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“I’ue Therethere on Arbuthnot and 1934 we don’t know You want me to search for Clarence, on the way?”

“Oh, Cru “You know and I know, by now they’ve burned hiet in to shake down the clinkers in the backlot incinerator? I’m on my way to the Garden of Gethsemane”

“Is that safe?”

“Safer than Calvary”

“Stay there Call me”

“You’ll hear me, across town,” I said, “without a phone”

47

But first, I stopped at Calvary

The three crosses were empty

“J C,” I whispered, touching his picture folded in my pocket, and realized suddenly that a rich presence had been following me for some time

I looked around as Manny’s ray-shadow Chinese-funeral Rolls-Royce, crept up behind u out a cool burst of refrigerated air Not er than an Eskiant icebox “Hey, you,” he said

It was a hot day I leaned into the refrigerated Rolls-Royce cubby and refreshed my face while I improved my mind

“I got news for you” I could see Manny’s breath on the artificial winter air “We’re shutting down the studio for two days General cleanup Repainting Crash job”

“How can you do that? The expense—”

“Everyone will be paid full tio So we shut down—”