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night before I didn't feel like putting anything ht I e worked

"For the tiivemuch better and I don't want to take any chances, especially under the circumstances" I emphasized

"I can't help it I'uess the beef jerky can't be poisoned It's in a wrapper I'll go back and get that and see if they've come to their senses and opened the door yet" Harley said and hile I boiled some water

He returned with the carton they had left "Rolls aren't bad," he said, chewing on one "They can'tin your stoo all day on just some tea"

"Okay," I said I nibbled on a piece and then sipped some tea

"The door's still locked," he said "I listened, but I didn't hear a thing For all I know, he one back to work and left us with her I tried banging and calling, but no one responded"

I nodded and looked at the diary again

"Would you like to hear some of this?" I asked

"Might as well There's notelse out," he said, and sat beside me on the sofa

I glanced at him and saas relaxed and ready Then I opened the notebook and began

Ed is becory atout He is constantly tellingthat up None of the people he refers to now really ever cared to ask afterout

I let hio on and on about it He needs to pretend He's always needed to pretendso well Hetipwith them and sometimes would be dumbfounded by the questions and comments people had

Once he told people that Fletcher orking on constructing telephone communications in Saudi Arabia and that's why he was never here any for the army and he was in Brazil I think most of the stories came from Ed's own secret fantasies

The truth was Fletcher wasn't doing anything as exciting and gla Ed described If Fletcher ever called, it was always from someplace on the road, just out of some Midwestern city or Eastern tohere he had held dawn a lob for a few otten bored or fired and was on his way to someplace else His future was always just 'someplace else'

I know Fletcher was the way he was because Ed had pumped him up so e, made him think he k