She gestured impatiently.I was afraid you might try something like that. I told you to pay the price he put on it. So hows Jess doing? Sure, Drake said, thats the ad I put in the paper. What did the guy look like? She drove up in a taxicab. Damn. Lucky son of a bitch. I mean, look at that shit. Look, dude! My lunch consisted of the cheese, two hard-boiled eggs, a tomato, and some cold biscuits left over from dinner the night before. Slicks was somewhat more grand. There was the chicken breast; a portion of paté that he said he had made himself and insisted that I try; a small salad; half a loaf of French bread; some assorted olives, and a Thermos full of a chilled, light Moselle that he said was a particularly good buy that year. We didnt drink the wine out of any tacky paper cups, however. We drank it the way it should be drunk, out of two long-stemmed wine glasses that Slick had packed in the wicker basket. Exactly. You can do a helluva lot better than me, Michelle. While I hope I am a nice, honorable guy, Im also a washed-up soldier with daddy problems. I recognized the third man with a gun, too. The third man was Ward Murfin. That would be pretty hard to do with a gun. Now, hold the gun closer to you. I dont need help. Everything will be fine. So Im dealing with a genius? Mason twisted the paddle, turning the dog over in the water, forcing him to let go his hold. Valentine turned to look at Devine.Its for you, Travis. Then I went ashore to take the interurban for town, feeling very satisfied with myself. He looked up and saw the same woman who had previously come to retrieve him motioning to him. He rose, looked around at the Burners watching him suspiciously, and made his way out. Stone got the door open. Going back to notify the police, Mason said..