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He barely spared a glance for Sylvia before saying, "He’s still alive The other one she took But not for er"

The latest suicide-note victih for now He’s in the siven hi at theto try to heal Uncle Bob, I squirmed out of Reyes’s arms and reached down to him I had no idea if I could do it or not, but that didn’t matter

Ubie put a hand on mine He see Reyes as though uncertain whether he should arrest hiive him a medal Not that he could do ed as he tried to stand "This has to look very, very good"

I helped hiiving us a once-over "I’ll ask later where all the blood caet rid of any evidence that you were ever here" He nodded toward the back of the base She knew she was out of ti to kill me, then run off into the sunset with you, Farrow"

Reyes blanched inwardly at that

"So the way I see it," Uncle Bob continued, "as she held that lantern up there --" He raised his chin, indicating a lantern at the top of the stairs "-- she doused the place in gasoline and tripped on her way up the stairs, breaking her neck in the fall"

"Uncle Bob," I said, worried It was a good plan, but if it didn’t work, he could go to prison as well "You don’t have to do this"

"I do," he said sternly "She was also dowsingasoline on yourself"

"You’re right I can’t with my hands tied behind my back You’ll have to do it"

"Absolutely not," I said, alain "No way in hell"

"Pumpkin, you have to do this" He looked so vulnerable So pale and fragile I’d never seen hirown up with

"Pick it up and pour sohtail it out of here"

"No What if you aren’t fast enough? You’ve lost sothe reins over to hiet out before I bleed out"

He nodded Osh took as can and proceeded to douse , and tears rushed down o that I’d had a si of e The sa to those I loved was quite another

"That’s enough," I said, clawing at Reyes’s shoulder My hand slipped in the slick blood there, and my nausea juain and rushed up the stairs two at a ti liquid over the contents of the room – careful not to spill any on Sylvia, lest it look suspicious – and up the stairs He helped Uncle Bob up them as he ascended

Uncle Bob offered me one last sas caught fire immediately and spread like a beautiful dancer across the floor

"I’ht behind you," Ubie said "But I need to inhale a little s with hiave Reyes another warning scowl, and this time Reyes obeyed

He whisked me out to a frantic Cookie Without another word, he indicated for her to follow us and carried me to our cars Osh followed us out and climbed into Misery to drive her back for otten ahold of the captain, so the cops were already on the way by the tiht ahead as they passed us with lights flashing and sirens blaring The glow of a fire lit the sky in the rearview, thick gray clouds billowing into the air, and asoline The fumes alone could catch a ard spark and burst him into flames If he made it outside, he’d be okay The downpour would keep the heat at bay and it would also keep the fla a fire was never a good idea in New Mexico The rain had been a godsend

We rushed hoe out of our bloody clothes so we could meet the ambulance at the hospital I had to leave Reyes and Osh to see to their own duct tape Even though the Twelve had disappeared, we had no way of knowing if they would stay that way Reyes called Garrett to escort us to the hospital

A group of officers lined the front of the building One of their own had been injured They were there to pay their respects as the aht behind it, and Cookie was out of Misery, running after the ambulance before I could stop her I pulled around to park, staying close to the e to decide if it was too soon to call her an a a cop and sliding under the arirl could ed up to the e her back, Cookie had a death grip on the gurney as they unloaded Ubie from the ambulance