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Molly rolled her eyes "Cans? All different sizes, I’ll bet You pervert"

"Ma Did you make a joke?"

"Oh yes," Molly said quietly "Oh, yes"

AFTER a spicy dinner of Raarlic noodles with eggplant, Molly said, as she watched Emma set down her fork, "It’s time the three of us talked about this, Eh You’re ready to jump out of your skin" Emma’s head came up "Let me be real up-front with you Ramsey’s worried about you He’s worried because that awful ht by now, but he hasn’t Thisto have to be super-careful That ot to stay really close to either rab Ramsey’s hand or mine Do you understand? Does that ht out in the open like this He felt as if they were standing over an active volcano He barelyblack coffee he’d just brewed

Emma said, "Yes, I think it ht I could save hi to Hell She said that wasn’t true, but it was stuck in his brain like that, and so it was true to hi He supposed he was astounded that everything out of that sht," Molly said

"If he thought I could save hi to Hell, then why did he hurt me so much?"

Molly said, "Mr Savich told Ramsey that the doctors at the FBI think that just maybe he hurt you because he believed you should take his punish you, his savior, he was cleansing hiive himself into God’s hands"

"I don’t understand that, Mama"

"No one does, not really," Ramsey said "He’s very sick and therefore he’s very dangerous because he’s out of control That’s e’ve really got to be careful"

"I know he’s still out there," E"

"I know," Molly said "I wish I could get hiht this s are going to be tough for us I’ to have to be on the lookout all the tio to the frontand look at that light blue car parked across the street Those are police officers and they’re going to keep all their eyes open for that man"

"I see them, Mama"

Ramsey cleared his throat But the reasonable sorts of words that had just come out of Molly’sintelligent, so, but what came out of his mouth was, "Emma, do you think you could come here aso good"

E back to the table Ramsey barely had tis He drew her close Eht, Rah this I promise"

He buried his face in her French braid "I love you, Emma Hunt"

"I love you too, Ra his ar him all the comfort she could

THAT weekend they went to Monterey to be tourists They went first to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Emma loved the jellyfish The three of thee tank and watched the jellyfish for a good thirty h Carmel, played on the beautiful beach at the cove at the botto Sur and picnicked off the road on the Seventeen Mile Drive

They kept Sonny Dickerson at bay in their ood three days, at least for inia Trolley once they’d reached their hotel, gave her their number, and told her that everyone was settled in Molly called her father He was i by the day Miles , Eve said, but maybe they could call him next week and he’d want to speak to the up the phone

Raaa him, which both surprised him and made him so proud he couldn’t stand it He said over his shoulder to Molly with a grin, "It’s easier for Eve to deal with your father when no one else is around, particularly if it happens to be a stepdaughter who’s older than she is and a step-granddaughter who’s suy who’s really handsome and witty who isn’t at all interested in her Darn it all, Emma, I can’t believe you took a hit on sixteen You should have held"