"Late?" the skeleton chief asked.
Budman did his best to let panic show in his eyes and began to construct that bit of falsehood.
"That night, I saw the clown."
"You know I've never liked him. I habitually provoked him a bit about his new image. But... I don't know how to describe it to you... he ignored me."
Budman imitated perfectly, "He just walked straight toward me, as if he saw nothing in his eyes, muttering under his breath. Saying things like he should've been dead long ago, everyone's going to die..."
"Damn. Honestly, I was a bit nervous. He acted like a complete lunatic, you know he's snapped before. I thought better not to stir the pot, so I dropped a harsh line and left. By the time I got there, the three of them were already dead."
"I was fucking stupid, boss. I heard some noise behind me, turned around, and saw Kova crawling out of the ground. He gave me one look, his body all torn apart, head dented."
