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"It’s a homicide case," he said "They take every tip seriously in a ation, even if it’s anony to let theain"

From the restaurant they went across town to Harrison’s Antiques, where Lindsey had an art studio on part of the top floor in addition to the one at hoe of environment contributed to fresher work

In the car, with the sun-spangled ocean visible between soht, Lindsey pressed the point that she had nagged him about over breakfast, because she knew that Hatch’s only serious character flaas a tendency to be too easy-going Ji in his life that he had never been able to rationalize, minimalize, and put out of mind And even with that, he had tried to suppress it rather than face up to his grief, which is why his grief had a chance to grow Given tiin to downplay the importance of what had just happened to hiot to see Nyebern"

"I suppose so"

"Definitely"

"If there’s brain dae, if that’s where this psychic stuff coe"

"But et worse"

"I really don’t think so," he said "I feel fine otherwise"

"You’re no doctor"

"All right," he said He braked for the traffic light at the crossing to the public beach in the heart of town "I’ll call him But we have to see Gujilio later this afternoon"

"You can still squeeze in Nyebern if he has time for you"

Hatch’s father had been a tyrant, quick-te his wife and disciplining his son by the application of regular doses of verbal abuse in the for sarcas at all could set Hatch’s father off, or nothing at all, because secretly he cherished irritation and actively sought new sources of it He was a man who believed he was not destined to be happy--and he insured that his destiny was fulfilled byhimself and everyone around him miserable

Perhaps afraid that the potential for a murderously bad teh tumult in his life, Hatch had consciously striven to , as sweetly tolerant as his father was narrow-, as determined to roll with all of life’s punches as his father was deterinary blows As a result, he was the nicest ht-years or by whatever obs Sometimes, however, Hatch turned away from an unpleasantness that had to be dealt with, rather than risk getting in touch with any negative emotion that was reer

The light changed fro woear and heading for the ocean Hatch didn’t just wait for them He watched them with a smile of appreciation for the way they filled out their suits

"I take it back," Lindsey said

"What?"

"I was just thinking what a nice guy you are, too nice, but obviously you’re a piece of lecherous scuh"

"I’ll call Nyebern as soon as we get to the shop," Lindsey said

He drove up the hill through the una Hotel "Okay But I’ to tell hiood man, but he won’t be able to sit on that kind of news The next thing I know, my face’ll be all over the cover of the National Enquirer Besides, I’m not psychic, not exactly I don’t knohat the hell I am--aside from lecherous scuh about the dreae, so he’ll order whatever tests I ought to have Good enough?"

"I guess it’ll have to be"

In the tomb-deep blackness of his hideaway, curled naed upon the stained and luht, sand, the sea, and three bikinied girls beyond the windshield of a red car

He was drea and knew he dreamed, which was a peculiar sensation He rolled with it

He saw, as well, the dark-haired and dark-eyed woman about whom he had dreamed yesterday, when she had been behind the wheel of that same car She had appeared in other drea and weeping at the sa than the scantily clad beach bunnies because she was unusually vital Radiant Through the unknown o so death, had hesitated on the edge of either active or passive self-destruction, and had rejected an early grave--

… water, he sensed a watery vault, cold and suffocating, narrowly escaped …

--whereafter she had been etic, and vivid than ever before She had cheated death Denied the devil Vassago hated her for that, because it was in the service of death that he had foundto his own existence