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"You knohat this calls for?"

"Appletinis?"

"Apple pie"

I laughed softly "Even better"

13

A dyslexic man walks into a bra…

--T-SHIRT

Cookie dropped me off atback to the café to use Dixie’s computer The only electronics I had were an old television that weighed as ot too hot after about forty-five minutes, at which time I had to stop the ot the Internet

I walked into ray cat and a gorgeous, though departed, Rottweiler They were getting along famously Who knew cats could see the departed?

After hanging up Reyes’s jacket and turning up the heat, I offered Iroat’sJust the way I knew so ular, store-bought milk I kneork a DVD player Turn on a clothes dryer Cook s were second nature My life, however, was not It h some of those as Satana ate

Tah as ed on Irood scrubbing Then again, so did I But when I walked into the bathrooht So in the backseat of Mable’s Fiesta, I’d realized that ed the light bulb So that could be easily explained But this tis had been moved in the bathrooht, but it was on the counter The one bottle of perfuht corner, was now by the sink

Little things like that tended to set e I drew in a deep breath and tried to come up with a feasible explanation It couldn’t have been Ian I’d taken the key Then again, who kne many he’d had made? Or maybe he had a tool to pick locks Cops sometimes did Still, my landlord could have co slowly Did he work on it and have to et too worked up There could be any nus were out of place Heck, even Satana could have jumped up and… what? Spritzed on a little perfu my dental floss Adh worrying Enough playing the scared victim of a potential stalker I just had to be smart Pay attention to my environuard I’d have to look in the yellow pages for a discount bodyguard service

I took a shoith the bathroom door locked and a chair shoved under the knob It felt wonderful The shower Not the chair Artemis chased strea locked inside after she was the one who insisted on co in Who had to s on to the next

I wondered about calling the number Bobert had placed in oing back anyway Should I risk it? Did I have a right to? Clearly Mr V didn’t want er Frustration coursed throughon fresh clothes, I checked all the s to rabbed Reyes’s jacket, and headed out the door

"Be back soon," I said to Artemis and Satana "Do not bother Ir I’d brought home from the restaurant over to James, then walked back to Mable’s house I hadn’t planned on borrowing her car again, but it was so cold and I was so tired after spending hours in it the night before that I changed my mind

Unfortunately, she was already in bed I still had a key to the car, but I would never take it without her perirl who’d been following me ever since Cookie and I had left the Rockefellerdown her back and wore paja"

She cradled a doll to her chest and petted its bald head, her eyes wide as she studied ured she’d talk when she was ready Sadly, it didn’t take her long to get ready

"Jessica said you lost your ive me a wide berth

I looked over my shoulder "She said that, did she?"

"Yes But I’ve looked everywhere I can’t find the," I said with a chuckle My breath fogged around ht I made sure to walk on the side where the streetlamps were and kept a close eye on traffic The fancy black car I’d thought was following irl, I gave it a wide berth As I passed, however, I realized it was a Rolls

Why would an immaculate Rolls-Royce be parked in this area?

"It’s okay," the little girl said "Jessica told me I have to think of others, too So I do I think how duly their shoes are or how they don’t brush their teeth enough Can I brush your hair?"