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The fire lane began to cliate with a wire fence that stretched away on either side I took a flying leap, put a hand on the gatepost and archedmy foot as I tried to clear the top I sain, suppressing a ht intoupward The hill leveled out in a rugged pasture dotted with scrub oak and h of it to illuh which I ran I must have been a quarter of a mile from the road, in an area inaccessible to vehicles I was desperately in need of rest I looked overand searched out a depression in the grass

I sank doinded, blotting ed creature swooped down close toedible I hate nature I really do Nature is co and stinging things, and savageries too numerous to list And I’ cities since the year oughty-ought, just to get away from this stuff Noe’re on our way to the rows and you can pick up a rock without having soet there, the better, as far as I’ain and began to trot, wishing I had a plan I couldn’t go back to theto be there in ten minutes flat-but withoutto do? It occurred toout with Elva until the deputies arrived, taking itive, and I didn’t like it much

A flash of Shana’s face popped into eoned to death, from the look of her, shoved into the narrow space under the hot tub until someone could dispose of her-if that was the intent Maybe that’s what Elva had trudged up there in the dark to do I couldn’t decide if I should believe her claim about the phone call Had she killed Shana Tihter seventeen years before that? Why the lag time? And why Ori Fowler? Given Elva as the killer, I couldn’t come up with a scenario in which Ori’s death made any sense Could the phone call have been meant to trap me up there? As far as I knew, the only two people ere aware of where I’d be were Jack Clemson and Bert

I halted again The ground was beginning to slant doard, and I found h the dark at a sharp drop-off Below, a gray ribbon of road curled along the base of the hill I had no idea where it led, but if the cops were sht be cruising by anyto cut me off I scra, half-sliding on my backside, preceded by a tiny landslide of loose stones and dirt I could hear approaching sirens as I skidded the last few feet I was panting frohtailed it across the road, reaching the far side just as the first black-and-white rounded the bend ing the ground as I belly-crawled h the weeds Once I was safely in the cover of the trees, I paused to reorientbank I could see the reflection of the vapor lights that lined Ocean Street Floral Beach wasn’t far Unfortunately, what lay betweento the oil refinery I studied the eight-foot chain-link fence Strands of barbed ere strung along the top No crossing that Big oil storage tanks loomed up on the far side, painted in pastel shades, like a series of cakes

I was still close enough to the road that I could hear the squawking of the sheriff’s cars in position along the berhts raked the hillside

I hoped the suckers hadn’t brought dogs That was all I’d need I crawled to the base of the fence, clinging to it doggedly as I pushed on In the dark, it served not only as a guide, but as a needed support More warning signs This was a hard hat area… and ,to run The ser and I took comfort from that

Abruptly, the fence took a hard cut left What opened up in front of me was a dirt path streith trash, a lovers’ lane perhaps I didn’t dare use ht I was still in the hills above Floral Beach, but I was getting closer to the town In less than a quarter of aend of the lane that spilled into a cul-de-sac Oh glory, now I knehere I was This was the bluff above Jean Ti Once I reached the wooden stairway, I could cliht, I spotted the glass-and-frahts were on inside