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Not with Nix out there soed the sheets around her, so that she was coot shakily to his feet and stood over her, head bowed, and Benny saw his brother’s lipsHe knew that he was an outsider to this, an intruder into Tom’s privacy … but he could not leave He could not abandon his brother any more than Tom could abandon Nix’s mother

When Tom turned to him, his face was calm Or at least it appeared to be calm Benny wasn’t sure if his brother’s air of unshakeable poise was genuine or a mask he hen he needed to fend off the rest of the world Before now, that calm demeanor had annoyed Benny; now it unnerved him It seemed so alien, so unnatural

To rooh examination of the crime scene One of theers "Got so!"

Tom and Strunk hurried over, and Benny had to crane his neck to see past them Gorman pushed aside some broken crockery, and there on the floor was an old battered coin On one side was an exotic flower, on the other were the words: "Chúc may m n"

He handed it to Strunk, but Toood luck,’" said Toe is that?" asked Gorman "The Rileys are Irish Is that Gaelic?"

"No," said Tom, "it’s Vietnamese"

Strunk frowned "Then … this wasn’t Charlie and the Ha brothers," said Gorers He didn’t nod, didn’t even grunt to show that he agreed with this assesso ho the bloody Mekong brothers in"

"Go right ahead," said Too after the people who actually did this"

"What are you talking about? We have proof right here"

Tom didn’t bother to answer He dropped the coin on the floor and walked toward the door

Outside, they had to push through a crowd that was ten deep Everyone had questions, but Tom’s face was a stone Benny shoved and pushed to stay at his brother’s back The ie to the hospital

When they were through they walked down the street The sky above thely cold wind Benny waited until they were out of earshot

"Tom … I’m sorry about Mrs Riley"

If To to find Nix?"

"We’re going to try"

"They killed Mr Sacchetto and Mrs Riley to get inforie?"

"You saw hi on Nix, and he showed up at the wrong time, poor kid"

"So why take Nix?"

Toh Nix would either be killed … or taken to Gaht up to theuards said that Charlie and the Hauard answered, "It was just after all the excite of his-- you know the long canvas one? It was slung over his back and looked heavy, but the guard didn’t even think to ask as in it He assuuns and stuff Bounty hunter’s stuff He figured Charlie and the Haotten a job because of what happened"

"Yeah," To brothers?"

"They left a few s strapped over the saddle of that ugly donkey they have The one they call Uncle Sa brothers’ sense of hu out after them?"

"Yes Benny and me"

Billy leaned out of the saddle "Listen, it’s not my place to tell you how to do your job, To someone to follow You follow too soon, and they’ll kill you in the dark You’ll never see it coht out there in the mountains … Hell, they’ll attract every zoht"

"Wait," Benny interjected, "what about Nix?"

"Billy’s right We can’t find her if we’re dead"

They walked the rest of the way in silence They did not sleep at all that night They got cleaned up, ate a large high-proteinThey packed only those supplies they needed to take, including several bottles of cadaverine and two tough but lightweight carpet coats They took plenty of weapons--after all, this was no longer just a hunting trip It was a rescue mission And it was evento war

When they stepped out onto the porch an hour before first light, Benny turned and looked back at their house A shiver ran up his spine and raised bu that he would never see the house again,lingered for a longhim as abruptly as it had come What remained in its place was a coldness of spirit that he had never felt before, and it had nothing to do with his house or this town His world had changed again, and he knew it This time it had not been the removal of veils from naive eyes Benny knew that much for sure No, this time he felt as if a piece of hih he had not been tortured as Mr Sacchetto had or beaten as Mrs Riley and Morgie had, he had been hurt just as surely He could feel it It was a dead place on his soul, as insensate as scar tissue and as violently earned

He turned away from the house and stood on the top step of the porch with To they adjusted the straps of their packs, patted their pockets for the necessary things they would need out in the Ruin, and made sure of their weapons Benny had his wooden sword, and he had a sturdy hunting knife that To he’d packed was Nix’s s in there would be a clue to finding her, but having it felt like a talisman He slipped it into his back pocket

"Tom?" he asked

"Yes?"

"Are you sure it’s the brothers?"

"If they’re involved at all, it’s because Charlie’s paying them Or maybe Charlie planted that coin there to frame them Maybe he thinks he can come back to Mountainside after he--"

"After he kills the Lost Girl?"