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“I didn’t knohat to do” With her fingers, she raked her hair out of her face, now ured I’d head for our usual place I figured,Maybe he’s there”

“Okay,” I said “Okay, fine”

Mendez was held up on a runway, swearing at her s our contact to to do until then? Go back to an empty irl wasfutile attempts to stem the flow of liquid snot from her nose Hell, I was halfway to the state line already

“All right I’ll take you to Delaware But no s”

She nodded “Everything’s all fucked up I don’t knohat’s going on I hope he’s there”

“Right” I hoped like hell he was there, too

Up Ocean Highent, past the towering condos at the north end of town, across the state line, and into Fenwick Island, Delaware After Fenwick, develop as we drove past the state park At sixty h the car, taking the edge off the heat Sand dunes undulated to our right, providing occasional gliainst a velvety black sky

She had turned pensive now, and it had been a quiet ride I tried to coax so, out of her But she wasn’t talking I had no idea what I would do if the friend wasn’t there I figured we could cross that bridge e got to it

Eventually, she had h a section of tall cattails toward the beach We crawled up to the foot of a terraced, wooden house on stilts, gray with age and exposure to the ele, if incessant, roar

She looked around “I don’t see his car”

“Maybe he’s not here yet,” I said Or ht My heart sank

We got out of the car I followed her up a flight of steep, rickety steps to a sreen door It was unlocked and we strolled right in

“Travis!” she called The rooht, featured an old sofa that looked like it was upholstered in burlap and a table with three plain wooden chairs No one answered A short, dark hallway led to another room

“Da on her thumbnail

I sighed and crossed the room to the shadeless“What now?”