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"It could have beenher into so new, even if she was at 100 percent It takes a while to fully recover fro fro that we need a sensitive for, I’ll consider it But not unless we have soe to yank on my hair out of pure frustration "Let’s pull the OWEA file, then--in full"

"Pulling the file will leave a trace A trace that’ll lead right to your door"

The file would lead right to Parker’s door, ht to my supervisor’s door, because Bill would probably pull it for ht iant friend And how likely is it that so for that exact file to be pulled?"

"It’s not unlikely You said yourself there were few cases similar to this one If he has so to monitor similar cases"

The snore it until this was settled I grabbed the chicken fried rice and scooped soht hit me as I reached for the beef and broccoli, and I stopped, uy know his brand is ?"

"No"

"How can you be sure?"

He took a bite of chicken--to buy himself time, no doubt

"Look, did you actually just happen upon this somewhere? Or will he have reason to think soh my head faster than I could verbalize the if he’d evaded Claude for who-kne-long--realized that soainst hiure out who And that put both Claude and h his hair, arainst the confines of his T-shirt "Nicolas owns a cabin in Wisconsin--technically it’s owned by a dead acquaintance of his, to keep anyone fro it to him, I’m sure It’s very isolated"

"How did you find out about it?"

He grinned wryly "The old-fashioned way: police work Research Talking to people on the ground, looking through old records"

"Go on"

"I went there when I knew Nic would be out of state I brought my partner, Astrid, with me She said the place had been cleaned--psychically And the only thing she could sense anything on was the brand It had been stuck in a bin with the fireplace tools"

Shit This was starting to feel a lot riskier to ht "You broke in? Stole it?"

His eyes htened Why did he still have such an effect onto each other in years--even if we had only been casual lovers enjoying each other’s co to catch on? What the hell, Claude?" I stepped down fro I could walk out the door But I couldn’t Not with the man connected to ood, however Claude ht be able to defend hinorant enough to think I could I still wasn’t sure that digging into anything related to ood idea I’d avoided it for years, with good reason

But some obsessions were harder to shut down than others, and it wasn’t a wound I could poke at without consequences

"Nic hasn’t returned to the cabin since ere there, and he’s not likely to anytime soon"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he hadn’t been there in sixan eye out If Nicolas sets foot near that cabin, I’ll know about it before he beco the cabin? And how? The questions were on the tip of ue, but I shook my head No I didn’t need to know any of that, and didn’t really want to know

"I can’t i to take a risk not only to your person, but to your career if anyone finds out--but not be willing to pull a dah, but there was no humor in the sound "You really think I’ aze with his, and my stomach clenched "I have had many careers inotherworlders and huo Police Department continues to pay me"

"Well, not all of us have the benefit of multiple lifetiot it under control No one’s career is at stake, Beatrice"

"Fro under control You’re not even willing to investigate this the right way, yet you’re willing to steal a suspect’s property?"