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No, she’d be just fine She clie She dropped the duffel bag and watched it bounce off the squat, thick bushes below She drew a deep breath and jumped

She landed on Ja her tight against him

When they came to a stop, Sally reared up on her hands and stared down at hiht to see his face clearly

"What are you doing here?"

"I knew you’d run after that telephone call"

She rolled off hiain She’d sprained her dah for a girl who didn’t go to finishing school in Switzerland Don’t you know some down and dirty street curses?"

"Go to hell I sprained my damned ankle and it’s all your fault Why couldn’t you just mind your own damned business?"

"I didn’t want you out on the road hitchhiking with soht of that I’d rather take that risk than stay here He knows I’m here, James, you know that I can’t just stay here and wait for him to come and take me That’s what he said He said soon he’d be here fora newspaper when Martha ca you, a woman you said wasn’t a woman but your father She said you were really distressed She didn’t understand why you’d be so upset to hear from your father I knew you’d probably try to run, that’s why I’round"

She sat there on the ground next to hi her head "I’m not crazy"

"I know that," he said patiently "There’s an explanation That’s why you’re not going to run away Now that’s crazy"

She ca his jacket lapels "Listen to me, James It was my father No fake, no imitation It washis voice as a woman’s if I hadn’t been the one to answer the phone Then she turned around and told me how much strain I’d been under In other words, I’ nothing Then he spoke "As I said, there’s always an explanation It probably was a man We’ll find out If it wasn’t, if it truly was a woman who asked for you, then we’ll deal with that too TrustMaybe it wasn’t sprained after all

"Tell "

"Yes?"

"Do you think soht you?"

What did he know? She searched his face for the lie, for knowledge, but saw none of it

"Is it possible? Could so to make you crazy? Make you doubt your sanity?"

She looked down at her clasped hands, at her fingernails She realized that she hadn’t chewed her nails since she’d been in The Cove No, since she’d ed She said finally, not looking at him, because it ful, what she hat she had been, perhaps what she still was today, right now "Why?"

"I’d have to say that soht possibly know This soa toward the ocean, fancying he could hear the crashing waves, but he couldn’t, Ae was just a bit too far for that "The question is why this soo this route You’re about the sanest person I know, Sally Who could possibly think he could make you believe you were nuts?"

She loved him for that Loved hiave hirin It came from the deepest part of her, a place that had been eotten that it was possible to feel this good, this confident in herself, and in so the incredible relief of telling so him "At least that’s what they wanted everyone to believe They kept ether enough to hide the ue and not s it The nurse always forced ers all inside to ed to keep the pill hidden, but I did I did it for two days, until I was together enough Then I escaped And then I got the ring off er and threw it in a ditch"