Page 25 (1/2)

"The running back"

"Right I guess he didn’t push her ahen she uess he didn’t have a wife along"

"I don’t know if he was stringing her along, or if she’d even ether forever if only so happened to her husband I can’t think he’d have actually followed through with it But when he and the tight end went off in the ambulance, her whole plan fell apart"

"And that’s when she started giving you the eye"

"Along with a peek at what she had under her bikini top"

"And she thought it worked, because there you aiting for her in her cabin And when she found out she rong, she just went and made another plan Except it’s the same plan, isn’t it? But with a different prize instead of her body What’s she offering? It would almost have to be money"

"An unspecified amount, payable after the estate’s settled"

"Lord, ouldn’t rush to coiven up the idea that I’m blinded by lust, but she evidently still thinks I’ I explained was that we couldn’t see each other again Nolooks And I told her e’d do for noas nothing at all, not until the last night of the cruise"

"So that we’ll be off the ship by the time they find him"

"And so will everybody else She’ll be unable to rouse him, and they’ll haul him off to a Fort Lauderdale hospital and pronounce hienerous payrateful "

"So what’s the next step?"

"Breakfast," he said "I’"

"I mean--"

"I knohat you ht before we dock in Fort Lauderdale All you and I have to do between now and then is enjoy the cruise"

"My God," she said "What a concept"

"And another little collection I’ve got," Roy said, "iscovers You probably knohat those are"

"With the black bands?"

"That’s right They’ve been around about as long as stamps, since sometime in the mid-nineteenth century Stationers made up envelopes with the black bands printed on ’eot a lot of use, ht around 1940 the whole custo how people were dying faster than ever once the war started"

"Interesting thing to collect," Keller said

"Morbid, you mean? That’s what Myrt says, but it’s no more about death than my other collections are about Turkey and fish"

"Ibecause of the variety Different stamps, different dates, different countries"

"And sometimes the letter’s still in the envelope," Roy said, "and like as not it barelyot a new job And oh, by the way, I’, don’t you think?"

"Very"

"Well, different ties? ‘Heard N8 dead Buhed "The covers, I h priority, but when I see one that’s a little different, or that I like, well, I pick it up But I’ve got to figure out what to do with the daot a Scott Specialized albues for the fish, but all I’vecovers is heave ’em in a box Sometimes I haul ’eht back in the box"

And did Keller collect any postal history, or just sta up coversand attractive and reasonably priced Martinique wasn’t exactly a specialty, but he had all of the country’s sta ave him a cover once, and--

"Say nowith Turkey, when I run out of stamps to buy Ah, here come the ladies I wonder what they found to buy this time"

The cruise was an unalloyed pleasure once he was free of the need to do anything The Huysendahls continued to provide good co for the wives and postal expeditions for hiot to see some wildlife and swim beneath a waterfall, or at least look at it

As he’d noted the first night, one of the chief activities of people on a cruise see about other cruises they’d taken, and Keller, who’d never thought an to see what a world of possibilities they presented

A shts was co on it was like being a guest in a huge floating hotel In one port, they’d been berthed next to an actual sailing ship, carrying just over a hundred passengers It had engines, so they couldbecal, or whatever it was that they did

Athe Baltic, cruising the South Pacific--there were so places he’d like to see

Places he’d like to take Jenny She was sure to love life aboard ship, and there were plenty of activities for kids if he and Julia wanted some private time

Plenty to think about And he’dthan with their final hours aboard the Carefree Nights Which didn’t promise to be all that carefree

Thirty

The fish on the dinner rilled and served with a brown butter sauce The tonon, medium rare

"Well, that’s a switch," Roy said "Thisbut fish I was beginning to wonder if you shouldn’t be the one collecting fish stamps"