Guards of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk and Fisher (Hawk & Fisher) Read Online Free PDF Page A

were something other than what they really were. Hawk derived some amusement from the attempts of most of the would-be customers to give the impression they just happened to be passing through, but the street itself held no attractions for him. He’d seen the official figures on violence and robbery in this area, not to mention venereal disease. In some establishments, the crabs were reputed to be so big they jumped out on dithering passersby and dragged them bodily inside.
    Bored, Hawk leant gingerly back against the grimy alley wall and kicked at an empty bottle on the ground. It rolled slowly away, hesitated, and then rolled back again. After a fruitless hour standing watch, this was almost exciting. Hawk sighed deeply. He hated doing stakeouts. He didn’t have the patience for it. Fisher, on the other hand, actually seemed to enjoy it these days. She’d taken to watching the passersby and making up little histories about who they were and where they were going. Her stories were invariable more interesting than the case they were working on, but now, after a solid hour of listening to them, Hawk found their charm wearing a bit thin. Fisher chattered on, blithely unknowing, while Hawk’s scowl deepened. His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him of missed meals. Fisher broke off suddenly, and Hawk quickly looked round, worried she’d noticed his inattention, but her gaze was fixed on something down the street.
    “I think we’ve finally struck gold, Hawk. Green cravat at three o’clock.”
    Hawk followed her gaze, and his interest stirred. “Think he’s our man?”
    “Would you wear a cravat like that if you didn’t have to?”
    Hawk smiled. She had a point. The cravat was so bright and virulent a green it practically glowed. The suspect looked casually about him, ignoring the birdlike calls of the whores. He fit the description, what there was of it. He was definitely tall, easily six foot three or four, and decidedly lean. His clothes, apart from the cravat, were tastefully bland, with nothing about them to identify the kind of man who wore them. For a moment his gaze fell upon the alley from which Hawk was watching. Hawk damped down an impulse to shrink further back into the shadows; the movement would only draw attention to him. The spy’s gaze moved on, and Hawk breathed a little more easily.
    “All right,” said Fisher. “Let’s get him.”
    “Hold your horses,” said Hawk. “We want whoever he’s here to meet as well, not just him. Let’s give him a minute, and see what happens.”
    One of the bolder whores advanced aggressively towards the spy. He smiled at her.and said something that made her laugh, and she turned away. He can’t just stand around much longer, thought Hawk. That would be bound to attract attention. So what the hell’s he waiting for? Even as the thought crossed Hawk’s mind, the spy turned suddenly and walked over to a building on the opposite side of the street. He produced a key, unlocked the door and slipped quickly inside, pulling the door shut behind him. Hawk counted ten slowly to himself and then stepped out of the alley, Fisher at his side. The house the spy had gone into looked just like all the others on the street.
    “I’ll take the front,” said Hawk. “You cover the back, in case he tries to make a run for it.”
    “How come I always have to cover the back?” said Fisher. “I always end up in someone’s back yard, trying to fight my way through three weeks’ accumulated garbage.”
    “All right. You take the front and I’ll cover the back.”
    “Oh, no; it’s too late now. You should have thought of it without me having to tell you.”
    Hawk gave her an exasperated look, but she was already heading for the narrow alley at the side of the building. Sometimes you just couldn’t talk to Fisher. Hawk turned his attention back to the house’s front door as it loomed up before him. A faded sign hanging above the door gave the name of the place as MISTRESS