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"We’ll work froiven us," one of them said

"But we can’t put an APB on a dead man," said the other "I’m sure you understand that"

"It was Bruno Frye," Hilary said doggedly

"Well, there’s just no e can go with that, Miss Thoh Tony supported her story as best he could without having seen the assailant, his argueles Police Department made little or no impression on the uniformed officers They listened politely, nodded a lot, but were not swayed

Twentyearthquake, Tony and Hilary stood at the front door and watched the black-and-white police cruiser as it pulled out of the driveway

Frustrated, she said, "Nohat?"

"Now you’ll finish packing that suitcase, and we’ll go to my apartment I’ll call the office and have a chat with Harry Lubbock"

"Who’s he?"

"My boss Captain Lubbock He knows me pretty damned well, and we respect each other Harry knows I don’t go out on a lihly tested it first I’ll ask hiround on the man And Harry can put more pressure on Sheriff Laurenski than he’s done so far Don’t worry One way or another, I’ll get some action"

But forty-five minutes later, in Tony’s kitchen, when he placed the call, he could not get any satisfaction fro that Tony had to say, and he didn’t doubt that Hilary thought she had seen Bruno Frye, but he couldn’t find any justification for launching an investigation of Frye in conjunction with a crime that had been committed days after the man’s death He was not prepared to consider the one-in-ten- and that Frye miraculously had survived eration in the ue Harry was sympathetic, soft-spoken, and endlessly patient, but it was clear that he thought Hilary’s observations were unreliable, her perceptions distorted by terror and hysteria

Tony sat down beside her, on one of the three breakfast bar stools, and told her what Lubbock had said

"Hysteria!" Hilary said "God, I’m sick of that word! Everyone thinks I panicked Everyone’s so da mess Well, of all the women I know, I’m the one least likely to lose ree with you," Tony said "I’ you how Harry sees it"

"Da?"

Tony grimaced "He thinks that, because of what happened to Frank, I’ you’re hysterical"

"Just upset A little confused"

"Is that really what he said?"

"Yeah"

Re that Tony had used those same words to describe her when he’d first heard her story about a walking dead man, she said, "Maybe you deserved that"

"Maybe I did"

"What did Lubbock say when you told hih the heart, the reed it was a striking coincidence"

"Just that? Just a coincidence?"

"For the ti to look at it"

"Daht out, but I’m pretty sure he thinks that, last week some time, I told you as found in Frye’s van"

"But you didn’t"

"You know I didn’t, and I know I didn’t But I suppose that’s the way it’s going to look to everyone else"

"But I thought you said that you and Lubbock were close, that there was a lot of mutual respect"

"We are, and there is," Tony replied "But like I told you, he thinks I’et ht in a few days or a week, when the shock of eyour story I’m sure I won’t because I know you weren’t aware of the occult books and bric-a-brac in Frye’s van And I’ve got a hunch, too, a very strong hunch that Frye somehow has come back God kno But I need more than a hunch to sway Harry, and I can’t bla skeptical"

"In the meantime?"

"In the meantime, the homicide squad has no interest in the case It doesn’t come under our jurisdiction It’ll be handled like any other break-in and attempted assault by a person or persons unknown"

Hilary frowned "Whichwill be done"

"Unfortunately, I’ the police can do with a co is usually solved, if ever, a long way down the line, when they catch the guy in the act, breaking and entering another house or assaulting another woman, and he confesses to a lot of old, unsolved cases"

Hilary got up fro strange and frightening is happening here I can’t wait a week for you to convince Lubbock Frye said he’d be back He’s going to keep trying to kill me until one of us is dead--permanently and irrevocably dead He could pop up anytier if you stay here until we can puzzle this out," Tony said, "or at least until we co that’ll convince Harry Lubbock You’ll be safe here Frye--if it is Frye--won’t knohere to find you"

"How can you be sure of that?" she asked

"He’s not omniscient"

"Isn’t he?"

Tony scowled "Wait ato tell ht or so to tell you that, and I’ to rule it out either," she said "Listen, once you’ve accept the fact that Frye is soht even start believing in gnooblins and Santa Claus But what I meant was--maybe he simply followed us here"

Tony raised his eyebrows "Followed us from your house?"

"It’s a possibility"

"No It isn’t"

"Are you positive?"

"When I arrived at your place, he ran away"

She stopped pacing, stood in thearound the neighborhood, just watching, waiting to see e’d do and where we’d go"

"Highly unlikely Even if he did stay nearby after I got there, he sure as hell split when he saw the police cruiser pull up"

"You can’t assu with aso far beyond our understanding that the danger is incalculable Whichever the case, you can’t expect Frye to reason and behave like an ordinary man

Whatever he may be, he’s most definitely not ordinary"

Tony stared at her for a moment, then wearily wiped one hand across his face "You’re right"

"So are you positive eren’t followed here?"