As he muttered to himself, Maltz's gaze turned vicious as he stared at the corpse.
Suppose Cotton had returned. What for?
Revenge!
When the dead returned, it was either to call out to someone or to take revenge.
And this clearly wasn't a summons.
Then...
Only revenge remained!
Was Cotton's death connected to this bookstore owner?
Were the deaths of his other one hundred and eighteen comrades connected to him?
This time, Maltz no longer hesitated.
He turned and walked out of the bookstore, intending to head to 2 Kirk Street. But before the Old Chief could leave the alley at the Forked Path, a patrol officer came running up.
"Chief! Chief!
Something's happened at The Horn Newspaper!"
The patrol officer's words made Maltz freeze.
Almost instinctively, the Old Chief thought of Scott, his friend and fellow brothel-goer, and immediately asked-
"What happened?
Is Scott all right?"
His hangover made Scott's temples throb, while the ache in his lower back made it especially difficult for the young man, newly promoted to managing editor of The Horn Newspaper, to sit comfortably at his desk and work.
Fortunately, the repeated coverage of his friend Arthur had greatly improved The Horn Newspaper's fortunes. Not only had he been promoted to managing editor, he had also gained a private office where he could rest in a more comfortable position instead of being crammed into the main office with all the other editors.
This office was not the original managing editor's office, but a separate room partitioned off for him.
As for the original managing editor's office?
The previous managing editor still used it.
That managing editor had worked diligently at The Horn Newspaper for forty years. His tenure was almost as long as the newspaper's history.
An editor like him would never be