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Hatch beca between each of the hard sounds
Thud! Sccccuuuurrrr … Thud! Sccccuuuurrrr …
As the sounds grew nearer, their effect rapidly increased, until Hatch’s es frooon hitching crablike toward its prey; the-thing-froibbousitself on God-knohat sort of arachnoid-reptilian-horned feet
THUD!
The s seeination?
Sccccuuuurrrr …
A shiver went up his spine
THUD!
He looked around at the alarer priest, the two pale nuns, then quickly back at the half-open door, wondering just exactly what sort of disability this child had been born with, half expecting a startlingly tall and twisted figure to appear with a surprising resehton in The Hunchback of Notre Das, whereupon Sister Imina caood sisters at Saint Thomas’s not from ordinary parents but fro soenetic research…
A shadow tilted across the threshold
Hatch realized that Lindsey’s grip on his hand had becoht painful And his palm was damp with sweat
The weird sounds stopped A hush of expectation had fallen over the room
Slowly the door to the hall was pushed all the way open
Regina took a single step inside She dragged her right leg as if it were a dead weight: sccccuuuurrrr Then she slammed it down: THUD!
She stopped to look around at everyone Challengingly
Hatch found it difficult to believe that she had been the source of all that oirl, a bit shorter and e Her freckles, pert nose, and beautiful deep-auburn hair thoroughly disqualified her for the role of the-thing-froh there was soray eyes that Hatch did not expect to see in the eyes of a child An adult awareness A heightened perceptivity But for those eyes and an aura of iron deterly delicate and vulnerable
Hatch was reminded of an exquisite 18th-century Mandarin-pattern Chinese-export porcelain bowl currently for sale in his Laguna Beach shop It rang as sweetly as any bell when pinged with one finger, raising the expectation that it would shatter into thousands of pieces if struck hard or dropped But when you studied the bowl as it stood on an acrylic display base, the hand-painted tearden scenes portrayed on its sides and the floral designs on its inner rih quality and possessed such power that you becaht of the history behind it And you were soon convinced, in spite of its appearance, that it would bounce when dropped, cracking whatever surface it struck but sustaining not even a small chip itself
Aware that the ina hitched toward the sofa where Hatch and Lindsey waited,less noise as she limped off the hardwood floor onto the antique Persian carpet She earing a white blouse, a Kelly-green skirt that fell two inches above her knees, green kneesocks, black shoes--and on her right leg a metal brace that extended from the ankle to above the knee and looked like a medieval torture device Her limp was so pronounced that she rocked froer of toppling over
Sister Iina in disapproval "Exactly what is the reason for these theatrics, young lady?"
Ignoring the true irl said, "I’m sorry I’m so late, Sister But some days it’s harder for irl turned to Hatch and Lindsey, who had stopped holding hands and had risen froina I’ Hatch reached out, too, before he realized that her right arm and hand were not well formed The arm was alot to the wrist, where the bones took an odd twist Instead of a full hand, she possessed just two fingers and the stub of a thu hands with the girl felt strange--distinctly strange--but not unpleasant
Her gray eyes were fixed intently on his eyes Trying to read his reaction He knew at once that it would be is from her, and he was relieved that he had not been in the least repelled by her deforina," he said "I’irl turned to Lindsey and shook hands with her, as well, saying, "Well, I know I’m a disappoint enough to cuddle--"
The Nun with No Naina, really!"
Sister Iuin that had frozen solid,in protest, hit by an arctic chill too cold even for Antarctic birds to survive
Approaching from the s, Father Jiize for--"
"No need to apologize for anything," Lindsey said quickly, evidently sensing, as Hatch did, that the girl was testing the the test, they ainst-the-kid division of syled into the second ar herself appear a lot ently touched Sister Immaculata on the shoulder, and the older nun eased back into her chair, still with the frozen-penguin look The two priests brought the client chairs froer nun pulled up a side chair froroup Hatch realized he was the only one still standing He sat on the sofa beside Lindsey again
Now that everyone had arrived, Salvatore Gujilio insisted on serving refresher ale, or Perrier--which he did without calling for the assistance of his secretary, fetching everything froany-paneled corner of the genteel office As the attorney bustled about, quiet and quick in spite of his i over a vase, never co one of the two Tiffany lamps with hand-blown tru er the inevitable center of attention: he could not coirl, as probably less than one-fourth his size
"Well," Regina said to Hatch and Lindsey, as she accepted a glass of Pepsi froood one, "you cauess I should tell you about , of course, is that I’m a cripple" She tilted her head and looked at them quizzically "Did you knoas a cripple?"