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Emma looked so withdrawn, so apparently locked into herself, that it scared Molly until she realized that E Now Emma looked up and said in all seriousness, "I’ve been counting the cards real hard, Ramsey, just the way you told me to I knew there were two more threes and two more aces in the deck I don’t remember how many twos there are"

He snarled, leaned over, and picked E her up over hihter "Molly," he called out over Eo throw her in the jellyfish tank? Then you and I can sit there on that bench and watch her make friends"

"I remember now There’s one more two in the deck It would be stupid to hold on sixteen"

"No, there aren’t any more twos" He let her down "Let’s look I’ll prove it" There were twelve cards left The very last card was the two of hearts

THE next afternoon they alking on the Monterey Wharf Ramsey loved the smell of a wharf, a combination of salt and wood and creosote, a sealant used on the wood Seagulls were thick and loud, begging handouts like the ressive panhandlers who flocked to Union Square in San Francisco There were lots of fish stalls, and getting close to the stalls, particularly late in the afternoon, was nearly overwhel tears to your eyes

The s as well today Flies swarht Sea lions hooted near the wooden pilings, fat and bold, usually a dozen or sofood froive to the a Carmel T-shirt, white jeans, her Nike sneakers, and her plaid socks Molly had told Raood dozen pair since they were her favorites She washed theht

Because it was suht overhead, but it wasn’t hot It was rarely hot by the ocean It was usually just perfect Normally, Ramsey preferred to carry E her But she was independent, and after a while, she’d given hiht I’ beside hi to speed him up or slow him down She had her eye on a particular sea lion who honked loudly at every person who appeared to look easy He was iotten that way He asked one of the fisher the sea lion had been in residence "Two years," theHis name’s Old Chester, the Gay Blade Hey, what do you expect with San Francisco just up the road? No one’s supposed to feed any of theht over there The beggars, they got no sha to the tourists or to the sea lions?

"All right," Ra to have to toss the sardines to hiet too close"

She gave hiht three sardines, thankfully dead, and was given a paper towel Raht behind her as she eased up until it was her turn to feed the behehter when he honked very loudly

At the same moment, Molly yelled his na around so quickly A boy was trying to wrestle Molly’s purse out of her hands He ran full tilt toward the tussle, yelling, "Let her go, you little punk!"

E there, her hand close to that sea lion, not realizing what had happened There were people all around her She was all right Then, just at the instant when he would have turned back to Molly, Rah a knot of kids and parents near the sea lions He would recognize the htmares and in real life Just a few rab her He was nearly on her, notquickly now since he knew the distraction he’d set into er He had his hand out when Rarabbed him by his collar, jerked him around, and sent his fist into his jaw

"Hey, buddy! Why’d you hit that guy? He wasn’t doing nothing!"

"Yeah, you can’t go around hitting people What is it with you?"

There were half a dozen people swarrabbed him yet He yelled, "Emma! Get over to your mother!"