@@@@@ "I told you, I can't-" "Try, 129
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"I told you, I can't-"
"Try, anyway
988
"Edgar, I have no idea what she would sound like
even if I could still throw my voice
"Yeah, but you've got her on your knee, and it's
just us chickens, so go ahead He blew hair off his forehead"What
do you want her to say?"
Wireman said, very quietly indeed: "Why don't we
just see what comes out?"
v
Jack sat with Noveen on his knee for a moment
longer, their heads in the sun, little bits of
disturbed dust from the stairs and the ancient
hall carpet floating around their facesThen he
shifted his grip so that his fingers were on the
doll's rudiment of a neck and her cloth shoulders
"Hello, boys," Jack said, only he was trying not
to move his lips and it came out Hello, oys
He shook his head; the disturbed dust flew"Wait
a minute," he said
"Got all the time in the world," I told himI
think I sounded calm, but my heart was thudding
989
harder than everPart of what I was feeling was
fear for JackIf this worked, it might be
dangerous for him
He stretched out his throat and used his free hand
to massage his Adam's appleHe looked like a
tenor getting ready to singOr like a bird, I
thoughtA Gospel Hummingbird, maybeThen he said,
"Hello, boys It was better, but -
"No," he saidSounds like that
old blond chick, Mae West
He massaged his throat againHe was looking up
into the cascading bright as he did it, and I'm
not sure he knew that his other hand - the one on
the doll - was movingNoveen looked first at me,
then at Wireman, then back at meBlack shoebutton
eyesBlack beribboned hair cascading around a
chocolate-cookie face
