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"But what could she have done to hi behind it, so his you wanted to ask about What’s the other one?"

"Did Bruno mention a double?"

"Double?"

"A look-alike So his size and his unusual voice, finding a double wouldn’t be easy"

"Apparently, he ht it was necessary"

"Can’t this look-alike tell you? Hetrouble locating him"

"I see," Hawthorne said "Well, Mr Frye never said a word about it to me But it just occurred to ht need a double"

"What’s that?" Joshua asked

"To confuse hisfor him"

"Of course," Joshua said sarcastically "How silly of me not to think of that"

"You misunderstand," Hawthorne said "I know you’re a skeptic I’ that she actually cah information to make up my mind about that But Mr Frye was absolutely convinced that she had co a double would provide him with some protection"

Joshua had to admit that Hawthorne’s ideais that the easiest way to figure this out is to try to put myself in Frye’s head, try to think like he did, like a paranoid schizophrenic"

"If he was a paranoid schizophrenic," Hawthorne said "As I told you, I scoff at nothing"

"And I scoff at everything," Joshua said "Wellthank you for your time and trouble, Mr

Hawthorne"

"No trouble I’ll be waiting for your call"

Don’t hold your breath, Joshua thought

After he put down the receiver, Joshua stood up, stepped to the big , and stared out at the valley The land was now settling into shadows under the gray clouds and the purple-blue edges of the oncoht much too rapidly, and, as a sudden cold wind rattled the panes, it also see way to winter with the saloomy, rainy January rather than early October

In Joshua’s mind, Latham Hawthorne’s words spun like dark filaments of a black web on so, Mr Rhinehart There are signs and portents Soon now Quite soon

For the past fifteen years or so, the world had see downhill with no brakes, totally out of control A lot of strange people were out there Like Hawthorne And worse Far worse Many of them were political leaders, for that was the line of work that jackals often chose, seeking power over others; they had their hands on the controls of the planet, lunatic engineers in every nation, grinning maniacally as they pushed thein the final days of the earth? Joshua wondered Is Ar near?

Bullshit, he told hi your own intimations of mortality to your perception of the world, old man You’ve lost Cora, and you’re all alone, and you’re suddenly aware of growing old and running out of tioo with you when you die But the only dooh is a very personal one, he told hione It’ll be here a long, long time, he assured himself

But he really wasn’t certain of that The air seemed to be full of ominous currents

Someone knocked on the door It was Karen Farr, his industrious young secretary

"I didn’t realize you were still here," Joshua said He glanced at his watch "Quitting ti lunch I have a few things to catch up on"

"Work is an essential part of life, my dear But don’t spend all your time at it Go home You’ll catch up tomorrow"

"I’ll be finished in ten minutes," she said "And just noo people came in They want to see you"

"I don’t have any appointeles His name’s Anthony Clemenza, and the woman with him is Hilary Thomas She’s the one as--"

"I knoho she is," Joshua said, startled "By all means, show them in"

He walked out from behind his desk and met the visitors in the middle of the room There were aard introductions, then Joshua saw to it that they were comfortably seated, offered drinks, poured Jack Daniel’s for both of them, and pulled up chair opposite the couch where they were seated side by side

Tony Clemenza had an air about him that appealed to Joshua He seemed pleasantly self-assured and competent

Hilary Thomas radiated a brisk self-confidence and quiet coly lovely

For a moment, no one seemed to knohat to say They looked at one another in silent anticipation and then tentatively sipped their whiskey

Joshua was the first to speak "I’ve never put a lot of faith in such things as clairvoyance, but, by God, I’ht now You haven’t come all this way just to tell ’s happened since then"

"A lot has happened," Tony said "But none of it makes a whole hell of a lot of sense"

"Sheriff Laurenski sent us to see you," Hilary said

"We hope you’ll have so for answers myself," Joshua said

Hilary tilted her head and looked curiously at Joshua "I thinka pre has happened here, too, hasn’t it?"

Joshua took a sip of his whiskey "If I were a superstitious man, I’d probably tell you that

so the living"