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She let herself be held, breathed in her rance, a scent she’d worn from Sally’s earliest ht?"

Herback "It’s been difficult, ith the police and not knohere you were and worrying incessantly You should have called me, Sally I worried so ined that the police had your phone bugged They could have tracedwith the phones Surely they wouldn’t dare plant devices like that in your father’s ho Now, listen I need you to tell ht that he wasabout it Just violent io with the voices"

"It’s all right, love I didn’t murder your father I know that’s why you ran away You ran away to protect me, just as you tried to protect me for all those years

"Do you believeabout it? I wasn’t here myself I ith Scott, your husband He’s so worried about you All he can talk about is you and how he prays you’ll come home Please tell me you believe me I wouldn’t kill your father"

"Yes, Noelle, I believe you--although if you had shot him I would have applauded you But no, I never really believed that you did But I can’t remember, I just can’t remember, and the police and the FBI, they all believe I know everything that happened that night Won’t you tell ain, Sally?’

She stared at her htened Of her? Of her own daughter? Did she think she would murder her because she was insane? Sally shook her head Noelle htened, but she also looked exquisite in vivid eold clip She wore three thin gold chains She looked young and beautiful and vital Perhaps there was some justice after all

"Listen toher mother to believe her "I wasn’t ever sick Father put me in that place It was all a plot He wanted e for the way I’d thwarted hiuessed so Doubted him when he told you You never came to see ht, I was suspicious, but then Scott broke down--he was in tears--and he told s you’d done, how you simply weren’t yourself anymore and there hadn’t been any choice but to put you in the sanitarium I met Doctor Beadermeyer He assured me you would be well cared for

"Oh, Sally, Doctor Beadermeyer told me it would be better if I didn’t see you just yet, that you were blas, that you hatedme would just ain"

But Sally wasn’t listening to her She felt so prickle on her skin, and she knew, she kneas close She also knew that her ht her father was ht? There just wasn’t time now

Yes, Ja, yet she knew

"Do you have any money, Noelle?"

"Just a few dollars, Sally, but why? Why? Let me call Doctor Beaderot to protect you, Sally"

"Good-bye, Noelle If you loveas long as you can His name is James Quinlan Please, don’t tell hient?"

"It’s not i, Noelle"

"Mrs St John,the car parked on Cooperton Sally was here Is she still here? Are you hiding her?"

Noelle St John stared at his ID, then at Dillon’s Finally, after an eternity, she looked up and said, "I haven’t seen ent Quinlan What car are you talking about?"

"A car we know she was driving, Mrs St John," Dillon said

"Why are you calling hter by her first name? Indeed, Sally is her nicknaet her nickname?"