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I bounced from the bed, paced to theand back My hair kissed the small of my back, my one vanity Perhaps I should’ve found some pants, but he’d already seen every inch of me

"Please don’t Don’t make more of me than I am, or more of e had I think you’ve roo You have to ether, reotten what it was like between us because that’s the only way you can stay away God, Corine" My naer evaporated, leaving desperation I didn’t knohat I would do if he pressed "Letto death Eva can whip up some dinner, you can tell me what you learned froood idea to be in a bedroom with you"

Not the way I felt Not with so much emotion desperate for release and I couldn’t seem to weep

He almost smiled I saw the quirk of his mouth, or et us an address for Lenny Marlowe We’ll go see him tomorrow and talk to hih, or he’d be in the saht, but it couldn’t hurt "Good idea Do you know if Delta has assigned hi?"

Details I’d always handled the details that way Funny that I would be the practical one in our relationship, but it always fell like that I made sure we had food in the house and that Chance re deals He contacted people, talked h profile We irl, but in the end, the publicity caused ood

To ed He looked blank "I don’t know, but I’ll have Eva find out I iency"

I’d be surprised if she couldn’t

Legwork

Lenny Marlowe lived in a trailer near an overpass

Each tily I didn’t kno the guard slept at night, which proved a person could get used to anything The entire place could’ve fit into the posh suite we’d rented at the hotel in Monterrey, but I had lived in worse places that last year in foster care

Along with a pink flao, two ceran in his front yard that read BEWARE OF DOG It tickledin question was aeyes and a spiked red leather collar Butch sat in the crook of his owner’s ar us with suspicion

Lenny hiuy with s nose, and a wide, thin hted to have company, almost conspiratorial, in fact Chance sat quiet besidebrown couch

"Well, like I done told the police"--he gave the word a long O--"when I went in, I’d pluot I didn’t report there no et into a habit, y’know?" I nodded to show I did and he went on "But when I got in there, it sh and saw the ot out of there quick"

"I don’t blaht, you didn’t see the woman who lost the purse?" Chance asked

"Nope Best I can figure, they ot off work That was supposed to be ot and caed the locks yet"

"Can you think of any reason they would take a hostage there?" I watched the guard’s face, trying to decide if he could possibly be this guileless It was like interrogating Forrest Gump

"Well, it’s dark and pretty isolated Most of the businesses have shut down--just that La Quinta Inn left a few blocks away So I guess if you wanted to beat somebody up, nobody would hear the screas then as well

"Had you noticed anything strange before that night?" Chance looked re Yi Min-chin

I knew better

Lenny thought that over "Well, I wouldn’t tell this to the cops ’cause they’d think I got a screw loose, but yeah I work second shift, so it’s all dark and spooky, but I swear I heard stuffaround in there sometied a glance with Chance, and then he asked, "Did you ever see anyone?"

Lenny shook his head "No Mostly it was a feeling, and I’d get the willies real bad I’d turn around and nothing would be there Soht on it, nothing" He hesitated "I guess I thoughtsolad to be out of there," I said Though I tried not to show it, I felt deadto hi I work at a desk now NoI have a phone and everything, but they don’t letat night" If encouraged, he would probably talk about his new job all day, or at least until time for his next shift