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Then Rachel told Mrs Pace that her kid wasn’t getting a roo up

And that was it That was the only thing in Roberta’s file The only sign at all that she’d had any sort of trouble adjusting to college life

Except, of course, that now Roberta is dead

I hear the ding of an elevator, and then Rachel’s heels clacking on the marble floor outside our office A second later, she appears in the doorway, a steaht down fro’s Times in the other She looks startled to see h I live four minutes away frooodness," Rachel says, looking pleased to see me "Aren’t you here early! Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yeah," I say, closing Roberta’s file, and kind of sliding it under soht to be reading it It’s just that I feel kind of reluctant to tell Rachel what I suspect--about the girls being pushed, and all Iabout the key, or the condouy…

But I can’t help wondering--what if Cooper is right? What if Elizabeth and Roberta really did fall, but Istink about how I think they’d been murdered? Would Rachel mark down in my employment file that I suffer fro like that keepmy six months’ probation? Could they fire h I’d fully kept my hands off the ceramic heaters?

I’m not about to risk it I decide to keep my suspicions to myself

"Mostly," I say, in reply to Rachel’s question aboutabout the Marks and Todds, I’d done nothing but walk Lucy, watch TV, and fiddle around with"You?"

"Terrible," Rachel says, shaking her head Although for soreat She has on a new suit, really well-cut The black brings out the ivory in her skin, and makes her hair seem an even deeper chestnut "Roberta’s parents cas It was just a nightrounds, I can’t iine Those poor people I felt so sorry for them"

"Yeah," I say "That had to suck"

The phone on Rachel’s desk starts ringing "Oh, hello, Stan," she says, when she answers it "Oh, thank you so much, but I’m fine, really Yes, it’s been just awful--"

Wow Stan So Rachel’s on a first-nauess if a couple of kids in your doret to know the head of your depart foret payroll, the budget, any e schedules done by eleven in thethe Net, gossiping with Magda or Patty, or trying to figure out who irls into spend this particular Monday

I just haven’t quite figured out how

I’ up the payroll when this pair of Nike-encased feet appear into see a basketball player--hopefully with a seible note I can add to my collection

Instead, I see Cooper

"Hey," he says

Is it my fault my heart flips over in my chest? I mean, I haven’t seen him in a while Like almost seventy-two hours Plus, you know, I’m totally man-starved That has to be why I can’t take , white in all the places where the denim’s been stressed, like at his knees and other,places

He also has on a blue shirt beneath his rumpled leather jacket--the exact same blue as his crinkly eyes

"Wh--" is the only sound I can get to co-a-total-loser-who-is-completely-in-love-with-him part

I watch as he takes a newspaper out from beneath his arain At least, that’s how it sounds to my ears

"I wanted to make sure you knew about this," Cooper says "You know, before Us Weekly starts calling, and catches you by surprise"

I look down at the paper It’s the New York Post On the front page is a large, blown-up photo ofat soes are the words, in eighteen-point type at least:

THEY’RE ENGAGED!

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