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Gumshoe was sitting in a comfortable chair with a feebly glowing lamp behind him. He looked much the same as ever, mostly; a little larger around the middle, maybe, and a few more lines around his eyes, perhaps. A large and not particularly friendly-looking automatic was lying on the table next to him, positioned so that he could get to it quickly but not actually pointed at me; a precaution, rather than a threat, I considered. Next to me, Campsie had followed my lead and pulled off her glasses. She held them in slightly unsteady hands, almost entirely concealing her nervousness in the presence of a human. I was, once again, somewhat impressed; few Goblins are comfortable in the presence of humans, even ones as calm and unperturbed as Gumshoe. "Long overdue," I agreed, "I should come up here more often." "Huh," he replied, "You know I'm retired. Although I don't suppose this is really a social call, is it?" I grinned - always a good look for a Goblin, displaying as it does a large set of sharp teeth. "Got me bang to rights," I said, in my best cheeky cockney accent. Gumshoe just nodded sagely, then looked closely at Campsie. "Who's your lady friend, Gask?" he asked. I was impressed, again. This seemed to be happening a lot recently. Still, even among the few humans who do know something about the Lower Realms, reliably determining the gender of a given Goblin is considered problematic, especially when the Goblin in question is bundled up in the kind of garb required to go unnoticed up here. "May I introduce Miss Campsie Burnside, who has agreed to be my apprentice," I said with an expansive mock-formal gesture, "Campsie, may I introduce Mister Martin Gamshank, PI - now retired, and my one-time partner." "Gumshoe will do just fine," he grunted, a flash of amusement playing about his face. For her part, Campsie managed a bobbing action - half nod, half bow - and squeaked "Pleased to meet you" in passible English. "And how's Rosie?" I enquired politely. "Fine, fine," Gumshoe replied, "She's in the kitchen." He nodded in the direction of a doorway behind him, where evidence of much brighter lighting could be seen leaking under the closed door. A very cautious move on his part, of course. Rosie o'Chill was Gumshoe's wife. I had, in a way, introduced them to one another a few decades before. But all that's a different story. "Why don’t you ask her to join us," I suggested. Gumshoe looked at me and Campsie for a long moment, finally concluding that neither of us were a threat. "Rosie," he called out, "Care to join us in here now?" The light under the kitchen door went out. There was a pause of ten seconds or so while Missus Gamshack’s eyes accustomed themselves to the near-dark conditions, then the door opened. She stepped carefully, not wanting to trip, and made her way to another easy chair set alongside her husband’s. Neither of them offered us a seat; Goblins just aren’t comfortable with human furniture and I certainly preferred to stand. "You’re looking well," I said amiably, before introducing Campsie again, this time with much less flamboyance. Rosie seemed delighted to see me, although she was obviously surprised - and just a little disconcerted - by Campsie’s presence. "Okay Gask," she said firmly, "Now you can tell us what you’re doing up here." I moved towards Gumshoe, reaching into the inside pocket of my long trenchcoat. To his credit, he barely flinched as I pulled out the little surveillance camera I had - well, appropriated might be the right word - from Broxden's office earlier. I held it out for Gumshoe to take, which he did. "What do you make of that?" I asked. Squinting, Gumshoe held it up to the light, the better to inspect the device. "It's a camera, for unobtrusive recording. Bugging, perhaps, or for security purposes," he said professionally, "Quite a good one, too. Modern, expensive stuff. Where did you find it?" "It was found in the girls dressing room of a nightclub," I said carefully, "A nightclub in the Lower Realms." He was silent for a moment, while Gumshoe and I both instinctively held our breath. "Ah," he exhaled gently, "Now I can see why you're up here."
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Part 15