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Actually, life was dandy

26

THE DAY WAS warh overhead The Cove had never looked ht, as he helped Sally out of their rental car

"It’s a picture postcard," she said, looking around "There are the four oldcards around the barrel Look, there are at least six cars parked in front of the World’s Greatest Ice Crea out of the Safeith two sacks of groceries There’s Reverend Vorhees walking with his head down like he’s got to tell so bad happen here? It looks perfect All cal, no kids ruining buildings with graffiti"

"Yeah," Quinlan said He was frowning

"What’s wrong?"

He just shook his head His intuition She poked hirabbed her hand and said only, "It’s too perfect Why is that, I wonder? How did it get to be so perfect? Look at all that paint, Sally It’s fresh Nothing’s run-down Nothing’s old Everything is in tip-top shape

"But enough of this postcard place We’re ents from the Portland office over at Thelma’s at two o’clock It’s just about t"

"I’ll ht?"

He looked worried, and she punched hi to lock me in a root cellar? Don’t be silly, Ja as soon as I can Make sure Amabel knows that"

David Mountebank looked tired He looked harassed When he introduced Quinlan to the ents, he didn’t sound like a happy ca bossed around, which occasionally did happen when the feds came in and treated the local law as yokels It had happened a lot in the past, but not as much now He sure hoped that wasn’t the case here In the sixteen-week training prograatives