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Loffhteen again, spry and li and happy They were never sex dreahs in welco or ju off cliffs into wild adventures The action was always ht, barefoot, the feel of da waves sparkling with reflections of the dazzling purple-red sunset; or just sitting on the grass in the shadow of a date palbird sip nectar froht blooain see

At theon the front porch of the Santa Ana house in which he had been born and raised He was just swinging gently and peeling an apple that he intended to eat, nothing more, but it was a wonderful dream, rich with scents and textures, ined himself in a harem of undressed beauties

"Wake up, Mr Loffnore the voice because he wanted to be alone on that porch He kept his eyes on the curled length of peel that he was paring fro to strip the apple in one continuous ribbon of peel

"Did you take a sleeping pill or what?"

To Loff, the apple and paring knife dissolved into darkness His bedrooled awake and realized an intruder was present A barely visible, spectral figure stood beside the bed

Although he’d never been the victihborhood as existed these days, age had saddled Loff a loaded pistol next to the la hard as he groped along the cool marble surface of the 18th-century French orone

"I’m sorry, sir," the intruder said "I didn’t mean to scare you Please calm down If it’s the pistol you’re after, I saw it as soon as I caer could not have seen the gun without turning on the light, and the light would have awakened Loff for the weapon

Froainst his throat He twitched away fro insistently, as if the specter torloom He froze when he realized what the coldness was The ainst his Adam’s apple It slid slowly upward, under his chin

"If I pulled the trigger, sir, your brains would be all over the headboard But I do not need to hurt you, sir Pain is quite unnecessary as long as you cooperate I only want you to answer one important question for hteen, as in his best dreams, he could not have valued the rehly than he did at seventy, in spite of having far less of it to lose now He was prepared to hold onto life with all the tenacity of a burrowing tick He would answer any question, perforardless of the cost to his pride and dignity He tried to convey all of that to the phantom who held the pistol under his chin, but it seeabble of words and sounds that, in su whatsoever

"Yes, sir," the intruder said, "I understand, and I appreciate your attitude Now correctrelatively suna You all know each other, see each other socially, you’re friends"

Antique business? Loffman was tempted to believe that he was still asleep and that his dreahtht to talk about the antique business at gunpoint?

"We know each other, soood friends, of course, but some bastards in this business are thieves," Loff, unable to stop, hopeful that his obvious fear would testify to his truthfulness, whether this was night isters, and you aren’t friends with that kind if you have any self-respect at all"

"Do you know Mr Harrison of Harrison’s Antiques?"

"Oh, yes, very well, I know him quite well, he’s a reputable dealer, totally trustworthy, a nice man"

"Have you been to his house?"

"His house? Yes, certainly, on three or four occasions, and he’s been here to mine"

"Then you must have the answer to that iive me Mr Harrison’s address and clear directions to it?"

Loff that he would be able to provide the intruder with the desired inforht be putting Harrison in great jeopardy But htmare, after all, and revelation of the information would not matter He repeated the address and directions several times, at the intruder’s request

"Thank you, sir You’ve beenyou any pain is quite unnecessary But I’ to hurt you anyway, because I enjoy it so o drove past the Harrison house in Laguna Miguel Then he circled the block and drove past it again

The house was a powerful attractant, similar in style to all of the other houses on the street but so different froht as well have been an isolated structure rising out of a featureless plain Its ere dark, and the landscape lighting had evidently been turned off by a tio if light had blazed from every