Ellington was right. It was cold with the sun setting. I wished the blanket were around me instead of the Bombinating Beast. I had it in my hands, and I could have gone anywhere. I could have gone back to the Lost Arms to check in with my chaperone. I could have checked on the Officers Mitchum to see if they had cracked the case. I could have gone back to the library to get Moxie or to Hungry’s to see Jake Hix, or walked around until I found Pip and Squeak and had them drive around town looking for Cleo Knight. These are all things you could do, Snicket. I shivered against the side of the building and thought it again. You could do any of these things. You should do them. You don’t have to meet her. She’s a liar and a thief. She’s desperate. She’s trouble. She stole from you. Nobody knows what you promised. You could keep it to yourself.

But you can tell yourself anything. A wildcat is just one of the wonders of nature, and it’s not going to give you nightmares. It was just once on a hike, years ago, and you should forget about it. But then you’re sitting up in bed in the middle of the night, heart pounding from the chase, and it doesn’t matter what you tell yourself. Your sister is older now. A branch of a tree would no longer hurt her. You don’t need to be in the city helping her. You can be here, in Stain’d-by-the-Sea. Nobody is in any danger, I told myself. I clutched the beast to my chest and started walking quickly. You know where, I told myself. Corner of Caravan and Parfait. Black Cat Coffee is where she is waiting.