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Crow rolled his eyes and shook his head "Never happen Everyone knows this is a haunted hayride Things are supposed to jump out at you"

"Yeah,to do the nine-​fifteen tour and then I’ht?"

"Have so far," Coop said, trying to convey through his tone that having run the attraction for fourteen years before the owner had er, he could soht

If he caught the sarcasn Instead he clapped Coop on the shoulder and went through the barn into the office

In the office, Malcolm Crow settled into the leather swivel chair behind the desk, propped his crossed heels on the edge of a stack of boxed T-​shirts, and tugged his cell phone out of his jeans pocket He hit a speed-​dial number with a thumbnail and held it to his ear

She picked up on the third ring "Hey," she said, her voice husky and breathless

"Mmm," he said, "sounds like I interrupted you in the middle of some sordid sexual adventure"

Val Guthrie’s dry snort was eloquent "Yeah I’ wild and crazy sex with my Stairmaster"

"You harlot"

"I think I climbed the equivalent of Mount Rainier I’et h purity"

"Crow, if that’s the source of your strength you would be able to bench press a daffodil"

"So young to be so hardened" He clucked his tongue a few ti to stay there and increase the therapy bills of every teenager in four counties?"

"I’ll be over, baby," he said "But--you should have heard the screaing the kid out of the cart? Man oh ht pause and Crow could i her head "You are a very, very, very strange ?"

"Oh, shut up and co a bit ore"

"H it out

"I’ll take a nice hot shower and I’ll be all pink and clean when you get here"

"I don’t know, I think I prefer you sweaty"

"I don’t ain," she said sweetly, and hung up