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"We always found hiave us cause for worry hen he brought that Melissa Ivy girl here with her notebook, and her fingers flying on her phone" She fanned her thin veined hands in front of her "What else is there to say about hiave Palmer the lovely cashhtly stroked her husband’s ar the soft material She blinked and licked her lips, so white they disappeared into her parchment face

Sherlock said, "If we could discuss some of To about that with Toe, and Tommy’s two sisters as well"

Cronin’s old mouth seamed and twisted "Marian--she will h she showed no such courtesy to my own son, Palmer Junior, when he died But that is a family matter" He fell silent for a moment "Avilla and I couldn’t take the children, siuardianship

"You asked about other friends One of the boys Toini--I remember I didn’t care for him He was a handsome boy, but too polite, a bootlicker, that’s what you called him, Avilla Nor did I like the way he tried to dominate Tommy, treated him as if Tommy were his acolyte or his boy Friday Why Tommy put up with that, I can’t say

"There was Stony Hart--his real name is Walter His father, Wakefield Hart, was at one ti officers at Fannie Mae during the accounting irregularities that led to the whole senior staff resigning son that position, he reinvented himself as a financial consultant and a public speaker Perhaps you’ve heard of hi his erstwhile colleagues, calling for decentralization and regulations, and warning of financial Arh, has always seeh he, too, seeini’s thumb Actually, all of the ical people who used to write software progra now" Mr Cronin stopped talking, as if it were simply too much effort to continue

Avilla said abruptly, "When e be able to bury Tommy?"

Savich said, "We will notify you as soon as we know"

Henderson County Hospital

Sunday

When Griffin left the elevator on the hospital’s third floor, he stopped to speak with Maestro Deputy Tuck Warner, stationed outside Delsey’s roo to see Delsey, Tuck told hiain since Delsey had called out when she’d heard his voice Anna was still with Delsey He said Anna’s naood deal of affection Griffin didn’t know if Deputy Warner was married, but if he was, Griffin hoped he curbed his enthusiasm at home

Warner said, "We all know Anna She’s not snooty like some of the students at Stanislaus She’s always nice, always ready with so smile when you sit down at the diner She even invited some of us to one of the concerts at Stanislaus last fall, to hear her play a violin solo"

Anna was sitting beside Delsey’s bed, her head down, her long hair falling along her face, looking over soear was on the floor beside her chair She earing jeans and a blue turtleneck, boots on her feet He heard Delsey in the bathroo the hospital once she was cleaned up Griffin knew she’d walk over hiain, Ms Castle"

Her head jerked up, and she shuffled the papers she was reading and slipped the her the photo of the deadin her eyes, soone "I understand you never knew his name, Ms Castle?"

She looked up at him, her eyes clear, and when she spoke, her words came out so slowly as to be nearly frozen "No, he never mentioned his naent Noble, what I remember about him is that he usually sat alone in the back, and he was always a good tipper"

"Do you remember any of your conversations with his as I took his order He was friendly"