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On the other hand, Selwyn thought, how deep a sleeper was Farold to sleep through soh hisbut also dropping one weapon and searching the room for another?

And if the , wouldn't it have been found by Linton when he discovered the body, or by Derian after Linton called him in, or by Bowden and Thorne when they examined the room, or by the women who had prepared Farold's body for burial? And if there was such a thing and none of them had found it and it hadn't been cleaned up, or tranize it as being so in the room?

Selwyn turned to theYet another reason - he told hiument with Farold, and the knife, and the fact that he had been in the vicinity weren't enough: The as a sh Holt certainly could not, nor could Bowden, and probably not Orik

He opened the shutters and found that - beyond the stream that drove the mill wheel - he had a clear view of the back of Bowden's house He felt what he kneas an unreasonable surge of jealousy: Farold had been able to watch Anora's cos froht, ith one thing and another

The stream would have prevented easy access to theNot likely one of the woht Not without a lot of deterht about Anora and Wilona, and decided not to dismiss either one of them after all

He leaned far out theto look at the narrow stretch of ground between the wall and the water If there had been footprints, a week's worth of weather had covered the; that was not infor him There were no muddy footprints on the sill or the floor, at least not anymore The shutters were badly scratched, but most of the scratches looked quite old Selwyn suspected that Farold hts when he didn't want his uncle knohere he was - like the tione to the tavern and spied Alden at the s, Farold practically flew into his face "Move!" Farold cried "Get out! He gave up and he's co back"

Selwyn slaain As he reached to grab them a second time, he heard a step in the doorway behind him

"Well, well," Derian said, "what have we here?"

"I," Selwyn said, "I thought I saw ht come back inside if I opened one of the s in the back"

Derian leaned forward to hear "The bird?" he asked

Selwyn pointed "He's sitting in that tree across the stream"

Farold had the sense to stay where he was and to chirp a little goldfinch song

"But you decided to give up," Derian pointed out "You were just shutting the "

"He's too foil of hiames Either he'll come back or he won't" Fool! Fool! Selwyn called hi he said sounded less likely than the last

Whether he heard the lame explanation or not, Derian said, "You wanted to see Farold's room" No question, just an observation

There was no use denying it any longer "Yes," Selwyn admitted

"I've heard the two of you were friends," Derian said, his voice gentle "Good friends Very good friends I understand why you'd want to see his rooroaned Were he and Farold the only two in Penryth who hadn't been familiar with that rumor about Farold and Kendra? Still, it couldn't hurt now to have Derian believe this story It was an excuse for curiosity Selwyn folded his hands in front of hi On the other hand, there was so about the way Derian said "touch" that made Selwyn's skin feel dirty

Derian apparently took his lack of answer as grief over the dead Farold "There, there," he said, "what's done is done Being sad won't bring the boy back"

It wasn't what Selwyn expected from the uncle of the dead s here, Selwyn told hied was that Derian's sentleness to it, and more andcloser "I know you have a kind and gentle heart - didn't I tell you that at the tavern yesterday? We can comfort each other You, after all, still have your family I' yesterday, which didn'tto suspect Derian was only trying to make Kendra feel sorry for him

Selwyn took a step back "No," he said firmly, to make sure Derian heard If Derian took one h away from the door that Selould have the opportunity to dart past him The other choice was to knock him dohich Selas reluctant to do The oldSelwyn to be Kendra - he didn't know just how offensive they were Still, Selas angry on Kendra's behalf

"Come, coood is wealth, if one is alone? Together we can overcome our sorrow about Farold" Derian took that extra step, and Selwyn dashed past hiain for another visit," Derian called after hie and e is not so terrible to Anora She has coh for both of you"

Aghast at what Derian was saying - never randfather, never mind that Selasn't really Kendra - Selwyn hurried out into the street

Farold landed on Selwyn's shoulder and est to you what I think he suggested?"

Selwyn glared Then he tried to force a ers were looking at hi right toward us"

Selwyn saw that Boas approaching, flanked by Thorne and Linton

And - worst of all - several steps behind were Orik and Wilona And, with thehter, Kendra

Chapter Twenty-One