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Troy nodded "Would you like to go down to the station?" he asked the mayor

"No"

Louie was pale, and sweat had broken out on his forehead

"I want to talk to you," Louie said "Privately"

Troy hesitated "We’ve known each other a long ti "

"Otto," Louie barked "Just let me tell hi for any personal favors" He looked directly at Troy "I’d prefer to talk here, if that’s all right If you want me to repeat what I tell you over at the station, then I will"

"Agreed" Troy showed thehts and turned up the heat, then gestured for the two e of the sofa; Otto sat next to hiuarded

"I’ up at Troy His hands dangled between his parted knees

"You saw Charlotte Rhodes stop by my office earlier this afternoon, didn’t you?"

"No," Louie said starkly "She caave a long sigh "I figured it was either come to you and tell my story or wait for you to seek me out I’d rather clear this up once and for all I don’t want it hanging over my head anymore"

"My brother can’t be held responsible--"

Louie raised a hand to silence his brother "I’ll do the talking I appreciate that you’re here, Otto, but I’ain Louie silenced his brother, this time with a look

Troy settled back and waited

"I e," Louie said

Troy didn’t know the mayor had been marriedas he could recall

"My ood," Louie told hi to say," Otto cut in, "is that Beverly had emotional probleoraphobic," Louie said as if his brother hadn’t spoken "In the beginning, everything see around a lot of people but that didn’t bother me After ere married I realized this tendency of hers was ood , before he went on "I was about to graduate froe and we decided it was tian," Otto said "And--"

Louie cast his brother another quelling look and Otto didn’t co," Louie continued, "Beverly got pregnant easily enough but nancy devastated her"

Troy ree had been on both of thean’s baby had been He nodded sympathetically

"Afterward she withdrew coet her to leave the house"

Otto leaned forward and added, "Louie did everything he could for her--to no avail He couldn’t persuade her to see a psychiatrist, and the probleot worse and worse"

"By then Beverly and I had no relationship to speak of Soether as if to warer sister--asn’t nant The father was soone tomorrow Apparently Amber didn’t bother to ask his name She didn’t want the baby, but Beverly did She told her we’d raise the child I illing to adopt Aive ally adopt the baby?"

"No," he said, sighing once o to court, for one thing--and she refused to do that"

Troy nodded, indicating that his friend should go on

"When the child was born with Down syndroave hied," Otto said "Beverly was still a recluse"

"Her only joy was her sister’s son," Louie said "She doted on him, loved and pampered him and then--"

Troy interrupted with a question "You stayed in the e?"

Louie looked away, then finally shook his head "Eventually we divorced"

"My brother did everything he could to save the e," Otto insisted