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Polk’s eyes narrowed on the doctor "The problem, sir, is that I specifically told Crow that Valerie Guthrie was a witness and that no one was supposed to talk to her until--"

"Oh for God’s sake," Weinstock snarled and pushed Polk out into the hall and pulled the door shut "Not even you can be that thick, Ji about that? Are you that much of a blockhead?" Before Polk could answer, Weinstock plowed ahead "Miss Guthrie is my patient and she is the victim of a crime Crow is a deputy, last I heard, and until Sheriff Bernhardt hiard hioddamn hospital If I hear one more word out of you I swear I’ll have security escort you off the pre, harasse Sheret the hell out of my face before I ask Crow to bounce you off the walls just to make us all feel better"

Polk was livid and his balled fists trembled at his sides Crow shifted position to be within reach of Polk, hoping to God that the cop would take a swing Bouncing him off the walls really would make hih the closed door, but still an arrow in Crow’s heart

Polk pointed a finger at Crow "This isn’t over," he said with a hiss

"Yes it is," Weinstock said, beating Crow to it "It had better be or I proret it Don’t push me on this"

Polk made a rude noise and turned away He stalked down the hall under a cloud The other two cops exchanged looks with each other and then looked at Weinstock

"Do either of you have a proble here?"

"No sir," said the oldest of the te surely don’t"

Weinstock touched Crow on the arm "I’ll leave you two alone Don’t tax her, buddy, okay?" With a parting glare at the cops, the doctor stalked off Both cops gave Crow a palesture as Crow opened the door and went inside

Crow sat on the edge of the bed and for a long tiether as she wept for her brother and Connie Croith her--even for Mark, whom he barely liked? Maybe In part, certainly Mark was an officious ass at tiuy at heart, and he’d suffered the same loss that Val had when Henry had been murdered; noas dead, too And Connie was a total innocent; life never gave her a chance Crow ached for them both, and for the whole town

It was half an hour later, after tears and more tears, after soft words and silent ti up the events of last night When he saw the aching, weary grief in her eye he almost didn’t He looked down at Val, touched the stain of tears on her cheek, and absently licked the tears froer

"Val…honey…we need to talk about sos, but first I need you tell ht Are you up to this?"

In the space of a heartbeat the look in Val’s eye changed fro past ti about this, Crow, needing to talk to you God knows I had nothing else to do while they fussed around ive me sedatives They wouldn’t letto ask ht about what I saw" Her grip was tightened like a vise on his wrist "I wanted it to be straight in my head I wanted to try and ether in my mind, try to be cold and clinical about it I had tih" She took a breath and studied him "You know I don’t believe oblins and all You’re into it, but you know that I never…I mean, I don’t--"

"It doesn’t matter, baby I don’t believe most of it myself A lot of this is just for fun Spooky movies and Halloween dollars in America’s Haunted Holidayland"

"Maybe…but what if it’s true?" She gave his ar his wrist a defiant push as she did so "What if a lot of it is true?"

There was such coldness in Val’s voice that it made Crow flinch

"The papers always joke about Pine Deep being the most haunted town in America It’s on all of our tourist pamphlets We bank on it So, you tell me…what if it’s true? What if we really are the most haunted town? There’s no other explanation for e both saw here in the hospital teeks ago, and what I saw last night And no one is going to tell ined it Not unless they want their asses kicked, ’cause I’ to take any of that crap from anyone I knohat I saw I knohat happened"

"I saw sos, too, baby," he said, and told her about what happened down in Dark Hollow As Val listened her face went paler, but the hunting hawk glare in her eye intensified