Page 25 (2/2)

He touched her cheek "Still, thank you," he said

She didn’t grab him; she didn’t hold him, speak to him or try to stop hiain

She walked him to the door When he was outside, she locked the bolt

She looked through the peephole and saw hi down the street, toward Duval When he disappeared, she turned and leaned against the door

"Bartholohost was off for the day and night, so it see to be heard, and she felt as if she were truly alone

With a sigh she headed into the kitchen, and turned on the small television on the counter She switched around on the news stations, but although Stella had barely been dead for twenty-four hours, the nation had moved on There had been a bus accident in New Ha five, and Cleveland police believed that they had caught a spree killer as shooting the elderly in the streets Nanny Nice, a nurse who had killed handicapped children in a California hospital, was planning on a psychiatric defense

Finally, the bizarre murder of a prostitute in Key West, Florida, came on the local news Stella’s name wasn’t even mentioned at first

But, as the story wound down, Katie felt as if a chill was settling over her The tiny hairs at her nape see

In the television screen she saw a reflection

She turned, and Stella Martin was back, standing in her kitchen, watching the television screen She looked at Katie, her features twisted in torment

"Help me," she whispered

"Who did this to you?" Katie asked

But Stella shook her head, tears for to Katie

"Cohost of Stella Martin walked to Katie’s front door, and beckoned again

I’ht

And yet she followed

9

Strippers caes Once, in college, David and a friend had done a piece on the strippers of north Florida A lot of their other friends had ribbed them about the project, but it had earned them both superiorand very attractive women went into the work for the oodwere not the sairl they had interviewed told the so or alcohol addiction The addictionallowed a girl to find out who had money and who didn’t, and ould pay, what they would pay for and how much

Sos, alcohol or sex, because they liked the thrill of being sexy on a pole To so

Others did love sex

Soana appeared on the floor, David at first felt sorry for her The wo, nor did she have a perfect body

But she could irl, she had wanted to be a dancer-a dancer, not a stripper When shespecial about her

So and didn’t even notice her Some of the clientele hooted and hollered

She seemed oblivious to all of theaht it was all by rote There was a look of abject sadness in her eyes, even when she smiled She was far away, even when she bent down to squeeze a bill between her breasts or accept an offering in the thong bikini she wore that was just strings

When she walked fro out a hundred-dollar bill She looked at hiistered in the to press the bill back into his hands and run

"My friend Katie told me about you today," he said quickly "I’ you could tell me more about Stella Martin"

She hesitated She stared at him "The place downstairs has a quiet patio in back But the bartender is a big, old bruiser, and he’s a good friend of mine," she said

He s you," he said gently

"And don’t go getting the police on me!" she warned

"No," he said

"Five minutes," she told him

She left, and as she did so, David turned to see that so fro in the shadows, and was now just about hugging the wall and the darkness to hurry out

Danny Zigler

There she was Katie O’Hara She was leaving her house behind, as she had surely done thousands of ti Sweet kid She always had been No doormat, she could handle a drunk out of control, speak with a cool authority that seemed to demand attention and hold her oith the best of theh edges of the child and the teen were gone; she was a wo voice, and as far as Katie-oke went, ah, she was great