«There’s Pete,» said Belphebe.

The detective waved a hand and came toward them from under the trees. He had somehow acquired one of the deerskin cloaks, which was held under his chin with a brass brooch, and he looked unexpectedly cheerful.

«What’s the office?» he asked in the same stage whisper the others were using, as he approached them.

«Come with us,» said Shea. «We’re going to try to get back toOhio. Where’d you get the new clothes?»

«Aw, one of these muzzlers thought he could wrestle, so I slipped him a little jujitsu and won it. Listen, Shea, I changed my mind. I ain’t going back. This is the real McCoy.»

«But we want to go back,» said Belphebe, «and you told us just yesterday that if we showed up without you, our fate would be less than pleasant.»

«Listen, give it a rest. I’m on the legit here, and with that magical stuff of yours, you could be, too. At least I want to stay for the big blow.»

«Come this way,» said Shea, leading away from the center of the camp to where there was less danger of their voices causing trouble. «What do you mean by the big blow?»

«From what I got,» said Pete, «I figured out when we landed. This Maev and Ailill are rustling out the mob and heeling them up to give Cuchulainn a bang on the head. They got all the cousins of people he’s bumped off in on the caper, and they’re going to put a geas on him that will make him go up against them all at once, and then boom. I want to stay for the payoff.»

«Look here,» said Shea, «you said only yesterday that we had to get you back within a week. Remember? It was something aboutyour probably being seen going into our house and not coming out.»