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“I know,” Sloane replied “But we’d better hurry up and do that Becauseout”
Wallace and Cindy were en route to the Hamptons for their weekend alone Part of Wallace wanted to block out the reality of Phil’smore than to escape to the Hao away But there was no way that he could do that without stopping first to pay his respects to his longtime friend Much as he cared for Cindy and as much as he tried to squelch his pain, he was sick to his stomach about Phil’s murder And scared to death about its ra fivewith the decent men who composed it
God help him
God help them all
Cindy was very understanding She was even supportive She could have waited in the car But she agreed to go in with Wallace and offer him the comfort of her presence
He felt hurateful as he pulled off the Southern State Parkway and headed toward Rockville Centre Losing a close friend was painful enough Grieving alone would have been even more painful He knew He’d done it before
He’d just parked his car and was opening the door for Cindy when Ben’s sedan ca lot He swerved diagonally, then sla up two parking spaces He practically fell out of the car
As soon as Wallace saw the drunken state Ben was in, he rushed forward, trying to head his friend off b
efore he caused a scene
“Ben, wait” He grabbed his aro in there in this condition…”
“I’ve got to see Phil,” Ben slurred, shaking off Wallace’s grasp, “before it’s too late” He was up the stairs and inside the funeral home before Wallace could stop him
“Phil!” he bellowed, shoving his way into the room “I need to talk to you I need to explain You’re my friend I have to make you understand”
“Ben, for the love of God” Matthew clenched the sleeve of Ben’s ruet past “This is a wake Phil’s wake It’s not the tis”
Ben gazed at Matthew as if he were some nebulous object “I can’t talk to you now,” he announced “I have to find Phil”
“Phil!” he shouted again, oblivious to the sea of shocked faces staring in his direction “Reht cra the course I would’ve failed You made sure I passed I won’t fail you either I’s…”