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He set the AC on high and headed north on Highway 17
After a while, the land opened up into true desert, broken only by occasional roads that seeh the scrub and cactus toward the distant an to clilistened on the higher ridges Gray turned off the air-conditioning, put down theand drew in deep breaths of cool, clean air
The countryside was spectacular, and all that open space coupled with the scent of pine was soothing He could al here to see Harht decision He could satisfy his curiosity, ask some questions Jack couldn’t because there had been no reason to tell hi into this for his uncle He didn’t plan on telling Kitteridge, either It was always best to play your cards close to your chest
Gray took one hand off the wheel, dug in his pocket and took out the ent had faxed him She’d booked hiht That was the only place available in the vicinity of Queen City, she’d written, and he’d visualized how her elegant eyebrowsto such a hole in the wall She’d also included the nastaff and Queen City, along with a polite note saying he ht prefer one of them to the Drop-On Inn
Gray knew she was probably right but he figured it would be siht With luck, he’dcould a conversation with the ht just check out soent had ed and untouched A little time off here could be just what he needed
He turned on the radio, searched for a station that played the kind of cool jazz he liked and settled instead for sos later, he was hu this trip had been a fine idea
The Drop-On Inn din out front said Motel but it was just ten se Still, the place was clean, his room had a TV that received two channels, and there was even a caf;aae next door Gray and a trucker who apparently owned the eighteen-wheeler parked at the other end of the motel were the only customers He ordered a steak that overflowed the plate and uilty so he passed on dessert, had a cup of coffee, went back to his roo off the end of the mattress
He awoke to sunshine but by the time he’d finished off a stack of pancakes and three cups of coffee at the caf;aae, a bank of charcoal clouds had rolled in Clouds or not, he felt pretty good when he set off for Queen City He’d definitelyequipment store in Queen City, he’d stop there after he finished with Kitteridge, buy hiear, use one of the hotels his agent had recommended as a base and head into thebut he also liked hot tubs, soft beds and the company of beautiful women A few days in the wilderness, followed by another few days in a luxury resort, would feel just fine
He found the station that played country love songs again and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm with the ht, sitting in his apart about what kind of life she’d have led, or what life she’d have wanted for her granddaughter
The first fat drops of rain hit the windshield as he passed a sign welco hiional High School Chaiven hihed and jokingly expressed surprise that the cabin would have a phone and electricity Now, slowing for the first of the two traffic lights Ballard had ain This time, he meant it
To call this place a city was not just an overstatement, it was a pathetic dream
Queen City had seen better times At least half of the shops on Main Street were vacant The only living creature in sight was a dog relieving hi pile of boxes in front of a boarded-up store If it was a coreed with it Even theTheir colors were sullen and their loo presence made him feel claustrophobic
He drove into the only gas station in sight and stopped beside a self-service pue on his cell phone It was Sunday and he figured the odds on finding the ood He hadn’t called in advance because the less tiave him to think about this visit, the better In fact, the less Kitteridge knew about the real purpose of this visit, the better
Kitteridge answered on the first ring “Yeah?”
“Hare?”