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“She’ll be as protected as the croels”

It doesn’t satisfy the tightness in uest room til Thursday”

“You’re joking, right? You know Mel won’t leave that cottage without a mandatory evacuation order”

Studying my notes, I wonder how ton today No, I have to wrap up this damn Houston case here, where I can focus

Frustrated, I push the laptop back on my desk “We’re professionals, dammit Get creative”

He laughs “What would work if you were Melissa? I’d say we invite her over for dinner and nant And even if she were still drinking, we couldn’t keep the party going for three nights Just tell her what’s up”

“If I can be there on Wednesday, I will”

“Fine, but will you at least tell uess”

“Jessica Black was a high-end hooker, an escort She was also one of Sloan’s regulars A few years ago, she was beaten pretty badly, but she wouldn’t report the guy Then she ut says she fell in love with hiine Now she’s dead”

Silence ain, his voice is sober, all joking gone “And she looks a helluva lot like Melissa”

“Right”

“I knohat to do”

In that one sentence I hear ht where I want him Patrick can be a royal fuck up when it coood at his job And to her credit, Elaine see around

“I’ve got an idea,” he continues “It’s so I floated past you a while back, but noith this Raleigh I ht have a connection to what you need”

“I didn’t expect anything less See you in a few days, and Patrick? Thanks I owe you one”

“It’s nothing more than you’d do for me”

“You know it”