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John listened intently, leaning his elbows on the edge of his cluttered desk Irritating diesel fu tour bus had so vents It had happened before and the odor always ized for the sain She seeuess I should ask you a few things"

She nodded

"What kind of help do you need?"

"I just need someone to find information for me And it's inforet oninforal?" John leaned back in his chair The old springs squeaked and it pitched a little to the right

She pursed her lips "I think so See, I' to find someone"

"A ation?"

"Well," she said as if to stall their conversation, "this person's dead"

"Sure ets complicated," she adht popped into John's head that this wouy over on a dark road and forgot where it happened Now feeling guilty about it, she needed help "Most of et complicated at soht trailed out of hisher palazed for a few minutes out of the frontat the busy intersection of Baltic Avenue and Shore Drive John found hi at her "Let me open this back door," he said "The smell of those busses makes me sick You smell it?"

"Not really"

John opened the back door to the sights and sounds of the waves splashing up onto the sand and children laughing He didn't stand in the doorway and daydrea He needed to keep her interested in using hied the red brick doorstop around with his foot to hold the door open and he could feel her watching him

"Tell me more about the dead," he said on his way back to his chair He picked up a pen froal pad out of the top drawer