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"Sounds like a s Maybe everyone does"

"Is that why you caenuinely curious

"Maybe In a way, Eclipse Bay will always be home When the institute offered ht time to make a move"

Octavia went to the door Jeremy and Gail stood on opposite sides of the counter They were looking only at each other, she mused Neither of them noticed her She could have sworn she felt vibrations in the air

She cleared her throat discreetly Both of them jumped a little and turned toward her with expressions of surprise She nearly laughed You'd have thought she'd been hiding in a closet and leaped out unexpectedly

"Hi, Jeres?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I did" He gestured toward a wooden crate leaning against the counter "Got two of theht here"

Gail leaned over the counter "Octavia said you painted Let's have a look"

"I just brought the landscapes withthe crate "Octavia thinks that's my most likely market here in Eclipse Bay"

He hauled one of the pictures out of the crate and propped it against the closest wall Gail and Octavia came out from behind the counter to examine it

Gail reacted immediately, her approval evident in her excited tone "The Arch at sunset I love it What's one by the end of the week"

Jerelances

"Tell you what," Jeremy said to Gail "If you sell this sucker in a week, I'll buy you dinner at Drea "It's a deal"

He ran Betty Stiles to ground outside Carla's Custoed from the beauty shop with a stiff, cotton-candy cloud of pink hair The hairdo had been frozen in place with so much lacquer that Nick was pretty sure it could have withstood a nuclear blast She wore a jaunty deni vest over a red blouse

Betty was ain her late seventies She had ossip for as long as Nick could remember

"'Afternoon, Mrs Stiles" He came away from the fender of his car and walked toward her "How are you doing?"

"Why, Nick Harte How nice to see you I heard you were in town for the summer"

"Yes, ma'am"

"Saw your new book down at Fulton's the other day"

"Did you?" He would not ask if she had read it, he proht it because I read a lot of mystery and suspense But when I read the back cover it didn't say anything about a serial killer"

"Probably because I didn't put one in the story"