Sean groaned. Do we have to? You both know how the story ends. Ronan meets the deer with antlers of gold and gets a third magic acorn and more advice. What you want and what you need are not always the same. And then he meets a wolf and
No, Brian interrupted. This version is different.
How? Sean demanded.
Ronan meets aa beautiful druid princess dressed inin a sparkling white gown, with a crown of emeralds covering her long, blond hair. Ronan had never seen a woman so beautiful and he was immediately captivated.
Liam frowned. Wait. Thats not how the story goes!
Yes, it is, Brian insisted, shushing his brother. The druid princess saw that he possessed three magic acorns and, with three, he could have anything he wanted. She desired them for herself. So she bewitched Ronan and told him that she could offer him anything he wanted for each of the acorns. When she offered to trade him one of his magic acorns for a wonderful feast, Ronan quickly agreed. The moment she took the acorn, a delicious feast appeared before his eyes. Ronan tossed his dagger aside, for what would he need a dagger for if he had such food to eat? He reached for a shank of beef. But before he was allowed to touch the food, the princess offered him something more. A bow appeared, made of the finest silver, and a jeweled quiver full of arrows. Ronan gave her another acorn and quickly tossed his club away, for he could now hunt wolves with his new bow and arrows. But before he could touch the bow and quiver, the princess offered him one final trade. His last acorn for a beautiful steed with a fine leather saddle.
Hey! Didnt you hear me calling? Conor stood at the door, dressed in his Boston Police Department T-shirt and navy trousers. His hands were braced on his waist and, for a moment, Sean was taken by how different he lookedolder, like a real adult. He wasnt just his pain-in-the-ass big brother anymore. In a few months, hed be a cop. Dinner is ready. Come on, its getting cold.
He disappeared and Liam turned back to Brian. Finish the story. Its just fishsticks and French fries.
Brian turned to Sean. Do you want me to finish?
You might as well, Sean said, knowing that Liam would refuse to leave until he heard how the Mighty Quinn triumphed in the end.
When Ronan saw the fine steed, he thought, I will catch many wolves with such a fine horse and I will collect many bounties and make my family rich. He pulled the last acorn from his pocket. But then Ronan hesitated. The acorns must have very powerful magic to be so valuable to the princess. The druid princess demanded the third acorn, her voice turning shrill and her face turning ugly with anger. Ronan suddenly remembered the advice he was given by the quail, the boar and the deer.
The woods are full of magic, everything is not as it appears and what you want and what you need are not always the same, Liam repeated.
No! Ronan cried, clutching the last acorn in his fist. In the blink of an eye, the feast, the quiver and bow and the fine horse disappeared, for they were an illusion. And the princess turned into a huge, vicious wolf, snarling and lunging toward him, trying to get him to drop the acorn. Ronan had thrown aside all his weapons and had no escape.
Even Sean wasnt sure how the story would end, for this was a completely different version of Ronans tale from the one his father often told. In his fathers tale, the wolf guarded a princess and Ronan killed the wolf and rescued the princess. Then he chastely returned her to her father and went on his way, because Mighty Quinns never fell in love.
Brian paused and waited, dragging out the moment.
All right, what happened? Sean finally asked.
Well, Ronan gathered his courage, held the single acorn tightly in his fist and closed his eyes, wishing that the wolf would turn into a harmless animal, like a mouse or a rabbit. When the snarling and growling finally ceased, Ronan opened his eyes and in front of him was a beautiful golden wolf pelt, worth a fine bounty from the king. He carefully lifted it up and, to his surprise, an ugly toad jumped out. When the druid princess realized a magic acorn had been used to turn her into a toad, she hopped off into the woods, and Ronan headed for home, anxious to collect his bounty. And after that, there was always food on Ronans table.
Sean couldnt help but laugh at the tales ending. That story doesnt even make sense. If Ronan was so smart, why didnt he just go home with the acorns and wish for something he really needed? And what did a princess need with magic acorns if she had a crown of emeralds? And if she had two acorns already, and Ronan had one, then she could have
Aw, shut yer gob, Brian said, giving him a shove. Its just a story. Whos gonna believe in magic acorns anyway?
It was a good story, Liam said, his voice full of appreciation. He scrambled off the bed. And I know the moral. Never trust a woman, no matter how pretty she is. A Mighty Quinn can never fall in love. He ran to the bedroom door, then turned back. Oh, yeah, and dont get too greedy when someone offers you really nice stuff. He ran out, shouting to Conor that he was starving.
