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"So what?"

"So nothing I guess love doesn’t count for much with you" I felt my eyes stray to the clock 4:25

"Not when it’s based on lies and deceit," he said pi-ously "She should have told ht on believing our sex life was all my fault She made me think I was inadequate when all the time it was her So like a leech, sucking at her everywhere Disgusting," he said

"That was a long tih"

"What about Andy Motycka? How’d you persuade him to help?"

"Money and threats The carrot and the stick Janice was hosing hiot nervous, I reminded him that I’d be happy to tell Janice about Lorraine if he tried to back out"

"How’d you find out about her?"

"We’ve all known each other for years The four of us went to UCST together before he and Janice got married This was after I conjured up my new identity, of course Once I settled on the fraure out he was in the perfect position to assist me"

"Did you kill him too?"

"I wish I had He ducked out on me, but I’ll find a way to lure him back He’s not very smart"

Even with the tinnitus I suffer, I could have sworn I could hear the package bo merrily I wet my lips "Is there really a clock in there? Is that hoorks?"

He glanced over at the kitchen counter "It’s not a complicated device The one for Olive was more elabo-rate, but I had toI wasn’t killed then"

"Might have sis," he said

I re on the walk Any excuse to hang back out of range I was beginning to feel strangely free The ti like a long strand of chewing gum It seemed absurd to think I’d spend the lasttrivial points with theto do ain to ht off the front of Olive’s porch while she soared beyond isters What scared h to feel the loss of self Tiardless of the consequences Once your life is threatened, what else do you have to lose?

I reached forDo you un at me "Leave it where it is"