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I drew Mrs Renquist aside and lowered ," I said "I’h to Mrs Gersh anyway and ask her what she wants done There’s no point in upsetting her mother any more than we have to"

"Well, it’s whatever you want," Mrs Renquist said "She’s just being ornery Do you want to use the office phone?"

"I’ll call froet in touch with you," she said, with a faint note of uneasiness I could see a hint of panic in her eyes at the notion that I nes’s removal

"I’ll leave the motel number with Mrs Haynes"

I drove back to the Vagabond, where I put in a call first to Sergeant Pokrass at the sheriff’s departnes Grey had indeed turned up

Then I placed the call to Irene Gersh and filled her in on her reeted with dead silence I waited, listening to her breathe in my ear

"I suppose I better talk to Clyde," she said finally She did not sound happy at having to do this and I could only iine what Clyde’s reaction would be

"What do you want me to do in the meantiive Clyde a call at the office and get back to you as soon as possible, but it probably won’t be till around suppertime I’d appreciate it if you’d drive back out to the Slabs and put a padlock on Mother’s door"

"What good is that going to do?" I said "The one, the little turds will break in The louvers in oneare already gone Frustrate these kids and they’ll tear the place apart"

"It sounds like they’ve already done that"

"Well, true, but there’s no pointlife any more difficult"

"I don’t care I hate the idea of trespassers and I won’t abandon the place She s on the preo back when she’s feeling like herself again Did you talk to the sheriff? Surely there’s some way to patrol the area"

"I don’t see how You know the situation better than I do You’d have to have an aruard to keep squatters out and what’s the point? That trailer’s already been trashed"

"I want it locked," she said with an un no atteave her the telephone nuet in touch with ed back into jeans and tennis shoes, hopped in the car, and headed over to a hardware store where I bought an oversize padlock of cartoon proportions that weighed about three pounds The clerk assuredcap to pop it off the hasp What hasp, I thought? While I was at it, I bought the wholestaple-along with the tools to install the da to keep those kids out I’d seen at least two holes punched into the trailer shell All they’d have to do was enlarge one and they could crawl in and out like rats On the other hand, I was getting paid to do this, so what did I care? I picked up some nails and a couple of pieces of scrap lu the eighteen-mile return trip to the Slabs Offhand, I couldn’t recall the na for so I kept ht I passed a grove of date palms on reen of fields under cultivation Somehow the countryside looked different, but it wasn’t until I spotted the sign reading salton sea recreation area that I realized how far I’d overshot the mark The road to the Slabs had to be ten ravel side road ahead on the left and

I figured it was as good a place as any to , kicking up a trail of dust in spite of the tact it was onlydown on e in speed He veered right, cutting aroundout of his path I heard the faint pop of a rock being crushed under my wheel, but it wasn’t until I’d done the U-turn and was back on 111, that I felt the sudden roughness in the ride The flap-flap-flapping sound warned reat," I said Clearly, I’d run over so more treacherous than a rock I pulled over to the side of the road and got out I circledon the pave a flabby rubber puddle underneath It ed a tire, but the principles probably hadn’t changed Take the jack out of the trunk, crank the sucker till the weight is lifted off the wheel, re nuts, pull the bad wheel off and set it aside while you heft the good one into place Then replace all the lug nuts and tighten theain