Brian stood and Sean followed his lead. He did feel a little bit better. To hell with Colleen Kiley. Brian could have her, and good riddance. Besides, she really wasnt even that pretty. She had squinty eyes and she wore too much makeup, and when she laughed, she sounded like a hyena.
One more thing, Brian said as they walked out of the bedroom.
If youre going to ask if Im taking Colleen Kiley to the dance you might as well say goodbye to your pretty teeth right now, Sean said, cause Im gonna knock them through the back of your head.
Brian laughed. Then he held out his hand. I thought you might be able to use these. He dropped three acorns into Seans palm.
What are these for? Sean asked.
I figured you could use them to turn Colleen Kiley into a toad. Or maybe a big old sewer rat. Brian pulled three more out of his pocket. And if thats not enough, Ive got three of my own to use. He slipped his arm around Seans shoulders. We Quinns gotta stick together, right?
Sean smiled and nodded. No matter how much he fought with his brothers, he always knew he could depend on them. Yeah, I guess we do, he murmured, shoving the acorns into his pocket.
1
SEAN QUINN sat slumped in the front seat of his battered Ford sedan. Hed found a parking space right down the street from the three-flat located in one of Cambridges trendy neighborhoods, and hed been watching the front door for almost two hours.
The case had come to him in a roundabout way, through a colleague hed met while sitting in a bar one night. Bert Hinshaw was a hard-drinking, woman-chasing, sixty-year-old private investigator, a guy who had seen his share of crazy cases over the years. They had talked for hours, Sean learning from Berts experience and Bert grateful to have someone to listen to his tales. A friendship developed and they now met regularly to chatBert doing most of the talking and Sean taking mental notes.
But health problems had slowed Bert down, and every now and then he threw a case Seans way. Sean had been on this referral for nearly two weeks, hired by a wealthy woman who had been romanced, married, then bilked out of a fortune by Eddie The Cruiser Perkins aka Edward Naughton Smyth aka Eddie the Weasel and about six or seven other aliases.
This case had been by far the most lucrative hed ever taken, even better than the Intertel Bank case hed had a few months ago. He was making some real money, a guaranteed rate of nearly four hundred dollars a day.
Eddie, a notorious con man and bigamist, had left a trail of broken hearts and empty bank accounts across the country. The FBI had been after him for years. A bail bondsman from Maryland had been on his tail since Eddie had jumped bail in Baltimore. But Sean had been the one to track him down when Eddies seventh wife had heard that he was in the Boston area. She had hired Sean to find him and to turn him over to the FBI, so she might exact her own retribution at a trial.
Sean glanced at his watch. On Saturdays, Eddie usually didnt get out of bed before three in the afternoon. And last night had been a late one. Hed spent the evening with one of his five current lady friends, a wealthy divorcée with a Bentley and a pricey house in Back Bay. Sean had decided that the time was right to move in and had called the FBI. The agent in charge had assured Sean that hed have two men to the flat within the hour.
Come on, come on, he murmured, staring out at the sideview mirror for a nondescript sedan.
It amazed him that a guy like Eddie could convince nine intelligent women from across the country to marry him and then entrust their money to him. He had to admire a guy that smooth. Not that Sean had any problems attracting women. He was a Quinn and there was something in the genes that made the Quinn brothers irresistible to the opposite sex. But, unlike his brothers, hed never had an easy time talking to women. He just couldnt think of anything witty or charming to say, nothing to keep them amusedbeyond his talents in the bedroom.
Things hadnt changed a whole lot since he was a kid. Brian was still the outgoing twin and Sean stood in the backgroundobserving, evaluating. His brothers teased him that his aloofness was exactly what made him irresistible to women. The less interest he showed, the more fascinated they became.
But he knew what all those girls really wantedgreat sex and a future he wasnt prepared to give them. He recognized their need to own him, to trap him into marriage, and he always made his escape before he got caught. Quinns werent supposed to fall in love. And though that no longer applied to his five brothers, Sean had no intention of making the same mistakes they had.
A gray four-door sedan slowly cruised past his car and he sat up. Its about time, he muttered.
He stepped out of the car and a few seconds later two agents, dressed in dark suits and sporting government-issue sunglasses, approached. You Quinn? one of them asked. Im Randolph. This is Atkins. FBI.
