Midnight Taxi Tango Read Online Free PDF Page A

Army Plaza. Sometimes I think hebrought me into the Council fold just so he’d have a like-minded pain in the ass to cause trouble with.
    Arsten looks like he swallowed a chili pepper. He recovers quickly though, ever the car dealer. “Ah, Riley. That’s funny, really. In this particular case, yes, a soulcatcher did actually get herself in a little situation, it’s true, but that’s not the
only
reason we update the protocols. The protocols get revised and upda—”
    â€œWhat happened?” I ask, more to cut through the bullshit than to actually find out. I am curious though.
    â€œOh, ha-ha!”
    An uncomfortable silence lingers after Arsten’s forced laugh.
    Riley raises a ghostly eyebrow. “Bart?”
    Arsten sits on his desk and shakes his head so hard his jowls flap. “You can’t tell though, okay?”
    We both nod and lean in.
    â€œSoulcatcher Bell was on a routine collection run, right? Aw, man . . . Yeah, so anyway, there was, like, a bunch of unauthorized afterlifers envindigating at a particular location, over by—”
    I raise my hand. “Hold up. Did you just say envindigating?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œThat’s not a word.”
    Arsten chuckles. “Sure it is. It means to hang around and make a nuisance of yourself.”
    â€œLike from the Latin ‘envindigarus,’ right?” Riley offers. I scowl at him.
    â€œRight,” Arsten says, smiling at Riley for maybe the first time ever.
    â€œAlright, whatever, go on.”
    â€œThank you, Carlos, I will. Yeah, they were over by Red Hook actually, by the hospital over there, and it was like a group of older spirits, in a nursing home, right, just hanging around.”
    Riley shakes his head. “Envindigating ’n’ shit.”
    â€œExactly! I mean,
in the open
. Like, with the living.”
    The Council can
not
fathom how or why any spirit would dare make itself known to the living. Call it one gigantic failure of the collective bureaucratic imagination—whatever it is, it’s caused a lot of problems. Mingling with, appearing to, whispering words of wisdom within hearing range of the living, or any variation on the theme is strictly forbidden in no uncertain terms by the notorious COD. Except of course if you’re in the upper echelon or you’re one of the Ignoble Seven on the High Council.
    But deal with the living? If an afterlifer’s gonna stick around in the land of the living in full defiance of the Council’s loosely enforced ban, they’re also more than likely gonna eschew the Council rules on hanging with whoever they please.
    â€œSo the whole nursing home knew ’bout the ghosts?” Riley asks. “Staff and everyone?” You can tell he’s intrigued by the idea. So am I.
    â€œJust the B wing,” Arsten says. “But still!”
    â€œSo you sent Sylvia and what?” I say. “She sliced ’em all into the Deeper Death without asking any questions or giving them a chance to cease and desist back to the regular old Underworld like good little obedient ghosts?” I wouldn’t put it past Sylvia Bell. She’s been known to be an overachiever when it comes to needlessly slicing ghosts.
    Arsten rubs his face. “Quite the opposite, I’m afraid. She let them stay.”
    Riley sits up in his chair. “What?”
    â€œYeah. Just . . . left ’em alone. She had a whole team with her too, Soulcatcher Squad 9. Said they weren’t causing anybody any harm. Can you believe that?”
    â€œUnbefuckinglievable,” I say, though not for the same reasons Arsten has.
    â€œI know, right? I mean, sheesh!”
    â€œSo what’s the new protocol?” Riley asks.
    Bartholomew Arsten brightens. You can tell protocolsmake the guy happy. He reaches behind him and retrieves some ghostly scrolls from the desk. “I’m so glad you asked, Agent Riley.”