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"Can I go back to the house?" she asked hilanced at Avery and tried to sreat," he said "I know David and Katie and Sean and Vanessa andin for a while, too My cousin and his group are editing a docue incidents around here, so they’re on their own schedules Well, except for Katie, but she’s off tonight, anyway"

"Whatever," Avery said staunchly "I won’t be leaving her"

"I’ll call you as soon as I can leave today," Lia her eyes "I do have to deal with Gary White He was a drifter, but not an evildeserves justice I will find out what happened to him"

He looked aard, as if he wanted to kiss her cheek or give her a hug but wasn’t sure if it was appropriate She stood up and put her ar minute He lifted her chin and whispered softly, "Is it cool if I still hang around the house, too?"

"I wouldn’t have it any other way," she assured hio And she knew that to herand beautiful man she had ever known

Lia It was Katie

She wasted no tihed out loud He’d realized, when he’d seen the man and it had seemed that his entire body knotted with jealousy, that the way he felt about Kelsey had to include trust If she’d been that close with someone in California, Kelsey would have told hio on trust

"Did you hear h, I can think of so many friends for him!"

"Katie, whoa, calm down He may be in a relationship in California already"

"I didn’t want you to be worried"

"I wasn’t worried"

"Like hell!" She laughed

"Okay, I was a little worried The guy could win in Olyhtly with her while everything is sorted out," Lia Gary White’s body could have anything to do with Cutter Merlin, Kelsey or the Merlin house?" Katie asked

"Let’s just say I believe…I don’t knohat I believe But I won’t stop until I find the truth I’ve got to work, Katie Hang in there for me, huh?"

"We’re all here," she assured hi up He headed first to his office, sinking into his chair The desk sergeant gave him slips with all the calls they had received from the local media, so he quickly wrote up a stateeant to returning the calls with the information It was a mistake to tell media "no comment"

They would make up their own coh for everyone out there to know that the body of a local had been found on the Merlin property

Liaas He and Gary White had been caught together seeking some small item to steal from the Merlin estate

A walk down Duval Street and a few questions to old conchs and fresh water conchs as had last been seen Bartholo quietly beside him, said, "You know, she saw me today Or she heardabout?" Lia my heart at the cemetery I touched her cheek I whispered to her She heard me," Bartholomew said "You should tell her that I exist"

"Just like that Hey…you sensed sohost of a pirate--"

"Good Lord, ill you stop saying that? I was a privateer," Bartholoain, I must explain this fact!"

"I’ravated "You look like a pirate"

"Then every man of my decade looked like a pirate, as well," Bartholoht, so we associate the fashion of the era with pirates," Liam said, distracted "Bartholomew, I have a dead body on my hands I think the felloas murdered, because I don’t think he headed out to the Merlin property to die of natural causes or to commit suicide We need to concentrate on the murder"