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She didn’t bother to reply to that I could see that unconsciously she’d adopted herit I’m not crazy about this as a mode of interaction

The waitress arrived and asked Ann what she wanted Before she disappeared, Dwight snagged the woman’s attention "Hi, Dorothy Has Shana Timberlake been in today?"

"Nope Not that I’ve seen She’s usually here for lunch, but she one in to San Luis Thursday’s her day to shop"

"Well, if you see her, tell her to give me a buzz if you would"

"Will do" Dorothy moved away from the table, and he turned back to us

"How are you, Dwight?" Ann said, with forced pleasantness It was clear she was cutting ames I finished my coffee, tossed a twenty on the table, and excused ht said, with a quick look at his watch "It’s not even nine-thirty"

"It’s been a long day and I’ only minimally more polite than she had been Her sherry arrived as I left the table and headed for the door I thought Dwight seeht have been kiddingout the latent romantic in me Also headaches, if anybody’s interested

19

The night was clear Thepatterns across the face of it like bruises on a peach The door to Pearl’s Pool Hall was standing open as I passed, but there were no pool players in evidence and just a handful of people at the bar The jukebox was playing a country-western tune of so melodic sort There was one couple on the dance floor, the woman stony-faced as she looked over thetwo-step,her in a circle while she pivoted in place I slowed, recognizing thehter-in-law On an impulse, I went in

I perched on a barstool and turned so I could watch them He seemed self-absorbed She was bored They reed couples I see in restaurants whose interest in one another has long ago expired He earing a tight, white T-shirt that bowed slightly at the waist where his love handles bulged out His jeans were low-slung, too short for the heel on his cowboy boots His hair was a curly blond, da to sent as buffalonose, a sulky ested he was very suy spent a lot of ti his hair while he decided which side of his aze following hter-in-law?" "Yep Rick and Cherie" "Happy-looking pair What’s he do?" "A welder at a coe tanks He’s an old friend of Tap’s She works for the telephone company, or at least she did She quit a couple weeks back and they been squabbling ever since Want a beer?" "Sure, why not?"

Pearl was on the far end of the roo shirts He nodded when he saw ht my beer in a frosty Mason jar

The dance number ended Cherie left the dance floor, with Rick close behind I put a couple of bucks on the bar and crossed to their table just as they sat down Close up, her features were delicate, her blue eyes set off by dark lashes and brows She ht have been pretty if she’d had the resources As it was, she was thin in a way that spoke of poor nutrition: bony shoulders, bad coloring, lifeless hair pulled back with a couple of plastic barrettes Her fingernails were bitten right down to the quick The wrinkles in her sweater suggested that she’d snatched it, in passing, from a pile on the bedroom floor Both Rick and Cherie smoked

I introduced myself "I’d like to talk to you, if you don’this ars were now extended insolently into my path The pose was probably meant to look macho, but I suspected his waistband had jaainst his spleen and he was affording himself some relief "I heard about you You’re that private detective oldto put one over on him

"Could I sit down?"

Rick motioned me to a chair, which he kicked out with his foot-his notion of etiquette I sat down Cherie didn’t see alone with him "So what’s the deal?" he said