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"Katherine O’Hara, and don’t be superior withas yours-or longer I hope that you’re wrong, and that this sale can go through I love what your farandfather and great-grandfather did such a fabulous job showing history, the simple, true and the bizarre I don’t understand…"

Her voice had trailed as she stared at hi that no ht be aa corpse into an historical tableau?

After all, she had said that her family had been here forever, and yes, he did know of O’Haras ere longtime residents, but…

"Katie O’Hara?" he said sharply

"Yes, I just introduced ravation

"Sean’s little sister?"

"Sean’s sister, yes," she said She left out the "little," her aggravation apparently growing

"Sean doesn’t have any part of this, does he?" His tone was sharper than he had intended

"My brother is working in the South China Sea right now, fil to do with this But I don’t see what-"

"Nothing Look, nothing has anything to do with anything This place will never be a ain, and I’m pretty damned sure you just looked at me and re herself to speak patiently "Sorandfather closed the place, but he alanted to reopen it We will never rid the world of psychos I intend to have security, and locks and ain," she assured hiainst the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and stared at her incredulously "And a bunch of frat-boy idiots wouldn’t try to put a blonde est that you do a mock-up tableau of Elena with Tanya’s body? Haven’t you ever watched those horror movies with parts one, two, three, four, five and so on, where the sa to the same stupid, dark woods to wind up dead? What if the psycho who did it is still hanging in the Keys? What do you think of that kind of temptation?"

"I wouldn’t let it happen All people are not horrible, and it’s a wonderful ht You must be all of what noenty-tenty-three?"

"Twenty-four, and that’s hardly relevant I already have hed suddenly "Katie-oke! That’s your business?"

She stiffened and her face became an icebusiness these days"

"At your uncle’s bar, of course"

"You really have matured into a rather insufferable ass, Mr Beckett," she said, her tone pleasant "I will leave I’ll see you with ht, Miss O’Hara And forgive h at Sean’s little sister"

She stared at him "I really don’t care, Mr Beckett And neither would Sean We’ve both worked hard and been responsible, and we make our way quite fine, thank you And by the way, I never knew you were friends with hed then He had been an insufferable ass It was this place It was the possibility that it ain

It was him

He had left here He never hid his past People knew about Tanya, about what had happened But outside of this place, no one assuht alibi, his entire fa back here…

"I’m really sorry I didn’t mean to be offensive To you, Miss O’Hara, and not to anyone’s sister, younger or otherwise However, the place is seriously not for sale Anditself"

"We’ll see tomorrow," she said

She moved away, but then turned back to hirandfather talked about you all the ti Beckett was a wonderfulHe had loved his grandfather-he didn’t know anyone who hadn’t liked and respected his grandfather And he had seen him often over the years

Just not in Key West

"Thank you," he said, lowering his head

"I’ed to make it back now, since you couldn’t be here for the funeral"

"If you knew randfather, Miss O’Hara, you know that he didn’t believe much in funerals-or in massive monuments to the dead, caskets worth thousands and thousands of dollars or any other such thing Memories exist in thedistance could never quell So I am fine with my memories, and in my conscience"