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The Hurricane she had assuht was already e asked

She smiled her thanks and spoke to her boss

"Max, thanks, that’s great I’ll tell the others"

"Tell us what?" Patricia deet the

"When are you co back?" she asked Max "I need to ask you--"

"Do what you need to do I’ot ht, let loose Eat, drink and beup

"What did he say?" Julian de A cheer went up, and then a toast "Did we order food?" Nikki de tipsy!" Patricia teased

Nikki groaned "Hey, for real"

"Hey, for real," Julian assured her "We’ve got a shri, pork, red beans and rice… succotash, darlin’!" he teased,to sound just like Max

"Thank God," shehis glass "We’re the best And Congrats to Nikki, our blond beauty"

"Hey, don’t look now, but that guy over there is looking to be a couple tonight," Patricia said, nodding toward the other side of the roo at Nikki, not uy in question was nice looking, sandy-haired, either a businesse student

"No, I think he’s looking at you, Andy," she said

"Ladies, ladies, I hate to disappoint you, but I think he’s looking at me," Mitch said

Another round of drinks ca to buzz, but it was a celebration, and she did need to let loose now and then

So she ate crawfish and had another Hurricane, and laughed at the banter around the table

The plane rose, angling into the air

Below, there was light

And darkness

Along the coast, the highly populated sections were ablaze with artificial light Housing and coreat chunks of the Everglades

And yet the great area of no- water--and darkness

South Florida From the air, it was easy to see just how rass," since, technically, the Glades weren’t swampland at all

Brent loved it, loved the festivals held by the Seuitar with his friends Loved the seely endless expanse of the Glades, even with the reat place to du… well, the police knehere to look

This was his home now, the place he’d chosen to live But there was also the horandfather had been his legal guardian, so he’d spent a great deal of time, school vacations, holidays, sum rants to the Deep South, and until recently, they’d lived in the parish of his birth Most of the ti up had been spent with that side of his family, in Louisiana

New Orleans The French Quarter Where he’d been born

He knew the area far too well

New Orleans And beyond the Vieux Carré, the bayous Endless canals Alligators, shrimp and shrimpers, crawfish, Cajun food…

There were bodies there, too And strange events that went beyond the accepted norm…

It hat he did, he reminded himself

But not always by choice

New Orleans

Dao home