There was a long, weighty silence. Everything he’d said was true, and, what was worse, Kate knew it. Still.

“What?” he said.

She couldn’t help herself, she actually squirmed. “I hate owing anyone, Uncle,” she blurted out. “I hate it. Especially those people who helped out because I’m Emaa’s granddaughter.”

“Yeah, well, suck it up,” he said, unimpressed. “Stop trying to run everyone’s life and start taking care of your own, including that boy of yours.”

She looked up quickly. “Is Johnny in trouble?”

He said unblushingly, “What fourteen- going on fifteen-year-old isn’t in trouble? I’m telling you to start minding your own business instead of everyone else’s. Starting right now, with mine. I ain’t yet so goddamn decrepit I can’t pew my own goddamn fish.”

Kate turned as red as Harvey Meganack. “I’m sorry, Uncle,” she said in a small voice.

“You sure are,” he said, and cackled when her eyes narrowed. “Now I’m writing up my tender summary like I always do, and so far as I know, I ain’t yet lost the ability to perform long division. You got it?”

“I got it, Uncle,” she said, and slunk aft to her stateroom, changed into clean clothes, and slipped down to the float to hotfoot it up to the harbormaster’s shack, where Gull was regaling Johnny with an account of the eating habits of the Magelleni. They liked their food still trying to get away, it appeared. Neither of them seemed exactly overjoyed to see her, and after a few moments, she went uptown, where the streets seemed to be markedly empty in every direction she turned.

She looked down at Mutt, who looked back, ears up, tail waving slightly. Mutt didn’t look that intimidating. Well, as unintimidating as a 140-pound half husky, half wolf could look. Couldn’t be her clearing the streets.