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“No. I simply felt . . . disembodied. As if I was in Townsend and somewhere else at the same time.”

“There you go. This is going to be a breeze.”

“Stop it. Both of you,” says Allegra.

She looks at Vincent.

“You can’t let this idiot hack you open.”

She turns to me.

“And you can’t just slice ­people up like an Easter ham.”

“Then who’s going to do it?”

She looks at Vidocq. He leans down and they whisper to each other. Allegra looks back at me.

“I’ll do it,” she says. “But you should stay in bed and heal.”

“I’ll heal later. Just give me something that will get me through the night so Vincent and I can finish this.”

“Wait. What happens after you put Vincent’s heart back?” says Candy. “I thought you said he’d be Death again.”

“He will. But that means there will be two Deaths. We have to kill the other.”

“Why do you have to go with him?”

“In case something goes wrong. Because something always goes wrong.”

“I don’t want you to go,” she says.

“I don’t have any choice.”

I look at the others.

“Are you going to go? Or you? Or you? No. I’m the only one who’s faced anything like this.”

“You’re a wreck. Please don’t do this,” Candy says.

“You said it yourself, ­people always get hurt around me. That includes me. I made it back from Hell twice. The second time just to see you. I can make it back from this. Besides, Vincent will look out for me. Right?”

He nods.

“Right,” he says in the least reassuring tone possible.

Candy shakes her head.

“Fine. And when Julie calls to get our reports I’ll tell her she can’t have yours because you took our client to the land of the dead.”

“You can tell her I’m solving the fucking case. That’s what she wants.”

“She doesn’t want you dead.”

“Maybe not, but let’s be honest. What she really wants is the credit for saving Death. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Candy doesn’t say anything.

“Let’s get going,” I say. “Vincent, you strip and get in the tub. Allegra will get her tools and I’ll get the heart.”