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"So what’s the scoop?" I challenge my patient "You call yourself Drake Trustler now? Don’t try any funny business with me, Nick Here sit on this stool Did you really hurt your arm?"

"Sort of I wanted to talk to you before you saw me somewhere in the camp and called me Nick I’m not Nick anymore I broke with the Bazzano bunch It was never for me The only way I could ditch them was to disappear"

"So you just walked away?"

"Exactly Once I got the s, I started planning ular job; the mob is everywhere We spent a feeeks at the Greenbrier and then went on to Roanoke, where she has faht ere there, I left the keys in the Packard, loaded up a rucksack, and hit the road It broke me to leave Joey, but I couldn’t take him with me Mrs Bozzano would have hunted

"I didn’t knohere to go, but I caught the first ride that caht head to California, but everyone and his brother is trying to get there

"I couldn’t go north or south There are s have taken over Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, St Louis, and Chicago I decided the ood place to hide and started hitching this way" He paces the floor while I open er’s and look for the Bayer

"The third night out, I was caing It was co from a truck full of CCC recruits broken down in the ditch

"Fan belt was snapped They’d fixed it, but the duine Most of the fellows, a couple dozen, were pretty well liquored up, including the driver, so I got in and took over Before he passed out, he told , at dahen they all woke, cold and sick, the sergeant saw me behind the wheel and concluded I was one of the boys and a teetotaler I introduced myself as Drake Trustler fros County who drohen he was ten

"Everything went fine until we got to the camp and they couldn’t find Drake Trustler’s paperwork Mrs Ross gave the driver hell for losing it and fixed randma’s address in Ohio as my home You have to have some sort of residence and kin to send your twenty-five dollars to or you can’t be part of the CCC Too bad for the felloithout faood place, plenty to eat, and work to do that matters I’ve been here for three months now and I’m second in command of the , get out two aspirin, and pour some Sloan’s Liniment into a small vial

"I’ot free of them My friends told me later who the Bazzanos were The mother didn’t seem so bad"

"She’s not ruthless like the rest of them, but she thinks she’s entitled to whatever she wants Johnny Bazzano spoiled her"

"Will Anthony and Frankie still try to find you?"

There are footsteps on the porch and I can smell the food before the door opens

"You won’t tell, will you?" Drake Trustler whispers

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