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Khizar shook his head

“No I didn’t know he had any family I kneasn’tUnless it was fine whiskey and cigars He was a loner, and liked it that way”

Jacqui took that information in She knew her family history up to a point; she’d heard stories frorandparents, but she was so young when her parents had died that she didn’t really rereat-uncle made her feel more connected to her parents and their parents, too

“Did he have an accent?” Jacqui asked

Khizar gave her a look that said he didn’t understand the question

“What kind of accent?”

Jacqui waved her hand around to indicate the restaurant

“Listen Everyone here has an accent, soer than others But I’d bet a lot of the people in here are from this area Did William have any kind of accent?”

Khizar said, almost absently, as he listened to the conversations around them, “Bill”

“What?”

“He went by Bill I don’t know that anyone called him William”

“Oh”

Jacqui thought about that, and the fact that Khizar had known that piece of information

Khizar listened more and then nodded

“He did actually have an accent NotI can’t tell for sure, but from what I remember, it did sound a little like the people here”

That meant William—Bill—Bauer probably had Alabama connections It explained why he’d left a bench in that spot He didn’t randomly choose it; this place was special to him, somehow