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Lucia stood, gathering up trash and shoving it into a grease-stained brown paper bag "You’re a bad influence I don’t knohy I let you talkher hands

"Because it tastes good Did you have a chance to--" She stopped when Luci held up a bag with the Gap logo across the side

"Best I could do on short notice, but it’s all there"

"It’s perfect, Luce Thanks I’ll take her shopping in the next couple of days, but you wouldn’t believe what she’s been wearing She’s twenty-three years old and dresses like sorandht dead in those things"

"Your grandmother has excellent taste I saw her at a banquet last week"

"You see her more than I do"

"That’s because I actually participate in my community’s events"

"Uh huh" Cyn didn’t rise to the bait Luci was always after her to attend soave her friend a sweet smile

Luci shook her head in disgust "Okay I’, Cyn Callnew to telltonight It’ll probably be pretty late by the time I meet Eckhoff, and it may take a while to follow up on what I find out" They walked together to the hangar door, and Cyn caught a troubled look on her friend’s face "Don’t worry, Luce, I’ll call you toht at the latest"

"That’s not what I’ about"

"Don’t worry about that either Raphael and I are history This is strictly business"

"So you say" Luci beeped her car open, then threw her purse inside and slid onto the driver’s seat Starting the car, she gave a little wave through the openand drove away

Cyn returned the ith a smile She didn’t make friends easily and rarely held onto them once she did But the friends she kept were important to her Benita had been important Her death had been painful in part because she’d betrayed Cyn, but also because she was gone Cyn ainst the sun, which had broken out of the cloud cover in time for a brilliant sunset, she watched until Luci’s car s Then she pulled out her cell phone

She waited through the autohton You’ve gotnow The va up soon, and Cyn had soot dark inside the hangar, Cyn located thebanks of industrial lights far overhead were fully lit Back inside the airplane, she turned on several hts and opened the door to Mirabelle’s sleeping coht as possible

After that there was nothing to do but wait some more, so she paced back and forth in front of the airplane, stopping every once in a while when she thought she heard a noise, then continuing to pace She was so intent on listening for Mirabelle that the trill of her cell phone startled her badly With one hand over her pounding heart, she checked the display and flipped it open

"Hello, Duncan"

"Ms Leighton"

"I’et back to you," she said

"You received ed to put a world of disapproval and disappointment into those four words

"U weird"

"I see"

She signed loudly enough to be sure he’d hear "I’ht What can I do for you?" she said in her most chipper, businesslike voice

"Where are you?"

"Santa Monica Airport, actually" Which re have you been back?" He sounded puzzled

"Since thisfor sunset"