“I’m sorry if this caused you discomfort,” Wulf said to me. “I wanted to speak to you about Martin Ammon. You signed a dangerous contract with him.”
“How do you know about the contract?”
“I know many things. For instance, I know that there are those who think Martin Ammon is Mammon. Martin is one of them.”
“Do you mean Mammon-like or the actual Mammon?”
“The actual Mammon.”
“I realize when you add his first initial to his name it spells ‘Mammon,’ but I can’t see him as a prince of hell. I don’t think a prince of hell would get a spray tan.”
“I’ve seen the contract you signed. Martin Ammon effectively owns you.”
“My soul?”
“No. Your livelihood. In perpetuity.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I want you to understand your position and the degree of evil you’re facing. Martin Ammon must not get his hands on the Stone of Avarice. He’s not interested in your cookbook. He’s using the book as a ploy to stay close and to control you with your own greed. He needs you to gather together the eight pieces of the coin. If he gets the whole coin he can use it to read Palgrave Bellows’s map. Once he reads the map it’s only a matter of time before he possesses the stone.”
“If you’re so concerned, why don’t you snatch the map? You could sneak in like smoke, grab the map, and disappear in a flash of light.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but it’s not that simple. There are other forces at play in that house, and my annoying cousin is more suited for larceny.”
“Are you suggesting that Diesel should steal the map?”
“I’m suggesting that at all costs you should not help Martin Ammon.”
Wulf snapped his fingers again, and Hatchet scurried over to us.
“Miss Tucker would like to depart.”
Hatchet whipped out a syringe.
“If he takes a step in my direction I’m going to jump over the side and swim,” I said.
“He loves his toys,” Wulf said.
“He’s a nut job.”
“We won’t be needing pharmacology,” Wulf said to Hatchet. “Drop Miss Tucker off at the wharf.”
I followed Hatchet into the launch, and looked back at the yacht when the launch pulled away. Wulf wasn’t in sight. The name on the boat was Sea Wulf. I put as much distance as I could between Hatchet and me. When we pulled up to the wharf I carefully moved past him.
“Is that a dolphin next to the boat?” I asked.
Hatchet turned to look for the dolphin, and I hit him hard with my tote bag and knocked him overboard into the water. I scrambled out of the launch and walked off without a second glance at Hatchet.
—
Diesel and Carl were at the bakery when I returned.
“The produce arrived a half hour ago,” Glo said. “We were starting to worry about you.”
“I ran into Wulf.”
“And?” Diesel asked.