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be women and men to be men. Thereare differences. Women who try to outdo males
just to outdo males, who get all up in arms at having a door opened for them,
who think males should think like women, and who get terribly upset at my
covers, I think are . . . less than theycould be. I think even less of the
males who fall for their arguments."
"You don't like the modern 'urban male'," Barb said.
"I think that telling men that they should be women leads to most of the
problems we're dealing with these days," Duncan replied, arching an eyebrow.
"Males respond, by and large, to arguments that feminists despise. That women
should be treated as special and specially protected. That it's a male's duty
to be the first line of protection and that there's a reason for 'women and
children first' in a lifeboat situation. That honor and duty and loyalty are
good traits and should be encouraged. Males are expendable, women are not.
That may not be PC, but it's how I feel and, demonstrably, more males respond
to that sort of reasoning than ones that are essentially feminine. At the same
time, women should be allowed to be whoever theyare , without either males or
females telling them who they should be. If a women is a superior warrior,
then let her do her thing. If she's sensitive and caring and unable to do
battle, then let her do what she is called to. Ditto males. But don't say that
malesshould be sensitive and caring. Most of us are lousy at it no matter how
hard we try. Males tend to make lousy women. Don't create boxes and say 'This
is who you must be.' Especially don't create boxes that are designed counter
to the way that most men and women trulyfeel . Feministscreated Eminem and now
they're getting what they asked for, whether they realize it or not."
"Strangely enough, I agree with most of that," Barbara said, considering it
carefully. "So what's this book about?"
"Magic and dragons," Duncan said, shrugging. "Actually, that series isn't
going all that well. I'd thought that it would really sell, both because my
other series sold so well and because the big market is high-sales fantasy.
But it's just limping. I swear I'd sell my soul to get it off the ground!"
"You're a very odd person, Folsom Duncan," Barb said, frowning slightly at
the expression.
"Ain't I then," Duncan said, grinning. "Check your assumptions at the door,
as Lois Bujold would say."
Barbara blinked for a moment and then sighed.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" Duncan asked.
"It's . . . hard to explain," she said. "I'll talk to you later."
* * *
"What's so important?" Janea asked when she met Barb in the lobby followed by
Greg.
"Timson," Barbara said. "You said that he knows a lot about the occult.
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Right?"
"He's blonde," Janea said, realizing where she was going right away.
"That's what dye is for," Barb pointed out, sharply.
"No, he's blonde," Janea said, definitely. "Trust me on that one."
"Oh," Barbara said. "Damn."
"Nice try, though," Greg said. "I'm starting to agree with Janea that it's
probably a Larper."
"I'd already considered him, though," Janea admitted. "And rejected him for
just that reason."
"So what do we have?" Greg asked.
"I'm looking at motive and opportunity, I guess," Barb said. "There are
several of the Wharf Rats that meet the criteria for suspects. Also a couple
of people around Larry Whatsisname the magazine publisher. One being Larry.
Baron and Sean both have jobs that move them around the state and both have
ties to Ohio."
"The body that they found there," Janea said, nodding.
"Sean's got a real case of the buns at women at the moment," Barbara
continued. "He found his live-in girlfriend in bed with another man and then
she took out a restraining order on him. So he's not very happy with women
right now. Baron's . . . well he's more or less what I thought we were looking
for. Not very socially apt, so having the power to compel women would probably
be attractive to him. Both of them travel a good bit for their jobs. Eric and
Larry both travel. Eric's married, admittedly, but I'm not sure that discounts
him. And he's ambitious. Demons can tinker with earthly powers to aid in
ambition. Larry . . . I just don't like. But he also fits the profile."
"There are at least six of the Larpers that fit the profile as well," Janea
said. "But not Timson. And from what I've gleaned about the Wharf Rats, I'd
put Sean and Baron high on the list of suspects."
"I'm interested in Duncan as well," Barb said. "He has something very strange
about his . . . soul. He's like a power sink or something. If Remolus is a
power absorber, then I'd expect his touch to be something like what Duncan
has."
"That's . . . outside my territory," Greg said. "But don't get caught up on
motivation and opportunity. Or clues. Before you know it, you'll decide that
it was done by a one-legged butler in the library or something."
"I wish there was some way to go around getting DNA from all these suspects,"
Barbara said then paused, looking thoughtful.
"Ain't gonna do it," Janea said, shaking her head.
"It wouldn't take allthat long," Greg said, grinning. He had another hickey
on the other side of his neck.
"Says you, Flash," Janea replied, shaking her head. "Some people take more
than thirty seconds."
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"Hey!"
"You don't know what I was thinking," Barb protested.
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