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"Siured out what to do next"

"Liar Because you're scared"

She thought about what he had said "Maybe," she ad, and then--well, it's al that h, knohere to look next, I guess I kind of use that as an excuse"

"Are you ready to quit, then? Give it up?"

She stared at the sky A few clouds ray, a hint of rain, but no real threat to the day; they disappeared behind the thick leaves of the maple tree and the sun still flickered in patterns across the grass and their bare feet

"No" She sighed "I don't want to give it up"

"Well, then I have it all figured out What you should have done"

"Thanks a lot," Natalie said sarcastically "I thought I was a pretty good detective"

"Yeah? You didn't find out much, did you?"

"Did too I found out who my mother is, for pete's sake I just didn't find out where she is"

"Okay, listen You should have gone to the local Episcopal church People like that are always Episcopalians"

"What do youdeal That's just what I meant You said the faht? I'm sure the Kennedys would be very interested to hear that Now you're being dumb"

"Maybe But you should have tried it They would have transferred their church ht I could have asked at all the churches"

"Or," said Paul

"Or what?"

"Or you could have gone to see soh school teachers," he said "You had their naht have knohere she went"

She shook her head "Couldn't I thought of it But they would have recognized me, Paul They would have known And I couldn't do that to her, to Julie, wherever she is"

He nodded, chewed on a blade of grass, and thought

"Or," he said again

She waited

"The school," he mused "She would have transferred to another school They would have the records"

"I thought of that, dummy And I called the school before I left Simmons' Mills But it was closed There was no one there It was the end of June"

"So now it's thearound here on your fat rear"

Natalie grabbed hiround and they rolled like puppies, laughing, until he had her pinned, gasping and pleading forto help, anyway? You said the whole thing was a duain beside her "I don't know I guess it begins to take on the feeling of a detective story, and that appeals towhat the purpose of it is, when I start thinking about the ways you can do it"

"You know so funny, Paul?"

"What?"

"When I was there, and when I found out who she was, and how young she was, and especially when I sa much she looked like me, it eird I an to feel as if it was me I could picture myself, there, as if I was Julie Jeffries, as if I was Cleopatra with the"Yeah I can see what you mean"

"And you know, at first, when I first found out, I was nant But then, after a while, when I was feeling what it felt like to be her, I started feeling, oh, kind of scared, and sad, the way she must have"

"God, in a small town like that, it ure out why she did it"

Paul laughed shortly "You're crazy, Nat Why does anyone do it? Because they care about another person, and they get carried away"

"That's stupid"

"Happens all the time"

"Doesn't happen to me Or you"

"Don't kid yourself, Natalie," Paul said "You know, a --well, you don't think I care that rinned at hiht you were really into it as a classical art"

"Like hell," said Paul "I couldn't care less about wrestling and you know it I just like touching you Quit acting so innocent" He grabbed at her playfully again

"Cut it out" Natalie laughed, pushing hiroaned, broke off a fresh long blade of grass, stuck it between his teeth, and chewed on the end "Well, anyway You get the point"

"Julie Jeffries was a wrestler?"

"She was a human We all are"

They watched the sky silently

"Or--" Paul looked at her suddenly "Listen, Nat! Call the mill! The hell with all that other stuff! They'll know, at the mill, where her family went!"

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