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"Thanks for your time," Chance murmured "We appreciate your assistance"

"So you’re trying to find the lady that disappeared, right?" Lenny’s voice gained enthusiasm "I peeked in her purse before I called the cops, but I didn’t take anything, I swear Don’t tell, okay? So are you guys private eyes? I bet she was kidnapped Did you get a ranso" His words caether like a peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff sandwich

"No, we’re not and we haven’t You already helped plenty" I put downit and stood I expected Lenny to produce further useful inforet milk from a tomcat, but it shouldn’t do any hare torn from my pocket calendar and handed it to hiet out of your way now Thanks a lot"

"Sure, anytime I’ll keep an ear open for news about that Korean lady I’ll call you if I hear anything" Lenny got to his feet as well His ood manners in him

Once outside, I asked Chance, "You think they were using the warehouse for rituals at night?"

"Seeht he was too stupid to notice any residual effects"

I cli our nexthow your otif she’s safe, but yeah It’s hard realizing I don’t know her half as well as I thought I did" He started the car and followed the gravel drive out of the trailer park back to the access road that adjoined the freeway "She had this whole other life before she moved to Tampa and she didn’t talk about it at all When I think back, she had a way of avoiding questions If I brought so, she’d ask if I did my homework or if I’d remembered to take the trash out"

"Maybe she was trying to protect you"

He flicked "

Ouch

"Sos head-on Sometimes it’s better to step aside quietly"

"Better for who about his mother "Me You think I could’ve walked away if I had to look into your eyes and say good-bye?"

"I don’t know Could you?"

"No" The answer came sio?"

The silence built, broken only by the vibration of the engine and the roar of the tires on the road By the exit he took, wefor the police station

Chance sounded as if the words were dragged out of him with hooks and wires "You blaht I didn’t love you You thought your safety didn’t matter to ht anys at the time or I wouldn’t have left

"You took a job that put us up against Clayton Mann," I said deliberately "Just what did you expect to happen? When you threaten so and rapes woht I could protect you Do you think I don’t turn that night over in ed things? You were right behind me, Corine I went first to make sure it was safe How the hell could I know the floor would cru while you fell?"

Well, that’s your luck Even when he didn’t try to use it, good fortune sat on his took one look at him and ricocheted to the nearest warm body So of course I fell, not hi, rotted ti that night, a wave of pain and horror stirred, and I fought it down His luck was a Sword of Daift I’d come to see as a curse See, unlike me, he couldn’t focus and shut it off, not entirely It ran through his life in a subsonic hu random notes that called pure chaos Maybe that doesn’t sound like a bad thingat first It would keep things interesting, right?

Well, try living with him If ent to a store, it was robbed If ent to a restaurant, he’d win the millionth customer prize and a free steak dinner or save so Coincidences crawled on hi heap

"You couldn’t," I said finally, doubt threading my words "But ere in that situation because of you, and I didn’t want to live like that any all I cared about was getting rich off your gift But it was never theMann down had an ax to grind The son of a bitch raped and hter! In her old pictures, Kelly looked like you, Corine She looked like you And all I could think about was getting that sick fuck off the streets before he noticed you"

Chance paused, his fingers turned white on the steering wheel I stared at his profile, dumbstruck He’d never said a word, not once I couldn’t even ree had looked like before Clayton Mann got through with her It took hi up the bodies But for ame, even then?