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"Personally, I prefer lace A pretty girl in lace can sell ered my soiled sweater

"What about you?"

"Don’t worry, Chief I clean up real good"

"I’ll meet you at the motel," she said

"Sounds like a plan"

"I’m sorry I rinning at the memory of it, I didn’t believe her

When I unlocked the door toinside I wouldn’t have been

Lindsey was sitting at the sirl waiting for the principal The drapes were opened and I could see thelot over her shoulder She had to have seen reet me with

"Hello, Mac"

"Zee"

I didn’t bother to ask how she got in

Zee gaveher nose at utter You should know so to be one of those conversations, isn’t it?"

I set the shopping bag on the bed and re before I came intoit in the small closet and pulled off my boots while Lindsey watched me There was a look of expectation on her face

"I want you to do two things," I told her "First, call your friend Muehlenhaus"

"He’s not ive a damn what he is Call him Tell him there’s been a terrible mistake Tell him that I can prove Jack Barrett didn’t kill anyone; I can prove it beyond a doubt, reasonable or otherwise Tell hi to have me killed"

Lindsey didn’t bat so much as an eyelash, which proved to me what I had suspected: She knew Muehlenhaus had sent Norman She had probably been in cahoots with hi

"Second"--I pointed at the bucket near her elbow--"go down the hall and get so and brushing er I had purchased a pair of black Dockers and a blue dress shirt with a button-down collar and put them on It arm and damp in the tiny bathroom, so I waited until I was outside and had a chance to cool off before donning a black silk-blend sweater speckled with blue, red, and gold I sat on the edge of the bed, quickly buffed my black leather boots with a towel and slipped the at the table The ice bucket was three-quarters full and she had made a sizable dent in the vodka

"I made you a drink," she told lass that the er than I liked, but welcome nonetheless

"Where’s your driver?" I asked

"He’s around" Lindsey gestured at my room "Not exactly a Barrett Motel, is it?"

"Did you call Muehlenhaus?"

"Yes"