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Terry said, "Oops, you caught ot hoht you a present" He esture toward the kitchenette

Trancelike, I turned to see what he was pointing to On the counter was a shoe box wrapped in Christreen background with a cartoon Santa swinging from each O A preformed red satin boas stuck to the lid Surprise, surprise Terry Kohler wanted h my mouth was dry

"Aren’t you going to open it?"

I shook my head "I think I’ll just leave it where it is I’d hate to give it a bued to loosen my jaw, but I couldn’t forun? My e of ertips Bombs are loud The end is quick I cleared my throat "Sorry to interrupt you," I said "Don’t stick around on my account"

"I can stay for a minute We could have a little chat"

"Why kill ht you , as opposed to a you-knohat"

"I’e just like it in the car for hiht I’d un shop Had I stuck it in the briefcase in the back seat of rass "Do yousure there weren’t any rifles, bullwhips, or butcher knives within range "Go ahead"

Imy eyes off hi his legs He was a nice-lookingin his ht How far gone? How a? Would I trade my life for bizarre sexual favors if he asked? Oh sure, why not?

I was having trouble appraising the situation I was home where I should have been safe It wasn’t even dark out I really needed to pee, but it sounded like a ploy And honest to god, I was embarrassed to ue, one of those conversations designed to ingratiate "What’s the tilanced at his watch "Ten o off at four-thirty I orried you wouldn’t get home in time," he said "I can reset it, but I don’t want topaper up"

"I can understand that," I said I checked the clock on land squirt some juice into my veins Terry didn’t seeh," I re to be around when the daerous"

"How can you keep me here? You’ll have to shoot me first"

"I’ll tie you up I have some rope" I could see then that he had a coil of clothesline he’d tossed on the kitchen floor

"You think of everything," I said I wanted him to talk I didn’t want him to tie me up because then I’d be dead for sure There wasn’t going to be any way to hulass by which I could saw through oes off prematurely?"

"Too bad," he said with mockery, "but you knohat Dylan Thomas said ’After the first death, there is no other’"

"How does Hugh Case fit in? Do you mind if I ask? I just want to know for the sake of it"

"I don’t h was overn to have to have clearances, but the guy went overboard Forms, in-terviews, all these questions He really took hiradually I realized he was co questions He knew Of course, he wantedas possible, but I couldn’t refuse I had to kill him before he told Woody all the sordid details"

"About your mother"

"Foster mother," he corrected

"Wouldn’t somebody else have coured a way around it, but I needed him out of the way for it to work"