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They were in the backyard, five days after the event in which Ashley had briefly joined her ancestors in death, convalescing in one of the giant swinging hammocks Cliff had just erected in the back They could look out on the river as the cool breezes soothed theo by while they were both "in recovery"

"The very sad truth about huh tinawed on a piece of grass, just as he had when they were teens "In Griffin’s case, I don’t believe that he really had any kind of gift He would have grown up knowing more about his family’s history than anyone else--we all know the little secrets of our own lives better than others I think he was crazy, that he did just hear voices in his head He may well have been schizophrenic He probably showed all the signs when he was younger It’s just that he was so functional, no one saw it He learned all the tricks" He rolled slightly to look at her "His secretary said that she heard hi the day that Marty and Toby were killed She did, too When the police went into his office, they found out that he had a recording to play that went on for various lengths of time That way, people would always swear that he’d been in his office because they’d heard hi Ashley, the past didn’t hteous He did believe that he was like a god, or an avenging angel, to take what he wanted because of the perceived ill that had been done to him" Jake smoothed back a piece of her hair

"I walloped Cliff," she said

"He’s forgiven you"

"But--I really love him He’s family How could I have been so easily fooled?"

"Fear--for soto know Cliff really well again, and he has forgiven you"

She sive you She knew that what happened wasn’t your fault"

"It wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been here"

"But that’s life The good with the bad," he told her quietly "And, hey! You know, of course, that the cops found Ra to find courage in a bottle down on Bourbon Street"

"Poor Raht have been But, sadly, what happened worked well into Griffin’s hands Ramsay he’d have had to have coaxed He knew that Charles would be lured by the proh this period of traulad you turned hi just wasn’t there," she said She shuddered "I turned Griffin down once, years ago He’d asked me to be his escort to some kind of advertisers’ function"

"Thank God you turned them both down," he said, his tone husky He pulled her closer and faced her "Beth is well, and Cliff is well, and I’m the one in the worst shape--feel sorry for hed He didn’t mean it He was full of bruises and cuts, but he didn’t seem tothe press, the paperwork and all other pieces of business that had to do with the case being over He didn’t see love, and he didn’t wince at all when she kissed his bruises

"You’re thoughtful," she said

"We still have one more piece of business," he told her He rolled off the ha?"

"The cemetery," he told her

She pulled back at that, but just for ato… Oh! I see!"

They followed the path to the Donegal tomb, but they didn’t stand in front of it Jake led Ashley to the to-dead World War I hero, and he and Ashley sat

"Emma, your husband loves you," he said "He loves you desperately He loved Harold as well, and he’s grateful that Harold was there to rescue you He knows that you held your love for him in your heart all of your life, and he knows that you were treated cruelly He just wants to love you"