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Well Whatever Noas aif there would be another outbreak,up the little wooden cross we had planted at Molly’s grave Every ti it with a little star and crescent, sohad died a practicing Musliot a knock at my door I assumed it was a reporter, which kind of cheereda completely different version of the story to each and every one of them I spoke to Why let everybody else have all the fun?

But when I opened the door, there was Detective Lance Falconer, in a black turtleneck and looking cropped from a cover of GQ It actually tookroom, I said to him, "You knocked Usually you just let yourself in"

"I spent five weeks in the hospital, Wong I’m in no ot some frozen taquitos in the oven, you want one?"

"I don’t even knohat that is Look, I’ot off the phone with , and he informs me that there are no fewer than thirteen books on the subject in the pipeline"

"Yeah, I know Marconi is writing one, his will be the best Though I got to ad is Owen’s"

"And you’re writing one"

"Well, Ahost writer They just putfor patience, "is that they’re fine with les But yours and h it together"

"Oh I can see that"

"And they don’t want ht I mean, you should have moved faster tosprayed with a fucking ht"

"And I don’t suppose I can change your mind?"

I said, "Detective, I want you to use your powers of deduction to detect the fact that I’oddamned FEMA trailer The video store just opened back up teeks ago No paycheck, that whole tiet is Ji his copy of Basic Instinct 2 I’es on that It wasn’t in the deposit box when I got here this ht there was soovernment…"

"There is, and et a check in the ht thousand for to sit on it until they see what I write in the book They want to see how I tell the story, if you understand what I’ to tell the story?"

"I’ to tell the most ridiculous possible version of it I can think of People are going to close it and be like, ‘What the fuck did I just read?’"

He nodded "I have ot transcripts of the radio chatter between the pilots Soet"

"I’d love to have you on board"

"I’ll cooperate on one condition You portray the coolest version oftotal action hero here If you’re s up, then eive "

"Sure"

"And say I drive a Porsche"

"What? Where are you gonna get a Porsche on a cop salary?"

"Because I’m awesome Alex Cross drives one So does Lucas Davenport"

"What, are those cops you know?"

He headed for the door, s On his way out he turned and said, "And don’t put a bunch of bullshit in et cute and try to o to the salon to have htened and dyed white so thatloudly all the way to his car

I went and pulled my taquitos from the oven I let them cool and went back tonew Porsche was turning around indown the street Actually, now that I looked at it I think it was a Ferrari I ate a taquito

As I chewed, the light changed behind rew over the surface of the kitchen counter

I had time to notice the shadow had no left hand It spoke

"Hey!"

I spun, saw pale skin and freckles and red hair