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I smiled as Dottie ca on the tray of her walker clinked against the glass with every step she took I stepped forward, intending to help, and she gave me a look

Uh-oh, she was in one of her I-can-do-it-e the subject "I saw Mickey as I was driving in Where was he headed off to?"

Fred looked pained and I knew I’d stepped into it again Apparently this was just going to be one of those days when tact abandoned et us soe them and the pitcher both"

"Of course, dear" Fred estured me into a seat As I passed, she whispered to ot into another argu around with, down at that pool hall--and how he’s been getting the hed

"It wouldn’t be so bad if Fred wasn’t a telepath He knows that Mickey’s lying, even if he’s too ethical to dig for lasses just then so Dottie busied herself playing hostess, pouring drinks ands up the subject that had brought ift to see this" She said it like it was a warning Al you see on television Then again, perhaps that’s how she felt If she couldn’t peek at the future, she couldn’t knohether or not a particular idea would work out She’d just be taking her chances like the rest of us

She continued "You need a safe house for the client--and an out-of-the-way place to get away fros Fred needs to rent out the house at the lake"

Fred had a life estate in the house, but it was technically Mickey’s, left to him by Fred’s first wife

"If it’s producing inco me to sell" Fred’s voice held a conized all too well--froht if you had some time this afternoon, maybe I could drive you out there and we could look at the place I’ll cut you a good deal on it"

I thought about it I didn’t really have any firht just be the answer to the problem of where to stow Michelle

Edwards Lake is a man-made lake in a valley forty miles northeast of Santa Maria de Luna It was created in the nineties to provide a secluded little getaway spot for Silicon Valley types and successful dot-com investors

The fact that the lake house was secluded et to--which would be perfect for hbors around "Sure, why not" I smiled at them and was rewarded with twin looks of such relief I wanted to throttle Mickey just on principle How badly had he been hounding these people?

"I’ve got soroceries out in the car I need to take by the house, and I’ll need to grab so to eat"

"Why don’t I follow you to your place, then we can drive out to the lake in reed

Secluded was an understatement Isolated would be more accurate The only way to reach the lake house was via the dahith no shoulder All that stood between a vehicle and a sheer drop was a siuardrail Oh, it was probably spelled, but who kne often they renewed theold GM that took up most of the road I feltthat narrow stretch of highway

By the tiravel driveway, I was , hts, and I could tell they were not happy ones I was tired Vareat--injuries disappeared quickly and usually without scarring, but I’d had a couple of truly hellish days I was elad to climb out of the truck and into the fresh air to use the key Fred gave me to unlock the old-fashioned padlock on the chain that held the gate closed

What the place lacked in security it more than made up for with visibility The house sat on a peninsula that jutted out into the big, open lake We’d come in on the only road and it was clearly visible No one would be able to sneak up on this place

Michelleit in style The ho and low, just one story, with lots of s facing all that water When Fred entered the security code and opened the door, I found out that the interior was even better

I roamed around at hile Fred called Dottie to let her knoe’d arrived in one piece The place was freaking gorgeous Every rooned so well that it was coht The roos scattered on the hardwood floors andpillows on the Arts and Crafts–style furniture The bathrooh to use as bedsheets and a walk-in tub fitted hirlpool jets One wall of the bathroo privacy Every other roo, I returned to the living roo off a clear view of a private dock with an alu cars, but thisup the phone, I turned to hi to want for this?

"I’ to be reasonable" He smiled, but there was a twinkle in his eye that letfor the best possible price He’d been a high-powered businessman for a lot of years before his heart problems forced hilad to be out from under the stress