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’I hope we’ll see each other again soon,’ he said, lying, ’I hope so, too,’ she said, aware that he did not mean iL He closed the door behind her and walked over to the phone by his becL ’Which mom was Miss Melanie Leroy booked into?’ he asked

Theistratio ni cards

Abel tapped iistered under that name, air,’ came the eventual reply ’We have a Mrs Melanie Seaton fro, sir, and checks out to?’

’Yes, that will be the lady,’ said Abel ’See that her bill is charged to me’

’Yes, sir’

Abel replaced the phone and took a long cold shower before preparing for bed He felt relaxed as he walked over to the fire to turn out the lamp that had illue coffee sLiin had now dried on his Persian carpet

’Silly bitch,’ he said out loud and switched off the light After that night, Abel found that severalthe next few months, some caused by waitresses, sorew further apart

What he hadn’t anticipated was that she would hire a private detective to check on him and then sue for a divorce Divorce was almost unknown in Abel’s circle of Polish friends, separation or desertion being far more common Abel even tried to talk Zaphia out of her desired course, only too aware it would do nothing to enhance his standing in the Polish community, and certain it would not advance any social or political ambitions he had started to hanker after But Zaphia was de - ters to their bitter conclusion Abel was surprised to find that the woman who bad been so unsophisticated in his triue’s words, a little dee

When Abel consulted his oyer, he found out for the second tiuests there had been during the last year He gave in and the only thing he fought for was the custody of Florentyna, now thirteen, and the first true love of his life Zaphia agreed after a long struggle, accepting a settlement of five hundred thousand dollars, the deed to the house in Chicago, and the right to see Florentyna on the last weekend in every month

Abel moved his headquarters and pero Baron - inexile, as he roa to Chicago when he had to see Curtis Penton

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