“I figure that’s his problem,” he said. “After all, he’s the one who asked us to spring him from his contract. I assume he has something else lined up.”
“… And if he doesn’t? Quigley’s never been big in the planning-ahead department. It won’t be easy for him to find work with a termination on his record.”
“Like I said, that’s his problem,” Skeeve shrugged. “He can always …”
The door opened, and the Council trooped silently out. Quigley waited until they were clear, then beckoned us inside frantically.
“You’ll never guess what happened,” he said excitedly.
“You were fired, right?” Skeeve replied. “C’mon, Quigley, snap out of it. Remember us? We’re the ones who set it up.”
“No, I wasn’t fired. Once they got over being mad, they were impressed by the show of magik I put on at the game. They renewed my contract.”
I found myself looking at Skeeve, who was in turn looking back at me. We held that pose for a few moments. Finally Skeeve heaved a sigh.
“Well,” he said, “we’ll just have to think of something else. Don’t worry, Quigley. I haven’t seen a contract yet that couldn’t be broken.”
“Ummm . . . actually, I’d rather you didn’t.”
That shook me a bit.
“Excuse me, Quigley. For a moment there I thought you said . . .”
“That’s right. You see, the Council was impressed enough that they’ve given me a raise … a substantial raise. I don’t think I’ll be able to do better anywhere else, especially if they ask for a demonstration of my skills. There have been some changes in the contract, though, and I’d really appreciate it if you two could look it over and let me know what I’m in for.”