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"Yes"
"What about her?"
"What about her?" he asks
"You give her what she likes"
He shrugged "It’s e have"
"Which you bought"
"Next tiive me a list"
"Then you’ll buy what I want her to have"
"Of course"
She takes the lid off the container of potato salad and smells it "You pity her, don’t you?"
"No"
"Don’t you?"
"Why should I?"
She spits in the potato salad "You shouldn’t"
He says nothing
Again she spits in the potato salad
She stares at hi his reaction
Unlike her, he is in control not just of his body and intellect but also of his ely
"Save your sy for her"
"Not even disgust?"
"She’s just a thing," he says
Moongirl can maintain a stare halfway to forever Finally she holds out the container of potato salad and says, "You too"
Without hesitation, he spits in it
She smiles at him
He dares not return the smile She will take it as mockery
A third time, she spits in the potato salad, then returns the lid to the container and places the container on the tray
She says, "Maybe I’ll let you strike the
"Toht," she says
"You’ll want to do it"
"You won’t?"
"I will if it’s what you want"
"What do you want?" she asks
"You"
"Why?"
"What else is there"
"Boredom," she says
"Yes"
She picks up the tray
"I’ll carry that for you," he says
"No You go ahead, unlock the door"
He precedes her through the house
Behind him, she says, "We’ll have a little fun now"
Chapter 28
From the back of Amy’s Expedition, Fred and Ethel and Nickie watched sole were loaded into Dani Chiboku’s SUV
A few clouds hadas still as old clothes in the back of a closet, at the higher altitude white cloaks were flung across the sky, billowing eastward, tattering to the west
With the dogs safely aboard, Dani closed the tailgate and said, "Seriously, A will happen We’ll have rants"
"But the nu in direct proportion to the aenerate"
"So far, yeah, but it’s not an econoonna cos away"
"Look around, girl The world’s never been et worse"
"No I’ve known it worse than this"
Amy seldom spoke of her past and alith circumspection She sometimes wondered if friends accepted her as merely a private person or if instead they suspected her of having secrets
The sharp interest in Dani’s eyes and the curiosity that pinched and dimpled every feature of her face answered that question
When Aa job"
"This is s"
"It irl, it isn’t a job A job pays you"
"There’s nothing else I can do, Dani I’ve been doing just this for like ten years I’m uneot drive-"
"I’ off an inheritance"
"You’re not rich anymore, if you ever were, and you don’t knohat spoiled is" Dani shook her head "Love you like a sister, Amy"
Amy nodded "Me too"
"Maybe someday you’ll open up to me like a sister would"
"I’ to open up" She kissed Dani on the cheek "I’ her words with sarcasrateful for hi the driver’s door of her SUV, Dani said, "What’s the story with the little girl?"
"Theresa? I don’t know She may be some kind of autistic or just traumatized froe thing happened at the office"
Amy raised one hand to the locket at her throat The pendant featured a cameo carved from soapstone, but instead of the classic profile of a woolden retriever She never wore other jewelry, nor owned any
"The girl goes straight to Baiko," Dani said, "sits on the floor with hiht, as Austine’s house, Theresa had reached up and touched the locket