What took you so long? Did you have to stop for doughnuts? Sean muttered.
We were out catching some real bad guys, Atkins said, his disdain apparent.
Sean held up his hands in mock surrender. If youre not interested, I can call the bail bondsman. Hell come up from Baltimore, theyll haul Eddie back there. Your Baltimore guys can have the collar.
Sean knew the uneasy relationship between the Feds and bounty hunters. If they could make the arrest without too much bother, they preferred to take it rather than risk the embarrassment of being outwitted by amateurs. Either way, Sean was in for a nice finders fee from the bail bondsman. He wasnt about to give that up.
So what apartment is he in? Atkins asked.
Sean gestured to the building. Hes a creature of habit. On Saturdays, he leaves at precisely 3:00 p.m. Gets a cappuccino at the coffee shop down the street, buys the Racing News at the newsstand, calls his bookie on a pay phone. A little shopping, dinner around seven, then he heads out for the night.
How long have you been watching this guy?
Two weeks, Sean said, his gaze returning to the front door of the building. He watched the door open and couldnt help but smile when Eddie stepped outright on scheduledressed in a tailored sport coat and perfectly pressed trousers. Though he was in his mid-forties, Eddie made a point to stay in shape. He could easily pass for a man ten years younger. He carried a leather overnight bag, an ominous sign for a guy like Eddie. Was he preparing to run? Thats him, Sean murmured.
Atkins looked at his watch. Two fifty-five. I guess you dont know your guy as well as you thought you did. He stepped into the street and Randolph followed. Well take him. You stay here.
The hell I will, Sean muttered. If he bolts, I want to be close enough to catch him.
They were halfway across the street when Eddie saw them. Sean knew before the agents did that he was going to run. Sean could see it in that split second when their eyes met. It was that knowledge that gave him a jump on the agents. Before they could even shout, Sean took off after Eddie. He caught up to him halfway down the block, grabbing him around the waist and wrestling him to the ground.
By the time Randolph and Atkins reached them both, Sean had Eddie pinned, his hands twisted behind his back. Atkins cuffed Eddie, then yanked him to his feet. There are a whole bunch of ladies anxious to see you again, Eddie, the agent said.
Wait, wait, Eddie said. You cant take me now!
Randolph laughed. You want us to come back later? Yeah, right, well do that. In fact, why dont you just call us when youre ready to turn yourself in? He shoved Eddie toward the car, but Eddie stopped and turned back to Sean.
Hey! Hey, buddy! he shouted. Come here.
Sean glanced at the two agents and they both shrugged. What do you want? he asked.
You gotta help me out. Its really important. He tried to reach into his pants pocket, but the agents grabbed him. Atkins pulled out a wad of bills secured in a fancy money clip. Give the guy fifty, Eddie said. No, make it one hundred.
The agent handed Sean two fifties. Whats this for? Sean asked.
I want you to go over to 634 Milholme Street and tell Laurel Rand what happened.
Youll get a phone call, Sean said. You call her. He pushed the money back at him.
No, I cant. By then it will be too late. You gotta do this for me. Tell her Im real sorry. Tell her I really loved her.
Sean stared down at the money. He should refuse, but every dollar in his pocket was one more dollar toward a real office and maybe even a real secretary. One hundred dollars would pay the electric bill for a few months. Why not take a few minutes and run a simple errand? All right. You want me to tell her you were arrested?
Eddie nodded.
You want me to tell her why?
You might as well. Once she learns the truth, she isnt going to want to talk to me again. But tell her I really did love her. She was the one.
Yeah, Eddie, Agent Randolph muttered. Im sure thats what you tell all the ladies. Do you say that before or after you pick their bank accounts clean?
I loved them all, Eddie said. I just have this compulsion. I keep asking them and they keep saying yes. Thats their fault, not mine!
Lets go. Agent Randolph dragged Eddie away by the arm.
Remember, you promised, Eddie shouted at Sean. Im counting on you.
The agents pushed Eddie into the back of the sedan, then roared off down the street. Sean glanced at his watch again. It wouldnt take him more than a half hour to deliver the message. After that, hed head back to his apartment, type out a final invoice and get it in the mail. By next week, he could have his money, and the week after that, he could start looking for a small office. There was still advertising and office equipment to think about, of course. And hed need a phone and an answering service and a beeper. If he was going to build a successful business, hed have to start dressing for success, toolike suits and maybe a tie or two.