Page 45 (2/2)

"All he gaveback

Chapter 15

The skate-rental shack is a dark green box just off a parking lot near the wharf For three bucks, you can rent roller skates for an hour, with kneepads, elbow pads, and wrist braces thrown in without charge so you won’t sue theht do yourself

Bobby’s taste in friends was hard to predict Gus looked like the sort of fellow if you saw on a street corner, you’d reach over casually and make sure your car doors were locked He e, but he was sunken-chested and frail, and his color was bad His hair was dark brown and he was struggling to grow a itive I’d seenshots of felons I’d trust before him

I had introduced myself and ascertained that this was indeed Bobby’s friend, when a blonde with flyaway hair and long tanned legs cae Despite my first impression, Gus had a nice way about him His lance inon while he calculated how much she owed him He returned her street shoes and ID and she hopped over to a bench to put on her tennies Gus waited until she was gone before he spoke

"I saw you at the funeral," he said shyly when he turned back tonear Mrs Callahan"

"I don’t re you," I said "Did you co "I wasn’t feeling too good"

"I don’t think there’s any way to feel good about that"

"Not when your buddy dies," he said His voice carried a barely perceptible quaver He turned away,the shoe skates back into the proper slot on the shelf

"Have you been sick?" I asked

He seeot Crohn’s disease You knohat that is?"