “That was a stupid boy named Lionel Reiter who thought it would be fun to take a trip to hell. Lionel, Ludwig, Linus. None of you ate frozen custard.”

“His memories are my memories. His form my form.”

“And yet you’re a mass murderer. Spare me the Ship of Theseus bullshit.”

Reiter smiled at that. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. “Are you a student of philosophy, Galaxy Stern?”

“Sure. And if you go slow, I can pick up a few dance steps too. Why are we out here?”

He bobbed his head toward the sand. “Your friend is waiting for you to make wise choices.”

Alex had seen nothing on the beach, but now that she was on the pier, she could make out a shape propped against the stairs that led to the bike path. It might be Mercy. It might be a heap of laundry.

Alex leapt forward, but Reiter was in front of her before she could blink.

“She is unharmed.”

Alex summoned all the strength of the child ghost inside her and shoved Reiter hard.

He didn’t budge.

“Your borrowed power is of no interest to me. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. I brought your pious friend here because I need your attention. She prayed, and she wept, and now she is resting comfortably.”

“Did you feed on her?”

“Why does that matter? I fed on you and you survived it.”

Barely. But she wasn’t going to admit that.

“You love drama, don’t you? The nighttime rendezvous, the flowers left on the couch.”

“I can’t claim credit for everything that blooms in my garden,” he said. “I want to be of use to you.”

“That seems highly fucking unlikely.”

“I know you went to see Rudy.”

Now Alex paused. “You had us followed?”

“I did. And I suspect you acquired the Heart of Gold from Wolf’s Head.”

“Just how many familiars do you have in the societies?”

A new kind of smile spread over Reiter’s smooth face, one that showed his sharp teeth. “As many as I need. Humans fear death so much they’ll grasp for any chance at immortality, never knowing death is already holding them close. What did you do to Rudolph Kittscher?”

“To his demon, you mean?” Now it was Alex’s turn to smile. “The same thing I’m going to do to you.”

“Is that so?” He seemed genuinely entertained. “Novelty is hard to come by after a hundred years.”

“Glad to amuse. Why are we here, Reiter?”

“It may surprise you, but I do not want Golgarot to enter this realm.”

“Why wouldn’t you want the doors to hell open?”