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“Ah,” she says, looking me up and down “It’s you”

I take in her worn shoes, shabby coat, and the holes in herout in the snow?”

“Caate “We close at six You should co the day”

“I’ll do that” Taking my wallet from my pocket, I empty it of the stash of cash I always have on me and place the bills on her palm “Go inside before you catch your death in this cold”

Looking frorin “May the dead protect you and God bless you, sir”

“Go in,” I say “We’ll lock the gate”

Her grin stretches “That’sit for fifty years Neverup in my life”

Igor holds the gate for me

“God bless you,” she says again, waving the ates

Yuri gets out from behind the wheel to open my door

“You know she’s going to blow that or says on our way to the car “She reeks of cheap spirits”

“You’d rather I buy her a cup of soup at the soup kitchen?” I hand my uhty years old Cut her some slack”

“Soup would’ve been better,” Igor says, a rare reprimand

I let it slide, not only because I owe hiht “To order for a meal delivery at the caterer we use for our office functions”

Histhat he stupidly brought the task upon hih at the expression on his face if it weren’t for a foreboding—that pesky premonition I don’t believe in—that slithers down my spine

The hair on my nape stands on end My scalp prickles Like the last ti that soly Maybe it’sto warnsaved e awareness of dooh to sense it, able to escape in the split second when my sixth sense told me to move