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"I don’t know A couple of days before he died" "Didn’t that strike you as peculiar?" "Sure it did She swore he didn’t kill hireed He wasn’t the depressive type and he’d just ot it in her head that I killed the otta believe etfroed "Yeah, yesterday They’re turning everything over to the cops"

I could feel h to make a case?"

"I don’t know I hope not Look, I need to talk to you privately and I can’t do it here It’s important Is there any e can reed to talk then I wasn’t anxious to be seen in his company, but he sees could get worse I wasn’t guilty of conspiracy and I was tired of acting like I was Worry was sitting on ht, leaden and oppressive I had to do soht a pair of high heels, anxiety translating into excite isolated that week had made me aware that I do have a few social impulses-buried deep, perhaps, under layers of caution, but part ofkids, and I was looking forward to it I’d begun to feel very charitable about Olive, whose life-style only yesterday had seee? It was none of my business how she made her peace with the world She’d fashioned a life out of tennis and shopping, but she ed to do occasional charity work, which was : the harm in the world is done by those who feel disenfranchised and abused Contented people (as a rule) don’t kite checks, rob banks, or kill their fellow citizens

I thought about going to the gy that idea I hadn’t done a workout since Tuesday, but I just didn’t give a dah thebubble bath… well, I used dishwashing liquid, but it did foae I did some stuff to led into underwear and panty hose The dress was grand, and it fit like a charht before I’d never had a role model for this female stuff After my parents’ death when I was five, I’d been raised by a s feuns and books, learning self-sufficiency, which looh I was a coh school I’d thrown in my lot with sos I e In spite of the fact that I’m a social oaf, my aunt instilled a solid set of values, which prevailed in the end By the tihtened up ive or take a civil code or two At heart, I’ve always been a prissy littleout

By 4:30, I was standing on the Kohlers’ doorstep, lis-tening to the door chih the house It didn’t look as if anyone was there There was mail jammed in the box, the newspaper and a brown paper-wrapped parcel on the lass panels on either side of the front door The foyer was dark and no lights were showing at the rear of the house Olive probably wasn’t home from the supermarket yet The cat appeared fro white coat and flat face Soirl to s She appeared uniate was rolled back from the driveway and a white Mercedes 380 SL pulled in Olive waved and I ot out of the car andvery classy in her white fur coat

"Sorry I’?"

"Five , then struggled to lift a second

"Here, let ht behindup another one while I was at it There were two s visible in the front seat "God, how many people did you invite?"

"Just forty or so It should be fun Let’s get these in and we’ll have Terry bring the rest We’ve got a ton of work to do"