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“She likesof an ioodbye to a friend at school”

“It will?”

He hadn’t h he had already decided to part ith her when this was over

“If this doesn’t end up turning into so more,” he said

She glanced at him with appreciation for the clarification As they reached the car, Callum wondered why he had reassured her The prospect of their beco He would never forget the way he had felt when Annabel died, along with their unborn baby His soul had been ripped from him He hadn’t been able to function He had wondered if he would ever h

No more talk about the future for him and Hazel He’d make sure she was safe and then that would be that

Since they were already dressed in disguise, Callue was known to have spent a lot of ti that ht lead to a break in the case Hazel stepped into the diht away her first ihts were low to conceal the disrepair Apot of people half-filled the place with its dirty, worn floor, and scratched and chipped tables and chairs The ceiling had water stains and dirt caked the twenty-plus year old trim

“Have a seat anywhere,” the bartender called out

No Wait to Be Seated sign here

Two young couples laughed at a table Solitary patrons at the bar watched the television that hung above shelves of liquor or stared at their drinks A group of scary-looking biker men loitered around a pool table The tallest one zeroed in on Hazel,

Callum chose a table in the middle of the bar Hazel sat adjacent to him Moments later a scantily clad waitress approached with a na that said Shelly Callum ordered a beer and Hazel ordered a chardonnay

“Hey, isn’t this the place where thatout?” Callum asked

Hazel was amazed at how quickly he went to work

“Nate?” the waitress replied “Yeah He was here hts Been kind of peaceful without him”

“Oh, really? Why is that?” Callum asked