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"That’s great I’ll call and set so up"

20

The four-mile beach ith Deborah had warmed me, but once I cooled off and my body temperature dropped, I could feel the chill in my bones I returned toshoes My feet were still wet and so grubby with sand that the cotton sawed against my flesh like a wood rasp While I was out and about I store and stocked up on blank index cards

At 5:00, I unlocked the studio door and let myself in My first order of business was to strip off my damp clothes and hop in a hot shower, after which I put onroom For supper I made myself a peanut butter and pickle sandwich Recently I’d beendown on the french fries and Quarter Pounders with Cheese that had been oing to qualify as the pinnacle on the food pyramid, but it was the best I could do

I set my plate and napkin on the table at one end of the sofa, then opened a bottle of Chardonnay and pouredroom, a round-trip of twenty feet I found a ballpoint pen and curled up on the sofa with a quilt tucked around s I opened the first packet of index cards and started taking notes

I had a lot of ground to cover, consigning everything I’d learned to note cards, one item per card, which reduced the facts to their si related elee in the back of our brains Since we lack the capacity to capture every detail, we cull e can, blocking the bits we don’t like and ad on While efficient, the practice leaves us vulnerable to blind spots Under stress, memory becomes even less reliable Over time we sort and discard what see data In the end, it’s a wonder we ree to preserve is subject to enerated by the one before it, when the order is actually coincidental Two occurrences may be linked even idely separated by ti facts to cards allowedfor the overall shape of a case I was convinced a pattern would ee, but I reminded myself that just because I wished a story were true didn’t mean that it was Aswon’t et the point until I was in third grade and realized that "sew" and "so" sounded the same but served different functions More pertinent inof hers: "Wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which fills up first" So a hole are gathering wor trip

I devoted most of Thursday to other business Despite h, I had other work-related responsibilities I’d been asked to comb public records for hidden assets in a nasty divorce In that case, a husband was suspected of playing fast and loose with certain real property he clai doitness to a hit-and-run accident and that required a lot of knocking on doors, so I was out of the office for most of the day I stopped by at 4:00 and spent the next forty-five h-draft reports I’d been so caught up in work I hadn’t noticed themachine

I punched Play

Tasha said, "Hi, Kinsey I’m down in Santa Teresa toif you’d be available later this afternoon I have sohly noon now, so I’ at the Beachco" She recited the nu notes, but I’d lost e again, this ti down the nuht, because nothing is more irresistible than veiled references to a topic of interest I couldn’t iive her the benefit of the doubt

I dialed the nuh to her room She was out, but a very pleasant auto was not available at this tie at the tone and that’s exactly what I did, saying, "Hi, Tasha Kinsey here I just got yourto catch you I’m on my way home, but if you like, we could meet for a drink Why don’t you join me at Rosie’s on Albanil, where we ive you directions if you’ve forgotten where it is The place still looks like a dive, so don’t be put off Five-thirty works for me if it works for you Hope to see you soon"