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"Good point, ao Let me see what I can do," he said He tucked his pen away

Withinfemale clerk over with a wheelchair, a clipboard full of forms to be completed, and a patient identification strip in a cloudy plastic band, which she affixed to my wrist with a device that looked like a hole punch

Carl LaRue and his wife had been sitting patiently in the corridor all this time They were finally ushered in to seemade for a bed The deputy had apparently cautioned the old couple about the situation

"Your whereabouts is safe with us," Carl said "We won’t say a word"

His wife patted et some rest"

"I appreciate everything you’ve done," I said "Really I can’t thank you enough I’d probably be dead if you hadn’t co"

Carl shifted uncomfortably "Well, now I don’t know about that I’ot kids of our own and we’d want so them under similar circuet a move on They’ll want to put you to bed"

As soon as they departed, I hisked up to the second floor by freight elevator to a private rooious-disease here no visitors were allowed It was only three in the afternoon and the day looked like it’d be a long one I didn’t get zip for painkillers because of the head injury, and I wasn’t allowed to sleep lest I slip into sons were checked every hour The one, but a kindly nurse’s aide found me a cup of muscular cherry Jell-O and a packet of saltines I pictured the ward clerk filling out a charge slip for twenty-six dollars I could probably hold ht hundred bucks, but only if I didn’t need a Band-Aid or a safety pin I had insurance, of course, but it offended ed the equivalent of the down payhted on the telephone There was a telephone book in the bottohtstand I looked up the area code for Carson City, Nevada (702 all locations, in case you really want to know), dialed Inforations, which I dialed in turn The phone rang five times I half-expected a service to pick up or a machine to kick in, but so brusque and out of sorts "Yes?"

"May I speak to Robert Dietz?"

"I’m Dietz What can I do for you?"

"I’m not sure if you remember me," I said "My name is Kinsey Millhone I’et in touch I called you about a year ago from Santa Teresa You helped ht I reht call"

"Yeah, well it looks like I’ to need some help I’m in Brawley, California, at the uy ran me off the road-"