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"Look again"
"Mom, it&039;s empty! Jimmy must have eaten it"
Mrs Bellaret another box, Jen," she said "You&039;re sixteen; you&039;re not helpless"
"Where is it?" Jennifer said
Banging doors in the kitchen
"Look above the oven," Mrs Bellarmino said
"I did It&039;s not there"
Mrs Bellarmino told the client she&039;d call back, and walked into the kitchen Her daughter earing low-cut jeans and a sheer top that looked like so a hooker would wear to work These days, even junior high girls dressed that way She sighed
"Look above the oven, Jen"
"I told you I did"
"Look again"
"Moet it for me? I&039;m late"
Mrs Bellarmino stood fir the doors, stretching for the cereal box, which was right there, of course But Mrs Bellarhter&039;s exposed stohter brought the box down, tugged at her top, covering her belly "It&039;s nothing"
"You had the to the table, sitting down
"JenniferShow hter stood and lifted her top, exposing her abdo horizontal bruise just above the bikini line And another one, fainter, on the other side of the belly
"It&039;s nothing, Moe of the desk"
"But you shouldn&039;t bruise"
"It&039;s nothing"
"Are you taking your vitamins?"
"Mom? Can I please just eat?"
"You know you can tellme late for school! I have a French test!"
There was no point in pushing her now In any case, the phone had started ringing - no doubt the New York client telephoning back Clients were impatient They expected realtors to be available every minute of the day She went into the other room to take the call and opened her docuhter yelled, "Bye, Moia heard the front door slaShe dialed her husband&039;s lab in Bethesda For once Rob was not in h She told him the story
"What do you think we should do?" she asked
"Search her rooation"
"Okay," she said "I&039;ll call the office and tell the later," he said, "but let737 rolled to a stop at the Hopkins private terines wound down The interior of the aircraft was luxuriously appointed There were two bedrooht But the master bedroom, which took up the entire rear third of the plane, with a king-size bed and a fur throw and ht He needed only one flight attendant, but he invariably fleith three He liked co, s loarm, reddish, sensual And, hell, forty thousand feet up in the air was the only place he could be sure he was safe froht of the wife da on the perch in the living room of the plane The parrot said, "You kidnapped ain?" Barton said
"Riley Doghouse Riley" Speaking in a funny voice
"Don&039;t be sht Gerard I don&039;t n How about Jerry? That suit you?"
"No," the parrot said "It doesn&039;t"
"Why not?"
"It&039;s stupid It&039;s a stupid idea"
There was an uncomfortable silence "Is it really?" Barton Williams said, with a hint of menace in his voice Williams knew this was acalled stupid - especially by a bird - and no one had done so in
"Jerry," he said, "you better be getting along with me, because I own you now"
"People can&039;t be owned"
"And you ain&039;t people, Jerry You&039;re a damn bird" Barton stepped close to the perch "Now, let ive you to , I want you to coood Is that clear?"
"Everyone else does," Gerard said He wasthe voice of the pilot, who heard it from the cockpit and snapped his head around to look back "Jesus, I get sick of the old fart sometimes," Gerard continued
Barton Williams frowned
Next he heard a precise iht, and superiht attendants: "Jenny, are you going to blow hih "Oh-kay"
"Don&039;t forget to take hi
Barton Williaive it toboy! Ooh I love it! So big, so big, aaaaaah!"
Barton Williams stared at the bird "I believe," he said, "that you will not be a welcome addition to ly, little darlin&039;," Gerard said
"That&039;s enough froive it to ! Oh - "
Barton Williae
"Jenny, honey,you&039;ve got family in Dayton, don&039;t you?"
"Yes, Mr Willia bird?"
"Uh, well, actually - yes, Mr Williaood I would appreciate it if you delivered him down there today"
"Of course, Mr Williams"
"And if by some chance," he said, "your family is not appreciative of feathered cos and drop hiain"
"Yes, Mr Williams"
"I heard that," said the bird
"Good," Barton Williaone, Jenny stood on the tar to do with this thing?" she said "My daddy hates birds He shoots &039;eive him to somebody who&039;ll ship hi Paas an upscale store in Shaker Heights There were uy behind the counter was cute, ood body She walked in carrying Gerard in his covered cage "You got any parrots?"
"No We just have dogs" He sot there? I&039; saidSTAN MILGRAM
"Hi, Stan I&039;rey"
"Let&039;s have a look at hiive him away"
"Why? What&039;s the matter?"
"Owner doesn&039;t like him"
Jenny whipped off the cover Gerard blinked, flapped his feathers "I&039;ve been kidnapped," he said
"Hey," Stan said, "he talks pretty good"
"Oh, he&039;s a good talker," Jenny said
"Oh, he&039;s a good talker," Gerard said,me"
Stan frowned "What&039;s he mean?"
"I am surrounded by fools," Gerard said
"He just talks a lot," Jenny said, shrugging
"Is there anything wrong with hi"
Gerard turned to Stan "I told you," he said, emphatically "I&039;ve been kidnapped She is involved She is one of the kidnappers"
"Is he stolen?" Stan asked
"Not stolen," Gerard said"Kidnapped"
"What kind of accent is that?" Stan asked He was s at Jenny She turned sideways, to show him her breasts in profile
"French"
"He sounds British"
"He came from France, is all I know"
"Ooh la la," Gerard said "Will you please listen to me?"
"He thinks he&039;s a person," Jenny said
"Iam a person, you little twit," Gerard said "And if you want to huo on and do it Just don&039;t le your assets in front of him"
Jenny turned red The kid looked away, then sot a
"Does he ever swear?"
"I never heard hiht like hi as he doesn&039;t swear"
"What do you mean, someone?"
"My aunt, out in California She&039;s in Mission Viejo That&039;s Orange County She&039;s ed, lives alone She likes animals, and she&039;s lonely"
"Oh, okay That could be okay"
"You aregiving me away ?" Gerard said, in a horrified tone "This isslavery ! I aive away "
"I have to drive out there," Stan Milgram said, "in a couple of days I could take him with me I know she&039;d like hiht?"
"I could be free," Jenny said