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"Do you always answer the phone so rudely young uely familiar voice asked

"Who the hell is this?" I asked

"Father Jones from Sacred Heart Parish Is this the Morrison residence?"

"Wrong nuain If I didn't have a brain injury, I would have figured out I could have left the phone of the hook

"Ja up," Genise pleaded "Please"

I asked my sexy menace, "What makes you think I want to help you?"

"I know, I know Despite ent down between us, I always respected you James"

"Bullshit," I cried

"I' now" I enjoyed her distress

"No don't! I'll do anything, I need your help," Genise said

"Anything?" I questioned

"Anything," Genise replied

On a September afternoon when Shannie was erave to open, I took a road trip With an ar hts of getting lost cast their shadows across the sunny day Despite tracing and retracing the way upon my map, I still doubted my ability to find the way I wasn't quite a year rehtthe streets of Beyford A greater fear was driving in traffic Just stay in the right lane and take your tio too fast; don't go too slow; ignore the assholes I coachedthe mantra over and over

Three hours and a couple of near misses later, I arrived in Atlantic City The salt air never sood as it did that afternoon As the hooptie made its way into Lower Chelsea a s onto Genise's street I reminded myself no matter what happened with the crazy Shoshone, this trip was already a success

I parked the car, took a deep breath, and climbed the steps to the beast's apart's tan bricks as I knocked on the side door When Genise didn't answer I rapped again - no answer I gazed through a partially open ; her apart rush hour traffic floodedsun I strode across the street, stood upon the sea wall, and watched the tide There wasn't a single boat as far as the eye could see The entire neighborhood seemed asleep, so unlike what I re at the end of Cemetery Street