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The reporter excused hi with the oone, Shannon scooted out and sat down next to Jesse, who made room in the booth for her She didn’t look at us, instead studying the milky reflection of her hands clasped on the white For," she whispered "Dale knows that Whatever’s going on, et away Because I thinkwhoever is a part of thiswith ht"
That would certainly explain her father’s rabbed Shannon and run I could certainly cos to protect his child I didn’t understand inaction
"When was this?" Jesse asked gently
I wondered what he felt froirl as scarcely ht on the top of her spiky, blue-streaked head, and she turned her face into his shoulder I definitely grasped the appeal of that Jesse had a way ofa woman feel safe
"Last week," she ot here"
"You must have been terrified" Saldana petted her as if she were a stray puppy he’d found
She sniffed "Yeah But I couldn’t let her kno happy I was to see soht be able to help, so that’s why I acted like such a jerke first met" Jesse looked puzzled, as he hadn’t been on-site to receive Shannon’s rudeness firsthand
I waved that away Her "rebellious teen" act was the least of our concerns Before I could co by to find out if webesides coffee She was a stout wo, stiff hair, a pink polyester unifornized Shannon, her brows pulled together like an angry centipede
"Shouldn’t you be in school, Shannon Cheney? Does your ers?" Her disapproving gaze took in the way Jesse was holding the girl, and her htened
I could have assured the waitress he didn’t have lascivious intentions, but I doubted she’d believe me She also wouldn’t credit that Shannon was scared of Sandra, who looked like the perfect --could they ever
"If she didn’t before, she’ll find out the et a break" Shannon didn’t look concerned I wasn’t sure how I felt about her faith in us
"Let’s get out of here" I didn’t want to be here when her ht not be able to physically remove her child, but she could--and would--make our stay in Kilmer unpleasant I didn’t look forward to the inevitable confrontation
"Check, please" Jesse offered the waitress his best slared at him
We paid the bill, just coffee and Dale Graham’s peach pie, then ray day, heavy and overcast A cool, da the scent of distant fires I couldn’t i in theoverto happen soon," Chance predicted
"I wish that struck ," I muttered as I climbed into the SUV "But it absolutely doesn’t"
"Me either" Chance seerim as he settled beside "
Saldana started the car, made sure Shannon had on her seat belt, and checked our surroundings in the rearviewus fro so bad I couldn’t conceive it Though I wanted to tellirrational, I couldn’t
I’d died out in those woods If not for Jesse Saldana, I wouldn’t be sitting here I found it hard to get ey them with dark beasts that knew my name
I scowled in reaction "He also said we could bla experienetic material recovered frohed as he pulled onto the road "He’d ns, wouldn’t he? So where to?"
Mentally I tabulated our schedule We needed to be at Miss Minnie’s house for dinner by six, and we should check in with Chuch, Booke, and Chance’sby Dale Grahaht, I said, "We should check out Little Ed Willoughby, if Shannon knohere he lives"
"They have a place in the old neighborhood, four blocks froave Jesse directions
Since Kilet there We pulled up outside a tiny bungalow that seemed hard-pressed to house three people The place seemed still and quiet, but as we climbed out of the SUV and went up the cracked sidewalk toward the front door, I heard the sound of a TV or radio fro around back I didn’t knohat he was trying to accomplish until he came around the other side "The car’s parked out back," he said griht place"
My heart gave a little skip Now et some answers I pounded on the door and then squeezed ether so they wouldn’t tremble I’d never come to visit someone who had tried to kill me before
It took almost five minutes before anyone answered Athu could have preparedin a wheelchair Both his legs had casts on thehby gazed up at us curiously, snized Shannon
"Hey, girl" I could tell he was trying to look cool for her, actively hampered by several pounds of plaster and a tatty blue bathrobe