I didnt move for a while. Neither did Murfin. The man on the porch slowly raised his beer can to his mouth. Another screen door slammed. It seemed to come from the rear of the house. A moment or two later we heard a car engine start. And then we heard a car drive off. I said, without smiling,Did you hear that, Jess? Ted said youre not going to fuck up. Thats good enough for me. Cross-examine, Gloster said, quite casually. I hope so, Mason said, reaching for his hat. He motioned Sybil Harlan to precede him. Something that would expose everything about the things his group had done. I tried to keep him on the phone because I was so worried about him. But he hung up and I couldnt stop him. I was terrified. I gotta get out of here. Oh? The ghosts of modern assassinations roamed the halls of the building tonight. Jack and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Yes. Yes, please, the man said. Who is this person? They cantered past the airstrip, now sporting two Gulfstreams, his in the hangar, then down to a bend in the Beaulieu River, where they dismounted. Stone produced lunch from his saddlebag, and they sat down under a tree to smoked salmon sandwiches and half a bottle of champagne. Im afraid I cant help you at all, Mr. Mason. I said,Ill leave that up to you, and hung up. And you knew Sara Ewes? I— He started, stopped, and finally when he spoke again it came out in one tumbling rush, the words jamming themselves up against each other. Airline tickets are cheap, if you dont mind flying steerage. In the chest? No, that wasnt the reason. She drove directly back to her house? I told Ruth that Id write the stuff on my way to Washington. I had also discovered that while driving I could usually compose a line a mile. In the bedroom I opened the closet and studied the remnants of a once fairly resplendent wardrobe. Time, fashion, and personal indifference had reduced it to one London-tailored suit (the last of six), which I planned to be cremated in, a couple of tweed jackets, some jeans, and a seersucker suit with suspicious labels. I chose the seersucker, a blue shirt, a black knit tie, and when I looked in the mirror I thought I looked quite natty — providing that one still thought of 1965 as a natty year..