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"Yes, sir, it is Before they stuck ht that was crazy talk But there’s a lot more ’tween heaven and earth than you drea Shakespeare paraphrased with such a heavy twang put a so on and tell me why you need to see Twila, and I’ll see what I can do"

Chance did the talking Since I wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to reveal, particularly to an ex-uess he trusted the man instinctively because he told the story from start to finish

That took a while and I nursed a watery Coke When he finished, Bucky slammed a fist on the countertop "Now, don’t that beat all A e on somebody’s mama, well, I don’t reckon he’s any kind of s too, but I didn’t think this was about Chance and me, after all I felt sure it related to Yi Min-chin and her past that we’d tracked only as far as Nuevo Laredo and the zona

"So anyway," Chance said "When Corine told ood idea We’re just not equipped to handle this on our own"

Bucky nodded "Let me see if I can raise Twila Just be aware that she’ll ask for so in return for her help"

I nodded "That seems to be the norm around here We’re prepared"

The blond bartender went to the back to use the phone When he returned, he told us, "She’ll see you at five" He handed us an address "Bring the dog"

Butch whimpered and hid his head

Desperate Measures

We took the I-35 south and ate lunch at a Carl’s Jr in Von Ormy because ouldn’t leave Butch in the car and I couldn’t be persuaded to eat at any other fast food place What can I say? I love those big juicy burgers I fed half of ers, although not hard enough to hurt

Then we found a PETCO on the southeast side of San Antonio and bought some basic supplies, such as a tiny stuffed bed, a leash, and a squeaky pizza that I liked e looks e asked Butch what kind of food to buy He preferred Hill’s Science Diet Lamb Meal & Rice Recipe

At that point asted enough time and we needed to present ourselves at Twila’s place The address Bucky had given us turned out to be a es of the city Given her persona, I expected so more Addams Family from her domicile, but she had peonies in the front yard, flower boxes, and a nice rock garden I liked the gli pink stones that lined the flowerbeds too

The rain had let up finally, leaving everything damp I strode up the hat I hoped approxi in, and Chance followed a few feet behind us Gatheringthe bell

To h she looked no less exotic on an overcast afternoon than she had in the office at Twilight Today she wore her braided hair up in a colorful scarf Whatever she had in mind for poor Butch faded as soon as she saw my ex Well, I was used to it For his part, Chance stared at her as if he’d been hit with a hammer Not so used to that

She flashed a s in her dusky face "Bucky told me of your problem Come in, let’s talk it over"

I performed the introductions, not that either of the room furnished in black and white I sank down onto a black leather armchair with a crunch There was no way I could live with a carpet this pale I’d spill sangria on it the first day I bought it, but I did like the lilies in a sli us," Chance said

I suddenly understood what EvaChance do it to Twila The way he stared, one would think he’d never seen a woman before Okay, so she was beautiful--tall, shapely, and statuesque with eyes that shieted while they talked softly on the couch, low enough that II couldn’t make out the words

There’s a reason people don’t hang around their exes, I decided Butch watched h to be fair he always looked like that

Finally, Chance glanced"Pick me up in a few hours, Corine? I think we’ve worked out satisfactory terh my teeth "Absolutely"

When I let myself out, they didn’t even look away froive a shit If he wanted to whore hiifted, he had a perfect right So h

I glanced down at Butch "Looks like it’s just you and me, kid Any ideas?"

He barked twice but looked regretful about it

I got into the Mustang I’ve never been good at aout of the driveway Butch put his paws over his head

"I know, I know," I muttered

Truthfully I wanted to find the nearest ice creae sundae, not that I cared what Chance did No, sir As I’d had a big lunch, I felt such self-indulgence would set a bad exa So we drove around until I found a park He didn’t care for the leash and wasn’t much of a walker, but I didn’t think he needed to spend the rest of his life hiding in s seemed

I needed to touch the life I’d left behind Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but it wasup my shop in Mexico City, and Señor Alvarez answered on the second ring We passed a fewTo be polite, I first inquired about his health before asking about the shop He assured ood profit, and I told hier than expected

"¿Puede trabajar otra semana?" I needed to know if he could work another week, as I didn’t look likely to return in a day or two

"No hay problema," Alvarez said "Perdóneme, una cosa más, señorita Un hombre pasó por aquí hace unos días, buscándola"