“Those Friends of Tod all threw themselves at the sweepers all at once. This is not the way to take out a DI sweeper. A rat I know figured out the best way and told me.”
“A rat?”
“It’s good to know some rats,” Jill replied. “The sweepers just injected the Friends of Tod who were in the office, one after another. Those needles are poison, you know.” Jill paused, took another spoonful of soup. “But those were brave people.”
“You said ‘sweepers,’ ” Aubry said. “There were more than one of them?”
“There were five.”
“Five?” Leo said. “You took them all out?”
“I was aided by the distraction provided by the Friends of Tod dying,” Jill said. “I fried the sweepers and pulled Tod out of there. Did you know he has an extra bend in his neck?”
“I didn’t know he had an extra bend,” Leo said.
“Well, it made a pretty good way to lead him along,” Jill said. “Made his neck into sort of a handle.”
“Why did you save him?” Aubry asked. “Why did you save us?”
“I heard that the Friends of Tod were good at finding out things,” Jill said. “I need to find something out.”
“What?”
Jill ate more soup, then lifted her bowl and drained it into her mouth.
“Good Lord,” said Leo. “You’re a bottomless pit.”
“Always eat when you can,” Jill said, and grinned ferociously. “How about making us more soup?”
“Sure,” Leo replied. “There’s more boogers where those came from.”
“Good,” said Jill. “I’m looking for someone named Alethea.”